Term two in P.L.P. was immensely frustrating, yet rewarding in the same sense. We were forced to push ourselves to the very brink of utter failure time and time again, bending but not breaking, and working harder than ever before. But you know what they say; whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
While most classes were teaching Macbeth and World War Two separately, we took more of a unique approach, combining both units and comparing key themes to answer the underlying question: What is the nature of evil? To do this, our entire P.L.P. class was tasked to plan and create our own twenty-minute production of Macbeth set in the time and context of World War Two. What was so unique about this project was that none of us had ever been in a group of almost thirty people, and nobody, not even Ms. Willemse, knew how it was going to go.
From the very start I was extremely sceptical; I think we all were. In any class project there are always leaders and followers, and my main concern was that people would slack off. However, with the help of Ms. Willemse and Mr. Hughes, we were able to create a day-by-day schedule and divide the labour into several different production departments. We needed a producer, a director, an editor, a special affects manager, a script department, a props department, a costume department, a make up department, and actors. Personally, I signed up to be in the props department and to act, taking on the roles of Rogers (Macduff) and one of the three ghosts (three witches). However, I often found myself filling in where ever; editing the script, writing in new scenes, and even making executive decisions for the group. I knew that we would all have to make a few sacrifices for the betterment of the final product, as there was an obscene amount of work that had to be done, and it had to be done quickly.
Breaking down the different production roles.
Our time line for the project was only a mere three weeks. So we needed to create our plot, plan and write all the scenes from each act, translate/change an entire script to fit WWII context, and obtain a sufficient amount of props and costumes before we could even start to think about filming. However, against all odds, we got it done within the first week and we were ready to film.
Working on props.
On the first day of shooting it was dumping snow, and unfortunately we had to film outside. Though the snow added to the gloomy and sinister affect of Act 1, Scene 3, it was extremely cold, as I was dressed head to toe in tattered clothing, and we only had an hour or so before it got dark. So naturally, things were going a little slower than usual, and it only went downhill from there.
Receiving make up before filming.
Director and co director, Nash and Maria.
The three dead civilians, Michael, Gabi and myself, posing for a photo.
Over the following weeks, and unplanned weeks after that, things were just not going our way. We were too concerned about every little detail being perfect, insensitive to each other and honestly so unprepared to film, which led to unbearable tension between people and hopelessly falling behind schedule. It seemed like anything that could go wrong went wrong, and at times it felt as though we were in a civil war zone with three contrasting producers who could never agree.
Michael, playing the role of Sergeant Windsor (King Duncan), receiving make up before filming Act 2, Scene 2.
Posing on set before filming a shot.
Christopher Ross, playing the lead roll of Glen Everett (Macbeth).
Make up courtesy of Brianna Teegan.
Actors filming on set.
I think the key to success when working in any group is to be cohesive, understanding, and willing to cooperate. A team is really only as strong as its weakest player, and I felt like there was only a small group of people, myself being one of them, that consistently put in maximum effort and devoted an immense amount of both class and personal time in order to produce a sufficient final product. I personally went to every single outside of school film time and I always put in 110% effort, where as some people failed to honour the basic commitment of showing up at all. Its honestly common decency to show up to filming on time when you’re needed and to be ready, and I felt like other peoples careless indiscretion really hurt us in the long run.
I could go into more detail about the pros and cons of the project, and where we went wrong/who to blame, but we already did a writing assignment in Showbie, called Macbeth Rant, to express our deepest concerns and truthful opinions.
Long story short, after falling behind schedule time and time again, and prolonging the project for nearly three weeks, we had failed to film all our scenes and complete the movie. The amount of work the project required was passing the learning that we had done, and there was no real end in sight so we had no choice but to call it quits. However, after having an emotional conference, none of us were willing and ready to give up our countless hours of work only to be replaced by cheesy explain everythings and cringe puppet pals. So we decided to narrow down our scenes, after previously doing so, and use what we’ve already filmed to depict the general story of Macbeth.
The newly revised plot.
However, after handing over all the scenes to Zak, our editor, to stitch everything together, we realized after viewing the original screening that there were significant gaps in the main plot and parts of the film that were unclear. So in order for it to make sense we had to add in some last second narration, ironically, done by me as I tried my best to accurately portray the crucial role of Rogers (Macduff).
In the end, the final product was definitely not what I pictured at the start. However, I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish, all the work I put into it, and everything I learned throughout the lengthy creation process.
Insert Movie
One of the main things that I learned throughout the whole creation process was how important and detrimental good leadership, along with good communication, really is. I know that if we were all on the same page, and we always worked together efficiently and effectively, we would have a movie right now. Also I learned that when making a movie, always come to filming prepared, as making impulse decisions rub some people the wrong way and slow down the entire process. Another thing that became increasingly clear to me was how crucial commitment is when working in a large group. Without full commitment, the project will quickly fall behind schedule and everyone will turn on each other.
A good day of filming.
An inside look at some of the special affects, courtesy of Matthew Dandar.
Now, after all that, we’ve arrived back at the same question: What is the nature of evil?
To be honest, I believe that everyone has a different answer to this question and we all perceive evil differently, as we all have unique and contrasting fears. However, through comparing similar themes between Macbeth and World War Two, as well as other significant historical events, I’ve come to realize and truly discover what the nature of evil is to me.
In WWII, the prejudice and discrimination against Jews from Hitler’s Nazi Regime depicts the nature of evil. However, after talking to Mr. Lemke, I realized that Hitler was truly the evil one. Many of the Nazi soldiers were just ordinary people who didn’t want to kill and had no choice but to follow orders. Hitler was responsible for starting the war, obliterating his country, sending millions of troops to their deaths for an unjust cause, and committing the largest genocide in history. But with that being said, does that really justify the actions that the United States took in dropping Little Boy and Fat Man on Japan? Some may argue that Truman was saving 500,000 American lives, but I say that he made the heartless and inhumane decision to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people with the push of a button. He also plunged the World into an atomic era, starting the Cold War and the mass production of nuclear weapons. Similarly, In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the evil one, as she convinces her dearly beloved husband to brutally murder King Duncan, his best friend Banquo, and an innocent man’s family. But for what? Just to become king? All this stems back to one reoccurring theme. In all three scenarios, Hitler, Truman, and Macbeth, were persuaded and manipulated into doing horrible things because they let their greed control them and the prospect of power cloud their judgement. The nature of evil stems from greed, and greed stems from wanting power, prestige and money. Greed is what drives humans to manipulate and undermine, to shed compassion and empathy, and to lose sight between what’s right and what’s wrong.
Lastly, solely for your entertainment, here is a short reel of behind the scenes clips put together by Matthew Dandar. I hope you enjoy!