“ It started in the First World War, like a plague with unpredictable symptoms that was contracted through violence and fear.

This is Shell Shock”

– Anika Hofmann

Good morning my dear fellow students, internet surfers, those interested in or suffering from a type of Shell Shock. Thousands upon thousands of people got shell shock, but everyone… I repeat EVERYONE since WW1 has been affected by Shell Shock.

no, I am not going to go into another monologue about how every action or lack of action modifies the future in small but impactful. Not about how one smile or frown will affect someone across the world. No, I mean a direct impact. If one of the following applies to you, then you have been largely affected by shell shock.

  • If you have ever gone to therapy
  • If anyone you know well has gone to therapy
  • If you know what PTSD is
  • If you know someone well who has PTSD
  • If you have PTSD
  • If you have an Anxiety disorder
  • If you know someone who has an Anxiety disorder
  • If you have ever suffered from something Psychosomatic
  • If you have ever gone to the doctor about nearly anything other than a sprain break or virus (debatable)
  • If the people you grew up around have been affected by one of these things

Project

We have been learning about WW1 for a long time now, and have learned a heck of a lot. Another thing I’ve learned a lot about (for the entire year actually), is videos.

As the year comes to a close, we show our collective learning. So as we come to the close of the building knowledge period of WW1, we come to a close of our knowledge building of Videos. What better than to create a conclusive video concluding our knowledge on an aspect of WW1? – that’s what we did!

The topic I picked, obviously was Shell Shock.

Video

Based off of the topic I chose a video format from the options below:

  • Crash Course     (speaks really fast, lots of facts and diagrams)
  • The Great War     (speaks regular speed, lots of images, explains in detail, amazing set)
  • Stop Motion
  • Dramatization     (Like a movie or short film)
  • Animation

I chose “The Great War” video format because of the detail and images shown.

Work

Over a few weeks (3 I think), I worked on this video. The first week was dedicated to planning, the second to filming, and the third for final touch ups + presentation.

I made a keynote animation to plan out my videos. I learned that scripts are called screenplays, and basic shot plans like my animation are called storyboards.

Shell Shock Storyboard Animation

I made my video based on the more medical side of Shell Shock, which I find is the less explored side of shell shock. I’m proud of myself for making that decision, because otherwise I could have never made it even close to the time restrictions (between 3 – 4 mins).

Present

We had made our videos for an audience of grade 6 and 7 students at Cove Cliff Elementary. This was part of the reason that I went the more scientific route (so I could keep as much of the disturbing images out of the video while staying true to the tone of the video).

We originally had planned to show our videos to one or two grade 6-7 students, but we would have had to pick one of the classes to leave out of the mix and that wouldn’t have been fair to the kids. So, we showed our videos to larger groups of 3-8 (mine were all groups of 5).

  

The major critique or feedback that I got showed me that I really need to restrict my vocabulary when talking to grade 6’s. I forget that most of them don’t know how the nervous system works, or don’t know biggish words like concussion, or honourable discharge, or confuse physiological with psychological. I really don’t remember what my knowledge was like at that point, but I should have definitely made it simpler. I know this from comments like.

“I didn’t know that Shell Shock hits your skull”

which was basically the opposite of what what I was trying to portray. Some people got it though, so props to you! However if you didn’t get it, I completely understand. I probably wouldn’t then either, I should have made my video simpler and less wordy.