Using Jonathan Miller's Alice in Wonderland in Year 9

This unit stands by itself as a study of the film, but it could be used as part of a scheme of work centred on the novel. (Video/DVD times are given in minutes and seconds e.g.: 00:00.)

It is assumed that students already have the technical vocabulary of camera angles, shots, movements; lighting and sound etc and that they are familiar with applying these terms to film texts. If this is not the case then teachers need to spend a lesson teaching the technical vocabulary and studying the effects of different use of camera, lighting, sound and editing (see Year 7 Lesson 1).

Lessons 1 and 2

Resources

TV and VCR/DVD player VHS or DVD of Alice in Wonderland Whiteboard and pen Flipchart and pen Copies of section from novel, Chapter 1, pages 2, from 'The rabbit hole went straight on' to 'and the fall was over.' Students' pens

Starter

1. In pairs students brainstorm everything they can remember about the story Alice in Wonderland. Collect their ideas on the board as a mind map.

Model

2. Tell students they are going to watch a version of Alice in Wonderland. Ask them to consider as they watch:

• The film's intended audience;
• What the film says about the culture and society in which it is set;
• The style of the film and how it is created.

Development

3. After watching the film, ask the students to discuss how the film relates to the mind map created at the start of the lesson. Discuss the above points. Ensure students give reasons for their answers. For the point on culture and society, make sure they realise it is set in Victorian times (written in 1865) but also ask them to try to say what the film says about the culture and society of the 1960s (when the film was made).

4. Focus on the style of the film: collect words on the flipchart that describe the style: eg surreal, dreamlike etc.

5. Look at the section of the novel. In pairs, students should think about how they would film this part of the story in the same style as Miller's film. They should annotate the text with ideas.

Plenary

6. Ask each pair of students to join another pair to make groups of four. They are to discuss their ideas on filming.

7. Ask the class as a whole to share some of their good ideas.

8. Ask the class what they have learned about Jonathan Miller's style of directing.

9. Look at the mind map from start of the lesson and ask students if Miller's film fits their memories and assumptions about Alice; ask them to justify their ideas.

Extension/homework:

• Write a formal analysis of a section of the film showing how, by using particular film techniques, Miller Developments a distinctive style.
• Write a film review of the film.

Lesson 3

Resources

A2 paper and markers Flipchart and pen Students' books and pen

Starter

1. Review the film and the last lesson. Ask students to remind you of the style of Miller's film and how he creates it.

2. Briefly go over film certification and what each letter (U, PG, PG12, 12, 15, 18) stands for. Ask students in pairs to give the film a certificate. Ask them to come up with a profile of the audience for which the film is most suitable. They need to justify their choices.

3. Discuss the outcomes as a class. Can they agree upon a certificate? Encourage discussion here about the audience for this film.

Model

4. Inform students that when it was first screened on TV in 1966, the film was shown at 9.05pm because Huw Weldon, Head of TV programmes felt it was, 'unsuitable for children'. Give students in groups of four a large sheet of paper and a marker. They are to divide the paper into two columns headed 'unsuitable' and 'suitable' and are to list reasons in each column as to why the film may be seen as 'unsuitable' or 'suitable' for children.

5. As a whole class collect ideas on the flipchart in two columns discussing the ideas as they come up. Do they know anything about children's in 1966 and to what extent their lives may have been different from those of children of today? What influence might this have on TV schedules?

6. Model how to write a paragraph arguing in support of the idea that the film is unsuitable for children. Show them how to cite textual evidence to support their opinions using the 'Point, Quote, Development' system.

Development

7. Students write a paragraph stating that the film is 'suitable' for children. Encourage the more able students to include some differentiation between children of today and children of 1966.

Plenary

8. Pull out one or two good examples of paragraphs to share with the class, asking them to say why they work so well. Pose the question: 'What should we take into account when we are thinking of whether a text is suitable for children?'

Extension/homework

• Teach how to sequence writing to present an arguement. Ask students to write a balanced argument on whether Jonathan Miller's film Alice in Wonderland is suitable for children.
• Hold a debate on the question: 'Is Jonathan Miller's film Alice in Wonderland suitable for children?'
• Hold a debate on film classification and censorship.
• Have a discussion on 'Which is better: the book or the film?'
• Using sections from Miller's Alice in Wonderland, produce a trailer suitable for a particular audience, eg 5 -7 year-olds.

Lessons 4 and 5

Resources

TV and VCR/DVD player VHS or DVD of Alice in Wonderland DVD or VHS of one or two other versions, eg the Walt Disney production (1951) or Alice directed by Jan Svankmeyer (1988) Worksheet (can easily be adapted for the films you are using) Students' pens Copies of the novel, or relevant sections from the novel

Starter

1. Give the worksheet to students in pairs. Watch the first 510 minutes of two or three versions of the film, including the Miller version. After each viewing give pairs 10 minutes to fill in worksheet.

2. Discuss their findings: how is each version a product of its time and culture? How do they differ? How are they similar?

Model

3. Ask students in groups of four to choose a section of the story, eg the tea party or the croquet match. Provide them with the relevant section of the novel. Their task is to:

• Plan how they would film the section to make it relevant to a 21^st century audience;
• Gather ideas on audience, genre, style, director, locations, possible actors etc;
• Give reasons for their choices;
• Make notes on how they are going to film it;
• Pitch their ideas to the class as if they were a group of filmmakers. (That is, Development a short presentation to 'sell' the idea of making the film to a studio.)

Development

4. Students plan their film and their pitch.

5. Students perform their pitch to the class. Could be assessed for Speaking and Listening.

Plenary

6. Tell students that they are all part of a production company and want to put money into a film version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. What version would they choose and why? Ask groups to consider and discuss this and then discuss as a class trying to come to an agreement.

Extension/homework

• Groups could storyboard and film (if you have DV cameras) their section and include these in the pitch.
• Teach how to plan, draft and write a comparative essay comparing the different versions of Alice in Wonderland.

Further ideas for working with this film in Year 9

• Research and write a case study of Jonathan Miller, or another film director.
• Find out what were some of the best-known films of the 1960s. Write an article for a magazine on 'Films of the 1960s.'
• Identify some of the films for television that were commissioned by the BBC in the 1960s and in the past decade. What differences are there in the lists? Students present their findings to the class.