Strictly Ballroom

Deconstructing Strictly Ballroom

Deconstructing Strictly Ballroom is designed to support the teaching of viewing as described in Viewing Outcome Statements within Australian State Curriculum Framework documents. Key questions on the CD-ROM are therefore designed for teachers to test students' understanding from their viewing of Strictly Ballroom.

Strictly Ballroom opened up the Post New Wave of 1990's Australian cinema. This entertaining representation of ballroom dancing broke with previous trends in Australian film that tended to represent working class Australians as losers. In contrast Strictly Ballroom offered hope through individualism. Scott reflects this change in the narrative as he pursues his beliefs and desires. In the process, he takes on and succeeds against institutional and bureaucratic power. This theme is repeated in many Australian films that followed. Strictly Ballroom can also be viewed as a generic benchmark for quirky Australian comedy films that encourage their audiences to laugh at themselves. These films present a surreal view of suburban life and contain music and images that are dynamic, fast-moving and entertaining.

Strictly Ballroom can be viewed as the first of a series of three feature films directed by Baz Luhrmann. The three films, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge can be described as a red-curtain trilogy. The curtain that opens during Strictly Ballroom's introduction draws attention to what follows as a staged performance. Each film in the trilogy displays a tendency towards fantasy and surrealism. Central to each text is a fantasy of individualism. The central theme in Strictly Ballroom 'A life lived in fear is a life half lived' is also reflected in Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge. Protagonists move to pursue personal dreams. They become star-struck lovers and a heavy price is paid by those who repress them. Bureaucratic control is represented in each text as the oppressive enemy of individual expression. The theatrical experience is also reflected in Luhrmann's innovative integration of sound and vision. Each film consumes all our senses and relies on the use of metaphor in music and image.

Deconstructing Strictly Ballroom presents a comprehensive program of teacher's notes, display notes, student questions, still shots and script excerpts from the film Strictly Ballroom. The program is designed specifically for High School English classrooms.

Questions are designed to specifically address Viewing Outcome Statements within Australian Curriculum Frameworks. Teachers may integrate material from the package into their own teaching programs. The packages are particularly suitable to support the teaching of feature film in Years 10, 11 and 12.

Structure of Program

Deconstructing Strictly Ballroom is structured within five PowerPoint presentation strands:

Strand 1: Integrated Program - A complete program linking all components of the CD together (teacher notes, display notes, storyboards and student questions)

Strand 2: Teacher Notes - A set of screens designed to provide teachers with ideological support for the teaching of film narrative. The program links specifically to selected storyboards from the feature film text.

Strand 3: Student Questions - A set of questions based on each storyboard frame. The questions reinforce key teaching points addressed through the 'teacher notes' and the 'display notes' in line with curriculum framework outcome statement for viewing in Australia.

Strand 4: Display Notes - Sets of bullet points to display for whole classes using a multimedia projector. Strand 5: Storyboards - A set of storyboard frames, illustrating key features for the teaching of feature film and supporting curriculum framework outcome statements for viewing in Australia.

Prices

Deconstructing Strictly Ballroom: $69.95 Total: $84.10 (including GST and Postage)

Deconstructing Strictly Ballroom + Site Licence (This allows for the program to be used on up to 50 computers): $165.50 Total: $189.20 (including GST)

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