BLASTING OFF TO SPACE AND PORTRAITS

OUTER SPACE AND MEETING E.T (7th Jan 2023)

This week was the first week back from Christmas break and we thought the perfect way to spend it would be BLASTING OFF TO SPACE!

After 5 minutes of space themed free writing to the soundtrack of E.T, the junior writers watched a clip from the film (E.T) Where Elliot meets the alien for the first time.

After imagining and writing stories about meeting an alien the writers noticed a box guarded by an astronaut at the front of the room. Opening the box they found layers of tissue paper with questions inside.

The first question was

'A hand reaches out of the box. Do you

A. Shake it.

B. Slap it away.

C. Run!

If the writers chose 'A' they were pulled into the box with the alien. The box was much bigger on the inside like a Labyrinth and the alien was nowhere to be seen. They had to describe the inside of the box.

If they chose 'B' the alien started crying inside the box and they had to write a script between them and the creature inside, comforting it.

If they chose 'C' they fall and bump their head. When they wake up the alien is standing above them reaching out its hand.

They had to write what happens next.

After sharing back their work the next layer of tissue paper was removed from the box to reveal the next question.

'You find an egg that looks ready to hatch. It is otherworldly, like nothing you've seen before. Do you

A. Take it home to hatch it

B. Cook it

C. Smash it

If they chose A they had to write the scene when the egg hatches.

If they picked B they had to write the recipe for the egg.

And if they picked C they had to write about the egg exploding with LOTS of onomatopoeia!

After the last layer of tissue was removed the writers met a little blue alien (puppet?) They got to name and draw.

After greeting the baby alien and saying goodbye, the writers were left wondering what mysteries there would be to discover next week?

Young Writers

Our first session back after Christmas! It was great to see our Young Writers again – they’ve all been very busy over the festive period, being as creative as ever.

How else could we begin 2023 but by checking-in with our influences and writing instincts. The Young Writers were challenged to write down 5 things that made them angry (exams, teachers, unruly classmates) – 4 things that made them laugh (their friends) – 3 places they’d love to take someone (the beach, an enemy to a volcano) – 2 people they’d love to be for a day and, finally, 1 thing they’re an expert of…

This warm-up allowed us to remember what we’re interested in writing at the moment.

Moving on, today we were looking at characters and new ways to create them. As Rohan is currently writing a play for MAST Mayflower Studios (inspired by famous paintings), he brought along a collection of iconic portraits – the Mona Lisa, the Scream as well as works by Rembrandt, Frida Kahlo, Turner, etc. The Young Writers each chose a portrait that intrigued them and began exploring the character depicted – how would they describe them externally? Then how would they imagine them internally? If these characters were an animal, what animal would they be? What food would they eat? We experimented with matching characters together – friends and enemies, before wondering what the relationship might be between these characters and the painters themselves. Maybe they’re married, with her being his muse? Maybe she doesn’t like that?

By the end of the session, all the Young Writers had imagined some brilliant new characters to take into their current pieces for this year and beyond!

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BLASTING OFF TO SPACE AND PORTRAITS