Ode to an Orange
The beginning of the work, according to Thevenin’s “Creating” essay, is texts. This is not about just picking a source text and finding its themes, but also about identifying media itself as a text. Students must look at the conventions of the media, examine how its elements are suited for or limiting to the adaptation of the source material to a social media platform, and analyze how the design and function of the media contribute to the audience’s experience. I approached this step by starting with themes I saw in the short essay of Ode to an Orange, such as nostalgia, relatability, and detail, and thought of what media would support the adaptation and presentation of those themes. Had I not started this project by looking for themes in the essay, and considering the platforms I could use to accomplish my objective, I could have easily become overwhelmed by the concept of adapting a text to media. When helping students learn and implement the tool of text, I would first try to broaden their minds, understanding, and perspective of adaptation and media. By opening doors and windows of possibilities, and giving examples of ways classic pieces have been adapted, students will realized the freedoms and resources available. I would then help students narrow their focus by zoning in on themes, identify how they want to share those themes, and guide them to find the best way to get there.
Thevenin’s next step is process. He emphasizes the fact that research and analysis do not just happen in the pre-production stages, but should be continuing throughout the project. For me, I was in the middle of filming my video when I thought about how I could use the media and tools I had chosen to fix certain errors that I wanted to rework. This changed how I thought about my filming after that, and helped me focus back on the themes I wanted to address in my adaptation. Process is also about helping students understand how the knowledge the have gained about text and media, through their analysis and research, influences their artistic choices. If I were using an exercise like this, I would plan to take time with students while they are still working on their projects to discuss their progress and thoughts moving forward. I would point out their choices and ask how they arrived at that decision or conclusion, helping them understand that it built on the previous steps of their learning.
The final part is literacies. I love how Thevenin’s essay compares adaptation to a screenplay with a director that is both respecting the work and bringing in their own interpretations as well to create a film. All art and ideas get their inspiration from somewhere. This project, specifically the way Mr. Kaufman’s class implemented it, involved group work and collaboration. Those are essential elements in most works of art including media. Projects like this one about adaptation begin to demonstrate to students the real-life applications of working with a team to create something. Anyone making a music video or working in a newsroom or developing advertisements will be collaborating, so why not begin teaching that in a secondary classroom?
I loved that you kept thinking about your themes as you continued to film. I think that is so important for helping students to learn how to have unity and continuity throughout their projects. I also think that it is so important that we have the chance to help students feel like they have the chance to create, that they feel that they are free, yet that they have limitations to help them in the creation process. As you talked about, I think that helping them realize that they have options is so helpful, but also give them limitations to spur their creativity. This is part of the real-life; there will be projects and assignments that we all have to work on and yet, there are chances for us to be creative and help our company in new and innovative ways.
ReplyDeleteI loved that you chose to adapt based on a theme. I think that this is so important because it helps us to make sure that we are following copyright when we choose to adapt something. I wonder if this is a conversation that we would have in class? Possibly discussing how you choosing a theme allows you to keep a part of the material that you are drawing from, but also allows you to be able to explore new possible meanings that either did not exist or were not as prominent in the original text.
Abbie, what a delightfully intimate piece. You were very successful in capturing the childhood nostalgia you discuss. It was also quite interesting hearing the parallels between the short story and your family's experience with eating oranges while on Whole-30. It gives a sense of authenticity to your work.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting that you chose not to use any of the words from the short story. I wonder how this piece would be experienced differently by someone who is not familiar with "Ode to an Orange". This would be something interesting to engage with in the classroom: exploring adaptation and how being a knowledgeable audience member about the original text affects the reception of a creative piece. This could even segue into a discussion about theatre and what audience members bring to performances.