Gatsby FINAL PROJECT

The Great Gatsby                                                                                                       Ms. Hoffmann

The Great Gatsby Unit Project

            F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby clearly has become a mainstay of the American canon.  One way in which this is evident is how widely it is read—particularly in high schools across America.  The reason why the novel has become such an important part of the American tradition—as with any other classic—is because of the history that it portrays as well as the timeless human emotions into which it taps.  Nonetheless, The Great Gatsby is one of the novels to which people have the hardest time relating.  They have a hard time understanding the characters’ actions or the motivation behind them. 

Task:  For this assignment your job will be explicate the meaning in The Great Gatsby.  In order to do this, you are being asked to adapt The Great Gatsby to another setting or time period and to depict this adaptation through a video that is approximately five minutes in length. 

Some adaptations you might consider include the following:

Acting out a short skit that depicts the characters of The Great Gatsby and where they

would be positioned in relation to

1.     Occupy Wall Street

2.     A reality show (such as The Real Housewives, Joe Millionaire, etc.)

3.     Post-Great-Depression America (something that the video clips showed us that Fitzgerald tended to overlook even in his later novels).

4.     A topic of your choosing

This is a group project.  Groups should be of no more than 5 students.  Each student will be expected to contribute something (thus, groups with more students will be expected to complete more refined projects).  You can choose to work alone, but you will still be expected to complete all of the components of the project. 

Due Date Timeline: 

*Friday, December 2^nd—Groups and Topics Due

*Monday, December 5^th—Sources (two per group member that will inform your adaptation)

*Monday, December 12^th—Completed Script and/or Storyboard

*Thursday, December 15^th—Final, Completed Project Due

(Includes: Video, Paper Describing what your group was trying to   accomplish with the video, and individual contribution paper)

Requirements:

*Timely Submission of all Materials listed above

*Groups and Topics

            -A short paragraph explaining who is in your group and what you plan on doing for the

project

            -If doing a topic of choice, ready to get approval for that topic no later than Dec. 2^nd

*Sources

-You are expected to create an informed adaptation.  This means that you will need to do some research in order to help your group.  Each person should submit no less than two sources and a half-page report of their argument to their group and to me for a grade by the deadline.

-These sources should be scholarly, so you are being asked to look beyond Wikipedia.  You can use other websites, but it should be evident that these articles come from a reliable source. 

*Completed Script and/or Storyboard

            -As with any other media, films go through drafts.  Thus, you will be expected to create a

draft for this project.

-You can choose to create either a script or a storyboard.  Use whichever will be most helpful for you, but make sure that you put some thought into your product. You can find examples of each through a quick Google search:

http://www.printablepaper.net/category/storyboard

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/screenplay-TC001018636.aspx

            -Plan things such as (but not limited to) the following: Plot pacing, dialogue, setting,

props, shot types, lighting, etc.

If you are unfamiliar with these film terms you should refer to the following source:

http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms.html

*Final Project Submission

            -The final video

                        At least five minutes in length

                        Accomplishes the aforementioned task

A refined work that obviously has been edited and shows effort that reflects the number of people in the group           

Should be uploaded to YouTube so they can be presented in class.  (These can be set to private so that not just anyone on the Internet can see them). 

            -Video Explanation Paper (only 1 required per group)

                        A formal paper formatted as follows: 2-3pp. in length, double spaced, Times New

Roman 12 pt. font

This paper should explain how you interpret The Great Gatsby and how you show

that interpretation in your re-appropriation of its characters

It should also explain any cinematic techniques that you attempted to portray. 

            -Contribution Paper (1 required per group member)

                        A paper explaining what you personally contributed to your group’s efforts

                         This should be formatted as follows: 1-2pp. in length, double spaced, Times New

Roman 12 pt. font