Activity 1A: Setting the Stage
Movie Clip Scene Suggestions
This unit uses the opening scene of the movie Stand and Deliver (1988) as an example, because its setting is similar to the neighborhood in The House on Mango Street. If you choose a different work of fiction for the unit, you might choose a movie with a setting more similar to your chosen work. Some movies developed from books are suggested below. You might also consult the Oxford County Library’s Books Made Into Movies, available at http://www.ocl.net/explore-online-resources/books-made-into-movies.
A Lesson Before Dying (opening scene of boy walking down a road in the rural South, getting into a car, and driving to a general store; rated PG-13). Adapted from A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines.
Beloved (opening scene moving through cemetery to the exterior and then interior of a small house; rated R). Adapted from Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Blade Runner (opening futuristic setting; rated PG-13). Adapted from the story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (opening scene). Adapted from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.
The Namesake (opening scene at the train station and on the train; rated PG-13). Adapted from The Namesake by Jumpha Lahiri.
Slumdog Millionaire (chase scene through the Mumbai slums; rated R, though nothing inappropriate for students appears in this scene). Adapted from Q & A by Vikas Swarup.
Original Screenplays
This unit presents a script excerpt from the movie Do the Right Thing (1989), which offers another example of a neighborhood setting that students can compare to the settings in The House on Mango Street and Stand and Deliver. If you are using a different literary work and movie clip, you may wish to find a script excerpt that is more closely related to your chosen works. Some possibilities for movie clip and/or scripts are suggested below.
In America (opening scene driving through a U.S. border crossing, and then into New York City; rated PG-13) www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/i/in-america-script-transcript.html
Quinceaneara (opening scene at a quinceanara and in the limo; rated R, but nothing inappropriate for students appears in this scene)
Stand and Deliver (opening scene driving into Los Angeles through various neighborhoods to the school)
Wall-E (opening scene of animated post-Apocalyptic Earth and introduction of Wall-E’s character) www.imsdb.com/scripts/Wall-E.html
Activity 1B.2: What Is a Set Designer?
Online Sources for Scripts
Drew’s Script-O-Rama www.script-o-rama.com/
The Internet Movie Script Database www.imsdb.com/
SimplyScripts—Movie Scripts and Screenplays www.simplyscripts.com/