Based on the television series Randling, produced by Zapruder’s other films and the ABC
© ATOM 2012 A STUDY GUIDE BY KATY MARRINER
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-171-3 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au randle. n. A nonsensical poem recited by Irish schoolboys as an apology for farting at a friend. Randling – created for ABC1 by Andrew Denton and Jon Casimir, the creators of The Gruen Transfer – is a game show about words. The game show pits ten teams, with two players a side, against each other over twenty-seven rounds of fiery and fierce word play. Each team is vying for a place in the 2012 Randling Grand Final and the chance to take home the Randling premiership trophy. Designed to enlighten, educate and amuse viewers, Randling is the only game show that comes with a guarantee that every episode will leave you at least 1 per cent smarter and 100 per cent happier.
Learn more about Randling, the randlers and how to randle online at
How to make an English lesson funner-er.
One of the stated aims of The understanding and skills within the LEARNING OUTCOMES Australian Curriculum: English is to strand of Language and within this ensure that students appreciate, enjoy strand to examine the substrands Students learn that language is and use the English language in all its of: language variation and change; constantly evolving due to historical, variations and develop a sense of its language for interaction; expressing social and cultural changes, richness and power to evoke feelings, and developing ideas; and sound and demographic movements and technological innovations; convey information, form ideas, facili- letter knowledge. tate interaction with others, entertain, Students learn that the language used persuade and argue. This aim – a game This study guide to accompany by individuals varies according to their show about words that encourages Randling provides activities to sup- social setting and the relationships players and viewers to discover new port students’ viewing of the program. between the participants; and and archaic words, to invent words and Explanations of Randling games definitions and to realise how entertain- are included, so that teachers and Students develop their knowledge of the English language and how it works. ing word play can be – makes Randling students can randle in their English SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 a recommended resource for use in classes. Teachers and students are * Reference: http://www. secondary English classes. encouraged to design their own ques- australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/ tions and challenges based on the Rationale Randling offers teachers the opportu- examples provided. nity to develop students’ knowledge,
RANDLING DEBUTS ON WEDNESDAY MAY 2 AT 8.30PM (AEST) ON ABC1. 2 team. n. a group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport.
West Coast Odd Sox The Ducks of War Fitzroy Fireballs
The West Coast Odd Sox are Annabel The Ducks of War are Felicity Ward and Life Savers Club Crabb and Merrick Watts. Heath Franklin. The Fitzroy Fireballs Life Savers Club Annabel Crabb is the ABC’s chief Felicity Ward is a multi-award-winning are Anthony Morgan and Dave O’Neil. online political writer and columnist Melbourne-based stand up comedian, for Fairfax’s Sunday titles. She has writer and actor. She first came to public Anthony Morgan has been working as worked extensively in radio and TV as attention in The Ronnie Johns Half Hour a stand-up comic since 1982, when he a political commentator and has been a in 2006. Two years later she won Most was just a couple of years older than regular on Insiders since its beginnings Outstanding Newcomer at the 2008 he is now. A true legend of Australian in 2001. Before she became a journalist, Melbourne Fringe for her acclaimed comedy, Anthony’s pauses are better she completed arts and law degrees at autobiographical show, Felicity Ward’s than most people’s material. He has the University of Adelaide. In 2009, Ugly as a Child Variety Show and in been in semi-retirement since 1998 but Annabel won a Walkley Award for 2011 she won the Time Out Magazine returned to the Melbourne Comedy her Quarterly Essay feature article on Local Comedian of the Year. Her many Festival in 2006 and 2007 with Sackful Malcolm Turnbull. Last year she was telly appearances include Laid, The of Bullfrogs and Unrepentant respectively. the winner of the 2011 Eisenhower Librarians, Spicks and Specks and Thank More recently, Anthony made Fellowship, which allowed her to claim God You’re Here. Recently seen in the unforgettable appearances on Spicks and the entire Mad Men boxed set as a tax feature film Any Questions for Ben, Specks, resplendent in his well-loved deduction. The owner of a killer vintage when she’s not randling, Felicity will be cowboy hat. Anthony now resides in frock collection, Annabel recently touring her current outing The Hedgehog rural Tasmania. He sees Randling as his brought us Kitchen Cabinet on ABC2. Dilemma to the 2012 comedy festivals. most emphatic retirement statement yet. Comedian/presenter/broadcaster, Felicity knows that there is no ‘I’ in Dave O’Neil’s friendly and easygoing Merrick Watts first came to Australia’s team, but that there is one in ‘winner’ manner has made him one of Australia’s attention as part of the triple j drive and two in ‘we wiped the floor with you most popular and versatile comics. show Merrick and Rosso. He and Tim baby’. He currently appears weekly on Adam Ross then built a cult-like fan base on Heath Franklin is an ARIA and Logie- Hills in Gordon Street Tonight and was Nova 969 and through TV programs on nominated Australian actor, writer, the most booked guest on Spicks and Ten, Nine and the Comedy Channel. improviser and comedic performer. Specks, with almost fifty outings. He is Over the last few years, Merrick has He is well known for his characters well known in Melbourne for his radio demonstrated his versatility as both an from Network Ten’s The Ronnie Johns work, particularly for his time with Kate actor and comedian. He showed us his Half Hour, particularly his comedic Langbroek and Dave Hughes on Nova acting chops with roles in Underbelly impersonation ‘Chopper’. Heath has 100. Despite being perpetually busy and The Hollowmen and was also a made numerous appearances on Spicks being funny in public, he has also found favourite on the improv hit Thank and Specks and Thank God You’re Here. time to write books for adults and kids. God You’re Here. After more than ten In 2010, Heath made his feature He once broke his leg for a breakfast years broadcasting his award-winning film debut in the lead role of the radio stunt. Sadly, a rival brekkie host breakfast radio show on Nova, Merrick black comedy Predicament, alongside broke both legs the next day in response now co-presents Highway Patrol on the Jemaine Clement of Flight of the and Dave was fired for not being Triple M Network’s drive shift. Merrick Conchords. Heath Franklin’s Chopper ‘relatable enough’. specifically asked his agent to pass on has sold more than 200,000 tickets that he’s really only doing Randling for across Australia, New Zealand and the the money. UK. He is currently performing his brand new comedy show, Chopper vs. Heath Franklin, which launches his new interpretations of Bear Grylls and Matt Preston. Heath does not know the meaning of the word ‘fail’ – which suggests he’s really going to struggle in a show all about words. The Argopelters The Help RC Manchester &
The Argopelters are Chris Taylor and The Help RC are Angus Sampson and Haberdashery Jennifer Byrne. Toby Schmitz. United Chris Taylor is a writer, performer Angus Sampson is regarded as one of Manchester & Haberdashery United are and a member of The Chaser team, Australia’s most distinctive, diverse Genevieve Morris and Toby Truslove. responsible for television programs such and successful performers, with an as The Hamster Wheel, The Chaser’s War extensive body of creative work spanning Genevieve Morris has been a familiar on Everything and The Chaser Decides film, theatre, television, photography, face on Australian television since on ABC TV. He worked as a journalist broadcasting, journalism and copywriting. 1993, appearing in numerous television for five years before joining The Chaser Turning his hand to directing, Angus’s projects, both comedy and drama. She newspaper as its senior writer. For two directorial debut, The Last Supper and appeared as a regular in Comedy Inc. years, Chris co-hosted the popular drive follow-up documentary It’s him…Terry playing a variety of characters and in time radio show Today Today on triple Lim played to audiences worldwide and 2004 received an AFI nomination for j. In 2010, Chris and Andrew Hansen have seen him become a much-sought- Best Performance in a Comedy Series. created The Blow Paradecomedy series, after commercials director. A former Genevieve’s other television credits which quickly became the number one professional Rugby Union player with include Blue Heelers, MDA, State podcast in the country and then won Wests, Angus is also a trained copywriter. Coroner and she was a regular on City a 2010 ARIA Award for Best Comedy Feature film credits include Spike Jonze’s Homicide. She became a household Release. Chris was also the script editor Where The Wild Things Are(2009), Zack face when she played Barbara the Bank on the second seasons of Review with Snyder’s Legend Of The Guardians: The Manager in a series of ANZ ads that Myles Barlow and Hungry Beast. Last year Owls of Ga’hoole (2010) and James Wan’s softened the public’s view of bank he stepped behind the camera for the Insidious (2010). Most recent television managers by portraying them as soul- first time as the director of The Hamster credits include both series of the critically raping, humourless bastards. Genevieve Wheel. Chris has recently won support acclaimed Spirited and Glendyn Ivin’s excelled as Elaine Front in Ben Elton’s within the entertainment community for Beaconsfield. Angus also appeared in Live From Planet Earth and appeared his decision to come out as a celebrity Stephen Fry’s QI Live to much hoopla with Stephen Fry on his QI Live with nothing to come out about. and will next be seen on the small screen Australian tour. Jennifer Byrne is host of First Tuesday in Howzat! The Kerry Packer Story. Toby Truslove is fast becoming the Book Club on ABC1. She began her Upcoming feature films include 100 ‘go to’ comedic actor in Australian career in journalism as a cadet with The Bloody Acres (Cameron & Colon Cairnes, television and film, most recently Age. After working in the US and UK, 2012) and Blinder (Richard Gray, 2013). appearing in back-to-back lead roles Jennifer moved to television as a reporter Perth-born Toby Schmitz graduated for television comedy series Laid and with Nine’s Sunday and then 60 Minutes. from NIDA in 1999. He acts, writes Outland, telefeature SCUMBUS and In 1999, she took up the anchor’s job at and directs for theatre, film and the telly. the upcoming ABC web series Strange Foreign Correspondent, and for five years Toby won a tonne of praise for his role in Calls, opposite Barry Crocker. His worked both as host and reporter for the the Brendan Cowell–penned play Ruben other screen credits include guest program. During that time she wrote Guthrie. Occasional host of Imperial appearances in drama series Tangle, features and book reviews and regularly Panda’s Erotic Fan Fiction, he has just McLeod’s Daughters, The Strip, All Saints hosted Radio National’s breakfast finished touring The Wild Duck for and Crash Palace. Toby is no stranger to program. Jennifer did a long stint at Company B. During the Sydney season comedy, having appeared in Lowdown, The Bulletinmagazine as senior writer, of the same, he was described by one Some Say Love, The Librariansand winning national awards for columnist reviewer as ‘sex on two legs’. The Thank God You’re Here. His The of the year and story of the year. A game leggy randler’s film credits theatre roles include Troilus show warrior, Jennifer was once a Sale of include Somersault (Cate randlers aren’t in Bell Shakespeare’s the Century Champion, beating brainiacs Shortland, 2004) and just pretty, pretty clever production of Troilus like former New Zealand Prime Minister Rage in Placid Lake or pretty funny, they are people & Cressida and an David Lange and former Australian (Tony McNamara, who actually like – well actually love upcoming role in Prime Minister Gough Whitlam for 2003) and his TV – words and word games. Watch the Strange Interlude the prize. Jennifer does not like to be roles include parts in team videos at
The Northern Thrusters are Benjamin Roget’s Ramjets are Robyn Butler and The Southern Furies are Michael Law and Wendy Harmer. Rob Carlton. Williams and Julia Zemiro. Benjamin Law is a Brisbane-based Robyn Butler is an actor, writer and Brunswick born and bred, Michael freelance writer, who was once producer. She has appeared in numerous William’s bookishness marked him out described by Andrew Bolt as ‘a gay with television productions, among them as early as primary school. With a thesis comprehension issues’. He is the author Thank God You’re Here, Welcher & on the meaning of the Miles Franklin of the black comedy memoir The Family Welcher and The Murray Whelan Series. Award under his belt, he embarked Law and is also a frequent contributor For three years she co-hosted the radio on a career in publishing, which to the likes of frankie, Good Weekend, program ToughLove on Triple M with eventually took him to New York. The Drum and The Monthly. Benjamin Mick Molloy. Robyn runs production Upon returning to the city of his birth, also holds a PhD in writing and cultural company Gristmill with husband he fell into radioland and co-presented studies from the Queensland University Wayne Hope. Together they wrote and The Breakfasters on 3RRR until he was of Technology, and is currently working produced three critically acclaimed offered yet another dream job at the on his second book. He appears to be series of The Librarians. She is currently Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing only fourteen. The host already hates writing a new series for ABC1, which and Ideas. He is a regular guest on him. will commence production this year. ABC Radio, either co-hosting Victoria’s Wendy Harmer is one of Australia’s The words ‘production company’ may Conversation Hour with Jon Faine or most versatile entertainers – broadcaster, sound glamorous, but Robyn assures us because someone literary has died and author, journalist and stage performer. it is just a shed in her backyard. And not a comment is needed. He particularly She enjoyed huge popularity leading a very good shed, either. regrets some of the glib soundbites he Sydney radio station 2Day FM’s top- One of Australia’s most outstanding offered when JD Salinger shuffled off. rating breakfast show for eleven years. actors, Rob Carlton has starred in Michael has also written extensively for More recently she teamed up with a long list of Australian television The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Angela Catterns on ABC local radio and series including Underbelly, Chandon Australian and Meanjin. ABC News Radio. She is now the Editor Pictures, The Hollowmen, All Saints Well-known and loved for her work in Chief of The Hoopla, a daily online and Water Rats. His recent portrayal as host of the SBS hit RocKwiz, Julia news and magazine website. Wendy and of Kerry Packer in Paper Giants – The Zemiro’s theatre, film and TV work her husband Brendan have two children Birth of Cleo has been heralded by spans all genres from drama to comedy, and live on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. both critics and audiences. Rob is also improv and hosting. Her recent telly She has been preparing for Randling by an accomplished producer, director gigs include the incredible tenth series studying in Latin. Nullam in inferno non and writer, juggling these roles on the of RocKwiz, Tropfest (as co-host), Agony habet spem. award-winning Chandon Pictures, which Aunts, Thank God You’re Here and the is now shown in over fifteen territories Eurovision Song Contest. Julia has toured including the USA and UK. He has also with The Bell Shakespeare Company bagged Best Actor and Best Film gongs and recently delighted Melbourne for various Tropfest projects. A graduate audiences with Pull My Focus, an of Sydney University in English improv show at the Malthouse. Literature, Rob has a strong background Nominated for greenroom awards for in debating and Theatresports. He her theatre work, Julia has also been lives with his wife and twin boys at a named Best Actress for two Tropfest beautiful beach north of Sydney. films and has written for numerous press and magazine publications. One of her earliest TV appearances was on ABC TV’s The Money or the Gun, imitating a dolphin, something that is unlikely ever to be mentioned by the Randling host.
* Team biographies have been taken from the Randling press kit. Bette Davis Cup Squad
The Bette Davis Cup Squad are Jonathan Biggins and David Marr. One of Australia’s leading political satirists and actors, Jonathan Biggins is also a writer, director, broadcaster and corporate MC/Speaker. He has worked with all of Australia’s leading theatre companies, in productions ranging from David Williamson’s Soulmates to West Side Story. His career highlights include playing Peter Sellers in Ying Tong and Henri Carr in Travesties, both for the STC. His film credits include A Few Best Men (Stephan discuss. v. talk or write skills do the players need to Elliott, 2011), Gettin’ Square (Jonathan about (a topic) in detail, win? Who are your favourite Teplitzky, 2003) and Thank God He Met taking into account Randling players? What team Lizzie (Cherie Nowlan, 1997). Jonathan’s different issues or ideas. do you want to see holding the extensive TV appearances include Rake, trophy aloft (even if it is rather The Jestersand City Homicide. Co-creator, • Are you a fan of game shows? worthless)? writer, director and performer of the STC’s Wharf Revue since 2000, Jonathan bagged If you are, name your favourite • ‘I’m Andrew and I’m not here to the Helpmann Award for Best Director for and tell the class why you enjoy help’. the Australian national touring production watching it. If not, tell the class Why is Andrew Denton the of the hit musical Avenue Q. His newest why game shows aren’t for you. perfect host of Randling? writing work is Australia Day for the Is Randling just another game • Randling could be described Melbourne Theatre Company. According show? What makes it different as a modern-day parlour to us, Jonathan is the cleverest man in the to most? Is its target audience game. What is a parlour game? country. you? Have you been playing parlour David Marr is a blowhard who has been Andrew Denton has acknowl- games for years, without even around for a long time at Fairfax and the edged that the inspiration for knowing that that is what they ABC, where he spent years attacking the Randling is a BBC radio show are called? Howard government, before getting stuck that he listened to in his youth into Kevin Rudd and moaning about called My Word. Learn more wordsmith. n. a skilled the failures of the Gillard government. about My Word online at: user of words. David presented Media Watch for a while -- http://www.bbc.co.uk/ and pops up on Insiders and The Drum. comedy/myword/ ‘Words are where human beings Over the years he has also caused grief -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ go to have fun.’ – Jon Casimir The Henson Case by writing about the My_Word talkback hounding of the nation’s leading What other game shows are • Do you like words? Or is that photographer Bill Henson; Power Trip, the about words? just too nerdy to admit? Political Journey of Kevin Rudd, published only weeks before he fell; and lately Panic, • ‘Game shows are not easy to What about word games? Are a little history of the strange role fear and do, and a great game show is a you addicted to Facebook anger play in Australian politics. Being great thing’ – Andrew Denton Scrabble? Do you spend more a gentleman, David is not interested in Watch Randling. time using your iPad to play crass competition. He is, however, deeply Did you enjoy watching Words with Friends than you interested in winning. Randling? Share your opinion should? Can’t take a call be- of Randling with the class. cause you’re too busy playing There is a catch. You can Boggle? only use one word. While you Make a list of your favourite
should probably go with an word games. Share your list SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 adjective, it doesn’t neces- with the class and then working sarily have to be one found in as a class, make a list of the the dictionary. Try something class’ top ten word games. unusual, obscure or even Do you think that the emer- preposterous. gence of ‘apps’ has created • Are the teams playing to a renewed interest in word win or just have fun? What games? 6 -- http://www.webspinning.com. au/home/lambertj/public_html/ long.html -- http://www.wordnik.com/lists/ words-featured-in-mrs-byrne -s-dictionary You can even follow Mrs Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words on Facebook at:
ary. Every year the good folk at Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, amusing story to someone without SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 Macquarie choose a word of Obscure and Preposterous Words. remembering that it was they who the year. The word of the year If not, you can find more informa- told it to you in the first place. wins its place in the next edi- tion about the book online at: What are toponyms? Choose a tion of the Macquarie Dictionary. -- http://www.languagehat.com/ toponym and use it to name some- In 2011, the honour went to archives/003209.php thing that is currently unnamed.
7 War of the words
Each team is given an obscure word, along with its definition. You have to come up with two more definitions for the word. Your team will be asked to read out all three definitions. The other team will be told that two are fake and one is real. Can they pick the real one?
Keep your definitions tight: one sen- tence is best. Make them as believable as possible, but be imaginative. Your object is to fool the other randlers into thinking your fake definitions sound more real than the real one. Plausibility is the key. Funny or odd is fine, but an obviously jokey definition will probably be the first one seen through.
The team that chooses the real defini- game. n. a form of tion are awarded two points. If they competitive activity or sport choose a fake, you get two points. played according to rules. • Gongoozler: one who stares for *Game instructions are taken from the hours at something out of the Randling contestant handbook. ordinary. Add your two fake definitions and away you go. Either/or • Now try: Skia, Manouri, Sirene, Munster, -- Groak: to watch silently as Either/or is a multiple choice chal- Harrington, Gabriola and Urda? others eat, hoping they will ask lenge in which teams have to work • Saint or Cyclone? you to join them. out whether a word is one thing or an- Earl. -- Womba: a Ghanaian word other. Odds are that most of the time Is it a saint or is it a cyclone? meaning the smiling that chil- you won’t know the answer. Discuss It’s a cyclone. dren do in their sleep. which answer you think is right and And what about Paris, Elizabeth, -- Spanghew: an old Scottish why so that the class can hear. The Sean, Marlene, Innis, Hugh, Yasi, word that describes the cruel fun of the game is in the discussion, Mitchell and Iggy? but apparently fun act of caus- in the ways that you convince yourself • Body part or Scottish village ing a frog or toad to be flung that you might be right. Clola. violently upwards. Is it a body part or a Scottish -- Cisvestitism: wearing weird or
One point awarded for a correct village? inappropriate clothes. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 answer. It’s a Scottish village. -- Scoon: to skip across the water And what about Vomer, Islets like a flat stone. • Cheese Or Font? of Langerhans, Achfary, Stair, -- Betweenity: indecision. Tronchon. Humbie, McBurney’s Point, Tarbet -- Hieromachy: a fight between Is it a cheese or is it a font? and Bursae? men and women of the cloth. It’s a font. -- Minimifidianism: having almost And what about Anari, Calibri, no faith or belief. 8 -- Furfuraceous: covered with dandruff. -- Kakistocracy: government by the worst citizens, -- Omphaloskepsis: meditation while gazing at one’s navel. Thought Grenade
This game is a brain teaser that could sit anywhere between easy and impossible. Your team must choose whether to throw itself on the grenade and try to answer the question, or lob Name the list the grenade at the opposition, who must then answer it. If you don’t know Players are read a list of seven words/ the answer, invent something that names/things, one at a time. The chal- sounds feasible. lenge is to guess what the list catego- ry is. The answer will be progressively Points are on offer for a damn good more obvious. Buzz in any time you try. Take it: You get 4 points if you get think you have an answer. it right. You lose 2 points if you get it Our teacher’s reliance on ‘magas- wrong. Throw it: You get 3 points if tromancy’ to decide our grades Seven points on offer if the right they get it wrong. They get 3 points if got her into trouble. guess is made on the first item, six they get it right -- Magastromancy: magical on the second, five on the third etc. If astrology. the whole list is read before the right • If your mother told you she was My teenage brother’s ‘pigritude’ answer is guessed, your team earns out ‘lunting’, what would she be caused him to lose his part-time one point. doing? job. -- Lunting is walking and smoking -- Pigritude: slothfulness • Cigarette, Napoleon, Sam and a pipe at the same time. Most doctors suffer from David, Asfaloth, The Hell Bitch, • Now try: ‘uglyography’. Joey and Black Beauty. George’s behaviour at the party -- Uglyography: bad handwriting. -- They’re all fictional horses.
was positively ‘alabandical’. • You can also try a different ap- • Now try: SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 -- Alabandical is stupefied from proach. Take a look at the thought No Authority, Dream Street, 98 alcohol. grenades that the teams are Degrees, Bel Biv DeVoe, LFO, BB The arrival of One Direction ‘ecsta- tossed on Randling, then make up Mack and Take That. siated’ the waiting tweenagers. your own versions of this type of They’re all 90s boy bands. -- Ecstasiate: to go into an thought grenade. • Elliot Smethwyk, Eric Munch, ecstasy; to cause to become Bob Ollerton, Dagbert Pips, Mr ecstatic. Prentice, Neville Longbottom and 9 at a time.
Think out loud. If you don’t know the answer, make something up. The clues are there to give you more material to work with. Points could very well be awarded for impressive but ridiculous logic.
Two points if you get it right, one for anywhere close to the truth.
• To ‘get someone’s goat’ is to… The meaning is to annoy or irritate. As for the origin, while its begin- nings are disputed, some say that it came from using a goat as a calming influence in a racehorse’s stall and removing it just before the race, thereby making the horse nervous. • Now try: -- A cat may look at a king. -- Fish always stink from the head down. -- It’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive. -- Many a mickle makes a muckle. -- Speak softly and carry a big stick.
Slang shot
Your task is to translate slang or jargon into English.
One point for each correct answer.
Harry Potter. • Make your own lists, using the fol- • How well do you know your home -- They’re all characters from lowing categories and others that grown slang: Harry Potter novels. you think will entertain, confound I love camping. There’s nothing • Ampitheatre, Nowhere Else, Tom and enlighten the class. better than sitting in front of a Ugly, Vite Vite, Wonglepong, -- Obscure phobias ‘bush telly’. Although, the time you Poowong and Queanbeyan. -- Genuine paint colours spend doing the ‘Aussie salute’ -- They’re all Australian place -- Toilet-related Australian place can sometimes send you ‘troppo’. names. names • Try translating the weasel words: -- Superhero sidekicks The company has been obliged to -- Melbourne Cup winners make a ‘headcount reduction.’ Our True or false intention is to affect a ‘paradigm State of Origin shift’ at the ‘grass roots’ level.
Teams are told a category. They are By the way, what are weasel SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 then given seven examples. Is each Guess the meaning and even the ori- words? true or false? First finished has the gin of well known phrases. First team • Watch how they do it on Randling chance to score. to buzz in gets first crack at telling us and then follow their lead. Write where it came from. If you’re wide of a short paragraph, two or three Seven points on offer. One point for the margin, then any team can come sentences would be ideal. Use being right. One point taken off for the in. There are three clues available, three words or phrases that count wrong answer. which you can call for at any time, one as slang or jargon along the way. 10 Seven deadly synonyms
Beat the clock. Teams are given a word or phrase. You then have thirty seconds to come up with seven words or terms that match. Speak up and speak quickly. Work as a team.
Two points if you can do it.
• Seven words or euphemisms for ‘children’ • Seven words or euphemisms for out loud as you go. Tell us what you • Kylie Minogue ‘parents’ see. • Celebrity culture • Seven words or euphemisms for • Generation Y ‘homework’ Two points on offer for each challenge. • Kate Middleton • Seven words or euphemisms for • Reality television ‘siblings’ • Use the Randling hieroglyphics for • Claustrophobia inspiration. Everyone in the class A variation of the game is to name must make an easy and a hard seven examples for a given category. hieroglyphic. It’s alive The same rules apply. Other languages are full of words we • Seven shades of green Find-a-word don’t have. • Seven Australian rivers • Seven TV courtroom dramas Teams are given a word, a name or Teams are given two scenarios/ac- • Seven celebrities famous for being a phrase. You have one minute to tions/ideas that English does not have famous examine the letters and come up a word for, then asked to come up with as many words as possible. The with the right word for it. We’re looking challenge? The words have to relate for answers that play on words, that Hieroglyphics to the word of origin. Words must be are witty and smart. three or more letters. Obviously, come Hieroglyphics is a visual game. Teams up with as many words as you can. If Four points, two for each challenge. are shown a series of pictures. Each your word doesn’t seem to be obvi- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 picture represents a letter. Combined, ously connected, and is queried, you • A word to describe the act of those letters make up a word. You can provide a convincing reason why stomping on a sandcastle. need to figure out what that word is. it should be accepted. • A word to describe an overcrowd- Each team gets an easy and a hard ed train carriage. one. Time limits apply. Fifteen seconds Two points for the team that gets the • A word to describe the disappoint- for an easy word and thirty seconds most words. ment that you feel when you see for the difficult option. Say the letters your bank balance. 11 Two points for each challenge.
• Need inspiration? Peruse Time Magazines list of the fifty worst inventions online at
turn. n. an opportunity or obligation to do something that comes successively to each of a number of people.
Now that you know how to randle, it’s your turn to play.
Choose a partner and form your own randling team. Give your team a name and if you like, design your team em- blem. Like the Fireballs, you can invent your team appropriate ‘high five’.
Playing the Randling games in class is an opportunity for you to improve your vocabulary and exercise your imagination. • A word to describe the look on your face when you receive an Keep in mind that you aren’t just here unwanted gift. to play. Someone needs to make up • A word to describe the anxiety the questions and someone needs to before an examination. host the show. • A word to describe the emotion that you feel when the school bell Each team will take it in turns to host a rings on a Friday afternoon. randling lesson. It will be their respon- sibility to write questions and chal- -- Grain consuming animal units lenges for those teams playing that Double speak -- Custodial engineers lesson. -- Chronologically advantaged Team are given three examples of -- Classroom managers Teachers may also decide to use double speak. For example: collateral -- Revenue enhancement questions and challenges from epi- damage instead of accidental killings sodes of Randling that the students and climate change instead of global have not viewed. When the games warming. Each team has to come The hard sell have been played in class, students up with an even better example of can then watch the episode and com- double speak. Embrace the idea that You have to come up with a brand pare their answers with those offered words can be used as obfuscation. name for two ridiculous patents or by the Randling teams. But what’s obfuscation? Try to outdo products that never got off the ground. the bureaucrats and politicians at their The argument is that all these patent advice n. guidance or SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 own game. ideas were brilliant and the only thing recommendations offered that let them down was marketing. So with regard to prudent A point each for each challenge. you have to think of snappy product action. names (wit and pun encouraged) and • Watch how they do it on Randling the ‘sell line’, the slogan, that goes Now that you have formed a team, and then follow their lead. with it. Teams that go all the way to jin- you’re almost ready to play. To be • Try these for starters: gles will certainly receive bonus points. a great randler, you should heed 12 the advice offered to the Randling contestants. o Speak up and speak often. o Remember that you’re part of a team. o Remember that it’s a competitive sport. o Play (in all senses of the word). o Remember that there are points on offer for things other than accuracy. o Be irrelevant (it can be entertaining). homework. n. schoolwork that a pupil is required to do at home.
Watching Randling each week to improve your team’s ability to play the create. v. bring something into existence. game and win. Andrew Denton | Executive Producer and Host follow. v. pay close attention to. From his groundbreaking early work on the ABC – Blah Blah Blah, The Money or the Gun, Live & Sweaty – through to his unforgettable reworking Keep up to date on everything of television’s ‘night of nights’ the Logies; his role as executive producer of Randling on Youtube, Facebook and Election Chaser and CNNNN; his work hosting and producing the hugely Twitter. successful Enough Rope and now as the executive producer of The Gruen Transfer, Gruen Nation, Hungry Beast, 30 Seconds, AFP, Can of Worms Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/pla and Joy of Sets, Denton is widely recognised as one of Australian televi- ylist?list=PLA87174B8B54EF7F1 sion’s genuine creative forces. Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/randlinghq Sophia Zachariou | ABC Executive Producer Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/randlinghq Sophia Zachariou is an executive producer and currently Acting Head of ABC TV Arts & Entertainment. As an executive producer, Zachariou has worked on a number of successful ABC TV programs from observational documentary series and arts performance to studio entertainment and comedy series.
Jon Casimir | Series Producer
Jon Casimir is the head writer, series producer and co-creator of Randling. Casimir has a similar job description on The Gruen Transfer and its offshoots. As part of the Zapruder’s Other Films team he has acted as a producer on Enough Rope and Elders, as well as chief of staff on Hungry Beast. For Zapruder’s Other Films, Casimir also co-wrote and produced the feature-length documentary, God On My Side. Earlier in his media career, Casimir spent almost two decades as an editor, feature writer and critic at The Sydney Morning Herald, where he was responsible for the birth of the smh.com.au news site. Casimir has been published in most
major Australian newspapers and magazines and has dabbled in radio as SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2012 guest and presenter.
Learn more about Zapruder’s Other Films online at
13 This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2012) ISBN: 978-1-74295-171-3 [email protected] For information on SCREEN EDUCATION magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit
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