TALES OF THE NIGHT 3D TEACHERS RESOURCE Suitable for Primary to S2 Curriculum for Excellence subjects: Literacy and English / Modern Languages (French) / Religious and Moral Education Sciences / Expressive Arts / Social Studies (Geography) Written by Lucie Maupetit , French Teacher This resource is produced by the Glasgow Youth Film Festival by support from our partners: Thanks to: Soda Pictures H S I L G N E : M Les contes de la nuit L I F Nationalité: Français E H Année de production: 2011 T E Langue: Français R O F Genre: Animation E B Fiche technique Réalisé par: Michel Ocelot Ecrit par: Michel Ocelot Producteur: Philippe Boeffard, Ève Machuel, Christophe Rossignon Montage: Patrick Ducruet BACKGROUND The striking new film from internationally-renowned animator Michel Ocelot (director of Kirikou and the Sorceress, Azur and Asmar: The Prince’s Quest ) recently screened at the Berlin and London Film Festivals. It’s Ocelot’s first foray into 3D, which works wonderfully well alongside his use of crisp, classic silhouette animation, creating a layered, kaleidoscopic effect that feels unusual and dramatic. The film weaves together six exotic fables which unfold in Tibet, medieval Europe, an Aztec kingdom, the African savannah, and the Land of the Dead; all enacted by a young boy and girl who meet up with an elderly technician in a dilapidated cinema at night. Creating the stories, visualising the time periods and making up the costumes, they are then – courtesy of a little bit of magic – dressed and inserted into the very fabric of the narratives themselves. History blends with fairytale in Ocelot’s imaginative storytelling, and we are transported to lands inhabited by dragons, captive princesses, sorcerers, and enormous talking bees – each fable ending with its own ironic, dryly comic twist. Indeed, it’s Ocelot’s sly humour that makes Tales of the Night 3D a suitable prospect for both children and adult audiences; as well as the variety of the gorgeously rendered settings, and the diverse and idiosyncratic stories, which will appeal to all. Page 2 H S I L G N E : M L I F E H T E R O F E B ACTIVITIE S Activity 1: Exploring the Design of the Film Poster What can we deduce about the film we’re going to see, based on the design of the poster? Discuss the questions below in pairs or groups. 1 What do you see on the poster? 2 Will there be one main story and character, or several? 3 Where will the film take place – in what country or time period? 4 What kind of film will it be – scary, mysterious, magical, romantic? 5 Will it be an animated film, or one with real-life actors? I can select and use a range of strategies and resources before I read, and as I read, to make meaning clear and give reasons for my selection. LIT 2-13a Page 3 ) Y H P A R G Activité 1 O E G Sur la carte ci-dessous, colorie les continents de la couleur indiquée. ( S On the map below, colour in the continents in the colour indicated. E I D U En rouge : l’Europe En orange : l’Amérique du Sud T S En jaune : l’Asie En bleu : l’Océanie L A I En violet : l’Afrique En marron : l’Antarctique C O En rose : l’Amérique du Nord S D N A Activité 2 H C N Associe les régions ci-dessous au bon numéro sur la carte. E R F Match the areas below with the correct number on the map. : M L > La Bourgogne : a region in France. I F > Les Caraïbes : the region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands, and the surrounding coasts. E H T > L’Ecosse : the country you live in. E R > Le Tibet : a region in Asia between India and China. O F E > Le Mexique : a country in southwestern North America; formerly home to the Aztec people. B I can read and demonstrate understanding of words, signs, phrases and simple texts containing mainly familiar language. MLAN 2-08b To extend my mental map and sense of place, I can interpret information from different types of maps and am beginning to locate key features within Scotland, UK, Europe or the wider world. SOC 2-14a Page 4 S E C N Activity 1 E I C Match the picture with the name and description. S : M Iguana Female of a horse or other equine animal; gives birth to foals. L I F Mare A large rodent with defensive spines or quills on the body and tail. E H T Bee Small, weasel-like carnivorous mammal native to Africa and Asia. E R O Wolf A large lizard native to the Caribbean, Central America and China. F E B Mongoose Flying insect; pollinates flowers, lives in hives and may be either a worker or a queen. A group of these insects is known as a ‘swarm’. Doe A large bird with mostly glossy black plumage, a heavy bill, and a raucous voice. A flock of these birds is known as a ‘murder’. Porcupine Female deer; gives birth to fawns. Crow A mainly nocturnal mammal capable of sustained flight. A community of these animals living together is known as a ‘colony’. Bat Wild carnivorous mammal, the largest member of the dog family; lives and hunts in a ‘pack’. A B C D E F GHI All copyright-free images sourced from www.edupics.com I can identify and classify examples of living things, past and present, to help me appreciate their diversity. I can relate physical and behavioural characteristics to their survival or extinction. SCN 2-01a Page 5 Y C A R Activity 1 E T I What do you remember of the six tales? Match the picture to the correct story, setting, and title. L D Titles Settings Stories N A H The Boy Who France Two sisters are in love with the same prince. He S I becomes engaged to the older one, much to the L Never Lied G sadness of the younger one who has loved him all N her life. However, when the prince announces to E his fiancée that he is in fact a werewolf, she abandons : him and locks him forever in his wolf state. M L I F The Tom-Tom Boy Africa In Aztec times, a young man arrives in the City of Gold E H on the day when a beautiful young girl is to be chosen T as a human sacrifice to the monster which protects R the city. He resolves to break the cycle of killing. E T F A The Werewolf Caribbean A boy called Ti-Jean finds himself in the land of the dead where he must appease a giant bee, mongoose and iguana in order to win the heart of the Beauty Without Knowing. Ti-Jean and the Beauty France The king makes a bet with a neighbouring monarch Without Knowing that the boy who rides the nation’s talking horse cannot be made to lie. The monarch enlists his beautiful daughter to hatch a devious plan that will force him to lie. The Doe-Girl and Mexico A would-be tom-tom player is dismissed by everyone in his village until he learns how to play the magic the Architect ’s S on tom-tom which will save them from their enemies. The Chosen One Tibet A young man seeks out a fairy to transform his fiancée back to human form after she is turned into a doe by of the Golden City a jealous sorcerer. A B C D E F I can show my understanding of what I listen to or watch by responding to literal, inferential, evaluative and other types of questions, and by asking different kinds of questions of my own. LIT 2-07a Page 6 Y C Activity 2: Linking Words A R Complete the summary of The Werewolf with the linking words from the box below. E T I L Once upon a time, there were two beautiful sisters both in love with the same young k night, Yann. D ________ he proposes to the elder sister, the younger one is sad ________ she has loved him all her life. N A ________ prove his love for his new fiancée, Yann tells her his big secret: if he takes off the chain he H wears around his neck, he becomes a werewolf. The elder sister does not want to marry a werewolf, S I L ________ rather than call off the wedding, she plays a trick on Yann. She demands to see him transform G into a wolf: ________ Yann removes his chain, she steals it and hides it down a well, locking him forever N E in his werewolf state. ________ she tells everyone that Yann has been eaten by a wolf ________ orders : the wolf to be shot. The same day, while out riding in the woods, a wolf saves the younger daughter M L I from being eaten by a bear. She confides to the wolf about her love for Yann, and how she had helped F him – anonymously, from a distance – when he was in prison. ________ his big sharp teeth, the wolf is E H so kind and good, she guesses his real identity ________ convinces her father to call off the hunt. T R ________ she tricks her elder sister into admitting the wolf is Yann. The younger sister declares that E T she would love Yann even in wolf form.