A film study of Little Miss Sunshine for year 10-11.

1. Directed by
Jonathan
Dayton and
Valerie
Faris
Christine Wells
2006

2. Learning Intentions
Think critically to identify and describe the key aspects of a visual text.
Develop self direction, responsibility, initiative, cooperation,
adaptability, and accountability while working with others.
Develop creativity and innovation skills by creating an original and
engaging film.
Develop critical thinking and evaluation by writing blog posts.
Develop ICT literacy skills.
5 credits
each

3. Success Criteria
Demonstrate knowledge of the key aspects of a visual text by
creating and producing an engaging film and writing 2 blog posts.
Demonstrate social responsibility by working collaboratively and
cooperatively in a group.
Demonstrate improvement in ICT literacy by showing initiative,
flexibility and adaptability.
Demonstrate global awareness by publishing your film and blog
posts on the line.

4. Plot
Describe what is
happening in each
picture and include
dialogue where
appropriate.
Include images
from the film to
help show the plot.
Create a 10 point
timeline to show the
main events in the
film.

5. Film Techniques

6. • Establishing shot
• Long shot
• High angle
• Low angle
• Medium close up
• Mid shot
• Close up
• Extreme close up
• Extreme long shot
• Ditch tilt
After watching the video on film
techniques, work in pairs to create your
own presentation to explain film
techniques.
Include
Gathering
Processing
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing

7. View the opening scene. Record
notes in the following chart:
Character Film Technique Purpose: what do we learn
about the character?
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing
Gathering
Processing

8. Olive
1. Locate 3-4 pictures of Olive and
import into PicCollage.
2. Around the outside, write down as
many adjectives as you can.
3. For 3 of your adjectives, write
down a film technique that helps
to show this characteristic.
For example: Passionate about
beauty pageants – close up of eyes
with reflection in glasses of beauty
pageant on TV.
Thinking
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing
Gathering
Processing

9. Olive
1. How old is Olive?
2. Describe what she looks like – what does
she wear etc.
3. Explain what Olive is interested in and
how she spends her time.
4. What are some of the things that Olive
worries about? Identify and explain an
example from the film.
5. Who inspires and supports Olive in her
family? Give at least 2 examples and
explain how.
6. Create a flow chart to describe Olive’s
journey in the film.
7. Create a Venn diagram to compare and
contrast Olive with another character.

10. Dwayne
1. Locate 3-4 pictures of Dwayne
and import into PicCollage.
2. Around the outside, write down
as many adjectives as you can.
3. For 3 of your adjectives, write
down a film technique that
helps to show this
characteristic.
For example: Disciplined –
overshot of Dwayne working out.
Gathering
Processing
Thinking
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

11. Dwayne
1. How old is Dwayne?
2. Describe what he looks like – what does he wear etc.
3. Explain what Dwayne is interested in and how he spends
his time.
4. What are some of the things that Dwayne thinks about?
Identify and explain an example from the film.
5. Explain how Dwayne changes throughout the film. What
causes these changes?
6. Create a flow chart to describe Dwayne’s journey in the film.
7. Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Dwayne
with another character. Don’t compare with Olive if you have
already!

12. Important Relationships
In pairs, complete the following:
1.List the important relationships in the
film.
2. Choose one and answer the
following:
• Describe what kind of relationship
they have.
• List 3 reasons why you believe it was
important.
• For each reason, describe an event in
the film which supports this reason.
Gathering
Processing
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing

13. Describe the relationship
between 2 main characters
and explain why it was
important.
Explain how film techniques
have helped you to
understand a main
character.
10
ESSAYS
Choose an essay to write. You need to write at least 350
words and include visual/verbal features to support your ideas.
You essay is due...
Post on your blog.

14. Chapter 21

15. Theme 1: The Importance of Family
Event: The Beauty
Pageant
Describe the specific part
of this sequence.
Describe how the theme is
shown.
Identify the film
techniques that are used.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing
Gathering
Processing

16. Theme 1: The Importance of Family
In pairs, complete the following:
1.Describe the family at the beginning of the film.
• How did they relate to each other?
• What did they think of each other?
• Include examples.
2. Describe an event in the film that shows the
family supporting each other.
3. Describe the family at the end of the film.
• How do they relate to each other?
• What do they now think of each other?
• Include examples.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing
Gathering
Processing

17. Theme 2: Success vs
Failure
Prior to writing the script, Arndt read
in a newspaper about Arnold
Schwarzenegger speaking to a
group of high school students and
saying "If there's one thing in this
world I hate, it's losers. I despise
them." As a result, Arndt developed
his script lampooning the thought
process: "And I thought there's
something so wrong with that
attitude ... I wanted to ... attack that
idea that in life you're going up or
you're going down ... So to a degree
a child beauty pageant is the
epitome of the ultimate stupid
meaningless competition people put
themselves through."
Co-director Jonathan Dayton also
commented on the importance of
the pageant to the film: "As far as
the pageant goes, it was very
important to us that the film not be
about pageants. It's about being out
of place, it's about not knowing
where you're going to end up..."
Read Gathering

18. Theme 2: Success vs
FailureRead
• The Hoovers are consumed by fantasies of
success that keep them locked in their
separate worlds, struggling to measure up
to impossibly high standards.
• Over the course of three harrowing days on
a road trip, the Hoovers come face to face
with the cruel limits of their dreams,
opportunities and possibilities. One by one
they fail, despite their best efforts, their
sincere desire to succeed and their many
merits as people.
Gathering

19. • Choose 3 characters and identify the
dream that each one is trying to
achieve.
• Explain whether they are successful
or not.
• Describe each character’s reaction to
their success or lack of success.
Include a quote or film technique.
• Identify a dream that you would like to
achieve.
• How will you feel if you don’t achieve
it?
• What do you think you would do?
• Share your ideas with your neighbour.
Theme 2: Success vs
Failure
Gathering
Processing
Applying
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing

20. Theme 2: Success vs
Failure
Examples of Success Examples of Failure
In pairs, list examples of
success and failure from the
film.
Thinking
Relating to others
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing
Gathering
Processing

21. Symbols: The
Volkswagen
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colours used to
represent abstract ideas or concepts.
• The Volkswagen van is old, battered, first gear doesn't work, and
the horn keeps going off. But it is in this van, the characters are
transformed.
• It reinforces the importance of family, working together for change
rather than be separated as individuals. For example, when just
one family member tries to start the van by himself he has trouble,
but when they all work together, as seen in the end of the film- they
have no trouble and even have a laugh about it.
Read Gathering

22. Symbols: Mirrors
• When we gaze into a mirror, our reflection returns to us, and we
see ourselves through our own eyes. What reflection we see in
our own mind can either be reality or distortion. Psychiatry
research has actually termed a body image distortion disorder for
those who look in the mirror and see themselves as something
they are not. The image reflected in the mirror can have a
profound effect upon us.
• The reflections in mirrors of some of the characters shows that
their personality is under pressure from various expectations
imposed upon them from society or from their family.
Read Gathering

23. Symbols: Dwayne's
Notebook
• Dwayne’s notebook is a symbol
of his vow of silence and
commitment to get into the air
force.
• It also means that he does not
have to put a lot of effort into
relationships with the people
around him by taking time to talk
to them. He is quite depressed
and not wanting to communicate
can be a symptom of
depression.
Read Gathering

24. Symbols
Use PicCollage to create a poster which
includes the following:
• A picture of each symbol
• An explanation of why each symbol is used.
• A description of where we see each symbol.
• Identify the character(s) that you would
associate with each symbol.
• Identify which theme you would associate
with each symbol.
Gathering
Processing
Applying
Thinking
Using language, text
and symbols
Managing self
Participating and
contributing

25. Identify a key theme in the
text and explain how
visual/verbal techniques
helped you to understand the
theme.
Identify a symbol(s) from the
film and explain how they
helped to portray an idea.
10
ESSAYS
Choose an essay to write. You need to write at least 350
words and include visual/verbal features to support your ideas.
Your essay is due...
Post on your blog.

26. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Sunshine
References