Chicken Run classroom resource

Marketing

Movie posters and trailers encourage people to see a film and give them an idea of what to expect.

Display and discuss some of the Chicken Run posters found online.

Divide into groups. Each group can focus on a different poster.

• Describe the poster.
• How does it try to ‘sell’ the film to potential viewers?
• Is it effective?
• What is the purpose of the catchphrase? What does it add?
• You might like to come back to this discussion after you've watched the film and be inspired to create your own Chicken Run poster and catchphrase.

Watch the trailer (above)

Make a whole-class list of all the things you learn about the film from the trailer and discuss:

• Does the trailer do a good job of selling the film to potential viewers? Does it make you want to see the film? Why? Why not?
• What kind of film is Chicken Run? How would you describe its ‘look’?

Animating with clay

As a class explore what is meant by the term 'stop motion animation'.

• How does stop motion animation work?
• Make a list of the different kinds of stop motion animation. (Clay, cut-out, puppet, Lego etc.)

Clay animation, often referred to as claymation, is a much-loved style of stop motion animation. What claymation animations have you seen? As a class, watch clips from some of these animations and discuss in groups:

• What is distinctive about claymations?
• How are they different from other styles of animation?
• What is particularly appealing about clay animations? What does this kind of animation do well? (Think about character creation, facial gestures, movement, setting, storytelling style and creativity.)
• What are some of the limitations of animating in clay?

Choose a few stop motion animation characters such as Pingu, Gumby and Shaun the Sheep and compare them.

• What qualities do they share?
• How is their personality expressed in the character design?

Look carefully at the still image from Chicken Run below.

• What features do the chicken characters share?
• What are some of the simple character design features used to make the chickens look different from each other?
• The chicken characters all look quite funny. Which features of their character design make them appear so comical?

First responses

• Share your very first responses to the movie. What stood out for you? (You can begin with single words and then build on your initial thoughts and opinions.)
• In pairs, share and describe a particularly memorable or favourite scene. Give reasons to explain why it stood out for you.

Second Viewing

• If you have already seen the film, what stood out in this viewing?
• Did you find the same things funny or did you response change?

Comedy: What makes us laugh?

The story of Chicken Run is a classic escape story and older viewers will recognise many references to much more serious films such as The Great Escape. For Aardman’s Peter Lord, much of the humour relates to the contrast between the serious themes of the story (death, fear, dreams of escape) and the silliness of the chickens at the centre of the story.

In groups:

• Choose a scene from the film and imagine the events taking place featuring real people as part of a live-action film.
• Why does the presence of the chicken characters in the story make serious themes and events so funny?

The Chicken Run screenplay was written by Karey Kirkpatrick from a story created by Peter Lord and Nick Park. It is filled with jokes and puns.

• As a class, share favourite lines. (An ACMI favourite is Babs' comment: “My life flashed before my eyes…it was really boring.”)

Many film reviewers engage with the humour and silliness of Chicken Run by trying out their own puns and chicken-based humour.

• Brainstorm and share your own puns and one-liners to describe the film.
• Use one (or more) of your favourite puns to make a poster, online advertisement or voice-over for a film trailer.

Character Design

The characters in Chicken Run are distinctively ‘Aardman’ with similar features to those used to create characters in other productions made by the studio.

Working in pairs:

• Examine four of your favourite characters and list the features they have in common.

Character Types

Chicken Run is a very funny film that plays with character types we are familiar with.

• Work in groups to identify familiar – conventional -- qualities associated with particular characters in the Chicken Run narrative.
• Continue working in pairs and complete the Character Types worksheet below.

Explore and discuss

While the Chicken Run characters draw on familiar story conventions, they are also very original in funny and unexpected ways. For one thing, they are chickens!

• Choose a character you find particularly interesting or entertaining and consider what makes this character so successful. Use the Character Development Worksheet at the end of this resource to guide your response.

Themes

Even though Chicken Run is an escape film featuring comical chickens, it deals with important and relatable themes.

Freedom and Captivity

“You know what the problem is. The fences aren’t just around the farm up here, in your heads.”

Discuss:

• Why is Ginger so determined to escape?
• Why don’t the other hens have the same determination?
• What do the chickens choose to place so much trust in Rocky? What does he represent for them?
• How does a comparison of the opening and closing scenes of Chicken Run highlight this theme?

The Human Spirit

“You know, I come up here every night and look out to that hill, and imagine what it must be like on the other side.” Ginger

It seems quite funny to suggest that Ginger represents the strength of the human spirit -- but she does! Write a short reflection in response to these prompts:

• What does Ginger teach the other chickens about the will to succeed and the importance of dreams?
• How does this change them? Give examples.
• What does she need to learn in order to effectively lead the group?
• Peter Lord has commented that no matter how many times he sees the plane make it over the farm fence, he feels a sense of relief and elation. What elements of this final escape scene contribute to these feelings?

Working together

“In America we have a rule. If you want to motivate someone, don't mention death!” Rocky

Reflect

• How would you describe the chicken community at the beginning of the narrative?
• What is Ginger’s place in the group?
• How does Rocky change the group dynamic? Why is a newcomer more likely to bring about change?
• Write a short piece based on the idea of the newcomer whose arrival changes everything. Remember to set the scene, describe the characters, reveal how things change.

Animate

Stop motion animation using clay or plasticine is time-consuming but even beginners can achieve great results.

• Have you ever made an animation using clay?
• What do they know about the process and principles of stop motion animation?

Stop motion animation is when a sequence is gradually built up, one frame at a time, with small adjustments made to the subject between shots. The camera and the background usually remain in the same position. When screened, the object will appear to move of its own accord while the background is static.

Animation Process

• Make simple clay or plasticine characters and props.
• Make models as small size versions (1/5 of the original) so you can shoot distance and movement in a confined space.
• Handle models carefully as they can break easily. If you can, make doubles of principal characters.
• The models are positioned and shot before being moved ever so slightly and shot again. These can be easily changed and moved around between shots and stretched and squished to create funny effects.
• Models can be reused repeatedly and copies made to shoot different scenes at the same time so that the filming takes less time to complete.
• You can also incorporate real objects such as toys, blocks, action figures – bendy toys are good.
• Make backgrounds using doll houses, posters, pictures, blocks, construction kits or use real locations (inside and outside) and/or create your own 3D sets using boxes and art materials.
• You can also use found objects to create interesting characters such as household utensils, bottle tops, pencils etc. Remember that animation is simply giving life to inanimate objects; let your imagination be your guide!

Narrative

The beginning

As a class watch the opening minutes of Chicken Run. (above)

• How does the film open?
• What kind of world do we think we are being introduced to?
• What are some of the ways this has been achieved? Consider the use of scale, colour, lighting, sound and music in your response.
• How does the sight of Ginger’s foot change the mood?

The ending

• How and where does Chicken Run conclude?
• Is this an effective conclusion to the story?
• How do the closing frames of the film compare with what we see and hear during the opening moments of the film?

The problem

Most narratives are driven by a main problem that needs to be resolved.

• What is the main problem that moves the story of Chicken Run forward?

Stories are also propelled by conflict and complication.

• What conflicts and complications arise in the course of the Chicken Run story?

Plot

The plot is made up of the main events of a story.

• List the ten most significant plot points in order of occurrence. Make sure you only include events that are essential to the viewer’s understanding of the story.
• Compare what you came up with and see if you can agree as a class on the main plot elements.

Mise en scène

This refers to a film’s visual elements and includes lighting, setting, costume, the actors/figures, props and composition (where things are positioned). Exploring these elements helps us understand how when we watch a film we are continually responding to visual messages (or codes) giving us information about the story.

To explore mise en scène, freeze-frame the film at certain key points.

• Working in groups, use the Mise en scène worksheet to identify the different elements of mise en scène and explain how these visual features communicate information about what is happening in the story.

Camera and editing

In groups, watch a scene from the film.

• Make a list of all the different camera shots used in the scene: close-ups, group shots, long shots (which show the whole setting from a distance). You can find simple shot descriptions online.
• Note whether the shots are still or moving. The main kinds of mobile shots are: panning, tracking, crane shot, dolly shot.
• Discuss the effect of the shot choices. How do they add to the story?

Films are a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. The editor takes all the filmed sections and works out how they should go together. Each new shot marks a cut in the film.

• Focus on a series of three or four shots in the scene you are analysing.
  • Think about what is communicated in each shot.
  • What more do we learn when we watch these shots as a sequence?
  • How does the editing add to the way we feel as we watch the scene? Does it help make the scene exciting, sad, funny, tense?

Soundtrack

In the same groups, focus on the sound of the film.

• What can you hear? Think about sound effects, voices, silence, music.
• How does the soundtrack add to the visuals? (Watch the scene without any sound to explore this idea.)
• Try listening to the soundtrack without visuals and discuss what stands out.