MASKED THE PLAY

Have you always wanted to be a director? Here’s your opportunity. You and your children take on the tasks of a production company planning to shoot a made-for-TV film or major film based on a book you’ve all read. If possible, plan this activity before you see a film or television adaptation.
Everybody plays the director by considering which real actors and actresses to cast in the major characters’ roles. In deciding who would best be cast in each role, your children will be voicing their insights into the various characters. The differences in their perceptions can be a springboard for further discussion.
Using a similar approach, the directors also choose the best location for the shoot based on details the author provides for the story’s setting. You may want to concentrate on a central scene rather than the whole book. Choose a musical score for the same scene — a hit song or classical theme that would set the appropriate mood.
If possible, compare your imaginary production with a real film or tckvision production. What did your family think of the director’s casting job? Did an actor or actress play a character differently than you would have? Did the setting appear as you had imagined? Did the musical score put you in the appropriate mood for the scene? In what ways did the commercial production depart from the bock? Which did you like better, and why?