Make a movie where the “main character” is not a person but an object - The One Ring.

• Brainstorm about movies in which the “main character” (focus of events) is not a person or animal but a thing (e.g. a treasure, magical object, vehicle, natural event).
  • Why do you think the thing is the main character? (Does it appear a lot? Do other characters talk about it a lot?)
  • How is it portrayed?
  • How does the thing drive what happens in the movie (the plot)?
  • How does the thing affect the other characters? How would their lives be different if the thing didn't exist?
  • Without the thing, could there still be a movie? (If the answer is yes, then the thing isn't the main character!)
• Discuss who or what is the main character in The Lord of the Rings.

Your students may have various ideas about this (e.g. Frodo, Gandalf). Do they think that those characters drive the plot and affect the other characters more than The One Ring does? Discuss how a number of characters are given similar importance in the movie. Does anyone or anything stand out?

Visit The Ring Experience (zone 16).

Read about the temptations of The One Ring in zone 10 and about its history and power in relation to:

• Frodo (zone 1)
• Elrond and Rivendell (zone 4)
• Galadriel, Saruman, and Gandalf (zone 2, 6, 7)
• Gollum (zone 18)
• The Nazgūl (zone 20)
• Boromir (zone 8).

Focus questions:

• What object is the focus of the movie?
• In what ways does it affect the other characters?
• How do the film-makers give the ring importance?

To give The One Ring importance, the film-makers used particular shots (e.g. close-ups), lighting, sound, and special effects. They also directed the actors in certain ways in relation to it.

• Storyboard shots (and/or write a plot outline) for a short dramatic piece that has an object as the main character. Show and/or describe how you will give the object importance through shot angles, lighting, sound, special effects, editing, and so on.
• Present and assess your work.

Extension:

Develop one or more of the storyboards or plot outlines into a short performance or video.

The students could use fairy stories or myths to build ideas. As a guide to ensure that the object really is the main character, use the students' responses to the questions in Before.

Related activity links: