Actors-Directors

Actors/Directors
__Task 1, Books I-IV__ You are pitching an //Odyssey// film to a studio. The studio executives have some concerns about the character of Telemachos being multi-dimensional enough to engage the audience. However, you have a clear vision of the way Telemachos should be portrayed and who might be the best actor to portray him. The studio executives want you to develop a brief (time is money) presentation in which you pitch the actor of your choice, using evidence from the story and the actor’s prior work to explain why he would make an appropriate Telemachos. Remember, you want to **sell** your idea, so make your presentation exciting and persuasive.

Any actor who takes on the challenge of portraying Telemachos has rather large shoes to fill. Telemachos' role in the Odyssey is very complex and emotional. For example, Telemachos has a constant enternal struggle between accepting that his father may be dead, or having the courage to believe that he lives. Picking a current actor expirenced and talented enough to take on this role was no easy task. However, through extensive research and decision making, our team has come to the decision that Leonardo DiCaprio is the best choice to play the role of Telemachos. Leonardo DiCaprio has a wide range of characters under his belt and is very well known. He is utterly talented in playing any role thrown at him and does so with full audience trust. After watching any film Leonardo has acted in, the veiwer feels connected to him and has no doubt that Dicaprio is the character he takes on. For futher analysis and reasoning behind choosing DiCaprio to protray Telemachos in the screen verison of the Odyssey, please review the PowerPoint presentation above. 



__Task 2, Books V, VI, and IX__ You and the actor you have chosen to play Odysseus (aka Mel “The Tank” Guarngate) are in conflict over how the character should be portrayed. True to his name, “The Tank” wants to play Odysseus as a man with more “brawn than brains,” exerting his physic al, rather than intellectual, strength. In order to avoid another literary box office epic failure, convince your actor to portray Odysseus in Homer’s vision. (Hint: Use your text!) Remember your audience. “The Tank” doesn’t like to exert himself too much intellectually, so you will need to find a way to capture his attention and convey your message in a Tank-friendly manner. Regardless, you still must be convincing. What’s a director to do?

the wind sailor

__Task 3, Books X-XII__ You are in the process of filming //The Odyssey//, but you are already over budget and behind schedule. The studio executives have told you that you must cut scenes. Reviewing Books X, XI, and XII, which key scene MUST you include in order to keep the plot line intact? Rewrite/script the key scene, including significant quotations. In your script notes, include brief explanations about why you chose that scene and any suggestions for filming (set design, etc.) that might help to lower the cost. If you feel that one scene isn’t enough, consider utilizing flashbacks or verbal references to other events by key characters. media type="scribd" key="50172497" ARG0="key-18s6dh4up8ufhknisaje" height="600" width="800"

For ideas on how to lower costs for filming : http://www.soyouwanna.com/soyouwanna-make-low-budget-movie-1087.html http://www.hollywoodparts.com/about_products.asp

__Task 4, Books XVI-XXIV__ You have finished directing the movie version of // The Odyssey //, and you are working on the “extras” for the DVD. You have finished the bloopers and deleted scenes sections, and now the director has asked you for a more serious piece, incorporating Joseph Campbell’s Heroic Cycle. Consider what you want your viewers to take away from this “extra” section – Comparisons between the Heroic Cycle and Homer’s works? Modern day depictions of a hero? A synopsis of Odysseus’s journey according to the Heroic Cycle? Then, think of the best way to present this information to your viewers. Extra section on DVD? Interactive CD-Rom? Diagram or handout inside the DVD case? First determine your message, then find the method to best deliver it!

Below is a depiction of the heroic journey and the template for Odysseus's odyssey. Click the link below the image for an interactive tour describing each aspect of Odysseus's heroic journey featured on the DVD!

Our dipiction of a modern hero is similar to the character Odysseus. We believe a hero is a courageous man with intellect and a rare sense of wit. The hero usually follows the heroic cycle, as shown above. Like Odysseus, an example of modern heroes are fire fighters, policemen, and anyone else who puts others before him/herself. They take on challenges and hard times just to help those in need around them. These triumphs can be clearly shown through the heroic cycle. Odysseus, following this cycle, went through many hardships to get to the responsibility of his family and his nation. After a ten year raging war, he finally got to go home. But his journey had just begun. He went through many hardships, losing friends and almost losing his motivation to go home. But what makes him a hero is that he did not quit. He forged ahead through all of the monsters and witches until finally he reached home and saved his family and his country.

[|Click here for an interactive look at Odysseus's heroic journey!]