home to himself once again.

Shrek is full of hilarious, al-

though frequently irreverent

fairytale references, including

a river-dancing Robin Hood

and his Merry Men. The movie

also stars a wolf disguised as a

grandmother, a love-sick dragon

and, of course, Shrek is accom-

panied on his quest by a very

annoying and highly talkative

sidekick, who happens to be a

donkey (Eddie Murphy).

Shrek is rated PG as it includes

some mildly unsuitable lan-

guage and occasional crude

humour.

ProductionThe success of Shrek is a com-

bination of the amazing abilities

of the voice cast and the incred-

ible achievements of the com-

puter-animation team from PDI/

DreamWorks. One of the key

breakthroughs featured in Shrek

is the creation of realistic hu-

mans and human-like creatures

that can effectively express

dialogue and emotions. This is

achieved through a complex

facial animation system devel-

oped at PDI, using special tools

called ‘shaders’ to apply interac-

tive layers of bone, muscle, fat,

skin, hair and clothing.

The storyShrek is an animated fam-

ily movie that has turned the

classic fairytale formula upside

down. Lord Farquaad (John Lith-

gow), an evil tyrant who reigns

over the kingdom of Duloc, is

paying a cash reward for people

to turn in all the fairytale char-

acters. As a result the fairytale

characters have invaded the

swamp that is home to Shrek—a

reclusive, smelly green ogre.

Following a scene in which the

wicked Lord Farquaad tortures

the Gingerbread Man, we

see him consulting

the magic mirror in

order to choose

About the Film

Background

The fi lm version of Shrek

is based on William

Steig’s book of the same

name. It came to the attention of

Producer John H. Williams when

he was reading with his two

young children. He says: ‘Even

as an adult I thought Shrek was

outrageous, irreverent, iconclas-

tic, gross and just a lot of fun.

He was a great movie character

in search of a movie.’

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‘Shrek’: A Study GuideP R I M A R Y S C H O O L T E A C H E R R E S O U R C E B Y C H R I S T I N E E V E LY

his perfect

bride. The mirror

introduces potential

brides via a TV-style

blind date show where

Farquaad meets ‘today’s eligi-

ble bachelorettes’. With some

‘audience participation’ from his

guards, Farquaad chooses

the fi ery, red-headed Prin-

cess Fiona (Cameron Diaz),

to be the ‘perfect bride’ for a

‘perfect king’.

The only catch is that Prin-

cess Fiona must be rescued

from a far-off castle guarded

by a fi re-breathing dragon.

Shrek (Mike Myers) becomes the

hero of this tale by agreeing to

rescue the beautiful princess for

the cowardly Lord, in return for

the right to have his swampy

THE VERY ANNOYING

AND HIGHLY TALKATIVE

SIDEKICK, WHO HAPPENS TO

BE A DONKEY (EDDIE MURPHY)

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slime and lava, along with real-

istic fi re that included torches,

campfi res and a fi re-breathing

dragon, were also created using

PDI/DreamWorks’ award-winning

Fluid Animation System. Instead

of compositing live-action foot-

age of fi res, motion simulation

and shading techniques were

used by the effects team to cre-

ate computer-generated fi re.

‘We wanted to make a fairytale

come to life … as if you opened

a storybook and stepped into

that world’, says Director Andrew

Adamson. One of the ways this

was achieved was through the

many other characters; the walk-

ing, clapping, cheering ‘extras’

who were brought to life. As-

sorted heads, body types, hair,

faces and wardrobes were mixed

and matched to make up crowd

scenes of 1000 or more ‘people’.

The animation of lush foliage on

28,000 trees and three billion

leaves and the creation of thirty-

six separate locations—more than

in any previous computer-animat-

ed feature—also contributed to

the real-life feel of this tale.

Animation and voicesThe recording of the voices of

characters is frequently one of

the earliest steps in the animation

production process. Following re-

records and editing of recordings

comes the big budget item—ani-

mating the characters and their

settings. Mike Myers decided he

would like to re-record his entire

portrayal of Shrek with a Scottish

accent. The extra animation re-

quired to enable this to take place

is reported to have cost about

US$4million.

Before Watching the Film

Teachers may select from the

following activities to support

students’ viewing and close

analysis of the fi lm.

Reading and defi ning fairytales

• Read a range of traditional

fairytales with the class. Use

butchers paper to record

main characters and key

events from each fairytale.

Highlight features that help to

make each one conform to

the genre of the fairytale.

• Explain to students that

fairytales have been told for a

very long time. Point out that

the Brothers Grimm, Hans

Christian Andersen, Perrault

and others, recorded tradi-

tional fairytales. Depending

on age and abilities, students

might investigate the variation

of fairytales across time and

cultures.

• Encourage class members

to share fairytales from other

cultures. Discuss: Who told

these tales? Who recorded

them and when? Why were

they told and to whom?

Facial animation begins with a

computer-generated skull based

on human anatomy. The skull is

then built up with layers refl ecting

the muscles of the face, followed

by layers of skin programmed to

respond to movements of facial

muscles, while also taking ac-

count of laugh lines, wrinkles and

facial creases. Literally hundreds

of controls are programmed to

enable animators to recreate

facial movements, which then

leads to an amazing ability to lip-

synch voices.

A shaper is a layering process

that changes the surface from

the inside out. When an inner

layer is changed, the change

extends outwards, ultimately

affecting the shape of the outer

layer. It is similar in principle to

the way muscles in your arm fl ex

when you bend your arm.

Advances in the creation of

textures in wardrobe and props

enabled animators to create

clothing that moves, with folds

and wrinkles that react to light like

real fabric. Similarly, in creating

Fiona’s braided hair, variations in

colour and highlights were able

to be created, while the irises of

characters’ eyes were animated

in such a way that they could

react to the light in a shot.

Fluids of various viscosity, in-

cluding water, mud, milk, beer,

Why tell fairytales?• Read several fairy-

tales a second time.

Before reading,

ask students to

think about who

is telling the

story, whose

point of view, or

voice, is repre-

sented? What

points of view

are not presented?

Discuss why the

story might have been told

and by whom.

• Debate: Fairytales helped

children from previous gen-

erations to learn how to

approach life. They are

still relevant to today’s

children.

Story ladder• Have students work in groups

of three or four to create a

story ladder on large sheets

of butchers paper showing

key events from the follow-

ing fairytales: Beauty and the

Beast, The Ugly Duckling and

The Frog Prince.

• Display story ladders and as

a class discuss similarities

and differences between the

fairytales.

Fairytale characters• As a class, brainstorm as

many fairytale characters as

you can. Use fl ashcards to cre-

ate a large character list. Sort

character fl ashcards into two

groups: ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’,

and display in the classroom.

• Write a letter to a fairytale

‘baddie’ telling him or her how

to improve, or what to do to

become a fairytale ‘goodie’.

• During the next few days

encourage students to suggest

other ways to sort the charac-

ter fl ashcards.

Rewriting fairytales• Rewrite a traditional fairytale

as a news report. Collate indi-

vidual news reports to make

a fairytale newspaper. Give it

a suitable name.

• It is usually clear early in

a romantic fairytale which

characters will be the ‘roman-

tic couple’. Use the character

fl ashcards to show fairytale

couples.

• Have fun rearranging fairy-

tale couples to create new

‘romances’. Use Worksheet 1

to storyboard a new fairytale

romance scene.

• Use fairytale characters

and fairytale events to write

‘fairytale’ nursery rhymes or

limericks.

Introducing the Film Version Of Shrek

Play the opening sequence up

to the scene where Shrek sits

down at his table to eat from a

bowl.

Responding • Have students

draw or write a response

to what they have seen.

Share responses as a

class.

Fairytales past and present

• List reasons

why the fi lmmakers

may have decided

to begin Shrek with a

voice reading from

a medieval style

fairytale book. Who

is reading the story?

Where is he while

he is reading? What

reaction to the

story is shown?

How is all this

important in setting

the scene for the fi lm?

Play the above opening se-

quence again. Consider the con-

trast between the opening music

and the music that plays when

Shrek comes out of the toilet.

Note also the contrast between

the light that fi lters down onto

the fairytale book and the dark

shadows as the townsfolk visit

the swamp to confront the ogre.

• List other contrasts observed

by students. As a class

discuss why you think these

contrasts are part of the open-

ing sequence.

• In pairs have students list

features of Shrek that refl ect

traditional fairytales, for ex-

ample, Shrek’s book begins

with ‘Once upon a time …

Have each pair of students

join with another pair to share

lists. Begin to develop a class

master list of traditional fairy-

tale features found in Shrek.

• Compile another class list

that records things noticed by

students that tell them Shrek

is not likely to be a traditional 72

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tales a second time.

story might have been told

• Debate: Fairytales helped

children from previous gen-

erations to learn how to

approach life. They are

still relevant to today’s

Responding • Have students

draw or write a response

to what they have seen.

Share responses as a

class.

Fairytales past and present

• List reasons

why the fi lmmakers

may have decided

to begin

voice reading from

a medieval style

fairytale book. Who

is reading the story?

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or conventional fairytale. If

necessary, view the open-

ing sequence again. Note

the scene where the talking

donkey fl ies. Ask students

to recall another fi lm that is

referred to in the soundtrack

during this moment.

• Complete Worksheet 2 using

vocabulary from Shrek to

record some things you have

found out about the opening

sequence of this fi lm.

CharactersIn a fi lm, the ‘look’

of a character tells

much about his or

her personality and

the part he or she plays

in the story. It is possible to

have a good deal of control

over the features presented

to viewers in an animated

fi lm.

Some of the visual

attributes

that

contribute to our ‘reading’ of a

character may include informa-

tion related to:

- gender

- colour and design of cos-

tume/wardrobe

- action, behaviour or move-

ments, including posture,

gestures, facial expressions

- other aspects of physical ap-

pearance

- interactions with other char-

acters.

There may also be audio quali-

ties that add to our reading of

a character, for example, in the

case of animation:

- the choice of actor who pro-

vides a voice for the character

- the gender and tone of the

voice

- dialogue or what is said

- accent

- speech impediment or other

similar qualities

- sound or music associated

with the character.

• Create a class chart (see

chart 01) and record charac-

teristics or features of Shrek.

Chart 1• As a class use

data from chart 1 to

write a detailed paragraph

describing the looks, behav-

iour and audio qualities of

Shrek.

• Create a class list of fairytales

SHREK, A RECLUSIVE, SMELLY GREEN OGRE

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with ogres, monsters or other

characters whose physical

characteristics are highlight-

ed, for example, Beauty and

the Beast, The Hunchback of

Notre Dame, Rumpelstiltsken,

Jack and the Beanstalk (the

giant), Snow White (the seven

dwarves), Cinderella (‘ugly’

step-sisters and stepmother).

• Categorize characters into

those that are and those

that are not intended to be

frightening. Discuss reasons

why storytellers may have

included characters that have

distinguishing physical char-

acteristics.

Wanted OgrePlay the opening sequence

again, this time up to and includ-

ing the sequence where Shrek

has frightened the townsfolk

away.

• Discuss the actions of the

townsfolk after they see

the ‘Wanted Ogres Reward’

poster. What do the townsfolk

think of Shrek? Why do they

have this opinion of him?

When Shrek frightens the towns-

folk, a close-up shot of his mouth

is used to suggest he is about to

eat them.

• If necessary, re-play the

scene where Shrek frightens

the townsfolk and discuss the

close-up described above.

Ask students to explain how

dark colours and other fi lmic

conventions also help to cre-

ate meaning in this scene.

• Discuss whether Shrek ap-

pears as frightening as ogres

or monsters from other fairy-

tales. Why or why not? What

qualities differentiate him

from other ‘ogre type’ charac-

ters? Make a class chart that

contrasts Shrek with other

ogres or monsters.

• With a partner write a police

report based on an eyewit-

ness account from one of the

townsfolk stating what was

seen and heard when they

visited the ogre ‘monster’.

View the next sequence where

Shrek and the Donkey meet up,

to where the Donkey lies down

outside Shrek’s door.

• As a class discuss what we

now know about Shrek’s char-

acter. What are the signs that

Shrek is in fact not a terrifi y-

ing ogre?

• What have you seen in the

fi lm so far that tells you that

creatures or people who are

different are treated poorly?

Why does Donkey describe

himself as a freak? What is a

freak? Find out how people

who were considered freaks

were treated in the past. Dis-

cuss whether this treatment

still occurs.

SettingUsually fi lms open with an estab-

lishing shot that gives viewers

an idea about when and where

the fi lm is set and often provides

some clues about genre.

CHARACTERISTICS: CHARACTER: SHREK

Gender

Physical appearance (looks, size, ethnicity, colouring)

Costume/wardrobe

Behaviour

Facial expressions

Choice of actor to provide voice

Accent

Tone of voice

Dialogue (examples of types of things the character says)

Other speech qualities

Music associated with the character

Sounds associated with the character

CHART 01

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Re-play the opening scene.

• Discuss the choices made by

the fi lmmakers. Discuss why

you think these choices were

made and how they affect

viewers’ ideas about the story

that will be told by the fi lm?

In Shrek, settings are established

though combinations of visuals

and sound.

View the scenes where the fairy-

tale characters arrive at Shrek’s

swamp, up to Shrek and Donkey

walking away from the swamp

to see Farquaad.

• Describe the setting in rela-

tion to the type of space, size

of objects within the setting,

and dominant colours. What

sounds are evident in the set-

ting? What other sounds are

associated with this setting,

for example, musical sound-

track?

• Complete Worksheet 3 to

show what you have learned

about the introduction to the

fi lm story of Shrek.

Is Lord Farquaad a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’?

Play the next sequence involving

the Gingerbread Man and Lord

Farquaad without sound.

• As a class discuss

Play the next sequence involving

the Gingerbread Man and Lord

Farquaad without sound.

• As a class discuss

the fi rst clues that Farquaad

is an evil tyrant. Consider:

- the ways the camera is

used to convey this mes-

sage

- colour and design related

to characters, setting and

props.

Play the sequence again, this

time with the soundtrack.

• Discuss elements of the

soundtrack that add to the

meanings being conveyed.

Consider:

- music

- silence

- dialogue

- sound effects

In the castle sequence Lord

Farquaad plays ‘blind date’ via

the Magic Mirror that introduces

‘Today’s Eligible Bachelorettes’.

• Discuss the visual and audi-

tory clues in this sequence

that indicate Farquaad is

self-centred and unconcerned

with what others think about

situations?

• Complete Worksheet 4 to

show some of what you have

learned about characters in

Shrek.

Play the scene where Shrek and

Donkey fi rst set eyes on the

kingdom of Duloc.

• Contrast this scene with

previous scenes showing the

interior of Farquaad’s castle.

Once again consider how

the camera is used to create

meaning, the colours in the

scenes, and the soundtrack.

Age fi lm critic Tom Ryan be-

lieves the depiction of Lord

Farquaad’s kingdom ‘places it

somewhere between a sterile

Disneyland theme park and an

over-dressed, outer-suburban

property development’.

(The Sunday Age ‘Review’, 24

June 2001.)

• Discuss the meanings implied

by the comment above from

Tom Ryan.

View the scene where Shrek

and Donkey fi rst set eyes on the

kingdom of Duloc, up to

the welcome provided

at the information booth

telling us that Duloc is

the ‘perfect place’. You

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may need to view this scene

several times.

• List images, dialogue and

other aspects of the sound-

track that support or contra-

dict the comment made by

Tom Ryan.

• Consider reasons the fi lm-

makers may have decided

to represent Lord Farquaad’s

kingdom in this way. In what

way do the choices made

in depicting this setting help

provide information about

Lord Farquaad?

Play the sequence from Shrek

and Donkey’s arrival at Duloc to

the end of the ‘ogres have layers’

scene.

• How does Donkey think that

Shrek should respond to

Lord Farquaad’s challenge to

go on a quest? How would

you usually expect a hero to

meet a challenge like the one

proposed by Lord Farquaad’s

knights? How does this com-

pare with Shrek’s response?

• Complete Worskheet 5 to

show what you have found

out about Shrek, Donkey and

Lord Farquaad.

• Shrek tells Donkey there is

much more to ogres than

people think, that ‘ogres have

layers’. Explain what you

think Shrek means.

Viewing the Entire Film Version of Shrek

If possible, it is preferable for

students to view the entire fi lm in

a cinema where all of the screen

elements and the soundtrack

can be more fully appreciated.

If this is not possible, arrange

to screen the entire fi lm in one

sitting and darken the room to

recreate a cinematic atmosphere

as much as possible.

After Watching the Film

Responding to the fi lm• Seat students in a circle and

encourage students to share

their responses to the fi lm,

ask about favourite parts of

the fi lm: funniest, saddest, sil-

liest, most rude, most enjoy-

able part of the soundtrack

and so on.

Story ladder • Use the Shrek Story Ladder

(Worksheet 6) to order the

events in the fi lm.

Does it sound like a fairytale?

• As a class discuss: Is Shrek a

typical fairytale? Why or why

not? Is the soundtrack what

you would expect in a tradi-

tional fairytale? Explain your

answers.

• Imagine the voices of Lord

Farquaad, Donkey and Shrek

have been swapped. In what

ways would the use of differ-

ent voices change each of

these characters? How might

such changes affect the sto-

ryline?

• Explain why the fi lmmak-

ers may have selected Mike

Myers as the voice of Shrek,

Eddie Murphy as the voice of

Donkey and John Lithgow as

Lord Farquaad’s voice. How

does each actor’s voice con-

tribute to the development of

that particular character?

Does it look like a fairytale?

• Write three or four sentences

that describe the animation

style used in the fi lm, Shrek.

Does the style of Shrek re-

mind you of other animated

fi lms? In what ways?

• The style of Shrek has been

described as ‘stylized real-

ism’. What do you think this

means? Do you agree with

this description?

• Make a class list of reasons

for and against making a live-

action fi lm version of Shrek.

Camera as storytellerDuring a fi lm the camera be-

comes the narrator, telling the

viewer the story through sequenc-

es of camera shots. Of course the

story is also supported by careful

choices in the soundtrack.

• Examine the shots provided

in this study guide and ex-

plain how each one helps to

tell the story. What does each

shot contribute to the story?

Why would that particular shot

have been selected to help

tell the story? You might locate

and play the shots in order

to explain your ideas to the

class.

• View part or all of Shrek and

work with a partner to fi nd

your own examples of pow-

erful shots from Shrek. Use

Worksheet 7 and Worksheet 8

to explain why you think each

shot was chosen to help tell

the story.

Supporting the story with sound

Sounds also help in the telling of

a fi lm story. Two main types of

sounds can be used in fi lms:

- diegetic sounds are part of the

action in the story. They would

be heard if you were present

in the setting; for example, the

slop of the mud when Shrek

washes in the opening se-

quence, the thumps during the

gladiator fi ght.

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- non-diegetic sounds are those

that are not part of the action,

events or setting in the story;

for example, the opening and

closing songs.

• View a favourite scene

from Shrek and identify

diegetic and non-diegetic

sounds that are part of the

soundtrack.

The soundtrack may include a

number of different layers of di-

egetic and non-diegetic sounds:

- dialogue

- voice-over

- music

- silence (can intensify or em-

phasize an emotional scene

or create suspense)

- sound effects (may be added

to complement or highlight an

action, such as bubbling lava

or crackling fi re, or to create

atmosphere or a particular

mood).

• Listen to the soundtrack of

Shrek. Why do you think mod-

ern, popular or well-known

songs were selected for this

fi lm? In what ways do they

support or interfere with the

telling of the story?

• Make a class list of other

modern songs that could

have been selected to help

tell the Shrek story. Justify

your choices.

• In small groups select a tradi-

tional fairytale then compile

a list of songs suitable for a

modern day version of the

tale.

Things are not always what they seemWhen Shrek fi nally arrives to

rescue princess Fiona he shakes

her violently.

• Find similar scenes in fi lm

versions of Snow White, Cin-

derella and Sleeping Beauty.

Compare the interactions

between the prince and the

princess with those of Shrek

and Princess Fiona.

• Complete two copies of the

storyboard (Worksheet 1) to

compare what happens when

Shrek rescues Princess Fiona

with what Princess Fiona

expected to happen.

• As a class discuss why Prin-

cess Fiona says, ‘What kind

of knight are you?’ How does

Shrek compare with knights

from other fairytales?

Following the scene where

Princess Fiona deals with Robin

Hood, Shrek expresses sur-

prise at what Princess Fiona is

like, and she says, ‘ Maybe you

shouldn’t judge people before

you know them’.

• Discuss why these lines are

so important. Find out the

meaning of the word ‘ironic’.

Explain why these lines prove

to be ironic?

The fi nal scenes of Shrek contain

many related lines, for exam-

ple, after rescuing the princess,

Donkey and Shrek are lying on

the rocks looking up at the stars

when Shrek says, ‘Sometimes

things are more than they appear’.

He goes on to say that people

‘judge me before they know me,

that’s why I’m better off alone’.

• Once again, discuss why

these lines are so important

in the fi lm and why they are

ironic?

When Lord Farquaad arrives for

Princess Fiona he says, ‘Beauti-

ful fair fl ower Fiona, will you be

the perfect bride for the perfect

groom?’

• Why does this question also

turn out to be ironic, espe-

cially since he later tells the

knights to ‘get that out of my

sight’, orders them to arrest

Fiona and Shrek and contin-

ues to proclaim himself as

King.

Rhymes were often woven into

traditional fairytales as spells.

The fi lmmakers decided to

weave this traditional element

into Shrek by including the fol-

lowing rhyme:

By night—one way; By day—an-

other.

This shall be the norm.

Until you fi nd true love’s fi rst kiss;

Then take love’s true form.

• Discuss as a class: What do

you think the rhyme means?

What other fairytales include

such spells? How do the

outcomes in those fairytales

differ from the outcomes in

Shrek? Why do you think the

rhyme or spell was included

in Shrek? How does the spell

turn out to be ironic?

You said it!• List traditional and modern

fairytales where a character

might be likely to say some-

thing like, ‘They judge me

before they even know me’.

• Create an illustrated book of

sayings related to looks and

beauty. Use calligraphy to

write the sayings and illustrate

with references to traditional

fairytales, Shrek or to other

modern books or fi lms. Saying

may include the following:

- Beauty is only skin deep.

- Don’t judge a book by its

cover.

- Accept me for who I am.

- It’s not easy being green.

Heroes and villains• Imagine you are working for

an advertising company. In

groups of four, plan, design

and create a billboard adver-

tisement that portrays Shrek in

a positive way. Your brief is to

take a large sheet of butchers

paper, and use colour, words

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and images to convince peo-

ple that Shrek is a hero.

• Who was the ‘baddie’ in Shrek?

What characteristics does he

have that tell you he is a ‘bad-

die’? Design a ‘Wanted’ slide

that will be shown on televi-

sion after the news to alert

citizens to be on the lookout

for this ‘baddie’. Be sure to

describe his physical charac-

teristics and ‘bad’ qualities.

• Compare and contrast the

Shrek ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’

with those from a number of

fairytales such as Beauty and

the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping

Beauty, Snow White, Rumpel-

stiltsken and The Frog Prince.

Messages and themes

Shrek Producer and DreamWorks

principal, Jeffrey Katzenburg, de-

scribes the fi lm version of Shrek

as having at its core an incred-

ible heart. He says,

The story really is an allegory in

which we can fi nd some thing

about our own lives. Each of our

characters comes to understand

that there is something wonder-

ful—warts and all—about who

they are. I think that’s true for all

of us; that people who ultimately

come to know and love us, see

the strengths inside of us. Wheth-

er you’re a princess, a donkey,

or even a big, green stinky ogre,

you can fi nd love and happiness.

• As a class discuss Katz-

burg’s ideas. Do you agree or

disagree? Share your opinion

by standing on an imaginary

line in your classroom that

represents a continuum,

with ‘Agree’ at one end of the

room and ‘Disagree’ at the

other end. Each person must

give a reason for their posi-

tion. Participants can change

positions as many times as

they like, but must explain

their reason for moving.

• Discuss: Shrek is not your

usual fairytale ogre or mon-

ster. While he’s green and can

be scary, underneath he has a

kind heart. Now that you have

seen the fi lm, compare Shrek’s

characteristics with other fairy-

tale monsters and ogres.

• Work with a partner to make

a concertina book explor-

ing the idea that ‘ogres have

layers’. What are the different

layers that become evident in

Shrek’s personality or charac-

ter by the end of the fi lm?

• Have each class member cre-

ate a personal shield with six

to eight motifs representing

his or her ‘layers’ or personal

strengths or qualities.

How real is Shrek?The character of Shrek has many

layers that contribute to the

storyline. The fi lm itself also has

many layers.

• Identify as many layers of

meaning as you can within

the fi lm. Create a large dis-

play to show the layers in the

fi lm. You might want to use

Donkey’s parfait idea!

Shrek is an animation that has

some realistic looking settings

and characters. However there is

more to a good fi lm story than ‘the

look of the fi lm’. While viewers are

watching a good fi lm, a ‘suspen-

sion of disbelief’ allows them to

enter the world of the fi lm. This

means that although they know

the fi lm is actually only a ‘repre-

sentation of reality’ they perceive

it as ‘real’ while they are viewing.

As a class discuss the following:

- Is Shrek fact or fi ction?

- Does Shrek represent real

life? If so, in what ways?

- Are there characters in Shrek

that can be described as ar-

chetypes?

- What are the elements of

Shrek that enable many view-

ers to ‘suspend disbelief’?

Traditional versus modern fairytalesFew traditional fairytales involve

‘fairies’, although elements of ‘a su-

pernatural world’ often creep into

what appears to be a convention-

al world. This may be via magic or

transformations. They are usually

set in some indeterminate time to

help us accept or imagine that ‘un-

believable’ things might happen.

Traditional fairytales may involve a

quest, the return or recovery of an

object or person, and frequently

a giant, ogre, supernatural beast

or evil character may need to be

overcome. Fairytale characters

can usually be described as stock

characters, or archetypes, portray-

ing ‘good’ or evil’.

Traditional fairytales often have

a theme that revolves around a

usually young main character

who has problems with his or

her family, who is separated

from his or her family, or who is

unhappy about some aspect of

his or her life or self. Often the

situation becomes worse during

the story or the character has

to overcome greater challenges

or obstacles. These frequently

involve supernatural, magical,

beastly or fantasy elements.

However the story inevitably

ends with the diffi culties re-

solved and the main character

living happily ever after—often

with some romantic solution.

Shrek is a modern fairytale with

many references to traditional

fairytales.

• List as many of these refer-

ences as you can and in

particular references found

in fi lm versions of traditional

fairytales.

• Discuss why you think the

fi lmmakers included such

references, for example, lines

such as Shrek saying, ‘What

were you expecting—Prince

Charming?’

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Taking Ideas Further

What’s green and scary?

• Create an ‘ogres and mon-

sters joke book’, for example,

- What’s green, three metres

tall and mopes around all

day?

- Answer: The Incredible

Sulk

Shrek Trivia• Create a Shrek trivia game.

Categories of questions might

include:

- Who said it?

- Where were they?

- Which fairytale?

- Which song/music?

Board game

• Work in groups of four or fi ve

to create a quest or journey

type board game based on

Shrek or your own ‘new’ or

‘fractured’ fairytale. Players

may have to cross a lava-fi lled

canyon, fi ght dragons, avoid

hungry crocodiles. You might

include cards with ‘fairytale

dangers’ or ‘magic’ tokens.

Shrek tech• Visit the Shrek web site,

www.Shrek.com or play

extras on the Shrek DVD to

fi nd out as much as you can

about the technology be-

hind Shrek. List two or three

features that were created

especially for Shrek.

• Create a poster, PowerPoint

presentation or other visual

display to share your discov-

eries about the animation and

technology behind Shrek.

• Write a job application ex-

plaining why you should be

given a job helping to make

the next Shrek fi lm. Think

about the type of job best

suited to you, given your

skills and talents.

Giant storyboard• Use Worksheet 1 to develop

a storyboard for an animated

story for the following idea: ‘I

woke to fi nd everyone in my

family had been turned into

giants.’ Show one or two key

shots for each scene in your

animated story.

Goldilocks—take two!• Work in small teams to role-

play the story of Goldilocks.

• In the same teams rescript

Goldilocks as a courtroom

drama where a jury decides

whether or not Goldilocks is

guilty of ‘breaking and en-

tering’, ‘vandalism’ or some

other crimes you think relate

to the traditional fairytale.

• You might consider story-

boarding and fi lming your

dramatization. Each team

could take turns to perform

the roles of ‘crew’ to help an-

other team fi lm their drama.

Fairytale chat• Imagine you have created a

new fairytale set in today’s

world. As part of the story,

characters ‘chat’ to one anoth-

er using the Internet. Create a

poster showing the design of

a fairytale ‘chat’ room. Leave

some space in the middle

that will fi t an A4 page.

• Develop a scene in your fairy-

tale where characters ‘chat’

with each other. Think care-

fully about what they would

say to each other? Type up

the ‘chat’ and include it in the

space on your fairytale chat

room poster.

Web quest• Engage in a web quest that

explores the question: Is

Shrek a hero?

http://coe.west.asu.edu/stu-

dents/kgorzen/webquest/

heros2.htm

• Visit www.bfi .org.uk/disa-

blingimagery to fi nd out how

Shrek can be used to explore

issues related to self-esteem,

disability and equality.

• Visit http://www.teachit.co.uk/

index.asp?QS=1 to learn how

to construct an essay that

provides a close analysis of

the characters of Shrek and

Lord Farquaad.

Shrek Worksheet 1(see Worksheet 1, overleaf)

Shrek Worksheet 2 Watch the opening scenes up to

the scene where Shrek is eating.

Write these words in alphabeti-

cal order, then write each one

in a sentence to tell something

you found out while viewing

the opening scenes of Shrek:

fairytale, setting, swamp, ogre,

enchantment, giant, princess,

knights, reward. (See Worksheet

2, overleaf)

Shrek Worksheet 3 Write these words and the phrase

in alphabetical order, then write

each in a sentence to tell some-

thing you have learned about the

introduction to the fi lm Shrek.

• Donkey, friends, freak, fairy-

tale characters, hero, sound-

track, setting, army, sound

effects

Shrek Worksheet 4 Watch the fi lm up to when Lord

Farquaad selects his perfect

bride.

Characters: List the characters

you have met so far in Shrek.

Choose a character from your

list that you think is a main char-

acter. Draw the character then

describe the character.

- What does your character

look like?

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Primary School | Teacher Resource

- How does your character act?

- How does your character

speak?

Shrek Worksheet 5Watch the scenes showing Shrek

and Donkey’s arrival at Duloc to

the end of the ‘ogres have layers’

scene.

Setting: List the places, or set-

tings, where action takes place.

Plot: What happens in these

scenes? Try to use the words cas-

tle, tournament, tyrant and quest

in your description of the plot.

- Which part did you enjoy

most?

- Why did you enjoy this part?

- What do you think will hap-

pen next?

Shrek Worksheet 6Story Ladder: Cut and paste the

following to show the order of

events in the fi lm Shrek. (see

Worksheet 6)

Shrek Worksheet 7 Draw examples of powerful cam-

era shots in Shrek. (See Work-

sheet 7). Explain why you think

each shot was selected.

Shrek Worksheet 8Draw examples of powerful cam-

era shots in Shrek. (See Work-

sheet 8). Explain why you think

each shot was selected.

Christine Evely is Education Program-mer at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). •

SHREK VOCABULARY

WORKSHEET 3 NAME: ________________________ DATE: ________

CHARACTER DRAWING DESCIPTION

WORKSHEET 4 NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________ DATE: ______________

SETTINGS PLOT COMMENTS

WORKSHEET 5 NAME: __________________________________________________________________________________ DATE: ______________

SHREK VOCABULARY

WORKSHEET 2 NAME: ________________________ DATE: ________

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Long shot

Medium or mid shot

Close-up shot

WORKSHEET 7 NAME: _______________________________________ DATE: ______________

High angle shot

Low angle shot

Extreme close-up shot

WORKSHEET 8 NAME: _______________________________________ DATE: ______________

Princess Fiona and Shrek live happily ever after.

Shrek tells Princess Fiona he loves her.

Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from the dragon’s keep, so Lord Farquaad can become King; and in return Farquaad will ensure Shrek has his swamp to himself once again.

Shrek ‘rescues’ Fiona from the tower guarded by the dragon.

Donkey discovers Princess Fiona has a secret about her true form.

Shrek meets Donkey.

The fi re-breathing dragon falls in love with Donkey.

Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona begin the return journey to Duloc.

Princess Fiona becomes her true self.

Fairytale characters move to Shrek’s swamp.

Shrek goes to Duloc to tell Far-quaad he wants his swamp back to himself.

Shrek defeats Lord Farquaad’s knights in a tournament.

Donkey and Shrek begin a quest to rescue Princess Fiona.

Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona are getting married.

WORKSHEET 6STORYBOARD WORKSHEET 1 NAME: __________________________ DATE: ______________