ILS 2385: Invention Work, Group Project Essay (Exploring Connections Between Alex + Ada and Ex Machina)
NOTE: When completed, your invention work should be FIVE full pages minimum (although you are free to write more). If you are truly free writing, this length shouldn't be a problem. Your completed document will be submitted as ONE MS word document into the Turnitin folder in Ulearn labeled Group Project Invention Work.
Each group member is responsible for completing their own individual invention work.
General Instructions:
It should take around 45 minutes to an hour to complete this assignment.
Invention work is completed to allow you the opportunity to explore ideas and create raw material to possibly use this in a formal essay without the pressure of a big grade. It is informal and completely unstructured (and NOT an essay). It is a serves of free writes.
Remember, in a free write you are simply emptying your mind down onto the page without editing yourself. Don't be concerned with if an idea is "good" or "bad." That's irrelevant at this point as you are only attempting to generate ideas.
Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar. You will be using an alarm/timer to time yourself, so write as quickly as possible until the alarm sounds.
Last class your group developed a list of ideas that you thought you might want to explore in your group project essay. Now, it is time to explore those ideas in more detail and to develop raw material that will ultimately help lead you to a rough draft (and make the drafting process easier).
Complete each of the following steps as a MS Word document. Complete them in the order presented:
Clearly label each step on your document (1A, 1B, 2, etc.)
Specific Steps to be Completed:
STEP 1A: DISCOVERING IMPORTANT THEMES
Brainstorm: With the entire content of Ex Machina in mind, quickly brainstorm a list of what you see as a list of its themes (central ideas) for the whole movie. There are many possibilities here. Think of it this way, when you walk away from this film, what are the big ideas that you think the director was attempting to emphasize and communicate?
"As I walk away from this film, I think the director wanted me to understand the idea of ________________. Fill in the blank with a one word idea.
Create a list of one word ideas by brainstorming a list without editing yourself or worrying about spelling, punctuation, or grammar.
Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly brainstorm a list of themes as individual, single words. Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
STEP 1B: Repeat the instructions for 1A, but this time focus on the graphic novel, Alex + Ada.
Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly brainstorm a list of themes as individual, single words. Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
STEP 2: IDENTIFYING ONE (OR TWO) OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IDEAS/THEMES
Ultimately, your group essay should focus on one or two big ideas/themes. You can do either. I think it's often interesting to see how two ideas are at work with one another. For some, this may be a little more challenging than focusing on only one theme. You can do either. It's your choice.
Since our goal is to enlighten our reader and keep them engaged as they read (i.e., keep them a "willing audience"), we need to eliminate what the "obvious" themes might be and choose the most unique perspectives or ideas that they may not have noticed on their own. In other words, we ultimately want to reduce our brainstorming list down to one or two possible themes and also want to make sure that we are choosing to focus on our strongest argument.
Keep in mind this time that your audience is highly-educated and formal, so it's even more important for this essay (compared to the Visual Analysis about your painting from the museum) that you really need to choose your strongest argument. The highly-educated and scholarly, are quite skeptical, demand solid evidence, and possess strong analytical skills and tools of analysis. Convincing them is not as simple as explaining to a friend why you interpret a painting the way you do (the purpose of our last essay).
So, in your word document, create a bold font for the ideas on your brainstorming list that you think you need to eliminate until you only have one or two themes left on your list. The one or two left should be the most unique interpretation of theme for your film as well as your strongest argument.
STEP 3: IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT SCENES
Brainstorm: Now that you have determined what you see as the one or two most important themes of your film, the next step is to think about which scenes from your film best demonstrates that idea (or two ideas).
Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly brainstorm a list of scenes from your film that you think communicate this theme (or two themes).
Choose the two that you think are the most important ones connected to your theme/themes.
With the first scene in mind, Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly free write whatever comes to mind about it and why you think it may be important. Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
Repeat this for the second scene. Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly free write whatever comes to mind about it and why you think it may be important. Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
STEP 4: CHOOSING IMPORTANT SINGLE PAGES FROM ALEX + ADA
Thumb through Alex + Ada and identify what you think are the TWO MOST IMPORTANT pages in the book that potentially communicate something about your theme/themes.
With the first page in mind, set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly free write whatever comes to mind about it and why you think it may be important. Pay close attention to the artist's visual choices (placement, color, line, symbolism, etc.) and how they work with the writer's use of text and what these things communicate about your theme.
Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
Repeat this for the second page. Set the timer on your phone for 5 minutes and quickly free write whatever comes to mind about it and why you think it may be important. Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
STEP 5: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Now that you have written about the important themes and important moments from the film and the graphic novel separately, it's time to make some connections.
For this last free write, explore what you feel may be some important comparisons between the texts and why. Let the writing go wherever it wants to go. Simply explore, think, and free associate and see what emerges.
Set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes and quickly free write whatever comes to mind about it and explore what may be important about these points of comparison between the graphic novel and film. Do not edit yourself or worry about spelling. Don't worry about the quality of what arises. Simply let the ideas emerge and float away when they are ready. Do not stop moving the pen or your fingers until the alarm sounds.
