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Chicken

Alana Hicks, 2019

A disconnected mother and daughter take on a racist shop assistant determined to con them, not realising that it will bring them closer together in the process. Working together isn’t always easy, but they soon show the sour-faced Dion that they’re not to be duped and turn the tables on her. An unusual and entertaining look at both racism and female empowerment.

Clip Details

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Country of Origin: Australia

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Live Action, Fiction

Clip Length: 10:00

Age Group: S1-S3

Classroom Activities

  • Chicken isn't always meat. After watching the film consider why the title might be ‘Chicken’: what other cultural connotations are there for this word? How is this word used to incite action? Attack? Which other words have several meanings/connotations?
  • Words that hurt: Make a list of all the phrases in this short film which suggest someone may be emotionally hurt. Think about words we use against one another and the emotional impact they can have. Create a spider diagram showing these words/synonyms and the resulting feelings. Make a list of the opposites for these words. Imagine you said these out loud to someone you love – how would it make you/them feel?
  • Words can be powerful. Make a list of all the positive words you can use about yourself. Make a badge with your favourite word from your list and wear it, or pass it on to someone you think also has this quality/characteristic. Tell them why!
  • At the start of this film, mother and daughter are separate. How does the daughter’s body language reinforce this message? As the film develops the daughter helps her mother and the walls start to come down. How is this shown? What makes the final scene more intimate? How has their relationship changed? How do we see it?
  • Set in Sydney, Australia, the first scenes of this short are set in an Aboriginal household, then a small local shop. How is our sense of time and place formed by what we see? (Think about colour, props and sound). How is what we see different to what we see in our own homes and local shops this year? Make a list of similarities and differences.
  • Look at the Shell lamp on top of TV, and the two wood carvings shown on -mantelpiece. Look at examples of the aboriginal art of wood carving such as Coolamons, clap sticks, boomerang, shields, spears and digging sticks. This artwork is full of signs and symbols which are of cultural significance to Aborigine people. They are used to pass down narratives and traditions from one generation to the next. Scotland is another country steeped in folklore and storytelling. How do we pass down our stories? (aurally: through song or speech, written records, photographs etc) What stories or events have been passed down in your family and how?.
  • A sense of self: How do the artifacts around us show people who we are? Think about the objects we associate with being inherently Scottish. Imagine you had to move abroad and could only take five objects with you. Which objects would you take? Then imagine someone says you must leave two of your five behind. Which ones would make the cut, and why? How do you prioritise which are of most importance?
  • Debate: Imagine it is on the news that people with pink hair are less intelligent than people with blue hair. Split into teams and take one side of the argument each. How will you defend your standpoint? Find out how many years people of colour were used in the slave trade in the USA, UK, Europe… How easy is it to inaccurately convince people that they are inferior?
  • Create a two-minute script with two characters who disagree, one must outsmart the other. How will they do it? Their disagreement could be about anything, but your audience need to know that one is in the right. How can you convince your audience to side with them, or feel more connected to them?
  • Listen to some examples of Corroborees music from Australia. Specifically look at the instruments used and the distances from which you can hear them. Why would this be important? This music is used to pass on folklore and histories from generation to generation using mime and song. Scotland has a similar historic musical culture. Learn a little about both, then create a piece of music which tells of specific event in your life, or in our culture. How will you create depth, atmosphere, emotion?

Clip Details

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Country of Origin: Australia

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Live Action, Fiction

Clip Length: 10:00

Education Level: Third & Fourth Level