Baboon On The Moon - Screening Shorts

A baboon carries out a well-practiced routine before heading to his job - lighting the moon with his 'moonshine machine'. A great deal of detail is shown of the baboon’s house which gradually paints a sad picture of his lonely existence, underpinned at the end of the film when he laments his homesickness by playing blues on his trumpet whilst watching Earth.

Clip Details

Genre: Drama

Project Ref: STST1-01

Country of Origin: UK

Medium/Content: 3D Animation, Colour, Sound, Fiction

Clip Length: 06:00

Age Group: P5-P7, S1-S3, P1-P4

Classroom Activities

01 Critical

Turn down the sound and play the final sequence of the film (vision only) when Baboon sits and looks at the earth and cries, through to where he picks up his trumpet and plays. What kind of music do the pupils think he will be playing?
Look at the opening sequence of the film. What clues tell us how time is passing?
Watch the film and pause just before Baboon leaves his house. What might happen next?
Watch the film again and ask pupils to look for examples of close-up shots. When are they used and why?
List all the props in the whole film or a sequence. Take away any props that are not needed to tell the story. Which props are important parts of the action, and which are there to create the setting/atmosphere? For example, what would happen to the story if the bottle of moonshine was not there?

02 Cultural

Discuss Baboon’s job, daily routine and whether he is happy. How do we know he is unhappy? Talk about ways to make friends.
Imagine how Baboon is feeling as he plays his trumpet. What is he thinking?
Discuss loneliness. What is it and how does it make you feel? Get the pupils to write a story or draw a picture about a time when they felt lonely or sad. What made them feel better?
Use ‘hot seating’ to ask Baboon questions about his job and living on the moon. Where does he get his food? What might Baboon have done when he was first alone on the moon? How long has he been up there on the moon? Why did he go there? How does Baboon get his moonshine to light up the moon? How does he know how to light up the moon? Did he take over the job from someone else?

03 Creative

MAKE

Build a rocket!
Create a set of the moon, with Baboon’s house on it. Imagine other characters joining the story. Build places for them to live. Use this as a storytelling/filmmaking resource, adding to or changing the set.
Create a list (you could add drawings or cut-out images from magazines and adverts) of all the things Baboon would have taken with him when he went to the moon.

MUSIC

Make a playlist with examples of ‘sad’ and ‘happy’ music.