Horsehair - Screening Shorts

Struggling to find a job, Mick spends his days and nights in front of the television in his favourite chair. His partner wants to get rid of it as the chair is falling apart and its insides are bursting through the fabric, but Mick won’t hear of it. But, finally, Mick's lifestyle catches up with him and he bonds with the chair he loves so much in a much more literal way...

Clip Details

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Curriculum Area: Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and English, Expressive Arts

Country of Origin: UK

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

Themes: Danger/Fear, Work/Ambition

Clip Length: 07:09

Age Group: S1-S3, S4-S6

Classroom Activities

01 Critical

Tell pupils the name of the film and ask them what they think the film is about.
Where is this film set? What makes you think this?
Watch again from 01:49 – 02:10 and discuss how the sound changes and the impact this has.
Watch from 00:55 – 01:38. What do you notice about the editing? What does the editing tell the audience about the life of Mick?
Describe how colour is used in this film and the information it gives the audience. You could think about the colours on screen as well as the saturation and temperature.
Watch from 03:20 – 03:30. What tells the audience that Mick might not be happy with his life spent in the chair? Think about how the character is acting as well as what he is saying.
How does the sound and lighting change when we see a shot of the chair on its own?
When Mick gets home from the job centre, what effect do the sound, editing and camera shots have? What information does it give to the audience?
Discuss the end of the film. What do you think really happened to Mick? What makes you think this?

In partnership with:

02 Cultural

Why do you think his film was called ‘Horsehair?’
Discuss the impact of spending too much time indoors in front of the TV.
Think about the scene in the job centre. The staff member didn’t respond to Mick pulling out a ball of hair – why might this have been?
Discuss the impact someone might face when they are struggling to find a job. How might this effect their mental health?
In groups, discuss what good mental health looks like and what poor mental health looks like. Crete two lists and compare them with the other groups.
Who do you think this film was made for? Do you think this is a motivational film? Give reasons for your answers.

03 Creative

WRITE

Write a diary entry imagining you are Kath, describing how she would feel after Mick disappears.
Write a newspaper article reporting on the disappearance of Mick.

FILMMAKING

Make a short advert promoting healthy habits for positive mental health. You can use the information from the survey task below to help.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Complete a survey asking people what they do to keep active and stay positive.
Create a poster promoting a healthy, active lifestyle and get people out of the house.
Imagine you are looking for a job. Write a CV that outlines your skills, qualities and any experience you have.

ART

Design a new cover for Mick’s chair. Think about what he might like.

STEM

Research task: on average how much time do people in the UK spend in front of the television either watching shows or playing on a console? How does this compare with the UK and world average? Write up your findings or create a graph.