Film Your Pet!

And share your kids' videos with our community: https://www.facebook.com/CineMavericks

The holidays are coming up, and chances are you and your kids will have a lot of (much needed) downtime at home :) We at CineMavericks are putting together some film thought-experiments that we'll share with you for 2023. But until then, here's one that I'd love for you to get started on this year. I don't know about you, but one thing I'm #givingthanks to this year is our furry friends.

I recently saw the movie Cow by legendary female filmmaker Andrew Arnold. If you haven't seen it (advised to watch for parents only), it's an observational documentary following the life of a dairy cow, Luma. We follow every day, during and after her becoming a mother.

While this film is poignant and at times challenging to watch due to its implications on the livelihoods of cattle, I ask you to take a moment and consider the lives of your domestic animals. Do your kids have pets, and if not which animals are your kids deeply curious about?

I invite your kids to take a camera (a smartphone or any tablet would work) and document a day in the life of their pet or their friends' pet. Stunningly, so much storytelling can come out of this exercise such as:

- Main Character:

What is your pet's name and tell me about the personality of your pet

- Story Structure:

While filming, what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the scenes your captured?

- Plot Twist:

What surprised you about your pet while you filmed them?

- Visual Themes:

In your obervations, were there any objects or places that your pet interacted with which kept recurring? What do you think that means?

Just by doing this simple exercise, your child can understand the basics of storytelling using the best playmates :) I would LOVE to know what they learned, so please share the videos with us on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/CineMavericks

Can't wait to watch! Flavia Casà, Founder