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Kayak

Antoine Rossi, Auguste Lefort, Flore Dechorgnat, Solène Bosseboeuf and Tiphaine Klein, 2021

A father takes his son on what should be a relaxed kayaking trip, but it quickly becomes apparent things are not going to go as planned.

The father spends his time retrieving things - his son's hat, his son himself from the water - it all goes from bad to worse, although at every turn the ever-giggling child seems oblivious to the potential danger. And when the interest of an eagle is piqued by the chubby little baby, an epic battle ensues...

Clip Details

Genre: Comedy

Country of Origin: France

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Fiction, No Dialogue, 2D Animation

Clip Length: 06:11

Age Group: P1-P4

Classroom Activities

  • Before watching the film, listen to the first minute without visuals. What can you hear? Is there music? Are there voices? What sound effects do we hear? What do you think all this tells us about the film? Watch the film. Did it match up?
  • Think about camera framing. Why do you think the directors only show us the child’s head at the start? What does it tell us? How does it make the audience feel? How does it set up the scene? What do we see instead?
  • Watch the first 90 seconds of the film. What do you predict will happen next? How can we tell? What clues do we have? Do the colours used give us a clue? Does what we have seen already influence our thoughts?
  • How is the sound used to tell the story after the first section? What do you notice about the music? Does this change as the film goes on? Are there significant changes that help tell the story? Where do these occur and what do they tell us?
  • Could the eagle have been swapped for a different character? What would be an appropriate alternative? How would this have affected the story? Why do you think there are no other characters in the story?
  • How did the child feel about the trip? What evidence do you have? What do you think the child was feeling?
  • Did you enjoy the film? What did you like? What did you dislike? What do you think could make it even better?
  • Make a short stop motion film about a boat on water. Working in groups, you should try to make the boat look like it is moving on water (e.g. rocking gently from side to side as it moves along). Investigate different suitable materials for the water.
  • Using Post-It notes, use stop motion to animate an eagle flapping its wings. The sticky notes could be layered one at a time, allowing for “onion skinning” to occur, making it easier to change the wings slightly each time but keep the body the same. Experiment with other animal movements - a fish’s tail, or a rabbit’s nose twitching.
  • Draw a storyboard planning out what happens after the film ends. Use what you have already seen to make it fit with the existing story.

Clip Details

Genre: Comedy

Country of Origin: France

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Fiction, No Dialogue, 2D Animation

Clip Length: 06:11

Education Level: First Level