Content

An Early Gandalf	Oh No! More Dwarves	Bilbo Mask
Gandalf's Sign	Bilbo No. 1	Critique with Mr. Z

Challenges

Kids don’t usually know what they are capable of either. The work on The Hobbit movie has let us know that something like this is possible. Maybe other schools or grades could try something like this now that we have done this.

During the adventure of film making, they themselves faced the wrath of their own trolls, goblins, dwarves, spiders, and infamous dragon Smaug.  Why did it have to snow in May, when some of the outside shots were still to be completed? Who are ten year olds to work with a real videographer to teach them how to work professionally?  Why do Grade 5 students need sophisticated cameras and editing software to complete a school novel project?  Would it be possible to screen their film at the local IMAX theatre, and host a banquet for students and their families, school district administrators and other dignitaries afterwards? Seeking to enter their hour-long film in an international festival showcasing the work of much older students, they encountered a wall of indifference to their actual production.  Forcefully, the question arose, why don't tall people find the workings of the short ones among them compelling and worthy of at least a viewing, if not actual inclusion in the world of adults?

Undaunted, this little group and their teachers found wells of courage, in each other and within themselves. They developed skills required for the journey, and rose to the challenges of both the obstacles and the rich opportunities that presented themselves along the way.  This site chronicles their journey and invites you to think about the power of inquiry to change the world.

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