Project 2: Remix
Overview
Anytime a movie is made that is based on a book, those involved are creating a new multimodal
version of the original linguistic-focused text.
Your job is to take an existing story (fiction or nonfiction) told primarily in the linguistic mode
and translate it into a new, digital, multimodal version. In short: remake an old story in a new
way.
You are not limited to making a movie-version of your text. For this project, think creatively
about how to represent the text in a new format and genre. You may stick closely to the original
version of the story or event, or you may reimagine the story from another perspective. Your
options are open on this assignment.
Deliverables & Due Dates (All deliverables are due by 10pmCST on the dates noted below.)
§ A blog post that summarizes and reflects on the story (10 points) – due Friday, April 19
§ A pitch of your topic (2 minutes) (5 points) – due Friday, April 19
§ A rough cut for peer feedback (10 points) – due Friday, April 26
§ Peer review of two students work (5 points) – due Tuesday, April 30
§ A final draft posted on the course Blackboard site (15 points) – due Friday, May 3
Details
Step 1. Choose a story.
Choose a story that you like or are interested in exploring. It is better to aim for a shorter story on
which to base your project. An entire novel would be too much. Think along the lines of a well-
known fable, fairy tale, myth, or historical event. An older story may be easier to work with than
a recent story. Choose a story that is classroom-friendly. Nothing X-rated or otherwise
inappropriate, please.
Be sure that you focus your story very specifically. Let’s say you were going to try working on a
historical event. World War II is far too broad. You would need to focus that topic much further
on something like a particular skirmish, a specific decision that a soldier or military leader made,
or a particular document (like a speech, proclamation, photo).
Step 2. Choose a form for your story.
Once you have chosen a story, you need to choose the form and design for your project.
Consider the following possibilities. Please note, this is just a collection of ideas – not an
exhaustive list – and feel free to create a remix form/design not included on this list:
• a series of cartoon animations
• a series of comic strips or a graphic novel (Shakespearean Web Comics)
• a video
• a recipe/cooking show
• digital scrapbook
• an online museum display
• an infographic
• a newspaper (with embedded animated gifs/videos)
• a Facebook-style profile and timeline (If Facebook existed during WWII)
• a series of text messages or Tweets from characters in the story
• “live” blogging of an event from the story by a character/participant
• a pinboard by a character, author, historical figure, etc. (Pinterest Ideas)
• a collection of digital artifacts found on a character’s USB drive (e.g., letters, “to do”
lists, data, and poems written by the character for his or her eyes only)
• an episode of a TV show
• a video of the story told in a different genre (like this example for The Shining or this
version of WILLY WONKA – Recut Horror Trailer)
• a photo essay
Step 3. Pitch your project.
You will explain your plans for your project to the class in a short, 2-minute video recording
posted on the on the course Discussion Board. The information from the web article: “How to
Create a Winning Video to Pitch Your Idea” at this link: https://www.inc.com/stephen-key/the-
best-way-to-pitch-a-potential-licensee-create-a-video.html may help you to plan. You will need
to identify the original story, your remix plans, and the genre you are planning to use.
Step 4. Develop and refine your project.
Following the resources in Writer/Designer chapters posted on the Discussion Board, you’ll
collect sources and assets, design your citations, and draft and revise your project (from rough
cut to final project). You will deliver and present your remixed story on the course Blackboard
site.
