a cat in Paris - Film Education ©Film Education 2012. Film Education is not responsible for the...

www.filmeducation.org©Film Education 2012. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external sites

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DirecteD by: Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol

certificate: PG

country: France

running time: 126 mins

year: 2010

Suitable for: primary literacy, modern foreign languages (French), personal, social and health education, art and design

Key worDS: Paris, cat, burglar, young girl, police officer, gangsters, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, rooftops

a cat in Paris

©So

da P

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SynoPSiSBy day, Dino the Parisian cat lives with a little girl called Zoe, whose mother is a police officer. By night, he works with Nico, a jewellery thief with a big heart. Zoe, who lost her father to some local thugs, has refused to speak since his death. Lost in her silence and unable to find comfort even from her own mother, her only friend is Dino the cat. When Dino brings Zoe a diamond bracelet with a fish emblem, it’s not long before Zoe’s mother and the police are onto Dino and trying to track down the thief.

Trying to protect Dino, Zoe follows him one night when he sets off on one of his rooftop jaunts with Nico. She unwittingly stumbles up on a team of gangsters who have a big robbery in mind. When they discover that she has witnessed them at the scene of the crime, they kidnap her. It’s up to Dino and Nico to try and save her.

bacKgrounD information■ A Cat in Paris was Oscar (R) Nominated in 2012, alongside Rango

■ The famous jazz singer from the 1940s and 50s, Billie Holliday is featured on the soundtrack

■ The style of animation is inspired by artists like Picasso and Matisse

■ The film is created in traditional cel, hand drawn, 2D animation

■ The cat of the title, Dino, brings his owner Zoe dead newts to cheer her up

■ A Cat in Paris is the first full-length feature film for its directors

©So

da P

ictu

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3

A C

at In

Par

is

cros

s-cu

rric

ular

pr

ojec

t pro

mpt

s fo

r pr

imar

y sc

hool

s

Lite

racy

■ D

oubl

e liv

es. C

reat

e a

com

ic

strip

sho

win

g th

e do

uble

life

of a

ty

pica

l hou

seho

ld p

et li

ke D

ino.

Fo

r exa

mpl

e, b

y da

y, s

he is

a

slee

py to

rtois

e ca

lled

San

dra,

by

nig

ht s

he is

a g

eniu

s ch

ess

play

er, p

layi

ng c

hess

onl

ine

with

R

ussi

an w

orld

cha

mpi

ons!

His

tory

■ R

esea

rch

the

hist

ory

of

anim

atio

n. W

hen

wer

e th

e fir

st

cel a

nim

atio

n fil

ms

crea

ted?

Fi

nd o

ut a

bout

oth

er fa

mou

s Fr

ench

ani

mat

ed fi

lms

Num

erac

y■

Pla

ce v

alue

and

ord

erin

g nu

mbe

rs. C

reat

e an

imag

inar

y se

quen

ce o

f the

hou

se n

umbe

rs

that

Din

o an

d R

ico

clam

ber

over

at n

ight

. Cre

ate

num

ber

sent

ence

s fo

r eac

h ni

ghtti

me

heis

t - e

.g. t

onig

ht, t

hey

run

acro

ss a

ll of

the

even

num

bers

be

twee

n 35

and

47.

.. To

mor

row

th

ey ju

mp

acro

ss e

very

oth

er

num

ber b

etw

een

24 a

nd 3

6.

MFL

■ Zo

e, th

e gi

rl in

the

film

, do

esn’

t spe

ak fo

r the

maj

ority

of

the

film

. Cre

ate

visu

al

lang

uage

car

ds fo

r her

to h

elp

her c

omm

unic

ate

with

her

mum

. D

raw

pic

ture

s an

d w

rite

the

follo

win

g ke

y w

ords

in E

nglis

h an

d Fr

ench

- ca

t; bu

rgla

r; fri

end;

he

lp m

e; th

ank

you;

I lo

ve y

ou.

Art

/DT

■ Th

ere

is a

bla

ckou

t sce

ne in

th

e fil

m, w

here

the

anim

ator

s ch

ose

to s

how

the

actio

n th

roug

h dr

awin

g th

e ch

arac

ters

as

whi

te o

utlin

es a

gain

st a

bla

ck

back

grou

nd. U

sing

whi

te p

enci

ls

or c

rayo

ns, d

raw

a d

ram

atic

nig

ht

scen

e sh

owin

g th

e m

ain

actio

n as

whi

te o

utlin

es a

gain

st a

she

er

blac

k ba

ckgr

ound

. How

can

you

cr

eate

sha

de a

nd s

hado

ws?

Mus

ic■

Find

out

abo

ut th

e A

mer

ican

ja

zz s

inge

r Bill

y H

ollid

ay. W

hy

do y

ou th

ink

her s

ong

‘I w

ishe

d on

the

moo

n’ fe

atur

es o

n th

e so

undt

rack

?

PSH

E■

Zoe

and

her m

othe

r, Je

anne

ar

e try

ing

to g

et o

ver t

he d

eath

of

Zoe

’s fa

ther

. Zoe

is s

o up

set

that

she

has

gon

e w

ithin

her

self,

an

d sh

e fin

ds s

he c

an’t

talk

to

any

body

. Jea

nne

thro

ws

hers

elf i

nto

her w

ork

as a

pol

ice

supe

rinte

nden

t. W

hen

Jean

ne

tries

to ta

lk to

Zoe

, thi

ngs

go

wro

ng. H

elp

Zoe

and

Jean

ne

wor

k ou

t the

ir pr

oble

ms.

Ask

yo

ur te

ache

r, or

a g

row

n-up

to

draw

aro

und

thei

r han

d. P

rete

nd

this

is J

eann

e’s

hand

prin

t. Th

en

draw

you

r han

dprin

t ins

ide

it.

Pre

tend

that

you

r han

dprin

t is

Zoe’

s. N

ow, o

n ea

ch fi

nger

, writ

e a

wor

d or

mes

sage

of l

ove

or

supp

ort t

hat w

ould

rem

ind

each

ch

arac

ter t

hat t

hey

are

ther

e fo

r ea

ch o

ther

dur

ing

this

diffi

cult

time.


4

before Seeing tHe film

conteXtold-school film styleA Cat in Paris is a simple story told in a rich visual style that harks back to the ‘golden cinema’ period of Hollywood cinema in the mid twentieth century - and the ‘film noir’ genre in particular. Film noir refers to a type of film that focuses on crime drama, full of wise-cracking gangsters and hard-as-nails detectives. ‘Noir’ means ‘black’ in French, and the title came from the many gritty black and white feature films that dominated the cinema in the 1940s and 50s. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Robert Mitchum are a few of the famous actors who made their name in Hollywood in the films ‘noir’ of their day.

mise-en-scèneLiterally translating to ‘put in place’ or ‘put in the scene’, mise-en-scène refers to the details that come together to make meaning on screen. This can be broken down into the costumes, body language, props, placement of characters, set design, choice of background and the general ‘look and feel’ of each individual shot. The French invented the grammar of cinema, so it’s no surprise that A Cat in Paris is full of visual ‘mise-en-scène’ detail. Look out for shots that help describe the mood of the film - for example: Nico the cat-burglar’s empty apartment - symbolising his loneliness. And the dramatic sense of confusion that reigns when Zoe is hiding herself from the gangsters. There are also the stunning sequences of Dino skipping across the rooftops of Paris - known as the ‘City of Light’.

after Seeing tHe film

Imagine the Dino the cat could talk. How do you think he would describe what he does - by day, and by night? Write a short ‘blog’ piece that outlines his dual existence.

teacHerS’ noteSShot, pair, shareExplore and analyse the two images on the next page as a way of critically evaluating the film.

the frameDescribe what you can see in the shot. Where is the camera placed? Why is it placed in this position? Why not high up? Or low down? Or from far away? Or close-up? What is not shown in the shot?

colour / lightHow is the scene lit? Are there contrasts between light and shadow? Why is it lit this way?What are the key colours in the scene? Do any colours stand out more than any others? Why? What does this tell us about the mood of the scene and the character?

mise en scène This means, ‘everything in the frame’, or the way information is communicated through a single shot. Describe the props, furniture, body language and facial expressions. Look at the details of the shot. Describe how each detail gives us information about the character and the scene’s place in the film’s narrative.


5

metHoDologyShotDiscuss each shot as a class. Ask for pupils’ initial reactions: what does each shot tell us about the film?

PairAsk the children to annotate one or both of the shots in pairs, focusing on framing, colour and light or mise en scène (or all three).

ShareEach pair should then share one or two key observations about the shot.

15-minute writing oPPortunitieSShot one7-year-old Zoe is in her bedroom stroking Dino, who is offering her a ‘gift’!

■ What is familiar about this setting? ■ What is unfamiliar?

Write about your own bedroom, outlining your favourite thing to do whilst chilling out in your own personal space. How is your bedroom similar or different to Zoe’s?

Shot twoCat burglar, Rico and cat, Dino survey the ‘City of Lights’ in the moonlight.

Write a poem about the City of Lights in the moonlight, using this image as your inspiration. Describe it in terms of the 5 senses. Think about what Rico and Dino feel, see, smell, hear, taste on the air as they take in the sights. Use similes and metaphors to add depth and meaning to your poem. For example, you could describe the city as ‘like a maze of chimney tops’ (simile) or as a ‘nighttime playground’ (metaphor).

Written by Julie Green

a cat in Paris - Film Education ©Film Education 2012. Film Education is not responsible for the...

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