Creative cosmos, film, creativity and derivative work in OER
1. Creative Cosmos: film, creativity
and derivative works in OER
Tita Beaven and Anna Comas-Quinn
Department of Languages, The Open University
2. SYNOPSIS
“The Cosmonaut” is a story about memory and desire. Even those memories
that exist only in one’s imagination.”
October 1975. Stan prepares to become the first Russian cosmonaut on the
Moon. Andrei, his best friend, manages the mission.
In the tense last days before departure, Stan thinks about Yulia, the woman they
both have been in love with since her arrival to the City of the Stars, more than
ten years ago.
They finalize the details of the mission, but just two days after takeoff the
spacecraft loses communication with Earth. For seven months, Andrei and Yulia
look for him day and night without rest.
One day the ship returns to Earth. After it falls, there is no trace
of the cosmonaut.
The confusion increases with the beginning of a series of radio
transmissions: Stan is speaking from an undisclosed location. He
says that he’s back on Earth and claims to have found it empty.
Little by little, a new, strange and dangerous triangle begins to
take form.
4. Crowdfunding: the budget
Crowdfunding assumption in the plan: 6.6 of total budget, it 52.000 €
Crowdfunding so far 190.829 €, i.e. 20% of the total budget
5. Creative Commons
“The Cosmonaut uses a license that extends the
concept of copyright and allows — under
certain conditions — the film to be distributed
freely, copied, modified and remixed;
generating new works based on the original
material. This creates endless new business
opportunities and broadens the mass
distribution.”
The plan
11. The Cosmonaut: an experience
Events with a high
participation present a huge
possibility for brands to get
involved. As the project
moves on there will be more
and of larger
magnitude, with live
connections in different
events and cities, creating a
very special event the day of
the film’s premiere.
The plan
12. Derivative work
Robert Pratten (1st prize)
I've been following The Cosmonaut's
project for sometime and a chance to play
with the beautiful imagery was too much
to pass up. I downloaded all the materials
and spent a little time with a cup of tea
browsing through everything.
I loved all the photographic images and
thought they conveyed the mood of an
old-school style sci-fi movie more than the
clean video footage. Hence I ran with the
idea of the cosmonaut's fractured memory
and used the photographic images to
convey glimpses of his past -
jumbled, distorted, fleeting. I decided to
create a trailer that intrigued more than it
informed.
14. Transmedia OER -
possible language
learning activities:
•making up phone calls between
the characters
•writing the last letters between
Stan and Yulia
•producing Stan’s radio messages
or video diaries
•thinking of alternative endings
•writing and acting new scenes
•acting some scenes based on the
script
•translating the script or the
poems, both into other languages
and into other settings or media
•dubbing or subtitling the trailers
(both for real and spoof versions)
•using the photos to describe
people, places and situations, or
as a stimulus for creative writing
16. Comments from our teachers
“I know what resources are in LORO because I
usually have a browse every few weeks to see if
there have been any new entries. In search for
inspiration, I also explore what other courses
have to offer.”
“The way I use LORO in preparation for a tutorial is
that I check the LORO materials for a given topic
before starting to plan my tutorial. The main
reason for this is that, even if I don’t find anything
I can use, it starts the ideas flowing in my head.”
17. Comments from our teachers
“…sharing the resources I have created with
colleagues is an essential part of the way I work
and I believe a tool like LORO fulfils this. But
sometimes I wouldn’t upload material in LORO
because I’m unsure about the copyright issues.”
“In terms of my own teaching practice, I think that
sharing the resources I have created with
colleagues is a way forward, but I have some
reservations, for example, in terms of sharing
copyrighted materials.”
21. Français – étape 1
• Regarde les bande-annonces et essaye de
deviner de quoi parle le film et ce qui se
passe.
• Boîte à outils :
– Je pense que… , j’imagine que… + indicatif.
– Adverbes : peut-
être, probablement, certainement, sans doute…
– Il est possible que… + subjonctif
22. English
Imagine the settings and characters
• You are on the movie team, and you’re in charge of
the settings and accessories. Imagine everything
you’ll need in order to film the scenes.
• You can use the following table :
Places : indoors or People : what do they look like,
outdoors, kind of what are they wearing, and
building, surroundings or objects do they have with them,
furniture, etc. etc.
23. English extract 1
Sign: 1961
Khruschev, sitting in a terrace together with other people, watches the blast-
off of a huge rocket. He is surrounded by people in suits. Some waiters pass
by them serving something on the table. One of them gets closer and
whispers something in his ear. The roar of the engines makes the glasses
move on the table.
MEN 1
What are you going to answer Kennedy?
Khruschev laughs self-satisfied keeping his eye on the rocket rising.
KHRUSCHEV
If we are going to the moon, we
are going alone.
24. English extract 2
STAR CITY STREETS. EXT. DAY
Andrei and Stan arrive to Star City in a bus with other new recruits. They are two
young, handsome, and strong soldiers, about twenty five years old. Stan wears a
pilot jacket. They look at each other and laugh excited. Stan has two pieces of
cotton with dried blood in his nose.
STAN
Are you sure we are gonna meet
more girls in here?
ANDREI
Are you crazy? It’s gonna be wild.
The bus moves through the city, watching everyday scenes: cosmonaut wives walking
with their children, some cars, soldiers patrolling.
ANDREI
How far from Moscow do you think we are?
Stan shrugs. They hear a couple of fighters passing by and everyone stick their faces to
the bus window looking up to them.
26. El cosmonauta
(actividad basada en http://elcosmonauta.es/the_plan_light.pdf, sinopsis)
El Cosmonauta es una historia que habla del recuerdo y del deseo.
Incluso de los recuerdos que solamente son deseos.
Octubre de 1975: Stan se prepara para ser el primer cosmonauta ruso
en la Luna. Andrei, su mejor amigo, dirige la misión. En los tensos días
antes de la partida, Stan piensa en Yulia, la mujer de la que ambos llevan
enamorados desde su llegada a la Ciudad de la Estrellas, más de diez
años atrás.
Ultiman los detalles de la misión, pero apenas dos días después de
despegar, la nave pierde toda comunicación con la Tierra…
Continuará…
27. Para ayudar a estructurar ideas:
Responde a estas preguntas:
• ¿Qué?
• ¿Quiénes?
• ¿Dónde?
• ¿Cuándo?
• ¿Qué crees que pasará después?
P.ej.: La chica se casará con el astronauta más guapo y
vivirán felices y comerán perdices…
Para saber más sobre el verdadero final de la historia ve a: http://loro.open.ac.uk/2131/
