Remixing Hamlet

[traci_gardner]

About a year ago I shared a student’s work focusing on in response to the Remix a Story assignment in my Writing and Digital Media course. In this project, I asked students to choose a story (fiction or nonfiction) and retell that story using digital composing tools. I’m long overdue in sharing more of students’ work in response to this assignment, so this week I’m sharing the work two students did to remix Hamlet.

Inspired by the Emmy Award-winning Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Amelia and Kayleigh set out to rethink Hamlet from the perspective of Ophelia and Gertrude. To fit the tone and format of their model, they changed the characters to modern-day sisters. Gertrude, or “Gigi” (because “Gertrude is so awful [she] wants to throw up whenever she hears it”) becomes Hamlet’s sister. Ophelia plays the role of Hamlet’s love interest and Gigi’s future sister-in-law.

The two characters are in college and completing a series of videos that document their life for a month, for their Writing and Digital Media course, taught by Mr. Fortinbras. The first video shows them introducing themselves and their YouTube channel RosemaryRemembering:

Video Link : 1579

The following three videos work through remixed versions of the plot points, sarcastically commenting on Greek life and the bro code along the way. In the second video, starting at :47, they edit together a series of fast words and images to illustrate a portion of the story that they are telling:

Video Link : 1578

Overall, the project showed me that they understood the demands of digital storytelling, and segments like the fast series of words and images demonstrated their skill with iMovie.

Just like the To Kill a Mockingbird project, I smile every time I look at these videos and I’m so happy that Amelia and Kayleigh have allowed me to share with you. I hope to share more student work in the future. What would you like to see? Tell me more by leaving a comment below.