A great internet friend (who happens to live in Charlotte, NC) shared this link from The Charlotte Observer's post on the filming of "The Hunger Games" movie. It confirms that filming has begun on the Capitol scenes (in case you hadn't heard about that yet).
The article includes pictures of extras dressed in Capitol attire, and looking quite fake, I might add! I did expect to see more color, but these were just a few of the extras, so I am sure Collins' vision of a rainbow-colored world will come to life in the movie.
A few weeks ago a teacher from NC shared with me that the costumes were very "funky" with lots of dyed hair. She happens to live nearby and has many students who are in the movie as extras.
She also shared with me that Suzanne Collins will have a small role in the reaping scene. "Apparently, they have added a scene where each Reaping candidate must give a blood sample for DNA identification," she said. Collins plays the woman who is conducting that process.
Classroom Connection
How do you picture the characters from the Capitol? Do you have your students draw depictions from the novel?
If they are artistic, this is a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent. Even though incorporating art is not included in our learning standards, it is, indeed, one way to spark interest in novels, especially for those reluctant to read. Some students are more visual, so allowing them to both see and create pictures can help them visualize the story and characters.
If they struggle with creating art, you can direct them to websites that help, such as http://www.sp-studio.de/, which allows users to create South-Park-style caricatures; or http://bomomo.com/. Both sites allow you to keep your artwork, unlike others. Another option is to use Wordle.net or Tagxedo.com. They can type in words associated to a character or chapter and create a word cloud.
