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Heywire: Country towns: all drop bears and skate rats?

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Teenage boy stands on country dirt road
Heywire: Country towns: all drop bears and skate rats?

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  9–10


Why might you use humour when presenting your local community to a national audience?

In this Heywire clip, an 'ex-bushranger and survival expert' (in reality Hayden Laube) introduces us to the wilds of Port Pirie. After several adventures including fighting off ferocious wildlife, he reflects on the value of life in a country town. Watch for the story's writer and editor Blake Fetherstonhaugh, as the 'skate rat'.

Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community?

The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22 year olds in regional Australia. Enter to get your story featured on the ABC and score an all-expenses-paid trip to the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. More: https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever heard of 'mockumentaries'? If so, what do you know about the genre? Can you think of some good examples? What are the common features of survival shows, such as those hosted by Bear Grylls?
  2. 2.In this video, Hayden Laube has adopted a character, or persona — that of the 'intrepid explorer'. As you view the clip, take note of how he has constructed this persona through behaviour, tone of voice, and costume. What examples of humour can you find throughout the film? What message does Blake Fetherstonhaugh, the writer and editor of the clip (and the skate rat!), hope to convey to the audience about life in regional Australia?
  3. 3.How do you think Blake feels about Port Pirie? What elements of the clip inform your conclusion? Some people argue that 'mockumentaries' are guilty of ridiculing people. Would you say that this is the case in this film? Why/why not? Do you think humour is an effective way of raising serious issues with a teenage audience? Explain your answer.
  4. 4.Taking inspiration from Blake's clip, write a script for a mockumentary in which you introduce the audience to your local area and some of its residents. Your challenge is to amuse the audience while providing a sense of what it's like to live in your area, and to empathise with (rather than laugh at) the people you encounter.



Date of broadcast: 31 May 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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