You have now explored many aspects of Whale Shark Jack – story, characters, setting, filmmaking choices, themes and ideas. Now it is your turn to add to the story.

Your challenge is to create a new text that could exist within the world of Whale Shark Jack. You are not simply retelling the film. Instead, you will use what you have learned to extend, explore or reimagine an aspect of the story.

You could:

• create a missing scene – write, film or storyboard a scene that could fit naturally into the film.
• continue the story – create a short film, scene or storyboard showing what happens after the events of Whale Shark Jack.
• tell another character’s story – create a short story, comic or graphic narrative that explores events from the perspective of someone who is not at the centre of the film.
• explore a character’s experience – create a podcast or recorded interview that gives a character the opportunity to share their thoughts, experiences or perspective.
• tell the story through the community – create a news report, magazine article or community story that explores an event or issue from the film through the eyes of someone connected to it.
• create a new character – develop a character who could naturally exist in the world of Whale Shark Jack, and use a story, comic, podcast or other form to introduce their perspective.
• explore an important issue – create a campaign, documentary, article, podcast or visual text that explores an environmental, social or personal issue raised by the film.
• take the story in a new direction – choose a form that suits your idea and create an original response that extends, reimagines or develops an aspect of the film.

Your addition to the story should feel as though it belongs in the world of the film, while also adding something new. It should also demonstrate your understanding of Whale Shark Jack.

Before you begin, consider:

• What part of the film will I extend, explore or reimagine?
• What will I add to the story?
• Who will my audience be?
• What form will best suit my idea?
• What will I need my audience to know?

Share your project with the class. As you listen to each other’s ideas, look for connections between the different responses.

Together, compile your work into a Whale Shark Jack story world collection, bringing your different responses together to create a larger picture of the film’s world and ideas.

Your collection might include written stories, comics, storyboards, filmed scenes, podcasts, articles, campaigns and other forms of storytelling. Think about how you could present these different forms together. For example, you might:

• create a digital gallery with images, written texts, videos and audio recordings.
• curate a class website or digital book, with links to different projects.
• create a physical exhibition, displaying written and visual work alongside QR codes linking to films or podcasts.
• produce a class magazine or anthology, including written and visual responses and links to digital work.
• hold a screening and listening session, with written and visual work displayed alongside the presentations.

As you compile your collection, think about how the different responses connect with one another and what they collectively add to the Whale Shark Jack narrative.

You have now explored Whale Shark Jack through its narrative, characters, setting, themes, ideas and filmmaking choices, and created your own response to the film.

Return to the visual response you created after your first viewing. Compare it with what you understand about the film now. What might you add, remove or reconsider?

Take a moment to reflect on your learning:

• What do you understand about Whale Shark Jack now that you didn’t understand when you first watched it?
• What have you learned about the ways filmmakers use storytelling and film language to communicate ideas?
• What is one idea, technique or way of thinking about film that you will take from this study?