1. Creating – Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Reading and Creating
Creating – Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2. Why do some people have trust issues?
What’s your response?
What are some common assumptions we have when thinking about troubled kids?
Why do some people have trust issues?
How important is it to express our feelings in a positive manner?
How do we deal with these kids? Is it the best way?
Bad character, broken homes
Let down, needs not met
Behaviour becomes the focus not the problem that caused the behaviour
Put them in homes, punish their behaviour, need understanding and acceptance

3. What is something we don’t find out throughout the text?
Think about this:
What is something we don’t find out throughout the text?
Are there any significant gaps in the story?
What would enhance our understanding of the characters?
Why does Hec seems so angry and withdrawn?
What was Bella’s childhood like?
What happened to Amber?

4. Major and Minor Characters
Ricky Baker
Uncle Hec
Aunt Bella
Kahu
Paula
Andy
Film is focused on Ricky, so a gap scene or a transformation would work well for this character. His thought processes and the change that happens in his thinking would definitely give greater insight into this character and the theme of abandonment.
Paula and Andy would give more insight into the institutions that deal with these children and their inadequacy and unhelpful approach, so writing from their perspective would work well.
Hec and Bella would give greater insight into how families provide support and shelter from the outside world, so writing from their perspective would work well.
Kahu would give greater insight into the nature of families.

5. The Creative Task – Unit 1
You are required to respond to the set text in a creative form.
Although the response is to be creative in nature, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the set text, remains central to this task.
You may transform and adapt key moments or aspects of the text as a way to develop and extend your understanding of the original. (Provide new insights)
The connections you make between the original text and the creative response need to be credible and authentic.
Your written piece should be around words. (Not including the written explanation)
Look up the meaning of the key words: Central, Transform, Adapt, Develop, Extend, Credible, Authentic.
Write out in your own words the three key dot points

6. Alternative perspective
Re-write a scene from the perspective of another character
Examples:
Write about an event from Aunt Bella’s perspective
Write about an event from Paula’s perspective
Give Hector’s view of an event

7. Gap
Write about a moment in the text that we don’t see (including before or after the narrative of the text occurs)
Examples:
Ricky’s time with Kahu before Hec gets out of prison
Hec’s time in jail
Amber’s death
Ricky’s time in a previous foster home
Bella and Hec’s journey towards fostering a child
Other ideas?

8. Transformation of a scene
transpose the original text into another form (narrative, news article, journal, report)
Transpose the original text into a new setting - physical, cultural, social, time (New York, Melbourne, The year 2050)

9. Sample Ideas for a Creative Response to Text Hunt for the Wilderpeople
A screenplay for a missing scene / GAP in the text (including directions for camera, light and sound)
A narrative for a missing scene / GAP in the text from Ricky’s perspective
A narrative covering an existing scene from another PERSPECTIVE (Bella, Hector or Paula)
Feature article covering the time Hec and Ricky are on the run
A journal written by Ricky (including Haikus) for a GAP scene from the text
Ricky’s file at Child Protection Services
The eulogy at Hec’s funeral written by Ricky
You can find sample screenplays online as well as the screenplay for the film Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

10. Preparing to write in the voice of a major/minor character
Voice/ characterisation technique
Example
Explanation of effect
What words does the character typically use?
What types of sentences would this character typically use?
What is the inner life of this character?
What type of detail is this character drawn to?
What type of images/settings are associated with this character?
If you are using a different form without a specific character’s voice then substitute ‘character’ with ‘form’.

11. Written Explanation
This written explanation is a detailed paragraph that outlines the decisions made, as you developed your creative response. The purpose, context and audience must all be addressed in the explanation in order to justify your selected content and approach to the task.
The written explanation is assessed within, and as part of, the creative response
Tip: It’s best to plan this before you write, but complete it after you have written your piece. It should be around 250 words in length.

12. Written Explanation: Purpose
Describe your written piece (scene within the film or its connection to the film)
How does your piece fit with the original text? (context)
What ideas/concepts will you explore from the original text?
How will your piece enhance the reader’s understanding of that text?

13. Written Explanation: Form
What form will you use?
What structural and language features will you use, that are specific to this form?
Why is this form the most effective way to convey your ideas/message?

14. Written Explanation: Audience
Who is the audience for your piece/form?
How have you crafted your piece to cater for this audience?

15. Written Explanation: Language
What language features have you used from the original text?
Give examples and explain how they link to the original text.

16. In this letter I am exploring the emotional divide that can happen between first generation migrants and their children, caused by a reluctance to compromise cultural identity. The way the father and daughter perceive ‘normal’ customs is tainted by their experiences and the environment in which they grow up. If this difference is too great, the relationship can sadly be sacrificed. The audience is ideally young people who are affected by that first generation divide. The story is from a young girl’s perspective and the thoughts and experiences come from that perspective. The form of a letter allows the narrator to speak directly to her father in a second person voice, giving the reader an insight into her personal feelings, and the twist at the end (the father is dead) provides impact, emphasising that left unaddressed it may soon be too late.

17. The voice of the narrator is firm but remorseful, reflecting the narrator’s firm stance in not compromising her identity, but also her regrets about the loss of the relationship. She also uses the expression “Aussie” very deliberately to reflect her local identity, and the word “pioneer” reflects the bravery of the pioneers from the chapter of the same name in Growing Up Asian in Australia. The letter was inspired particularly by the story ‘5 Ways to Disappoint your Vietnamese Mother’ which explores the same themes of parent-child relationships being damaged through reluctance to compromise cultural identity. 220 words