A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
and other extraordinary stories we craft out of the ordinary.
I am a big fan of concise sentencing that captures broader ideas. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is one such example - a superb title that works as a pitch, a summary of events, and a space for interpretation. It hints at the story while leaving plenty of room to imagine how things might unfold.
Lately, I have been thinking about short, low-risk, and hopefully fun exercises to bring into the classroom that can serve multiple purposes. Something that encourages students to lean into their own stories, while also giving them the freedom to be creative and feel as if they have to take themselves (the source) too literally.
So here goes. This can be used as an ice-breaker, expanded into a short filmmaking exercise, or even serve as a form of mini-textual analysis: Get students to pitch themselves as a main character.
The framing is simple: take inspiration from trailers - if your life were a movie, how would the trailer introduce you? Lean into the over-the-top drama. Play it straight, or play it ironic, both work.
Pitch Yourself: The Trailer Voiceover Format
If your life were a movie, how would the trailer introduce you?
Opening Line: In a world full of ordinary people, one teenager dares to [insert what makes you different].
Name: [Your Name]
Starring As: [e.g., The Reluctant Leader, The Chaos Coordinator, The Time Optimistic]
Tip: Think about how you move through the world — or how others might describe you.
Tagline: “[Insert your motto, belief, or inner monologue — the line that goes on the poster.]” (e.g., “It’s not about being loud — it’s about being heard.”)
Breaking it down to build it up.
Encourage students to reflect on their backstory to support their creative choices. Remind them to draw from real life, but not to be afraid to exaggerate, reinterpret, or get playful with how they tell it. Here’s a basic outline to help them focus on the key ideas.
Act I – The Origin Story
What shaped you? Every hero has a backstory.
What’s one experience, value, or moment that shaped how you see the world?
Act II – The Power & The Flaw
With great power comes… complications.
Strength: What’s your most valuable skill, instinct, or quality?
Flaw: What’s your weakness, the thing that sometimes trips you up?
Act III – The Mission
What are you working toward, and why does it matter to you?
This could be a personal goal, a creative dream, or something you’re still figuring out.
Final Scene
Cue music. Fade to black.
Coming Soon: What’s on the horizon for you? A risk, a project, a change, a quiet shift.
Watch this space. The next chapter is just beginning.
Bringing this into the classroom
Keep it short and sweet: Students write and deliver one-line responses, just as a creative thinking exercise.
Make the trailer: Turn the idea into a 30-second, trailer-style film clip.
Flip it: Pitch a fictional character instead of themselves; expand into character analysis.
Build it: Use it as the starting point for a longer autobiographical or identity-driven film project.
