Outline of First Paper

Movie: Chicken Run (2000)

Intro- fun movie. Story themed around idea of chickens trying to fly. Many physical and environmental factors surrounding characters. The interaction between the characters and their physical environment plays a key part in the movie.

Hypothesis 1: Power of the Air

In this world, there is significant air resistance. Air resistance can suspend objects in the air, and decrease the effect gravity has.

Ex: the flying machine at the end of the movie.

Air resistance was used by wings to carry the craft through the air. Air craft was heavy.

The flying machine was also able to hold up an adult woman in the air.

Ex: when the guard dogs attack the chickens on stilts,

Hypothesis 2: You don’t fall till you’re ready

There is a delayed application of gravity. The force of gravity is not strong. It is counteracted by air resistance and it takes a while for gravity’s force to start pulling an object down.

Ex: The first time the chickens are in training, learning how to fly. The medallion that was hurled through the air. Chickens falling from being hit by guard dogs.

All these examples show how there is a time of hanging in the air. There is not a consistent rate at which objects fall back down after flying upwards.

Hypothesis 3: When an object is launched, catapulted, or shot into the air by a force such as a canon or slingshot, it does not follow a parabolic arc.

Ex: Rocky flying through the sky from a canon. Babs being shot out by a sling shot.

In these two examples, the characters follow a straight or diagonal line of action as they travel through the air. They don’t really fall. Gravity has a low effect of bringing them down. Where is has a delayed effect in other cases, here it seems to not be involved at all.

Hypothesis 4: Gravy is a very powerful force.

Ex. It causes explosions, enormous pressure builds up. The machine is overloaded by the pressure of gravy.

Conclusion- don’t realize the rules of the movie’s universe when watching. It is important to the story, but it is seamless in the world they inhabit.