Grammar I the Passive. We form the passive with the verb to be
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A-level (or A-list) usually refers to top-tier actors/actresses who are paid upwards of $20 million per feature film; can also refer to producers, directors and writers who can be guaranteed to have a film made and released B-film (or B-movie, B-picture) (cf. A-pictures) an off-beat, low-budget, second-tier film, usually from an independent producer, shot quickly with little-known, second rate actors. B-films are often characterized by sensational and catchy titles, campy acting, cheesy special effects, and gratuitous violence and sexuality behind the scenes without receiving credit or fame; out of public view. (Referring originally to those who worked on a theatrical piece but do not appear on the stage.) building a scene using dramatic devices such as increased tempo, volume, and emphasis to bring a scene to a climax cast against type (cf. typecast) an actor playing a role distinctly different from roles previously played cliffhanger a film characterized by scenes of great tension, danger, adventure, suspense, or high drama, often climaxing at the end of a film, or at the end of a multi-part serial episode, where the plot ending and the fate of the protagonist(s) are left unresolved deadpan humour a specific type of comedic device in which the performer assumes an expressionless (deadpan) quality to her/his face demonstrating absolutely no emotion or feeling. disneyfication or disneyfied (derog.) refers to the making of an adapted, sanitized, 'family-friendly' version of a book or play, by removing objectionable elements (such as crude language, sexuality, or violence) and modifying plot elements to make the tale more acceptable, entertaining, predictable and popular for mass consumption by audiences, as first exercised by the Disney studios in the 50s “feel good" film usually a light-hearted, upbeat comedy or romance that ends with an audience-pleasing conclusion; sometimes used derogatively flash in the pan transitory, impermanent success or recognition; ‘fifteen minutes of fame’. ham something up Fig. to make a performance seem silly by showing off or exaggerating one's part. (A show-off actor is known as a ham.) hoot (boo) someone off the stage [for an audience] to boo and hiss until a performer leaves the stage. in a stage whisper Fig. in a loud whisper that everyone can hear. scene-stealer An actor who draws attention from or overshadows other actors in the same production, as by charm or quality of performance. spoof usually a comedic film that pays tribute to an earlier film in a humorous way; parody (e.g. a spoof horror film) stage fright nervousness or panic that may beset a person about to appear in front of an audience take the stage Fig. to become the center of attention; to become the focus of everyone's attention. tearjerkers films popular with women, but also used in a derogatory sense to marginalize films with heavy, sappy emotion and numerous female characters, aka ‘chick flicks’ walk on stage and off again Fig. to play a very small role where one goes on stage and quickly leaves again. whodunit a ссылка скрыта b) Fill the gaps with the suitable words and expressions from the list above. 1. The dark Dickens novel Oliver Twist was … as a light musical Oliver! 2. Humphrey Bogart, as good-guy Rick Blaine, was an example of…. Bogart had played gangster figures in dozens in films before ссылка скрыта 3. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are … directors. 4. Imelda Staunton is a … as Dolores Umbridge, playing the callous teacher to perfection. 5. The major or lead character in a … is a crime-solving detective, such as in the Sherlock Holmes series of films. 6. The next … is WNO's production of Madam Butterfly with American tenor Russell Thomas as Pinkerton, Judith Howarth as the heartbroken Cio-Cio-San and Claire Bradshaw as Suzuki. 7. As far as I can tell, the physical symptoms of … are caused by the release of adrenaline. 8. The actor was supposed to fall over and die, but he … too much and got fired instead. 2. Describing films Would you go and see a film which was described in any of the following ways? Why / why not?
Choose four of the adjectives to describe films or TV programmes you've seen. Now complete these sentences about films with the words in the box.
3. Render the following review into English using at least 20 active words and expressions both from the Active Vocabulary list and the exercises above. Feel free to add your own comments. О, дивный новый мир! ("Аватар") Давным-давно в нашей вселенной Джеймс Кэмерон задумал снять фильм о прекрасной планете Пандора, населенной разумными существами, живущими в полной гармонии с окружающим их миром. К своему несчастью планета оказалась богата чрезвычайно редким минералом, привлекшим внимание безмерно жадных корпораций с Земли. И спокойствие Пандоры было нарушено. Давным-давно Кэмерону не удалось реализовать свой замысел, ныне же его стараниями на экраны всего мира выходит "Аватар" - фильм который, без всякого сомнения, войдет в историю мирового кинематографа. Сразу расставим все точки на "и". "Аватар" - это лучшее из того, что выходило на экраны со времен "Властелина колец", и вот почему. Масштаб постановки и техническое совершенство видеоряда действительно поражают. В картине нет спецэффектов в привычном для современных зрителей понимании. Весь фильм - это один большой спецэффект. "Аватар" велик не только технически. Фильм демонстрирует невиданную доселе детализацию. Известная всем дотошность Кэмерона в этом случае достигает своего апогея. Продумано буквально все. От дизайна и, что самое главное, принципиального устройства техники, которую используют люди, до отдельных элементов флоры и фауны Пандоры. Титанические усилия режиссера трудно переоценить. Но, безусловно, самое главное - это завораживающая красота видеоряда. Переливающийся в темноте всеми цветами радуги животный и растительный миры Пандоры, помноженные на невероятную глубину и четкость картинки, не оставят даже самых придирчивых зрителей равнодушными. Все инопланетные биосферы, которые были представлены ранее в самых лучших фантастических фильмах, являются лишь жалким подобием этого великолепия. Что касается сюжетной линии, то она весьма незамысловата и напоминает о множестве хороших голливудских постановок. Наиболее близкий аналог - это, конечно же, "Пакахонтас", хотя временами действие больше смещается в сторону "Танцев с волками". Однако простота основной идеи ничуть не сказывается на общем восприятии картины. "Аватар" принадлежит к тому редкому типу фильмов, которые в полной мере оправдывают характеристику Голливуда как "фабрики грез". Джеймсу Кэмерону удалось создать новую сказку, которая не только окажет огромное влияние на развитие всего кинематографа, но и на два с лишним часа вырвет зрителей из обыденной, в основном серой, реальности, раскрыв перед ними удивительный мир гармонии и красоты. 4. Now write a review of a film that you particularly like (or dislike) using as many active words as you can. READING & SPEAKING 1. Find the key words in the article and write them into the sentences below. 1. a verb which describes how well a film did _________________________ (para 1) 2. a verb which describes how badly a film did _________________________ (para 1) 3. A film _________________________ is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of fiction, such as a film or a series of books, e.g. Harry Potter, James Bond. (para 1) 4. two inexact methods of measuring things based on experience and feeling _________________________ (para 2) 5. When somebody is _________________________ they are involved in a project. (para 3) 6. to earn a particular amount of money before taxes or costs have been taken out _________________________ (para 3) 7. to fail financially and lose all your money _________________________ (para 4) 8. a film without a sequel or an ongoing storyline _________________________ (para 6) 9. Something that makes a large amount of money is _________________________. (para 7) 10. the process of becoming successful or popular again _________________________ (para 9) 11. a four-word phrase meaning a good reputation based on what has happened before _________________________ (para 9) 12. a phrase meaning to make someone very angry _________________________ (para 11) 13. a new blended word made up of two known words to describe the unwanted growth in the number of sequels _________________________ (para 11) The formula for a hit film sequel Katie Allen Ever wondered why Spider-Man 2 triumphed and Basic Instinct 2 bombed? Now a group of academics have come up with a formula to predict the fortunes of a film sequel. Hollywood has long known a follow-up is a fairly safe bet and franchises from Pirates of the Caribbean to Star Wars have dominated cinema schedules for years. But, until now, decisions about what to invest in a film sequel or how much to pay for the rights to a franchise have been based on some simple rules of thumb and gut feeling. Based on factors such as whether key stars are still on board, how long it has been since the last film and how that performed, the researchers now say they can calculate what producers can expect to gross relative to a film in the same genre that is not a sequel. “It is the industry of dreams, an industry of illusions, and lots of people go bust. The idea here is to put some more analytical thinking into the process,” says Professor Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, of Cass Business School in London. With follow-up films enjoying widespread box office success and strong DVD sales, financial investors and film companies compete aggressively to acquire sequel rights. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was recently sold for $60 million (£36 million). “I want this industry to recognize that it is not as different to other sectors as it thinks it is. What we are talking about here is brand extension,” says Hennig-Thurau. The research, which will be published in the Journal of Marketing this month, examined data from all 101 movie sequels released in North American cinemas between 1998 and 2006 and a sample of stand-alone films with similar characteristics. According to the formula, upcoming sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon should be expected to return $34 million more for the producers in its US run than a comparable vampire/ teen romance movie with the same characteristics that is not a sequel. “Movies like the Twilight sequel New Moon are highly lucrative and relatively safe bets if key parameters, such as original cast, are maintained,” explains Hennig-Thurau. Star continuity is where Basic Instinct 2 went wrong – no Michael Douglas. “The time difference between the two films was very, very long and actor continuity was halved in that you only had (a much older) Sharon Stone.” On the whole, however, sequels do well and often outperform the original. That is especially true now studios are presenting films as a franchise with a narrative woven throughout several instalments. “We are not really talking about sequels any more. We are talking about films that are conceived of as longer plays than one film. You are saying to the audience: ‘This is a story, you have got to stick with it’,” says David Hancock, head of film and cinema at media research company Screen Digest. Underlining that audience loyalty, Hancock notes that in the US last year, just 4.2% of releases were franchise films but they accounted for 20.6% of box office takings. The revival of the Star Trek franchise this summer saw JJ Abrams’s new film gross £21 million in UK cinemas, which is more than double the return of any of the previous 10 Star Trek feature films. “There is clearly a public appetite for new stories taking favourite characters on new adventures and from an industry point of view, there is less risk in investing in the production and release of a film which has a proven track record,” says Mark Batey, chief executive of the Film Distributors’ Association. For film producers fighting poor DVD sales, sequels bring an added benefit. Hennig-Thurau’s research showed that DVD sales of the original movie often peak when a sequel hits the cinema screens. Once that sequel is out on DVD it also has a good chance of strong sales. DVD charts and cinema rankings containing sequels such as Shrek the Third, Transformers 2 and Ice Age 3 have, of course, incited the wrath of film critics worried about a lack of creativity. Cinema-goers have also complained of “sequelitis”. Such criticism may have been justified in the days when making a sequel was a relatively lazy process but sequels are now produced in a more thoughtful manner. The Film Distributors’ Association is keen to argue that sequel mania does still leave room for original stories. Slumdog Millionaire is one of the top films of 2009 while The Full Monty remains one of the most successful British films ever released. “With 500 films released in UK cinemas each year, the blockbuster sequels tend to do well but there’s plenty of other choice for film fans during the year,” says Batey. © Guardian News & Media 2009 First published in The Observer, 08/11/09 2. Write answers to these questions based on the information in the article.
3. Find words and phrases from the article that relate to ‘film’ and ‘finance’ and write them in two columns. Write words that relate to both subjects in the third column. Retell the article using all these words. 4. Discussion. a) Do you like to watch sequels? Why / Why not? b) Are there any stand-alone films that do not have a sequel but that you would like to have a sequel? 5. Comment on the following famous quotes about films: All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl. ссылка скрыта Curiosity doesn't matter any more. These days people don't want to be transported to emotional territories where they don't know how to react. ссылка скрыта I guess I think that films have to be made totally by fascists -- there's no room for democracy in making film. ссылка скрыта Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union. ссылка скрыта The movies today are too rich to have any room for genuine artists. They produce a few passable craftsmen, but no artists. Can you imagine a Beethoven making $100, 000 a year? ссылка скрыта (1880-1956) There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education. ссылка скрыта I pity the French Cinema because it has no money. I pity the American Cinema because it has no ideas. ссылка скрыта I came out here with one suit and everybody said I looked like a bum. Twenty years later Marlon Brando came out with only a sweatshirt and the town drooled over him. That shows how much Hollywood has progressed. ссылка скрыта  Конец формыA good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it. ссылка скрыта Every great film should seem new every time you see it. ссылка скрыта Every single art form is involved in film, in a way. ссылка скрыта If my films don't show a profit, I know I'm doing something right. ссылка скрыта An actor's a guy who, if you ain't talking about him, ain't listening Marlon Brando VOCAB & SPEAKING (II) Keeping your options open. |