Unit 1. Films

Underline two words or phrases in each review in A which helped you make your decision.

Key
1 amusing / makes fun of / hilarious / crazy situations / funny dialogue / grinning / crying for all the right reasons
2 frightening / ghosts / graveyards / scare / monster
3 complicated story / full of suspense / a world of spies and secrets / leave you looking over your shoulder...
4 bring your tissues / plays with your emotions / her developing relationship / lets us into their hearts

Which of these titles might be best for each of the films in A? There is one extra title you do not need to use.
Key.1B     2D     ЗЕ      4A

Review 1 ____________________       Review 2 ____________________         Review 3 ____________________        Review 4 ____________________

A Last Days of Innocence B Where Does It Hurt? С Starbase Seven Alpha D They Walk at Midnight E Caught in the Net

What kind of film might have the title you haven't used?    ____________________

In pairs, discuss your answers. Did you choose the same titles? Why / Why not? What do you think the other film might be about?

Key.
1 The comedy might be called 'Where Does It Hurt?' because that's the kind of question that doctors ask patients and the film is about doctors and hospitals.
2 The horror film might be called 'They Walk at Midnight' because it sounds like it's about frightening things, like ghosts, in the middle of the night.
3 The thriller might be called 'Caught in the Net' because it's about people being followed and caught by the FBI and CIA.
4 The romance might be called 'Last Days of Innocence' because it's about a woman suffering from cancer who falls in love with her doctor.

Read this review and circle the best heading for each paragraph.
Key.1 A disappointing result
2 An old-fashioned story
3 Poor leadership
The wrong title / A disappointing result / A good past record
TheGood Guys Always Win is a missed opportunity. Starring John Devon andwritten by Carol West, all the ingredients were there for a greatmovie, but, alas, this one proves that the good guys sometimes lose.With their work together in the past, I was looking forward to seeingwhat they had been working on. The answer is a film that lets them down.
An old-fashioned story / A fight for love / A new acting style
Thestory is the same old plot of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy getsgirl back. We've seen it a thousand times before. With women playingstrong characters on our screens these days, we've had enough of thegentle heroine who just waits for the boy to fall in love with her.Patty LeBelle, who plays Wendy, cries and sighs but does little else,and those who saw her in Climbers will wonder what's happened to her.
A terrible script / Poor leadership / Future possibilities
Thedialogue is slow and too much of the film is people pausing and lookingat each other. Donna Short, the director, must take most of the blamesince it's her job to guide the actors. It's difficult to see exactlywhy she was given this film when her last two efforts, Catch Me, I'mFalling and The Man Next Door, were so unexciting. Let's hope that JohnDevon's career can recover.

Read these quotes from film trailers and choose a title for each film.
Key.1a  2a  3c

1    'Watch out! Bill Fredericks is back, and this time he's betterthan ever! When Bill decides to take his family on holiday, you justknow it won't be long before he causes trouble! Even before they get tothe airport, Bill finds some way of messing things up! You'll laughtill you cry in this family fun-packed film.'
      a Airport Terror 2
      b Don't Forget Your Passport!
      с The Holiday from Hell

2   'It was a time of innocence. A time of love. A time that Mary Joneswould never forget. When the stranger rode into town on his blackhorse, nobody in Watersville knew how it would change all their lives,forever. A tale of passion. A story of two people fighting for whatthey believe in, even if that means losing each other.'
      a Difficult Choices
      b I Was Frankenstein's Bride
      с Those Crazy Cowboys!

3   'Based on a true story, this award-winning film takes you to the heartof tragedy. A mother's search for a cure for her son takes her far fromhome. They said he would never walk again, and she is determined toprove them wrong. There are times when she must fight, and times whenshe wants to give in. The human spirit finally triumphs, but not beforeshe has paid the ultimate price.'
      a Where Have You Left the Patient?
      b Fight for Glory III
      с Love Will Find a Way

You are going to read a magazine article about films. Choose the mostsuitable heading from the list A-I for each part (1-7) of the article.There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is anexample at the beginning (0).
Key.1B 2F 3E 4A 5D 6G 7C

A Planning the filming B Selling it to the right person С Breaking down the budget D Not as glamorous as you think       E Give people what they expect

F The right leader with business sense G Putting the pieces together H Hard work, but worth it I It all has to work

Lights, Camera, Action
0               I                  
Makinga film is such a complicated process that it's a wonder any of themever get made. When you go to your local cinema to see what's on, doyou ever think of all the separate steps that have to come together toend up with what you see on the big screen? Where does it start?

1 ________________________
Most films start as an idea. It might be in a director's mind, or in awriter's mind, but wherever it comes from, it's the producer who needsconvincing. The producer is the businessman who finds the money to makethe film. If you've got an idea for the next blockbuster, you need tofind somebody who is willing to make your film. The producer will thenorganize the budget and decide how much it is worth spending on thefilm.

2 ________________________
The producer will decide who is going to be responsible for making thefilm: the director. This is an important decision since the director isthe person who will be in charge of the whole cast and crew. Theproducer will either find somebody who has made similar films in thepast or he or she might take a chance on a new director. Mostimportantly, the producer wants someone he or she can trust to do agood job and to stay under budget.

3 ______________________
The producer and director will then choosethe other people to work on the film and will decide on the members ofthe cast. People feel very strongly about actors and a film has to havethe right ones if it is to draw people into cinemas. Actors usuallybecome associated with a particular kind of film in the mind of thepublic and it can be a risk to cast an actor in a different kind ofrole. Auditions and screen tests might be held to make final decisionsand rehearsals will begin.

4 ______________________
While theactors are developing their characters, the director will be makingother key decisions concerning things such as location. Where the filmis shot is very important and the locations for filming will be chosencarefully. The film will also be storyboarded, with pictures of all thekey moments. Special effects will be planned and costumes will bedesigned. This pre-production phase can take a long time because theremay not be a chance to change things later.

5 ______________________   
The actual shooting can take anywherefrom a few weeks to a year, or possibly even more. The actors spend alot of time waiting for everything to be right - the set, the lighting,the cameras — and boredom can be a real problem. Life at the Oscarsmight seem wonderful, but life on a film set can be stressful andtedious.

6 ______________________
Once filming is over, post-production begins. This is the stage whereall the elements of the film are brought together.The film is edited sothat it tells л clear story and any special effects are perfected.Music is added to emphasise the excitement or the emotion of certainmoments in the film. Often, the film is previewed to small audiencesand changes are made, depending on their reactions. Finally, the filmmakes its way into the cinemas.

7 ______________________   
Once the process is over, what thebackers will want to know is where the money has gone. We hear a lotthese days about the huge fees commanded by stars but the cast willtypically cost around 10% of the total budget. Pre- and post-productioncosts will account for 50%, while the director and crew will takeanother 10%. This leaves around 30% of the total cost of the film to bespent on actual filming.