What Do You Know About Cinema?

Дополнительные материалы к разделу 6 "What Helps You to Enjoy Yourselves?" учебника В.П. Кузовлева "English 10-11"

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Read the text about Lumiere brothers.

Auguste and Louis Lumiere are credited with the world’s first public film screening on December 28, 1895. The showing of approximately ten short films lasting only twenty minutes in total was held in the basement lounge of the Grand Cafe on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris and would be the very first public demonstration of their device they called the Cinematograph which effectively functioned as camera, projector and printer all in one. Their work consisted mainly of moving images from scenes of everyday life. Ironically, as we look back in retrospect, in comparison to what film has developed into today, the Lumiere Brothers believed it to be a medium without a future. They suspected that people would get bored of images that they could just as easily see by walking out into the street. However, their film sequence of a train pulling into the station reportedly had audiences screaming and ducking for cover as they believed that the train itself was about to plow into the theatre.

Born in the Haute-Saone District in 1862 and 1864, with Auguste being the elder, the Lumiere family eventually settled in Lyon. Their father Antoine opened his own photographic studio and was equally intrigued by this new phenomenon of moving pictures that was slowly developing. Antoine saw to it that his sons received a formal education as they attended the largest technical school in Lyon, La Martiniere.

The Lumiere Brothers have been credited with over 1,425 different short films and had even filmed aerial shots years before the very first airplane would take to the skies.

Questions to the text:

1. What are Lumiere brothers famous for?

2. What was their first film about?

3. How did they call their device for the demonstration of films?

4. Why did Lumiere think that cinematography had no future?

5. The Lumiere brothers shot over 1,425 different films but they are usually remembered for their first one. Why, in your opinion, is it so?

6. According to your opinion, did cinematography change the life of people? If “yes”, then how?

Find in the text the examples of the relative clauses. Explain their usage.

THE HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD

Filmmakers Flee The Big Apple!

In New York in the early 1900s, an independent filmmaker could find himself with a broken camera or a broken arm simply because he was filming. The power behind these strong-arm tactics was the Motion Picture Patents Company, a consortium of film companies commonly known as the “Trust.” The actions of the Trust drove early independents from New York to Los Angeles, where they founded a new film industry that eventually would become Hollywood. By 1915, their success resulted not only in the establishment of the Hollywood “studio system” but the demise of the very organization that had tried to destroy them.

The Trust’s tactics were plain and simple: “They began to hire hoodlums to put us out of business,” recalled Allan Dwan, pioneer independent filmmaker and director of the epic adventure Robin Hood (1922). Faced with the prospect of violence, Dwan and other East Coast filmmakers such as pioneer D.W. Griffith, and director Cecil B. DeMille, chose to get out of town. Many headed west, to southern California and the small sleepy town of Hollywood.

Purchasing huge tracts of cheap real estate, these filmmakers began building studio facilities that were bigger and more advanced than those they had left behind in New York. Dwan contributed to the new climate of innovation by developing sophisticated cranes and tracks (or dolly systems) for more elaborate camera movements.

Unable to compete with the technically superior films of Hollywood, the Trust was forced to disband in 1915.

In its absence, the Hollywood industry continued to thrive. Its films grew bigger and more sophisticated. Dwan’s huge hit Robin Hood with Douglas Fairbanks was typical of the epic blockbusters then being produced in Hollywood. Once outcasts, the independents were now running the industry - and for the next 40 years their studio system would dominate American entertainment.

Find the words in the above text:

1. a combination of several companies, banks etc working together to buy something, build something etc ________________

2. the end of something that used to exist ________ _________

3. a violent criminal ________________

4. a large area of land ______________

5. to become very successful or very strong and healthy _________________

Questions to the text:

1. Why was it difficult for independent filmmakers to shoot films in New York?

2. Why did many filmmakers choose Los Angeles for shooting films?

3. Was “the studio system” in N.Y. or Los Angeles?

4. Do you know any American directors who still prefer to shoot their films in New York?

ANALYZING MOVIES

Устная разминка для всей группы: Can you name a movie…?

Can you name a movie …?

… that is a sci-fi?

… that is a horror?

… that is an action movie?

… that is a romantic comedy?

… with Brad Pitt in it?

… that stars Julia Roberts?

… starring Sean Connery?

… that takes place in space?

… that takes place during WWII?

… set in Asia?

… set on a train?

… that takes place in the 1800s?

… set in the countryside?

… that takes place in Europe?

… about people who fall in love?

… about people who take drugs?

… about police who are corrupt?

… about someone who wants to destroy the world?

Tell a few words about your favourite film/movie using the following plan:

Genre: What kind of movie is it?

Actors/Stars: Who is in it? Who’s starring in it?

Setting/Background: Where does it take place? When does it take place?

Plot/Story: What’s it about? What happens in the end?

Reviews: What did the critics say? What kind of reviews did it get?

ENRICHING VOCABULARY

Read the definitions of the following words:

alternative	something which is done in a different way, not done in the normal way (In the U.S., alternative films are usually artistic films or foreign language films.) Antonym: mainstream.
artsy	extremely artistic, overly artistic, too artistic (often suggests that someone tried too hard to make something artistic)
entertaining	something which entertains; amusing and interesting
hilarious	very funny; making you laugh
intense	containing strong emotions or feelings; extreme (An intense film is one which emotionally drains you or makes you tired. Intense is not necessarily negative, it just means that a movie is not light or relaxing.)
light	relaxing, amusing, not too intense (This is the opposite of “intense.”)
mainstream	usual, or normally done (Mainstream films are those which are usually high budget, popular, and made for entertainment. “Mainstream” is the opposite of “alternative.”)
superficial	not deep or profound; lacking real content; only on the surface
suspenseful	something suspenseful keeps you guessing or makes you question how something will end
thought-provoking	something which makes you think

ENTERTAINING FILMS

alternative, artsy, entertaining, hilarious, intense, light, mainstream, superficial, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Christine: What did you think of the movie? Did you like it?

Sarah: Not really, it was a little too (1) _______ for me. It seemed like the director was trying so hard to impress us with strange close-ups and avant-garde dialogues that he forgot to include a story. I thought it was really boring.

Christine: I thought the movie was really (2) _______. I love it when a movie makes you think. It’s a nice change from the (3) _________ dialogue and two-dimensional characters you usually see in films these days.

Sarah: I don’t really care for (4) ___________ films. They are so dark and depressing. The characters are always so (5) __________. Why does a movie have to be sad to be deep?

Christine: Yeah, I know what you mean, but (6) _________ cinema is nothing but gun fights and exploding cars. I get so sick of movies like that. I prefer movies with substance.

Sarah: But sometimes you don’t want to think; sometimes you just want a (7) __________ movie. Like that comedy movie with Billy Crystal – that was so (8) ___________. I laughed so hard that I cried.

Christine: Movies have to be more than (9) _______ to me.

Sarah: Did you see that new mystery movie that came out last month? That was so (10) __________. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Christine: I loved that movie. The plot was great, and the acting was incredible. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were nominated for an Academy Award.

Sarah: Well, at least we agree on something. I guess we’ll have to stick to mysteries in the future.

PROJECT WORK

Choose a movie that you’ve seen in the theater recently, and read what several critics have to say about it. Weighing the critics’ opinions with your own, write a movie review that explains your opinion of the movie. Your review should also discuss how your opinions differ with those of other reviewers. You can search for entertainment sites using your favorite search engine. Share your movie review with your classmates.

Questions to Answer in Your Review

1. What is the plot of the movie? Does the story grab your attention at the beginning? Does it hold your interest throughout the entire movie?

2. Are the actors believable in their roles? Which actors give the best performances? The worst?

3. Does the cinematography add to the movie’s story or setting? What mood or atmosphere is conveyed?

4. Does the movie have special effects? If so, how do these effects enhance the story?

5. What music and sound effects are used? How do these sound elements affect your understanding of the story or the characters?

6. In your opinion, which of the elements above – plot, actors’ performances, cinematography, etc – is the most important aspect of a movie? Why?

7. How do your opinions differ from those of the other critics? Do you agree or disagree with any of their main points?

Keys:

Filmmakers Flee The Big Apple: 1. consortium; 2. demise; 3. hoodlum; 4. tract; 5. thrive

Entertaining films: 1. artsy; 2. thought-provoking; 3. superficial; 4. alternative; 5. intense; 6. mainstream; 7. light; 8. hilarious; 9. entertaining; 10. suspenseful

Do the crossword.

What are these people?

Guess the name of the profession.

Across:

1. He/she writes scripts for films, shows.

3. He/she writes the music for the film.

5. He/she does all the dangerous things on the screen instead of actors.

6. He/she has general control of the money for a film but he doesn’t direct the actors.

8. He/she is the boss and tells everybody what to do. He/she works very closely with the actors in particular.

9. He/she can make a new face for an actor/actress.

10. He/she pretends to be another person and acts in a film.

Down:

2. He/she prepares costumes for a film.

4. He/she chooses the best bits of the shooting film, cuts film and puts the bits together.

5. He/she operates the microphones during the filming.

7. He/she does the filming, and operates the equipment.

Key:

Across: 1) scriptwriter; 3) composer; 5) stuntman; 6) producer; 8) director; 9) make up artist; 10) actor

Down: 2) costume designer; 4) editor; 5) sound mixer; 7) cameraman