Listening

LESSON A ▶Movies

1. Heather

In my opinion, a good storyline is essential. Movies in this genre often have simple plots that are, quite frankly, predictable. When I see this kind of movie, I want interesting, and even surprising, things to happen. Of course, humor is also a key element, but I think it’s important that the humorous situations and the relationships between the characters are realistic – they have to be believable and funny. Too many times, when a love story is combined with humor, the movie becomes far-fetched. The situations may be funny, but they don’t reflect things that really happen in life – well, not in my life at least. I also think that the best movies in this genre appeal to both men and women. Ideally, these movies should be perfect for a good “date night,” but more often than not, they only appeal to women . . .

2. Josh

For me, the first thing is that a movie in this genre needs to appeal to all ages – not just kids. And I think that sophisticated humor and well-thought-out stories can help make these movies engaging for children and adults. Second, a good film makes me forget that I’m not watching real people or seeing real objects. I know they can do a lot of that through quality computer graphics, but I think a dynamic plot, an attractive setting, and interesting characters are just as important . . . But the most important thing to me is the talent. They have to get talented people for the voices of the characters. The voices need to give the characters personality so that they are, you know, credible and don’t come across as one-dimensional or phony. I mean, isn’t that the reason why so many famous actors get cast as voices for these types of movies?

3. Felipe

I think that having outstanding special effects is an important part of this genre. It’s one of the main reasons people go see these movies. Although we know that the events can’t happen in real life, we want to feel like they could! Uh, and the realness . . . the realness of the characters is important. I think it works best when the characters react to impossible situations in realistic ways. It makes us care about what happens to them. And, uh, I also think that behind all good movies in this genre lies a talented director. A good director gets the most out of the actors and ensures the special effects are convincing to make a truly engrossing film.

4. Dana

Obviously, the singing and dancing need to be good in this genre. So a cast of talented actors is extremely important in my opinion – they need to be able to sing, dance, and act. Not every actor can do all that. Another key feature for me is the soundtrack. The songs need to drive the plot, but they also need to be pleasurable and memorable. What I’m trying to say is that we should enjoy the music for the music itself. I mean, we should want to listen to it again . . . even when we’re not watching the movie. And finally, I also think this type of movie needs some sort of conflict to make it interesting. The characters need to face a problem, have an argument, or something like that. It can’t just be all song and dance and happy times.

LESSON B ▶Television

Alice: Good morning.

Pete: Hi, Alice.

Ellen: Hi, guys.

Rick: Good morning, everyone. OK, I hope you’ve had time to think of some fantastic ideas for new shows. The network is counting on us to come up with some winners. So, let’s start with your basic ideas and brainstorm from there. Pete, why don’t you go first?

Pete: OK. Well, I was thinking about a new sitcom called Café People. Sitcoms about quirky groups of friends seem to work, so I’m thinking maybe a show about a group of college graduates. They all have aspirations to pursue “big careers,” but in the meantime, they have jobs that they aren’t crazy about.

Rick: Like what?

Pete: Um, well, for example, one could be a guy who’s stuck working in a pet shop. His real dream is to be a music producer, but things never seem to go his way. There should be two or three other main characters like him, each with a different aspiration and working in a different place.

Rick: OK, I see . . . But, Pete, how will these people interact if they’re working in different places?

Pete: Oh, that’s where the café comes in – it’s where they meet to discuss their offbeat experiences at their different jobs.

Rick: A café, huh. Well, this basic sitcom pattern has been very successful before, but it’s not quite what the network is looking for right now. Most of our current viewers seem to be interested in something less . . . predictable. I appreciate your ideas, Pete, but I’m afraid we’ll have to go for something less formulaic. Let’s hear another idea. 

Alice: I’ll go next. My idea is for a new type of cooking show called Serve Yourself! It’d be aimed at people in their late teens and early twenties, like college students, who have to cook for themselves but don’t have the time, the money, or the desire to do so. The recipes would be simple and inexpensive, but they’d also be healthy and taste great.

Rick: Uh-huh . . . But I feel like it needs something, Alice. Any ideas, guys?

Pete: Hmm . . . Maybe the cooking could take place on a set that looks like a dormitory room, you know, in a little kitchenette or something.

Rick: Excellent idea, Pete!

Alice: Oh, and I just had a thought! We make the show available online. You know, podcasts people could download so they can follow along in their kitchens.

Rick: Now you’re cooking, Alice! OK. This one is a go. The online aspect is just what our viewers want, and the how to approach should be a big hit. OK, Ellen, you’re on.

Ellen: OK, here’s my idea . . . a reality TV show that focuses on language learning.

Rick: Mmm . . . language learning? . . . It sounds a little academic for a TV show.

Ellen: No, wait, listen . . . I’m calling it New Borders. Here’s the basic idea: Several people are given a month to learn a foreign language. Then we fly them to a country where the language is spoken and capture their adventures.

Pete: So . . . if they studied French, you’d drop them off in France?

Ellen: Yeah, or maybe even somewhere more exotic, like Madagascar.

Rick: Now, that sounds intriguing. But it might be better if we could include some kind of competition. How could we work that in?

Alice: Maybe contestants could be judged on how successfully they accomplish certain things. You know, whether they’re able to order a meal, get to a certain destination in the country, that kind of thing.

Rick: That sounds more like what the network is looking for. And most of our viewers are interested in traveling and learning about other cultures, so that should be a win. Wow! Great job, team! Two potential concepts in one morning. Ha, that’s an accomplishment. How about we break for lunch and brainstorm some more ideas this afternoon?

VIDEO MEET THE DIRECTOR

Director: The name of my movie is Rot. And essentially it’s the story of a man who is dying of this flesh-eating disease, who, uh, before he dies, goes out to this cabin to be alone and to reflect on his life and his . . . his past mistakes and his regrets. 

The idea of the movie was just to . . . to make the most moving, engrossing story I could. I wanted it to be touching. I wanted people to really connect with the story and the characters. And basically, it’s a story of lost love – very universal themes that, uh, that I feel have been done before, but I wanted to do them in a more original way that they weren’t as formulaic and as clichéd as stuff that’s already been done, so, you know, I wanted to kind of give a fresh take on the same material. 

It started more as just ideas that I’ve had. Uh, some of them go back over a year ago – just like a small, little idea that I thought was good, but not great, to actually pursue. But I knew it was a decent idea, so I held on to it, and then other ideas came. And finally, one day it just connected, you know, all the ideas. 

The idea of a flesh-eating disease came about, and I thought that was a great metaphor for just what’s going on with him, you know, through this . . . this really dark time in his life. And when I started telling people about it, they thought that it was such a good idea that I really had no choice but to make the movie, because everyone knew that it was . . . it was a really powerful idea, really moving. I’ve just always . . . 

I’ve always wanted to direct, and this was the idea that I felt was the best and actually worth doing. I started scouting locations, talking to people, trying to raise money – doing all these things as I was still writing the movie, so I was still in the process of writing it. So I would give it to people, and at this point it probably wasn’t that good because I was just, like . . . the first draft, and . . . like, alright, here, you know, here’s the idea. And slowly it would form and become more of a tighter movie, more compact, and . . . and much better. 

Obviously studios aren’t going to give me money to go make a movie. An up-and-coming director – it’s just not going to happen. 

The first part of Rot I, uh, funded myself with all my money. And unfortunately, when we got back in to complete it, I didn’t have any more money, so I had to turn to crowdfunding to raise the rest of it. And I thought that it was just going to be family and friends. But surprisingly, a lot of people did donate to the movie, that just came across it and . . . and just thought it looked cool. They liked the idea, and they believed in it. And that’s the only reason that they donated their money. 

So many people did believe in the idea that it was easy getting help from so many different people. Everyone just kind of jumped on board and really connected with the idea. And people really believed in it, and they believed in me. 

It used to be such an expensive proposition to make a movie that it was just impossible for . . . for up-and coming filmmakers like myself. But now, uh, through crowdfunding, it’s really, uh, it’s really made it easier for people that really have a strong idea to get in there and raise money, uh, and get people to believe in the project. 

I want to put the movie in as many film festivals as possible. I want to use it as a calling card almost, so from there I can get my next movie made. You know, I want as many people to see this movie as possible. Now, obviously, I know that might not be the case. It might take some time to get it going. There’s so many filmmakers out there right now that it’s, it’s really hard to get your movie noticed. But I feel that with the right idea and the right story, there’s no reason why you can’t do it. 

COMMUNICATION Review

Interviewer: And next, tonight I’ll be talking to Jeffrey  Steinhart, theater critic for the Chronicle. Hello, and

welcome to Backstage, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey: Thanks very much, Anna. It’s good to be here.

Interviewer: So, you’re going to tell us about superstitions in the acting profession. Some people say that it is one of the most superstitious professions in the world. Is that true?

Jeffrey: Well, clearly there are actors who aren’t superstitious, but there are certainly a lot of superstitions connected to theaters all over the world. There are a few possible explanations for why this might be.

 The first, really, is historical. In the past, many of the people who criticized theaters and acting argued that playing a role – pretending to be another person – was wrong. So actors were looked down on in some societies, and I think that the more this happened, the more they felt cut off from society.

 Not surprisingly, they developed their own “society” or community. But, obviously, actors move around, they travel, so the theater buildings become “home,” and the superstitions are the same wherever the theater is.

Interviewer: I see. Can you give us some examples of superstitions in the theater?

Jeffrey: Well, cats are very welcome in theaters, especially black cats. There is, clearly, a practical reason for this: You don’t want mice running around nibbling the costumes.

 But there’s more to it than that. Some actors claim that it is bad luck to wear a costume unless a cat has slept on it. I remember one actor who would leave his costume out on a chair before the opening night, hoping a cat would fall asleep on it.

Interviewer: Really?

Jeffrey: Absolutely. And some American theaters will raise the curtain and begin the play 13 minutes after the hour to make sure that they’re lucky with the audience. Interviewer: Black cats? The number 13? Those are usually considered bad luck!

Jeffrey: That’s right. I think it’s another way of saying, “We’re different.”

Interviewer: Right. And what about certain plays being considered unlucky? Could you tell us more about that?

Jeffrey: Ah, of course, Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Many actors believe that it is bad luck to even say the name of the play in a theater building, so they call it “the Scottish play,” or sometimes just “that play.” If an actor accidentally says “Macbeth,” he or she will leave the room immediately, go outside, and turn around three times to the right, then knock on the door and ask permission to come back in. This goes back to the first performance in London in 1606!

Interviewer: That’s interesting. Is “that play” still considered unlucky?

Jeffrey: Well, some think it is, but it has also done very well on Broadway, so those actors probably think it’s lucky