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Watch & Listen | #8 - 'Lights, Camera, Action!'

22/02/19 13.08

 

Welcome to the Watch and Listen section of Speak for Yourself #8 which this time celebrates the fantastic world of film. The first two videos explore two interesting off-screen jobs: firstly, the work of Foley Artists who work in post-production, creating sound effects for the noises you hear in every scene, and meet Redd Pepper, the British voiceover artist who has featured on hundreds of trailers and movies. Our third video comes from the excellent BBC Learning site, and shares a news report of a prison using a Disney classic in an unusual way with one of its prisoners. 

 

1. The Magic of Making Sound

(Time: 6:32 - various North American accents)

“We are storytellers of sound” Alyson Moore, Foley Artist, Great Big Story

 

Maybe the job Foley artist is not familiar to you, but it is one of the most important jobs in film making.

Foley artists are responsible for adding sound to the everyday images we see on screen. It could be a door opening, walking across a room, or a thunderstorm, all these sounds, and more, are added in a studio in the post-production stage. Foley artists even create the silence we hear!

In this short video, we meet two Foley artists who talk about their job, explain its historical origins and show us exactly how to make some of the sounds we take for granted.

STRATEGY 

Step 1

Before watching, guess what Foley artists use to make these sounds:

  • The sound of dog paws on a wooden floor
  • The sound of birds flapping their wings
  • The sound of footsteps on snow
  • The sound of walking on leaves or in a forest
  • The sound of ice cracking

Now watch the whole video and see if your predictions were correct:

 

 

Step 2

Imagine you are a Foley artist and you need to explain your job to someone in English. How would you answer these questions?

  1. Who do you work with?
  2. What equipment do you use to make sound?
  3. What are the origins of your job?
  4. What is your workplace like?

If there are any questions you cannot answer, watch the video again.

 

Step 3

For a more advanced introduction to the science and art of sound design, watch Greek entrepreneur and sound designer Tasos Frantzolas’ TED Talk Everything you hear on film is a lie. Use the subtitles or transcript in English to follow the talk.

 

 

2. Meet the Epic Voice Behind Movie Trailers

(time: 3:11 - mixed North American/British accent)

“I’m having fun, it really is a cool job” Redd Pepper, voice-over artist

The voiceover industry is a big part of filmmaking. If you have a good voice, there is work to be found as a narrator, in movie trailer and animated films.

Redd Pepper is a British voiceover artist with a famous voice. He has worked on hundreds of movies and often gives his voice to film trailers. In this short video, Redd talks about how a filmmaking executive discovered his talent and shows us how he uses his voice to create horror or romance.

 

 

 

STRATEGY

STEP 1

Read the questions below and watch the whole video. Don’t worry if you don’t understand some individual words or phrases. 

1. Redd has worked on movie trailers and what other film and TV media? 

2. When Redd answers his phone on a busy train, how do the people around him react?

3. How did Redd get discovered by a film executive? 

4. What strange event happened when Redd was doing his Jurassic Park voiceover?

5. How does Redd feel about his job? 

At the end of the video, summarise the answers to yourself. If you can answer these questions then you have understood the video.

 

STEP 2

Repeat the video, pausing and repeating segments if necessary. If there are any words that you don’t understand, look them up in a dictionary.

 

3. Deer Poacher Gets Bambi Sentence

(time: 9:54 - British accents)

“It’s an unusual punishment for a prisoner… - BBC News Review podcast

 

'Poach', 'Prolific', 'Tearjerker'. 

Do you know and use these words? If not, then this is the video for you.

The BBC’s News Review podcast introduces new vocabulary from interesting news stories through slow, learner-friendly conversation.

In this episode, the presenters discuss the language from a story about an unusual film screening experience. The story is about a man who went to prison for illegally killing deer. While he is in prison, he must watch the 1942 classic Disney movie Bambi once a month.

Small deer

Now watch the video at this link.

 

STRATEGY

Step 1

Follow the News Review activities in order. There is a prediction task, a video to watch and then a quiz to check your understanding of the new language.

Step 2

BBC News Review is an excellent place to practice following a conversation by two people. Listen to the conversation between Neil and Dan and answer these questions:                       

1. What are two meanings of the word poach?

2. What things can you poach?  

3. What is the meaning of the word prolific

4. What types of activities can you be prolific in? 

5. What are the synonyms and antonym of the word tearjerker? 

6. What is Neil’s idea for a new show? How has Dan poached it?  

Repeat the video or parts of the video where you are not sure of the answer.

 

Step 3

There are 8 BBC News Review Units and each has 10 episodes with language activities and videos. Try to watch an episode regularly and keep a record of the new vocabulary you learn.

 

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Faye Murton

Written by Faye Murton

Docente di inglese specializzata nell'insegnamento One-to-One. Ha lavorato in Costa Rica, Azerbaijan, Inghilterra e Spagna ed è stata Language Director in numerosi programmi residenziali di formazione linguistica.