Word-building
Приставка re- имеет значение “снова, ещё раз”. Часто соответствует русской
приставке пере-.
В словах с приставкой re- обычно бывает два ударения: на приставке и на основе слова.
to write – писать to rewrite – переписать
to take an exam – сдавать экзамен to retake an exam – пересдавать экзамен
to send – отправить to resend – отправить ещё раз
Exercise 38. Translate into Russian.
revisit a town 2. redo the job 3. rethink a decision 4. resell prints
reload the page 6. reread an article 7. reuse the props 8. renew discussions
recycle glass 10. reconstruct buildings 11. redecorate a flat 12. rework characters
Exercise 39. Choose the appropriate word and use it in the right form.
reread rewrite redo retake resend retrain re-open
If a student doesn’t pass an exam, he can … it a week later.
The director is not happy with the final scene. He asks me … it.
He is an engineer, but he wants … as an economist.
I’m … “Hamlet”.
… the message, please.
The palace closes when humidity is higher than 80 %. It … when humidity gets lower.
There are too many mistakes in my report. I must … it.
Reading and communication
Exercise 40. a) Discuss the following questions:
Do you think that a good fiction writer always makes a good screenwriter?
What makes a good script?
Can we make a film without any script?
b) Read the article and see if the author has the same opinion as you. Make sure you know all the highlighted words.
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Writing a Screenplay
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“Audiences
don’t know somebody sits down and writes a picture. They think
the actors make it up as they go along,” says Billy Wilder. The
reality is different. The script is the basic tool
of
the movie and television industry. How do these scripts appear?
Where do ideas begin? What is the first step to create a script? The writer begins with a blank page and must create a story, imagine the characters, plot-points and start to visualise the whole story. The journey from script to screen is long and difficult. |
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A screenplay is a form of creative writing. It has the structure of a play and it flows like music. A script consists of 100 – 120 pages of dialogue and a few directions, which describe sets, locations and characters. Ideas come from within and without. Part of the writer’s job is to find the idea that will speak to millions. Every writer has different interests, likes and dislikes. French writer/director Francois Truffaut said, “20% of my material is autobiographical, 20% comes from newspapers, 20% from people I know and 20% is pure fiction. Fiction does not play a major part. I prefer to work from real life”. In contrast, Quentin Tarantino assimilates many ideas from films, television, books, comics and other elements of popular culture.
Beginning screenwriters often feel uncomfortable when they should find story ideas and design plots or story structures. When the concept is clear most writers turn to its structure and think of a natural beginning, middle and end. Usually they use a three-act structure as their basic building block. Producers look for originality, passion, an individual voice in the script, as well as for a person who is a craftsman and is not afraid to be different.
Agents, producers and movie studios receive hundreds of screenplays every year. So they don’t read the whole script, they ask you for a treatment. It is a brief outline of the story (5 – 10 pages) which presents a great opening that grasps the reader’s attention, a climax that strikes and a protagonist (or main character) that is interesting to follow. The treatment does not need to reflect every detail that will be in the screenplay. Some screenwriters start with a treatment to make the structure of a story clear and keep it as a plan for their future script.
When the story structure is in place, the characters are vivid and the dialogues sound natural the first draft of the script is complete. But the author often has to revise the script and to rewrite it. A film company may ask you for the second, third or fourth draft.
Ideally, rewriting is a process of new discoveries for the writer. With the initial draft the writer may now feel more confident and move to strengthen or sharpen a character. Perhaps a new theme emerges during the writing process and it needs further development.
Exercise 41. Retell the article from Exercise 40. Use some of the expressions given below.
The article is called …
It is written by …
The author writes about (the problems of ) …
describes
outlines
discusses
The author’s attention is focused on …
The author says
states (that) …
points out
notes
According to the author / the article …
Personally, I find this article really interesting
To be honest, very entertaining
quite exciting
rather boring
a bit banal
enjoyable
topical
outdated
Обратите внимание!
rather и a bit употребляются перед словами с негативным значением, а quite – перед словами с позитивным значением.
Напр.: rather boring, a bit banal, quite interesting
Exercise 42. Read the article concentrating on the responsibilities of a film director and make sure you know all the highlighted words. Before reading give your opinion on:
What makes a good film director?
What skills should a film director have?
Are film directors independent?