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Paul Sparks, Sino-Canadian International College, Guangxi University, Nanning.

Lesson Plans for "Watch, Listen & Speak"

 

 

Listening & Speaking, Movie Reviews: Research, Write and Present a Review


Lesson Objectives:
To improve oral presentation skills, group discussion & critical thinking. Supports arguments with detailed evidence and reasoning. Express personal opinions.


Resources: DVD - “Phone Booth” and handouts of movie reviews.


Activity:
After watching the movie "Phone Booth" students will be given handouts of movie reviews to discuss in small groups. A general discussion will follow about film vocabulary and the style of writing used in reviews. Each group of students will then prepare their own movie review to present to the class.


Guidelines for Writing Movie Reviews:

Know your purpose: You are helping people to make a decision about which movie people choose to see. Some movies are not appropriate for all audiences.

Don’t hide your opinion: People are reading your movie review to know your opinion. Don't be afraid to express it.

Use a format (layout): Where does the title of the movie appear? What information is included for quick reference? Readers want to read the review quickly. Give them the information they need.

Know the basics: Title, producer, director, rating, distributor, running time can be found on official movie Web sites.

Know your audience: Use vocabulary that your readers will understand. The tone of your review can reflect the type of movie and your publication. If you want to compare this movie to other movies, be sure your readers are likely to have seen or heard of the movie, give information to help them to understand the comparison.

Know the actors, actresses and director: When writing about characters' actions, don't confuse the characters with the actors who are portraying them. Include the names of leading actors and actresses and evaluate how well they played their roles. Include other movies directed by the director if they help to understand his approach or expectations viewers have of his movies.

Summarize the plot, but don't tell the ending: This is not as true when a movie is based upon a book or play. If the movie has a different ending, don't tell.

Select a scene: Is there a scene that captures the spirit of the story? For example, a scene that demonstrates lighting and cinematography as well as acting.

Analyze What You Know: When movies are based upon a book, readers have expectations. Expectations based upon the book and the genre can influence the review a movie receives.

Give a Rating: Movies are given a rating, normally a score out of 5. A movie with one or two stars is poor, four or five starts normally means you would recommend the movie.


Film Vocabulary: (Source: http://us.imdb.com/Glossary/ )

Action - This is said during filming to indicate the start of the current take.

Actor, Actress - A person who plays the role of a character. Historically, the term "Actor" refers to males, but now the term is used for both genders.

Animation – Cartoons or the illusion of movement by creating individual frames, as opposed to filming naturally.

Close-up - A shot in which the subject is larger than the frame, to give more detail.

Costume - The clothes worn by actors when being filmed.

Director - A director communicates to actors the way that he/she would like a particular scene played. A director's duties might also include casting, script editing, shot selection, shot composition, and editing.

Editing - Reconstructing the sequence of events in a movie, sections might be deleted or changed.

Lighting - Most productions use artificial lighting when filming for various technical and artistic reasons.

Moviegoer – A person who goes to see movies.

Point of View - A camera angle from a particular object's position.

Scene - A continuous block of storytelling either set in a single location or following a particular character.

Script - A general term for a written work detailing story, setting, and dialogue. A script may take the form of a screenplay, shooting script, lined script, continuity script, or a spec script.

Set - An environment used for filming. When used in contrast to location, it refers to one artificially constructed.

Sound Effects - Sounds added during postproduction by the sound crew.

Special Effects (also SFX) - An artificial effect used to create an illusion in a movie. Refers to effects produced on the set.


Useful Adjectives for Describing Movies: Here is a list of vocabulary that reviewers often use when describing movies.  They are divided into two categories, positive and negative.

Positive:

insightful

clever

charming

comical

charismatic

enjoyable

uproarious

original

tender

hilarious

absorbing

sensitive

riveting

intriguing

powerful

fascinating

pleasant

surprising

dazzling

thought provoking

imaginative

legendary

First-rate

Negative:

.

.

third-rate

flawed

juvenile

boring

distasteful

ordinary

disgusting

senseless

static

brutal

confused

disappointing

bloody

silly

tired

predictable

stupid

uninteresting

weak

tiresome

trite

uneven

cliché ridden

outdated

dreadful

bland

Second-rate



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