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On Location

On Location English, baby! Video Lesson

Date: Mar 21 2007

Themes: Pop Culture

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

This photo of Keanu Reeves and River Pheonix is from the critically acclaimed film My Own Private Idaho. In the photo, they are riding a motorcycle down Southwest Broadway in downtown Portland, Oregon, where English, baby! cast members Amanda, Kevin, Marni and Mason live.

It can be fun to see a movie filmed in your hometown.

It can also be fun to see the world’s cities in movies. Lost in Translation gives us some great shots of Tokyo. Mission Impossible III was filmed in Shanghai and Berlin, among other places.

Listen to Mason and Kevin talk about films on location.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

Log in to Listen

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Kevin

Kevin

Mason:  So, um, there have been a lot of movies that have been, like, kinda filming in Portland lately, or getting ready.

Kevin:  Yeah, it’s become sort of a hot spot, huh?

Mason:  Yeah, we’re awesome. But, uh… and then I’ve been watching, like, some of Gus Van Sant’s older movies that are based in Portland it’s just weird to see my city portrayed on film, right?

Kevin:  Because you notice how, like, the camera will turn the corner and that’s not really what’s around the corner…

Mason:  Yeah. Stuff, streetcar’s not right. Uh, you know, one of our famous examples is that, like, there was this film that they took our streetcar and put it on a bridge…

Kevin:  Yes.

Mason:  ... that doesn’t go… it doesn’t go…

Kevin:  The Hunted.

Mason:  ... across the bridge, right?

Kevin:  The Hunted.

Mason:  Yeah, so, one of those things that if you know, it’s just wrong.

Kevin:  It’s silly.

Mason:  But, you know, someone in New York that watched that film…

Kevin:  Wouldn’t know.

Mason:  ...Probably, like, “Who cares?”

Kevin:  And I suppose a movie filmed in Tokyo or in London or Cape Town, probably the same kind of thing.

Mason:  Yeah. It just makes me wonder. Uh, one thing… I went to Costa Rica a few years ago, and shortly after watched Jurassic Park...

Kevin:  Mm hm.

Mason:  And the first scene where… remember when he gets the shaving cream can?

Kevin:  Sure. Sure.

Mason:  It’s it’s set San Jose, Costa Rica, which is the capital of the country, which is right in the middle of the country, and we come to him at this little beach-front restaurant and it says…

Kevin:  Awesome.

Mason:  ... the little thing says “San Jose, Costa Rica” and I just laughed. I’m like, wow…

Kevin:  That’s funny.

Mason:  That’s uh, that’s not right.

 

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

The term “on location” refers to the actual site of filming. If you say Mel Gibson is filming on location in Central America, it means that he is at the actual site where the movie is being made. If you say Brad Pitt is on location right now, it means he is making a movie somewhere.

Mason is right. Many filmmakers are bringing their crews to Portland because they want to use the beautiful city as a backdrop.

Kevin points out that sometimes, films portray things about cities that aren’t actually true.

Mason agrees and gives a couple of examples. He mentions the streetcar going over the wrong bridge in Portland.

He also talks about the capital of Costa Rica being located in the wrong place in the movie Jurassic Park.

Has a movie ever been filmed in your town?

 

Comments

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teenager

teenager

Brazil

Yes, fast and the furious 5 was shot in brazil, and they did their best to show brazil as a violent place….

05:54 AM Apr 03 2013 |

timmmy

Albania

let's improve english    premtimm _i at star.com

12:02 PM May 30 2010 |

Ahshan

Ahshan

China

no yet! i have not seen a flick made in my hometown,rather i hope will

01:51 PM May 26 2010 |

Gerberbox

Canada

Pointless topic and Manson is hard to follow! Sorry to say that…

05:12 PM Jul 10 2008 |

passionatesailor

Christmas Island

i think the director should learn more about the city first.

09:29 AM May 10 2008 |

feifei1986

feifei1986

China

i really like KeanuReeves…perfect

01:28 AM Apr 04 2007 |

kado1919

kado1919Super Member!

United States

keanu reeves.he is the best

03:16 PM Mar 24 2007 |

baoming23

baoming23

China

i support keanu reeves,a wonderful actor

12:44 PM Mar 21 2007 |

getchar

getchar

Algeria

hot spot are usually used by film makers to get more credits for their movies…today a lot people are focused on big cities which are hopping to live there one day!!!so then, its a sort of trick used by filmakers to buy their movies..

09:15 AM Mar 21 2007 |

desitychild

China

Comment about the films? I really like KeanuReeves,he’s a talented actor,though he never attend drama school.In no words to say his performance.it’s perfect!I just want to see his eye contract,his body lanuage.That’s ok for me!

03:15 AM Mar 21 2007 |

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