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Edited for TV

Edited for TV

Date: Dec 09 2009

Themes: Hobbies, Pop Culture

Grammar: Phrasal Verbs

Intro

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

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

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Watching movies in the theater is a lot of fun, but it also has its drawbacks. It’s expensive, for one thing, especially if you buy any of the overpriced drinks and snacks they sell at the concessions stand. Then you have to worry about finding a good place to sit. And you’d better stop by the restroom before the movie starts, because you’ll annoy everyone around you if you have to get out of your seat in the middle of the show.

So it can be exciting when a movie you wanted to see at the theater appears on TV, where you can see it for free and in the comfort of your own home. But once you start watching it, you might notice something weird. In the US, movies on TV often get heavily edited so they’ll be suitable for people of all ages. Violence, nudity, and bad language all get removed. Sometimes the movies are edited to be a different length, too. After all, there has to be plenty of time for all those commercials in the middle of the film.

A film that Devan really liked when she saw it in the theater recently appeared on TV. Find out what she and Beren think about watching feature films on the small screen.

Dialog

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

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

Devan

Devan

Beren

Beren

Devan:  So the other day, I was watching TV, and I was watching the TV Guide channel and it said Boogie Nights was going to be on FOX.

Beren:  No way, FOX?

Devan:  And I was like, “Wow, they’re really gonna play a movie like this on television?” And I watched it, and they cut out so much stuff that it was like what’s the point, you know? Like why do they…I think that they just get these movies, they get them for TV, that are like movies that are really controversial or risque or have a lot of foul language or nudity in them, and they say they’re gonna show them on TV just because it’s exciting. But then when you actually watch it, it’s completely edited for TV, and it kind of defeats the purpose.

Beren:  A movie like Boogie Nights, not only would you have to cut out certain scenes, but you’d have to bleep out every other word to make it suitable for prime-time TV.

Devan:  I don’t know, I really hate watching movies on television, ‘cause if it’s not…between them cutting stuff out, bleeping things out, dubbing things in, it’s also all the commercial breaks. It’s just not worth it, I think.

Beren:  Yeah. I’d rather watch a movie in a theater.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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The movie Boogie Nights is known for including a lot of nudity and being controversial. So Devan was surprised to see that a conservative TV channel was going to show it. When she watched the movie, however, she saw that it had been severely edited for TV. All the controversial parts had been cut out.

Beren agrees that it is usually a waste of time to watch movies that have been edited for TV. Not only do a lot of scenes have to be cut out, but you also have to deal with all the interruptions for commercials. Both Devan and Beren would rather watch a movie in the theater than on TV.

Do you ever watch movies on TV? Do films get heavily edited for TV in your country?

 

Comments

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tanimachi

tanimachi

Japan

Please don't cut out the words from dialogue that speakers actually said, like "like."
They might be controversial among part of intermediate English learners.

09:59 AM Dec 09 2009 |

girafinha

girafinha

Japan

yeah, i sometimes watch movies on tv if my favorites are on. but i'd rather watch movies at the theater for the 1st time. im on the side of Devan&Beren. As for my country, they'll show the suitable movies for the prime time so that they don't have to cut out and bleep out them. the controversial movies will be shown later midnight, so it will be one's responsibility to watch it or not.

05:27 AM Dec 09 2009 |

glaciernew

glaciernew

China

i often watch movies on TV. because there is no film classification in my country, every movie will be heavily edited not only for threater but also for TV. and I think this is necessary for public showing and it is good for yound kids.

04:24 AM Dec 09 2009 |

mickee85

mickee85

Philippines

In my country, movie on television has a lot of omitted scene. They cut out those nude scene and bad words, which I think eligible for young audiences. It is nice to watch movies on theatre, you know big screen, no cut out and no commercials, but I feel more comfortable watching TV in my house ‘cause I can sit in whatever position or lie whenever I want and the bathroom is near and always free, although those commercials suck sometimes.  

04:12 AM Dec 09 2009 |

solbong

solbong

South Korea

TV screen in the livingroom is one thing, movie screen in a theater is totally another. All things on TV screen should be kind of educational, I suppose. Foul language in a livingroom? No way! My little Jenny is watching.

02:20 AM Dec 09 2009 |

Ahn Soo-hyun

South Korea

It's not good to watch TV movies. I didn't know that. Our country has good tv movies not cutting out, not bleeping out, but there are some commercials.

This time, I got the perfect score in quiz. It's my first time.

Have a happy time, everyone.

02:08 AM Dec 09 2009 |

julywidiawati

Indonesia

Yes, there are many Hollywood movies on small screen in Indonesia, but because Indonesia is tight for its rules about pornography and violence, they have edited a lot! And those commercial breaks, seem too much wasting time.  

02:06 AM Dec 09 2009 |

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