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Special Effects

Learn English: Meaning of Special Effects

Date: Jan 13 2020

Themes: Tech

Grammar: Comparing Quality

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Intro

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

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Today’s action movies are full of scenes that feel out of this world. They might show a person floating in outer space, or a fantasyland on Earth, but they’re definitely things that don’t actually exist. Filmmakers are able to create these places using special effects that are designed on computers.

Special effects can make animals and machines talk, or help a human fly across a city. One of the best things about special effects is that they can help viewers to see and experience things that could not happen any other way.

Lily loves special effects in movies, but Jessica doesn’t see why they’re so great. Learn more in today’s English lesson about movie making.

Dialog

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

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

Lily

Jessica

Lily: Did you see “Interstellar”?

Jessica: I have not seen it yet.

Lily: It’s so amazing. The special effects in that movie are absolutely mind-blowing.

Jessica: I heard the CGI is pretty incredible. But I must say, I prefer movies to be straightforward. I like it when we go back to the basics and just have traditional movie-making.

Lily: The fact that all of these leaps and bounds have been made in the technology, sometimes you can’t even tell when what is special effects and what’s real. That’s cool and we should use that and try to keep refining it and making it even more awesome than it already is. It’s not just for explosions.

Jessica: It’s true. I guess the possibilities are limitless when it comes to special effects and what they can do with technology. Maybe I’ll be more open-minded with it.

Lily: Yeah. Definitely go and see “Interstellar.”

Jessica: Alright. I will.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Lily loved the film, “Interstellar,” and thinks that the special effects were mind-blowing. She’s a big fan of movies where viewers are taken to new worlds because special effects create limitless possibilities. She thinks that technology has been great for films.

But CGI in films doesn’t impress all viewers. Jessica prefers the straightforward look of films without all of the special effects of a fantasyland. But she does agree to be more open-minded and will check out “Interstellar” to see how the special effects look.

Do you like special effects in films? What’s your favorite film with special effects?

Comments

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jasmiN20

Poland

I love the movie Lord of the Rings.

diegocanarte

Colombia

I like the terminator saga

Press1

Aruba

I’ve recently watched Velvet Buzzsaw. The plot fascinated me because I also enjoy a good piece of contemporary art. It’s a satirical thriller with some bloody special effects. Was a bit creepy before bedtime.

mansoormansoory

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I like romance and social movies. I think special effects will give movies a better fiction situation. I think more fiction or fable situation more viewers attraction a movie have.

Mansoor

lizaolamaribel@yahoo.com

United States

I like movies base on real stories.I do not like action movies.

fxarrufat

Spain

I think action movies are good for distract yourself and have a good time, but I prefer comedies, thrillers and drama.

dawod

Afghanistan

I like real movies special effects are not good

bluesky97

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Yes I do but this kind of movies are not my favorite!!

I think “The shape of water” was a good one!

yuminaga

China

I like traditional movie-making but also moives with a lot of special effects ,like Star war ,Terminator or something its really mind-blowing you cant even tell whhen what’s special efects or what’s real .thank you for the technology that make viewers to see and experience things that cant happen in real world or any other way .interstellar is one of my favorite fim with speacial effects , in outer space a human floatinng ,wow you cant believe your eyes Im more open-minded with things like that .

tar1ta

Antarctica

@ julito,

Oh, now I’ve got it. For my friend’s cat a sofa, wallpapers, tapestries and carpets are cat scratchers ))).

P.S. Let’s return to our muttons (instead of cats). Otherwise we’ll soon forget what this lesson is about )))

julito

Argentina

@Tarita, we all know that cats are very naughty , they like to sharpen their nails against our best funiture ,thus ruining them . The partial solution could be to buy a ” cat scratcher”, they are made of fabrics . You may have a better idea if you go online and browse for cat scratchers ”. hope that my info help. bye.bye

tar1ta

Antarctica

@ julito, I don’t know what is that scratcher, my dictionary doesn’t contain that word :(

It seems like our cat has eclipsed famous actors’ fame. It’s because he is knitting, and many actors can’t do that :)

You can’t say the film with a knitting cat is straightforward!

julito

Argentina

@Tarita. why not a red carpet scratcher ,Oscar will surely love it !!!

tar1ta

Antarctica

@ ola33, You may take either a red carpet or just a red cat litter :D

I suppose the name of your cat is Oscar, after that famous American guy, isn’t it?

Action!

Julie3

Russian Federation

It’s a very interesting lesson and a topic for discussion. Tastes differ :)

straight forward or fantasyland movies, to my mind the most important is the story itself. The plot and the performance of the actors. I guess it’s even harder to be an actor in the full of special effects film as the actor has to work with smth he or she doesn’t see, touch and feel…but at the moment he or she has to show the emotions or actions the director put at this or that definite part of the movie.

I watched Interstellar and I felt bored and hardly could help sleeping…very long and very unrealistic. I love science fiction but this movie is quite specific to me – I didn’t get the idea of black holes which keep the time moments and u can get back to any moment of ur past, to change ur future and the things like that. And I don’t mention about the space traveling, time perception, living on the other planet with limited food\water\oxigen supply…

I like “Starship troopers” and dspite it was released in late 90-s the special effects are awesome and still look real. Not like the “Terminator I” :))))

ola33

Japan

tar1ta :)) yes, now I will have a new look at my cat, He’s gonna be a movie star! :)) Red carpet for him!:))

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

Narnia : childisly but wonderful fairytale..its so nice it has happy ending)

Avatar : journey in people’s dreams to fantastic land and blue people country :)

Jurassic Park : especially part I was so good ,to see creatures ,living before millions years was unbelievable..

Life of Pi : story of a tiger and a boy in a boat ,in the huge ocean :)

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

from Stars wars to Matrix, from Avatar to Lord of Rings ,I like special effects on the movies ..maybe its far away from real life and real stories but sometimes we need to see different things,creatures and places :)

ScienceBoy

Turkey

I cannot say I prefer raditional ones or the ones with special effects. It depends. Sometimes special effects make the movie more realistic, sometimes unrealistic. It depends on how they use it.

For me, the best movie with special effects is Jurassic Park. Dinosaurs were really ealistic in that move. In three of them. But there is an upcoming movie “Jurassic World” and I was really very excited to see this movie till I read speacial effects made dinosaurs look unrealistic in that movie.