Pre-reading task. 1. In what way are modern feature films (movies) different from those made at the beginning of a century?

1. In what way are modern feature films (movies) different from those made at the beginning of a century?

2. What movie genre is you favorite? Do you like action movies or science fiction? Why or why not?

3. What are the reasons for the commercial success of American movies?

Most teens enjoy spending some of their spare time at the movies. And some of the most popular movies today are those in which special effects are an important element.

Although we tend to think of special effects as a recent development in movies, they've been used since the early years of movie making. The 1902 movie A Trip to the Moon, for example, included many special effects and lavish sets. By 1926 there were 20,000 theaters in the United States. This was also the time of German influence on American films. German film makers had made generous use of fantasy and myth in their films, and soon actors like Boris Karloff and films like Frankenstein, The Mummy, and King Kong were popular. Flash Gordon and Batman in the 1940s altered the direction back to space science-fiction adventure. In the 1950s and 1960s many Sci-Fi films reacted to the horrors of nuclear war. Most recently, Sci-Fi films have become more fantasy-oriented, relying heavily on special effects.

One creative use of special effects was in the classic 1933 movie, King Kong. The giant gorilla that people saw on the screen was really only eighteen inches tall. Up to six models of Kong were used so that movie audiences could thrill to Kong marching down the streets of New York or climbing up the Empire State Building. The famous scene where the screaming actress Fay Wray is held in the palm of Kong's hand was produced in a unique way. An eight-foot model of Kong's hand and arm was built with moving parts that could be raised or lowered like a crane. Kong's fingers were wrapped around Wray's waist while she was still standing. Then the hand was raised about ten feet into the air with Wray kicking and screaming. The gorilla's fingers were loosened and Wray scrambled to hold on to keep from falling.

Another remarkable fact about Kong was the head section, which was built like the arm and hand with moving parts. The head was made out of wood, metal, and cloth and was covered on the outside by bearskin. Kong's nose was two feet across, and his teeth were up to ten inches long. Three operators stayed inside Kong's head, and with the use of pneumatic levers they were able to move the mouth, lips, eyes, and eyelids for the enraptured audience. King Kong's success was based on more than special effects; it also had an interesting plot. King Kong lives on one end of Skull Island, an island inhabited by a tribe of natives and prehistoric monsters. A movie crew hears about the monsters and wants to film them. An actress (played by Fay Wray) goes along and has the misfortune of being captured by the natives. She is tied up and offered as the Bride of Kong. When Kong sees her, he immediately falls in love with her and carries her off, fighting off prehistoric monsters and the sailors who come to rescue Fay. Wray is eventually rescued, and Kong is captured and brought to New York to be displayed as a tourist attraction. He escapes, finds Wray in her hotel room, and, in a famous scene, reaches through the open window and grabs her. He begins to climb, with her, up the Empire State Building. Military planes are called out, and they fly around Kong, shooting at him from all sides. Before he falls to his death, he tenderly places Wray in a safe place – King Kong is really a tender-hearted creature, after all.

Like King Kong, The Invisible Man created a sensation. At the beginning of this 1933 film, a man arrives in a small English village. He wears a heavy overcoat, his face is wrapped in bandages, and his nose is hidden behind a small shield. He wears dark glasses over his eyes and thick white gloves cover his hands. His appearance fills the villagers with curiosity and fear as they try to figure out what lies beneath the mummylike bandages. But the Invisible Man's chief problem is not his wardrobe. He is a scientist named Jack Griffin who discovered a formula that makes him invisible. He leaves his laboratory for the small village in the hopes that he will discover a cure for his condition. Unfortunately, his experiments do not work, the new chemical he uses drives him mad, and he begins to commit a series of crimes. The police officials in the village now have a problem of amazing proportions on their hands. Not only is there a criminal loose, but he is insane and invisible. This dilemma is finally solved when Griffin is forced to hide in a barn during a snowstorm. Police surround the barn. Griffin attempts to escape, an easy task for an invisible man, but Griffin's presence is revealed to the police by footprints he leaves in the freshly fallen snow. Filming The Invisible Man presented unique challenges to the special effects team. When Griffin was wrapped up, the actor could easily be photographed. But when he removed his bandages and wore only a suit, special filming techniques had to be used. The film was made in black and white, so the special effects person had an all-black set built. Then its walls and floors were completely covered in black velvet because velvet does not reflect light. Finally, an actor was dressed in a black velvet body suit, tights, gloves, and hood. He then put on a regular suit over the velvet costume. Photographed against the completely black background, all that was visible to the camera was a suit of clothes moving about the room. This film was then superimposed on film of the regular set, with visible actors and furniture. The film combination made an invisible man appear to delighted audiences, inspiring such sequels to the film as The Invisible Man Returns, The Invisible Woman, and Abbot and Costello Meet the Invisible Man.

Giant gorillas and invisible men were new creations, but stories of vampires had frightened people long before films were made. Legends about vampires, creatures who leave their graves at night to nip at the necks and drink the blood of their victims, date back at least to ancient Greece. These legends spread throughout Europe, where stories of vampires and their evil deeds continued for hundreds of years. The 1897 publication of Bram Stoker's book Dracula introduced the most famous vampire of all—Count Dracula, who lived in a spooky castle filled with cobwebs, huge staircases, and cold fireplaces.

But movie audiences had to wait until 1931 for the Count to stare at them with the eyes of a hypnotist and say, "Good e-e-evening." The special effects team had to transform the Count into a bat, but credit for the movie's most famous image goes to the make-up artists and costumers who created the Count's remarkably chilling appearance. His pale face has particularly sharp white teeth, which protrude over his lips. His hands are broad, with hairs in the center of his palm. Long fine nails are cut to sharp and menacing points. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is another amazing being who just wants to be left alone – in the bottom of the swamp. The Creature, half man, half fish, is covered with scales and has gigantic claws where his fingers and toes should be. Scientists discover his existence and try to remove him from his natural habitat. Clearly, the Creature does not much like being disturbed in that way and a battle begins. This film, originally released in 1954, inspired a series of sequels, and the Creature was soon reappearing in Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). The early Creature movies were produced in a special technique called "3-D." The purpose of this technique was to make objects on the screen look three-dimensional, more lifelike. The characters looked as if they were coming out of the screen at the audience, a wonderful effect for a monster like the Creature. The problem with this technique was that viewers had to wear special 3-D glasses, which did not always work. Sometimes they were uncomfortable, and some viewers even complained about the smell of the plastic glasses. The 3-D revolution was rejected almost as quickly as it began. New standards for Sci-Fi films were set, however, with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Costing over $10 million, the movie began a period in which special effects were more important than the story itself. Along with the visual effects, special attention was given to the music. The story itself is 'hard to follow. It begins in a prehistoric time with groups of apelike creatures. Suddenly a large, black monolith appears and gives off a humming sound. This marks the dawn of a civilization. The movie then jumps quickly to the near future. A scientist travels to the moon to investigate the discovery of another monolith. Then, in the main portion of the movie, two astronauts are piloting a spaceship to Jupiter. It soon becomes apparent that the computer on board the spaceship is not working. It kills one of the astronauts. Before the other astronaut destroys it, the computer, which talks (although it is not much of a conversationalist), reveals the reason for the mission to Jupiter—to discover the source and power of the monoliths. The film ends with the astronaut dying of old age in a luxury apartment on Jupiter. His body becomes that of a human baby floating in space. Although often criticized for its illogical plot, 2001: A Space Odyssey greatly upgraded the technological standards for Sci-Fi films. Experimental techniques were used to create special effects. A galaxy of starbursts was created by dropping dribbles of dye from an eyedropper onto a glass plate. Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi make up a trilogy of Sci-Fi films. They feature an innocent farm boy, Luke Skywalker, who travels through strange worlds, and is continually encountering conflicts between good and evil. The first conflict begins with a search through space for the beautiful Princess Leia. She has been captured by agents of the evil Galactic Empire. Her trusted robot helper, Artoo-Detoo, delivers a message to the wise old Obi-Wan Kanobi. This sets in motion the climactic battle between Obi-Wan and Lord Darth Vader, the evil side of the Force. The Star Wars films have made huge box office grosses. One reason for their popularity is their realistic quality. The film makers went to great expense for, the right locations and effects. Much of the film was shot in Tunisia, which has a desert that gives the impression of a distant planet. Scenes of Luke's hole-in-the-ground house were shot in Matmata, an African town that was built underground and is hundreds of years old. Other scenes were constructed in film studios outside London, England. The spaceships that the heroes and villains seemed to ride in were actually elaborate "toys" made for the movie in California. These "ships" were only about two feet long and couldn't even fly. Instead, a special camera moved around them. The battle was fought with laser swords that actually were made of many tiny glass beads glued to a rod. A small motor in the sword's handle turned the rod. The glass beads reflected light from a bright lamp placed over the actors. Laser-beam sword fights, giant gorillas climbing the Empire State Building, and invisible men sneaking around villages may sound incredible, but in the movies, anything is possible.

spare time – вільний час

lavish – [ l x v i S ]

sets - декорації

to loosen – [ l H s (q) n ] - послаблювати

shield -щит

background – фон, задній план

swamp – [ s w P m p ] -болото

insane – божевільний

сhallenge – виклик, проблема

techniques – [ t e k n J k s ] -прийоми, техніка

to superimpose – накладати одно на інше (у фотографії)

chilling – страшний

spooky castle -замок с привидами

sci-fi – science fiction

habitat – середовище проживання

Discussion

1. Try to remember in which movies special effects were used. Is it because of the effects that you liked the movies?

2. Do you feel excited or irritated if too many special effects are used?

3. What are the major components of a movie success?

4. What is your favorite sci-fi film? Tell about the plot and describe the effects.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-02