节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-26
难易度:Medium
关键字:cue, professional, fascinate, intense, high-definition [HD], image sensor
Hi, friends.
Thanks for joining us here today at Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
This month's MOVIE feature is about making movies - something almost everyone of
us can do today thanks to new technology like the smartphone.
Yes, people are beginning to bypass professional camera equipment, which can be
big, bulky and expensive,
for the relative low cost and portability of a handheld phone.
Now to be sure, the quality of a movie made on a smartphone isn't exactly the
same as one made in a giant Hollywood movie studio,
but I must say they're still very impressive.
Let's learn why as we learn more about Smartphone Moviemakers on page 48.
Smartphone Moviemakers.
Serious filmmakers are experimenting with smartphones.
The familiar film director's cue "lights, camera, action!" may one day become
"lights, smartphone, action!".
Lighter and cheaper than high-quality video cameras, today's best smartphones
can shoot and edit high-definition (HD) videos.
But with lower-quality lenses and image sensors, smartphones probably won't
replace professional video cameras anytime soon.
Still, some creative filmmakers are testing the limits of smartphone moviemaking
by shooting professional-quality films using only smartphones.
Hi, friends.
Thank you for joining.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And today we are in our TECHNOLOGY article.
We're talking about a very fun technology that we often talk about but in a
really different way.
We're talking about smartphones.
Yes. We're talking about smartphones and movies.
Friends, how many of you own a smartphone?
Well, how many of you like movies?
Friends, these are more related than you think because we're talking about
Smartphone Moviemakers.
Now quite often we talk about smartphones and their new technology and what we
can do with them, but we've never talked about this.
Have you ever tried to make a movie?
Well, now you can on your smartphone.
That's right.
Now friends, moviemakers are people who make movies.
And we know that many of you have smartphones, and you'd like to take videos
with your smartphones.
But this is a bit different because serious filmmakers are experimenting with
smartphones.
Now a filmmaker and a moviemaker are basically the same thing.
They're someone who makes films or movies.
Now they're experimenting, which means they're trying something new.
They're trying to make movies with a camera phone.
Exactly. And these are serious filmmakers that usually spend thousands of
dollars, if not millions of dollars, on their equipment.
But now they can just use a tiny smartphone to film and edit their serious
movies.
Now the familiar film director's cue "lights, camera, action!" may one day
become "lights, smartphone, action!" OK.
Let's find out what this means.
OK. Well, a "cue" is simply a set of words or an action that signals that
something else is about to happen.
So when camera... or when filmmakers say "lights, camera, action!" that means
they're about to start filming.
That's right.
They want the lights on, they want the camera rolling, and they want the action
to begin.
But now it might change to "lights" - we need the lights on, "smartphone" -
instead of a camera because you can make them...
because lighter and cheaper... because they're lighter and cheaper than
high-quality videos.
That's right.
Smartphones are much smaller than normal video cameras.
In fact, Kaylah, you know I thought a very nice camera recently.
And it's very big and very heavy.
But an iPhone or an hTC phone is much smaller and lighter than those
high-quality video cameras.
But these are even just as high-quality because today's best smartphones can
shoot and edit in high-definition, also known as HD, videos.
OK.
Now "high-definition [HD]" means that it's a video that has a very big
resolution.
That means it's very detailed.
You can see a lot of fine information in it.
That's right.
High-definition has a lot of definition in the picture, lots of pieces.
Yeah, very high quality.
And so now not only are smartphones able to take video and take pictures but
they can take it in the same quality as many of those studio cameras.
They are extremely good-quality.
But with the lower-quality lenses and image sensors, smartphones probably won't
replace professional video cameras anytime soon.
All right, let's talk about this.
This is an important point, friends.
A lens is the glass that goes in front of the image sensor on a camera.
An "image sensor" is a device in your camera that can see light,
and it converts or changes that light into an electric signal so that you can
save it and watch it later.
That's right. It takes what we see as a picture and makes it digital.
It's kind of like the camera's eye.
Oh. That's a good way of putting it.
Now the lens needs to be a high-quality to get a good image to put through the
image sensor.
Now smartphones don't have as good-quality lenses or image sensors as these
professional cameras.
Exactly. And this is the reason why smartphones probably won't replace
professional cameras because professional cameras are very high-quality.
Something that is "professional" is respected because it involves a very
high-level of education or quality.
That's right.
And in here it would be a high-level of quality and functions that the camera
can do.
That would be a professional video camera.
Now... these are good cameras, but we're not going to replace them, but that's
still... they're still really good, though.
That's right.
Some creative filmmakers are testing the limits of smartphone moviemaking.
That's right. And they're doing that by shooting professional-quality films
using only smartphones.
Now to shoot a film means to record and to take that footage in.
OK. So some filmmakers are testing the quality of these smartphones.
And that means they're trying to see how much they can really do.
Now we use the word "still" at the beginning of this sentence, so let's go visit
Liz with Grammar on the Go.
And then we'll see you soon.
Hi there, friends.
My name is Liz.
And it's time for Grammar on the Go.
Our TECHNOLOGY article today is on how people are making movies with
smartphones.
We read:
Still, some creative filmmakers are testing the limits of smartphone moviemaking
by shooting professional-quality films using only smartphones.
Notice the word at the beginning of the sentence - still.
We normally use the word "still" to talk about how something is not moving,
like:
She was so nervous and could not be still.
But in today's sentence, "still" is a very short way of saying: even though we
know what was just said in the previous sentence, or nevertheless.
And in the case of today's sentence, what was said was:
Smartphones probably won't replace professional video cameras anytime soon.
So even though smartphones can't match up to professional video cameras right
now,
there are some filmmakers who are using smartphones to make movies.
We use "still" like this to say even though something may be true, there is a
situation that goes against that.
For example:
Paul's ideas are usually ridiculous; still, it wouldn't hurt for us to try out
one of them.
Or: The customers may be rude and impatient; still, as customer service
representatives, it is our job to listen to their complaints.
If you turn to today's Grammar Tip section, you'll find more example sentences
there.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
Hey, Bryan.
Hi, Ken.
You look relaxed today.
What are you doing?
Oh, just reading a magazine about film.
Film?
That's right.
Yes, I love film.
In fact, I love all genres of film.
Oh, you mean movies.
That's right.
Hey, that's strange.
Why did you say "film"?
It should be "films," plural. Right?
Well, I was using "film" to refer to the art form of moviemaking.
If I wanted to refer to individual movies, then I would say "films" with an S.
I see.
So is there any difference between a movie and a film?
Hmm, I think that's a great question for Studio Classroom Teacher Pam.
Let's go to her.
OK.
Most of the time, the words "movie" and "film" are interchangeable.
However, when we use the word "film," it gives one the feeling that it's a
serious or artistic movie.
For instance, we go see films at a film festival.
The word "movie," on the other hand, sounds a lot more entertaining or
commercial than a film.
Oh, so that's the difference.
So what do you prefer, movies or films?
Definitely films, especially indies.
Indies?
What do you mean?
"Indies" are short for "independent films," which are made by people who are not
employed by or connected with a major studio.
Aren't indies usually low budget?
Yes, they are, but the amount of budget for a film has little to do with the
quality.
If you'd like to explore indies, I suggest that you check out the Sundance Film
Festival which is held every January in Utah.
OK. Thanks for the tips.