6 Writing A report SPEAKING 1 Think of a film or TV documentary you've seen recently which showed some spectacular scenery. Use the questions to prepare to tell a partner about it. 1 What was it about? 2 What was the scenery like? 3 Was the scenery central to the film or was it just a backdrop? 4 Do you know where it was filmed? 5 Is this information important in order to understand the film? 2 Work in pairs. Tell your partner about your film, then answer these questions. • Have you seen the film or documentary your partner described? • If yes, did you enjoy it too? » If not, would you like to see it? Why or why not? READING 1 Complete the film location report with the headings a-e. a Accommodation d Location b Description e Other important information c Facilities 2 The producer of the film made some notes as she was reading the report. Put the questions in the order in which she wrote them. Could we get permission to build a small road? LJ Do the local people have experience of this kind of work? • How cold is it up there in the winter? EH How much would it cost per night for the entire team? • What sort of training are they thinking of? 3 Work in pairs. If you were film producers, which of the questions in exercise 2 would be most important to you? Preliminary location report: ROCCA CALASCIO Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide basic information about the suitability of Rocca Calascio as a location. 1 The ruined castle of Rocca Calascio is dramatically situated in the Gran Sasso mountains of central Italy. It stands at the top of a mountain 1,400 metres above sea level and is surrounded by other snow-covered peaks. The castle overlooks the picturesque village of Calascio and has spectacular views of the valleys below. 2 Although Rocca Calascio lies above the snowline in the winter, it can easily be reached by car at any time of year. Road connections are good and Rome, with its two international airports, is only a short drive away. 3 The village of Calascio offers only very limited accommodation with no email or internet facilities. However, the neighbouring town of L'Aquila, with a good range of four and five-star hotels, could easily accommodate all the staff and cast. 4 The village and castle have both power and water supplies provided by the local council. There are no roads leading through the village or up to the castle so all equipment will need to be carried by hand. One of the conditions for obtaining permission to film is that we work closely with the local employment office in recruiting extras and catering staff. We will also be expected to cooperate with the local film school in L'Aquila offering training sessions for bof- students and teaching staff. Conclusion Despite some practical difficulties, I would recommend that we include Rocca Calascio on our short list of possible locations and commission a fuller report.
Transcript
6 Writing A report SPEAKING
1 Think of a film or TV documentary you've seen recently which showed some spectacular scenery. Use the questions to prepare to tell a partner about it.
1 What was it about? 2 What was the scenery like? 3 Was the scenery central to the f i lm or was it just a
backdrop? 4 Do y o u k n o w where it was filmed? 5 Is this information important in order to understand
the film?
2 Work in pairs. Tell your partner about your film, then answer these questions.
• Have you seen the f i lm or documentary your partner described?
• If yes, d id y o u enjoy it too? » If not, w o u l d you like to see it? W h y or w h y not?
READING
1 Complete the film location report with the headings a-e.
a Accommodat ion d Location b Description e Other important information c Facilities
2 The producer of the film made some notes as she was reading the report. Put the questions in the order in which she wrote them.
Could we get permission to bui ld a small road? LJ Do the local people have experience of this k ind of
work? • H o w cold is it up there in the winter? EH H o w much would it cost per night for the entire team? • What sort of training are they thinking of?
3 Work in pairs. If you were film producers, which of the questions in exercise 2 would be most important to you?
Preliminary location report: ROCCA CALASCIO Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide basic information about the suitability of Rocca Calascio as a location.
1 The ruined castle of Rocca Calascio is dramatically situated in the Gran Sasso mountains of central Italy. It stands at the top of a mountain 1,400 metres above sea level and is surrounded by other snow-covered peaks. The castle overlooks the picturesque village of Calascio and has spectacular views of the valleys below. 2 Although Rocca Calascio lies above the snowline in the winter, it can easily be reached by car at any time of year. Road connections are good and Rome, with its two international airports, is only a short drive away. 3 The village of Calascio offers only very limited accommodation with no email or internet facilities. However, the neighbouring town of L'Aquila, with a good range of four and five-star hotels, could easily accommodate all the staff and cast. 4
The village and castle have both power and water supplies provided by the local council. There are no roads leading through the village or up to the castle so all equipment will need to be carried by hand.
One of the conditions for obtaining permission to film is that we work closely with the local employment office in recruiting extras and catering staff. We will also be expected to cooperate with the local film school in L'Aquila offering training sessions for bof-students and teaching staff.
Conclusion Despite some practical difficulties, I would recommend that we include Rocca Calascio on our short list of possible locations and commission a fuller report.
A report Writing 6
LANGUAGE FOCUS
1 Put the phrases below into two groups: (a) beginning a report, (b) ending a report.
1 M y o w n view is that Rocca Calascio w o u l d (not) be an appropriate location.
2 This report outlines the advantages and disadvantages o f . . . 3 The information below provides essential information about ... 4 The purpose of this report is to examine the suitability o f . . . 5 Taking everything into consideration, Rocca Calascio w o u l d
(not) seem to be suitable for our purposes. 6 To sum up, it may be concluded that . . .
(1) o n the River Dordogne i n the south-west of France. The castle is (2) nn a rnrk w h i c h
village and has breathtaking (4) of the river valley. Beynac is (5) by beautifully unspoilt countryside, but the major cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse are o n l v a short (6) awav. The village of Beynac and the (7) t o w n of Sarlat (8) a wide choice of accommodat ion and restaurants.
3 Work in pairs. Think of a village that you know. Describe its location using the language in exercise 2 .
4 Choose the correct word to complete the sentences.
1 Although / Despite / However Rocca Calascio lies above the snowline, it can easily be reached by car.
2 The village of Calascio offers only l imited accommodation. Although / Despite / However, L ' A q u i l a could easily accommodate al l the staff.
3 Although / Despite / However some practical difficulties, I w o u l d recommend that we include Rocca Calascio on our short list of possible locations.
5 Work in pairs. Insert the name of a village or small town in your country in the yellow box. Then complete each sentence in three different ways.
1 is extremely picturesque, although . . .
2 It is popular w i t h tourists in the summer. However, . . .
3 Despite the fact that . . . , it . . .
WRITING
1 Work in groups. A film company is looking for a range of interesting locations in your area. They have asked you to write a report on one of them. Follow the steps below to help you prepare your report.
1 Decide on a location and the k ind of f i lm it would be suitable for
2 Choose five adjectives that describe the location
3 Write a sentence describing the location to someone who's never seen it before
4 Make notes on its precise location and distance from major towns and airports
5 The type of accommodation in the area 6 Facilities that w i l l be useful to the f i lm
crew (electricity, running water, etc) 7 A n y other information that might be
important
2 Use your ideas from exercise l to write the report.
REMEMBER TO ...
• use clear headings and subheadings. • explain the purpose of the report. • recommend the location. • suggest any fol low-up action. • use any useful expressions from the
Language focus section. • check your spelling and punctuation.
137
Writing A report SPEAKING
• Students think of a f i lm or TV documentary that they've seen recently, w h i c h showed spectacular scenery. They read the questions and make notes about the f i lm or T V documentary so that they can tell a partner about it.
2
• Pairwork. Students take it i n turns to tell their partner about their f i lm, using the notes they made in exercise 1. Their partner then answers the questions in exercise 2.
READING
Students complete the f i lm location report w i t h the headings a-e.
l b 2 d 3 a 4 c S e
• Students put the notes the producer made about the f i lm location report in the order in w h i c h she wrote them. Point out to the students that she does not make notes on one of the sections, and makes two notes on another section.
Correct order: 3 ,4 , 1, 2, 5
Pairwork. Students look back at the questions in exercise 2 and imagine they are f i lm producers. They choose the question w h i c h they think is most important to them if they were the f i lm producer.
LANGUAGE FOCUS
• Students divide the phrases into the two groups depending on whether they a) begin or b) end a report.
a) 2 , 3 , 4 b) 1 , 5 , 6
Students complete the text wi th the words in the box. They can then compare their answers with a partner before you check wi th the class.
Pairwork. Students think of a village that they know well (it doesn't have to be in their o w n country), and describe it to their partner, using the language in exercise 2.
1 Al though 2 However 3 Despite
Pairwork. Students think of different village or small town from the one they described in exercise 3, that is in their o w n country, and write its name in the yellow box. They then complete each sentence in three different ways.
WRITING
» Groupwork. Put students into small groups. Tell them that they are going to write a f i lm location report. They read the instructions and follow the steps to prepare their report.
i • Students now write their report, using their ideas from
exercise 1. • Refer students to the Remember to ... box at the bottom of
the page to help them write their report. • Students could write the report in class or for homework.
Sample answer
Preliminary location report: stately home, Oxfordshire The report below provides information about a potential location for the opening exterior shots for the drama series, Country Life.
1 Description This superb mansion house is situated in extensive gardens, set wel l back from the main road. It has 400 acres of woodland and landscaped gardens featuring lawns, avenues and a lake.
2 Facilities It is currently being used as a hotel and conference centre and has been used before on three occasions as a T V or f i lm location. It has all the facilities one could expect of a five-star hotel, as wel l as a helipad.
3 Accommodat ion The rooms and catering services available are of a very high standard and the centre w o u l d be able to house al l the crew and cast.
4 Location The centre is located 50 miles from the studios i n London and is easily accessible from the M 4 0 motorway.
Conclusion From this preliminary report it would seem that the site is suitable for our purposes and I recommend organizing a visit before commissioning a further report.
Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences.
