SC-L16 Making a Movie

Making a Movie by Mia Lewis

All the members of the video club were in the film studio of Westlake School. It was their first meeting since the club decided to **launch** a new project.

"We are going to make our own movie," said Sally.

"We'll base it on a story we write ourselves," said Jin.

"We'll have actors," said Wanda.

"We'll have sets," said Julio.

"We'll have everything," said Talia.

"It is going to be **incredibly** great!" said Sally.

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The members of the club were very excited.
"I think our movie should have episodes," said Talia. "It can be like a TV series."
"That's a good idea," said Wanda. "But let's figure out the first episode before we think about any others. The first thing we need is a story!"
"I have a story here," said Jin. He took out a notebook and opened it up. "I wrote it this weekend when I was supposed to be raking the lawn. It is very exciting! I even drew a few pictures."

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Julio thumbed through the pages of Jin’s story. He read it quickly. He looked at the drawings. He liked the story! Already he had a clear mental picture of what the movie would look like.

Julio passed the notebook to Sally, and she started to read.

“This is fantastic!” said Julio. “It will make a great movie!”

“What’s it about?” asked Talia.

“It’s a story about a group of kids who go hiking,” answered Julio. “They are walking along, very close to a river.”

“Then Pablo falls in!” said Sally, looking up from the notebook. “He is messing around by the water’s edge. He is running too fast. He trips and falls.”

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Yes! He falls right into some deep water. The river is very fast. It washes him downstream," said Julio.

"His friends are all scared," said Sally. "They can't see him anymore."

"They rush along the shore looking for him," said Julio. "The river has taken him. He washes up against a rock far downstream."

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"That's not all!" added Jin. "When Pablo tries to swim out of the river, he sees a bear sitting on the bank."

"He's stuck," said Julio. "He can't stay in the water forever. He's too cold. He can't go out near the bear."

"He dips his head underwater and holds his breath. He hides behind the rock. After a while, the bear goes away," said Jin.

"His friends arrive," said Julio. "They pull him out."

Talia's eyes were wide. Her mouth was hanging open. Wanda was quiet.

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"Wow!" said Talia. "That's quite a story. It sure would make a great movie."

"I can picture the scene with the bear!" said Sally. "We could have scary music in the background. The bear can growl and splash in the water."

"Pablo should look pale and exhausted when he finally gets pulled from the water," said Julio.

"Yes," said Jin. "That's perfect. Guess what? I already have some ideas for other episodes."

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"Jin, your story is great," said Wanda. "It would make a great movie. However, there are a few problems. First of all, we live in the city! The only wild animals here are pigeons and some stray cats. The only body of water is the public swimming pool. So how are we going to make a movie with a river and a bear?"

The others looked at each other blankly and scratched their heads.

Wanda continued. "Jin, save your story for Hollywood. For our video club, I'm afraid it's back to the drawing board!"

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Making Movies

1. A film director decides to make a show. He will **launch** the new project as soon as possible. He hopes to get started by June. He can start as soon as he has chosen his lead actors.

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2. A director flips through the pages. He reads the first scenes. After he has **thumbed** through the script, he reads it in detail.

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3. The director makes a **mental** picture of the setting. He can see the whole thing in his head. He pictures the scenes and thinks through all the details.

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4. The show will have lots of action. It will be **incredibly** exciting. The audience will hardly believe their eyes.

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5. There will be five **episodes**. Each episode will tell a story, but all the stories will be connected. The same characters will appear in each episode.

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1. How would you describe Julio and Sally?

2. How does the author show that this video club is not very experienced in planning or making movies?

3. What clue does the author give early in the story that Wanda is the most practical of all the club members?

4. What does Wanda mean when she tells Jin to save his story for Hollywood?