UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA

DIRECCIÓN ACADÉMICA- SEDE BOGOTÁ

DIRECCIÓN NACIONAL de INNOVACIÓN ACADÉMICA – DNIA

PROGRAMA de SEGUNDA LENGUA- PLE

PROGRAMA DE SEGUNDA LENGUA- PLE

ENGLISH LEVEL II

SUBJECT CODE: 1000045

Welcome to Unit 1!
In this unit you will learn to:

• Describe pictures and different places.

• Learn how to describe a place.
• Recognize the basic steps for producing a short film and make plans for producing your own
documentary.

• Give your opinion about movies or series

UNIT 1

Making a Film

<a href="https://openclipart.org/detail/158407/motion-picture-film-slate-clapper"><img src="https://openclipart.org/download/158407/slate.svg" /></a>

SPEAKING
Activity 1 Classwork
Ask and answer the following questions. Go around the class and interview three people.

1. Do you like movies? Where do you usually see movies?

2. How often do you watch movies? At home? In theatres?
3. What is the best/ worst movie you have ever seen?
4. Have you figured out a way to see movies for free? How?
5. Can you compare movie houses in your homeland with theatres in the United States?
6. What might annoy you at a movie theatre? Using phones? Babies crying? Other?
7. Do you have a favorite movie theatre? A preferred place to sit?
8. Have you ever seen a celebrity or famous person? Where? Tell us about it
9. What movies have you seen that took place in Colombia?
10. Have you ever acted in a play or movie? Can you describe your experience?
Reading

Activity 2 :Recognizing famous films quotes

Listening and vocabulary

Activity 3. In a moment, you’ll watch two film trailers titled:

The Shrink Next Door

and

Language Lessons
Watch the trailers and decide which of the films might be more
amusing and why.

The Shrink Next Door Language Lessons

Look at the quotes from the two film trailers and choose the
correct words. [part 1/2]

A. I found …………… that it was your birthday,

1. about 2. out 3. if
B. You know what word I’m …………… a little tired of hearing from you?
1. feeling 2. catching 3. getting
C. I mean, I assume this is what drugs feel …………… .
1. like 2. as 3. than
D. How much will you …………… me?
1. charge 2. cost 3. pay back
Look at the quotes from the two film trailers and choose the
correct words. [part 2/2]

E. Is there …………… there?

1. nobody 2. somebody 3. anybody
F. And we’re …………… of time.
1. up 2. out 3. down
G. I just want to …………… sure that you’re ok.
1. make 2. do 3. get
Let’s check your answers. [part 1/2]

A. I found …………… that it was your birthday,

1. about 2. out 3. if
B. You know what word I’m …………… a little tired of hearing from you?
1. feeling 2. catching 3. getting
C. I mean, I assume this is what drugs feel …………… .
1. like 2. as 3. than
D. How much will you …………… me?
1. charge 2. cost 3. pay back
Let’s check your answers. [part 2/2]

E. Is there …………… there?

1. nobody 2. somebody 3. anybody
F. And we’re …………… of time.
1. up 2. out 3. down
G. I just want to …………… sure that you’re ok.
1. make 2. do 3. get
Watch the trailers again and match the quotes to the trailers.
There is one extra quote. [part 1/2]

A. I found out that it was your birthday,

B. You know what word I’m getting a little

tired of hearing from you?

C. I mean, I assume this is what drugs feel

like.

D. How much will you charge me?

E. Is there anybody there?

F. And we’re out of time.

G. I just want to make sure that you’re ok.

Watch the trailers again and match the quotes to the trailers.
There is one extra quote. [part 2/2]

A. I found out that it was your birthday,

B. You know what word I’m getting a little

tired of hearing from you?

C. I mean, I assume this is what drugs feel

like.

D. How much will you charge me?

E. Is there anybody there?

F. And we’re out of time.

G. I just want to make sure that you’re ok.

Let’s check your answers.

A. I found out that it was your birthday. Language Lessons

B. You know what word I’m getting a little tired of hearing from you? The Shrink Next Door

C. I mean, I assume this is what drugs feel like. The Shrink Next Door

D. How much will you charge me? None

E. Is there anybody there? Language Lessons

F. And we’re out of time. The Shrink Next Door

G. I just want to make sure that you’re ok. Language Lessons

SPEAKING
Activity 4. Discuss the questions.

➔ Do you recognise any of the actors in the two films?

Have you seen them in other films?
➔ How many main characters were shown in the trailers?
➔ Would you like to watch any of the films? Why/Why not?

➔ Should trailers have some spoilers? Why/Why not?

Speaking Listening
Activity 5 Classwork
Look for some quotes of your favorite movies. Role play using the lines the actors or
actresses use in the scenes. Make a short presentation including pictures and the quotes.
"You Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?"

"To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes
us human" – Mouse (The Matrix)
Writing
Activity 5. Classwork.
Write a description of the picture. Have in mind…
Use the structures suggested in the box. Before completing the task, read
these sample sentences:
Begin like this: There is a river.
There are two mountains.
In the picture there´s … There aren’t many people in the
_________________________________________ picture.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________ There isn’t any bird in the sky.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_____________
LISTENING Have in Mind:
Activity 6 . An instruction tells you what to do and how to do it. When following instructions,
use the command form:
Watch a video about some Nigerian teenagers making films. Example:
Instructions for taking the TOEFL exam
Answer the questions. Bring your ID.
Turn off your cell phone.
Which of these steps do you think are the most difficult to do? Be quiet during the exam.
Discuss with a partner. Justify your answers. Read the instructions carefully.
A process is a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
In order to carry out a process, you have to follow sequential instructions.
1. What makeshift equipment do Godin Josiah and his cousins use for shooting their movie scene?

2. Why do the student filmmakers use different types of equipment for their productions?

3. How did the crew of eight get the green fabric they used for chroma key effects in their film "Redemption"?

4. What motivated the student filmmakers to create their videos and share them on social media?

5. How did Nollywood film producer Kami Aditi react to the student filmmakers' efforts, and what impact did her
reaction have on their journey?
Reading
Activity 7 Classwork
Read an extract from a summary of the first Colombian film nominated to an Oscar award.
It’s sometime during the early 1900s, and Theo, a German explorer, and Manduca his local
guide are searching for the yakuna, a very rare flower that could heal Theo of his sickness.
Karamakate, a young shaman watches them. He dislikes white men whose violent ways
have made him the very last of his kind.
But when Theo offers to help Karamakate find the surviving people of his tribe, the shaman
agrees to help, initiating a journey that will take the three men ever deeper into the Amazon
forest. During the journey, Karamakate gives Theo regular applications of a herbal medicine
(by way of a blowdart to the nostrils) and teaches the ethnologist on the uselessness of
possessions (“They’re just things”) and the importance of living in harmony with nature,
specifically by abstaining from eating fish or meat. Along the way, they come face-to-face
with the human and environmental consequences of the white man’s presence in the
Amazon. They also find a Catholic mission where a Spanish priest rules over indigenous
children who were orphaned because of the violence and human right abuses of the rubber
trade. The fanatical clergyman insists on saving the souls of the kids, clothing them in white
robes and forbidding them to speak their “pagan languages.” The film offers a rich
understanding of the contradictions of the colonial legacy and drives home a moral with no
uncertainty.
Adapted from http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/film-review-the-embrace-of-the-serpent-1201510916/ written by Justin Chang on JUNE 2,
2015 | 05:33PM PT
Reading
Activity 8
. words in the text are underlined. Choose the meanings of the words in the box, using the definitions below.
Some

• a particular disease or malady

• to use power, authority, or influence over to clothe
• to cover with or as if with clothing robe
• any loose garment, such as a bathrobe soul
• the spiritual part of humans, as opposed to their physical part. rubber
• a highly elastic solid from the milky juice of rubber trees. trade
• the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging goods
to rule
to abstain
• to keep oneself from doing, esp. from something regarded as improper or unhealthy
nostrils
• either of the two outer openings of the nose.
to heal
• a feeling of comfort or ease caused by the ending or stopping of pain or distress.
sickness
Reading
Activity 9
According to what you read before, organize the events in the story in chronological order from 1 to 10.The first one has been done for you.
___ Theo offers Karamake to find other survivors of his tribe.
___ Because of the white man's presence in the Amazon many children are orphaned.
___ Karamake is a shaman who is the last person in his tribe.
___ The catholic priest forbids the children to speak their native languages.
___ Some natives like Manduca have adopted western customs.
___ Then men travel deep into the forest and find a Catholic mission.
___ Karamake resents the white men because they have killed his people and destroyed the forest.
_1_ The story takes place in the amazon forest in the 1900´s.
___The shaman cures Theo by blowing a herbal medicine to his nostrils.
___ Theo, the german explorer, is looking for the yakuna,a healing flower.
Reading ANSWERS

• 1 The story takes place in the amazon forest in the 1900´s.

• 2 Karamake is a shaman who is the last person in his tribe.
• 3 Theo, the german explorer, is looking for the yakuna,a healing flower.
• 4 Karamake resents the white men because they have killed his people and destroyed the forest.
• 5 Some natives like Manduca have adopted western customs.
• 6 Theo offers Karamake to find other survivors of his tribe.
• 7 The shaman cures Theo by blowing a herbal medicine to his nostrils.
• 8 Then men travel deep into the forest and find a Catholic mission.
• 9 Because of the white man´s presence in the Amazon many children are orphaned.
• 10 The catholic priest forbids the children to speak their native languages.
Writing Useful Language
I think…
Activity 10 Classwork I believe…
I suppose that…
• Discuss in groups
What´s your opinion of this film? What do you think about the story? If you watched it, what do you
think about the acting? the scenery? Why do you think it was nominated for an Oscar award?

Write a different ending for the film, based on what you know about the film or what you have
learned from the reading.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
WRITING
Activity 11
• Imagine you are a film director. Which places in the university can you choose for making a horror
film? Make pictures of two or three places with your mobile phone and describe them in full.
Explain why they are the ideal location.
Example:
Description of Picture 1
There´s a long hall and there are a few people.
There are plenty of windows, so there is no need of a lamp.

There are no pictures or posters on the walls.

It is the perfect location for a horror film because
it´s a very dark place at night and it looks creepy.
Picture by Nicolás Bojacá.
WRITING
Description of Picture 1
There´s _______________________________
Insert your picture here _______ and there are ___________________
_______ there isn´t any __________________
______ and there are no _________________
It is a good location for a film because ___________

Description of Picture 2
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ Insert your picture here
___________________________________
___________________________________
WRITING Useful language:
I can use…
I will (action)…
There are _____ I will use.
Get in groups of five and choose which is the best place of the University to make a film. In the chart below
there's a list of some of the aspects you have to have in mind to produce it. What will you need to do about
them? Make a plan. Write your ideas in front of each item. See an example in the “edition” grid. The Useful
Language box will help you with this task.

Script
Budgeting
Schedule
Location
Scouting
Casting
Crew
Equipment
Rehearsing
Edition I will edit the video using my computer at home.I will use the program …
Congratulations!
You have finally completed the tasks in this unit.
Now you can:
• Describe a picture and recognize expressions to follow instructions.
• Recognize basic vocabulary about films and the film-production process.
• Express the basic steps for producing a short film project and make plans for making a film
production.
• Give your opinion about a film.