📘 Part 3: Films and film industry

This episode's vocabulary

To prevail (verb) - to get control or influence.

Vogue (noun) - a fashion or general liking, especially one that is temporary.

LED (noun) - abbreviation for a light-emitting diode: a type of diode (= a device that controls an electric current so that it can only flow in one direction) that produces light.

OLED (noun) - abbreviation for organic light-emitting diode: a type of diode (= a device that controls an electric current so that it can only flow in one direction) that contains an organic compound (= a chemical that combines two or more elements including carbon) and produces light. OLEDs are used in screens to produce very bright, clear pictures.

Projector (noun) - a device for showing films or images on a screen or other surface.

On the cheap (phrase) - if you get goods on the cheap, you get them for a low price.

Extortionate (adj.) - extremely expensive.

To jack up (phrasal verb) - to increase the price of something suddenly and by a large amount.

To replicate (verb) - to make or do something again in exactly the same way.

Convention (noun) - a large formal meeting of people who do a particular job or have a similar interest or a large meeting for a political party.

Culinary (adj.) - connected with cooking or kitchens.

To fall out (phrasal verb) -

Fall out of favour (phrase) - to become unpopular, to lose support.

Theatre (noun) - a cinema.

Medium (noun) - a method of communication or entertainment, for example, television, radio, or the internet.

Diversity (noun) - the fact of many different types of things or people being included in something; a range of different things or people.

On offer (phrase) - available to be bought or used.

Single-shot (adj.) - (of a film or part of a film) made in one continuous shot (= a short piece in which there is a single action or a short series of actions).

Take (noun) - the filming of a scene (= small part of a film).

Inconsequential (adj.) - not important.

Questions and Answers

M: Which film genres are most popular in your country?

R: I'm not sure any one type prevails over the others, to be honest. People enjoy all kinds of things here. However, you do see a lot of advertising for superhero movies, so I guess those are still in vogue.

M: What kind of movies should be seen in the cinema to be fully appreciated?

R: That's a good question. I'm not really sure, to be honest, since most LED or OLED screens are now just as good as cinema screens, despite being smaller. Oh, and you can get a home projector on the cheap very easily. Maybe movies with particularly amazing special effects, which can use the sound system well. Though, I can't think of a clear example right now.

M: What can cinemas do to attract more people?

R: Well, they could be cheaper for a start. Some of them are absolutely extortionate in terms of ticket prices, and then they jack up the prices of the food and the drinks, things like that. I'm not sure it's worth paying all that money for an experience that lasts a few hours, which you can replicate from the comfort of your own home just fine.

M: Do you think people can learn new cultures through movies?

R: Well, partially, yes. Though, there will be things that you can't possibly get from a movie that require direct experience, like social conventions and practice, or culinary experiences, which are also part of the culture. But the surface-level things you could, well, that you see could be covered by movies, sure.

M: With the increasing popularity of streaming services, what do you think is the future of cinemas?

R: I think they'll probably go the way of the radio and similar types of media, to be honest. A few will stick around, but they'll fall out of favour more and more as time goes on.

M: In what ways has the film industry changed in the past few decades?

R: Well, in general, there's been a decline in theatre audience sizes as new forms of medium have developed. It's a shame because more positive developments have happened, like a rise in the diversity and of genres on offer and different techniques, like single-shot takes and films from different cultural perspectives.

M: How do films influence our culture and the way people think?

R: I mean, that's as varied as the films themselves. I mean, some movies are completely inconsequential. Look at Avatar. That movie made billions at the box office, but nothing really changed. Whereas, by contrast, poorly funded and low-performing movies about queer people influenced people to reconsider their support for things like equal marriage rights.