Grammar for Writing: Level Orange — Chapter 1

Lights! Camera! Action! Photo courtesy of Callico Special Effects A model plane flies over a miniature Manhattan. The movie ends. The credits run: producer. . . director. . . writer. . . film editor. . .costume designer. . . set designer. . . cinematographer. . . special effects coordinator. . . casting director. . . It takes much more than a troupe of actors to make a movie. The many people who hold behind-the-scenes jobs play an important role in the film industry. What do these people do? What kinds of behind-the-camera jobs are available, and how can you get one? Write an investigative magazine article about a specific field or career in films. In your article, explain the career fully. Include information such as the education needed, any necessary experience or job requirements, the pay scale, and future opportunities for a person in that career. Include an introductory paragraph and five or six supporting paragraphs on your topic. Provide information about places where a person in this field could work, a typical day on the job, and where to go to learn the necessary job skills. Remember: Not every film is made in Hollywood. There are opportunities for filmmakers all over the world. STEP 1: Initial Search Begin your research with a visit to the following websites: The Hollywood Reporter's Hyperlink Web Directory Here you'll find listings of industry-related products and services in areas such as production, music, lighting, and industry resources. Google Search: Film schools Altavista Search: Careers in the Film Industry Search for information about a particular film industry career. Record details and resources from the sites to add interest to your article. Use cluster diagrams to organize the facts you have discovered. Include careers other than acting; choose the career that most interests you, and report on it. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Orange, page 11.) STEP 2: Focus Your Search Search the Internet for more information on the field you are investigating. For a start, visit the sites of these well-known film schools: New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Search: Department of Cinema Studies; Department of Design for Stage and Film; Department of Film and Television University of California at Los Angeles Search: School of Theater, Film and Television Explore other resources, such as an encyclopedia and newspaper and magazine articles. Look at trade publications, such as Back Stage, as well as career Web sites. Collect information about famous people in the field you have chosen. Jot down the movies or television shows that they worked on, and note any other material that will draw your audience's interest. STEP 3: Define Your Audience Make your information interesting to high school students and young adults who might want to pursue a career in the film industry. Your audience may know something about movies but not as much as they need to know in order to make a wise career decision. STEP 4: Write a Summary Organize the information you've gathered in the same way you will organize your article. Include reasons for pursuing this career, employment opportunities, and future career paths. Provide a full evaluation of the job, including any negatives, such as long hours or difficult working conditions. There are two invaluable prewriting steps that will help you organize your information. These are the 5-W and How? questions (see Grammar for Writing, Level Orange, page 11) and writing the outline on page 13. Writers working on investigative articles must ferret out information and sift through it for relevance and importance. Then they must choose which facts and other materials to include. Professional writers usually collect two or three times as much information as they use in an article. Don't make the mistake of under-researching your topic. STEP 5: Organize Your Ideas and Write Your Investigative Article As you expand your notes, add interest to your writing. You might include a personal anecdote from someone working in the field, or create a scenario as though you were doing the job yourself. Start with an intriguing lead, or "hook," and end with a memorable conclusion. Once you have your notes in order, write your rough draft. This little alien was designed and built by Martin Astles for a movie that was later canceled. It has a full animatronic head, including a voice-changing synthesizer. STEP 6: Revise, Edit, and Proofread Your Work Reread your article. Be sure you have included all the facts and descriptive details necessary to give a complete picture of this film industry career. Edit your writing for grammatical errors; then proofread your work carefully for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors. STEP 7: Publish Your Work Present your article along with supporting illustrations, videos, or other materials. Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.