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A. READING
Part 1
You are going to read a magazine article about people who make short films. For questions 16-30, choose from the
options (A-D). The options may be chosen more than once. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Which film-makers
1. produced a short film at a very busy time in their lives? ………………………………

2. are realistic about their future together? ………………………………

3. mention the need to keep on working hard at producing short films? ………………………………

4. made early career decisions that would lead them towards film-making? ………………………………

5. gained financial assistance after impressing an organisation in the film world? ………………………………

6. like variety in their working lives? ………………………………

7. have benefited from observing professional film-makers at work? ………………………………

8 were not concerned by the fact that nobody recognised them? ………………………………

9. suddenly realised the great potential of their film? ………………………………

10. felt their studies were not providing them with what they wanted? ………………………………

11. now have a reputation for excellence which can put pressure on them? ………………………………

Which film
12. was considered unlucky not to receive a prize? ………………………………

13. was used for a different purpose from most short films? ………………………………

14. has a lot of people acting in it? ………………………………

15. was completed only at the very last minute? ………………………………

A short cut to Hollywood

We meet the most successful young makers of short films in Britain. These short films usually last no more than ten
minutes and are often shown before the main films in cinemas.

A Kevin Teller and Justin O’Brien - Jumping Gerald

Anyone who To their surprisesaw Together, the surprise arthouse hit, will have been as
charmed by Jumping Gerald, the short film which ran before it, as they were by the main
feature film itself. Yet gerald’s creators faced financial difficulties from the start, and the
final version wasn’t even finished until the eve of its first screening. As they sat in the
cinema watching it for the first time, it dawned on Teller and O’Brien just what they had
achieved. “The way people were laughing,’ Teller remembers, ‘we knew we were on to a

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good thing.’ Jumping Gerald was nominated for Best Short Film at the British Film Festival;
although it missed out on the award, it was thought by many to have deserved it. The two
men are presently involved in their second production. ‘We make a good team,’ Teller says,
‘and we’ll continue to work as one. Unless, of course, one of us gets an offer he can’t
refuse.’

B The Collins brothers – Oh Josephine!

Tim and Mark Collins first fell in love with the art of film-making when they were young
boys. Their father was often abroad on business, and his two sons would send him video
diaries to inform him of the goings-on at home. Several years later, their first short film was
lucky ever to get made. At the time, Tim was writing a novel between takes, and Mark was
preparing to get married. Oh Josephine! was made with a cast of hundreds for just £500, but
it went on to win several video awards nevertheless. The film really began to get the
brothers noticed, and several others followed, all exceptionally well received. The brothers
now feel ready to move into full-length feature films, and are busy writing a screenplay. The
only disadvantage of having had such a perfect start to their careers is the weight of
expectations: they have to keep coming up with the goods.

C Brian Radley and Nicky Tomlinson – More Cake Please

Radley and Tomlinson’s very first short film, More Cake Please, was nominated for a
prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival. Tomlinson says, ‘We couldn’t believe it when
we found ourselves on a red carpet at Cannes. No one knew who on earth we were, but
that couldn’t have mattered less.’ Although More Cake Please didn’t win, Radley and
Tomlinson were sufficiently encouraged by the nominations to enter the film into Channel
Four’s short film competition at the British Film Festival. it won, and their film-making
career began to look even better with Channel Four’s promise to fund their next project.
The duo had chosen university courses – in media and drama – with a film-making future in
mind but, disenchanted with the theoretical rather than practical experience of the
industry that was provided, both men left university before completing their courses and
went to work for production companies in London. They place enormous value on the
hands-on experience that their work on film sets provided them with. ‘We’ve seen so many
directors get it wrong, that we kind of know how to get it right,’ says Radley.

D Hiroko Katsue and Mica Stevlovsky – The Big One

Katsue and Stevlovsky speak fondly of the days when every feature film at the cinema was
preceded by a short film. Katsue and Stevlovsky’s short-film-making debut, The Big One,
was rather unusual, as it became the cinema advertisement for Big Issue magazine. It won
award after award. ‘Winning a festival is great in that it raises your profile, but it doesn’t
mean you can rest on your laurels,’ says Stevlovsky. ‘Right, you can’t just expect things to
happen for you,’ echoes Katsue. ‘You could spend years going around festivals with the
same old film, but we’re not into that. We’re always looking for different sorts of projects,
never standing still. Even when we’re lying on a beach on holiday, we both have ideas
churning around in our heads.’

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Part 2
You are going to read a magazine article about people who make short films. For questions 1-15, choose from the
options (A-E). The options may be chosen more than once. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Which student(s)

1. need not have worried about their health problems? ………………………………

2. says he wanted to be more adventurous than his friends? ………………………………

3. had to delay the start of his trip? ………………………………

4. was concerned about an aspect of his preparations for the trip? ………………………………

5. ganied unexpected benefits from a limited budget? ………………………………

6. changed his original plans in order to explore another place? ………………………………

7. found different ways of earning money while he was away from home? ………………………………

8 was unaccustomed to travelling alone? ………………………………

9. wanted to avoid having a fixed programme? ………………………………

10. changed his study plans as a result of his experiences abroad? ………………………………

11. found accommodation through some colleagues? ………………………………

12. was forced to alter his route? ………………………………

13. ………………………………
were aware of personal security when travelling?
14. ………………………………

15. disliked the restrictions of a limited budget? ………………………………

Taking off
Five young people remember their ‘gap year’ experiences, when they travelled the world between finishing school
and going to university.

A Tom Baker

After my exams, I read through all the gap year literature, but I’d had enough of having to turn up
to lessons every day at school. So I flew to New Zealand, without any structured plans, just to see
what happened. I had to live very cheaply, so I didn’t use public transport, preferring to hitch-hike
the long distances between the towns. I was amazed how generous people were. I was always
being picked up by strangers and invited into their homes after nothing more than a conversation
at the roadside. My hosts invited me to climb volcanoes, go trekking with them, even play a part in

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a short film. In a way, I learned just as much about life as I did when I was at university back in the
UK.

B Robin Talbot

It all began when I was on summer holiday staying at a friend’s house in New York. By the autumn, I
was convinced I didn’t want to leave and I stayed there for a year. I worked three days a week in a
bar and two nights in a restaurant, which gave me plenty to live on. The Brazillian band that worked
in the brr offered me a room in their apartment, and we played salsa music and had barbecues all
summer. I realised eventually that I couldn’t be a waiter for ever, so I came back to university.

C Mark Irvin

I couldn’t face another three years studying straight after school so, like many of my classmates, I
decided to do a round-the-world trip. I wanted to set off at the end of the summer, but it took six
months of working before I had enough money. I’d planned my route so that I’d be travelling with
friends for part of the way and alone the rest of the time. In Japan I met some incredibly generous
people who invited me into their homes. I found their culture fascinating. But in Australia, it was
less interesting because it was more difficult to meet the locals, as I could only afford to stay in
hostels and these were full of British travellers like me.

D Simon Barton

Going to Latin America was quite a courageous decision for me, and the first time I had travelled
without a fixed route or any companions. I was worried that my last-minute Spanish course would
not be enough. I was originally planning to fly to Mexico, then go overland by bus to Belize, but a
hurricane intervened and it was too risky. So I went west by bus to Guatemala. The people were
very friendly, but as I’m blond-haired and blue-eyed they stared a bit, which didn’t bother me. I just
smiled. I dutifully kept all my important stuff on me, as suggested in the World Travellers’
Guidebook, but I didn’t run into any trouble at all. And despite what I thought might happen, I ate
anything and everything and didn’t have any problems. It was great! I’m already saving for my next
trip.

E Andrew West

Everyone I knew was going to Australia, but I wanted to go somewhere more exotic, less
predictable. I went with ‘Quest Overseas’, who arrange gap-year holidays. I started in Ecuador with
a three-week Spanish course, then went off trekking in the Andes, which was tough. It’s a good
thing I had my first-aid kit. I was covered in scratches! I had arranged my flight back, but I put it off
to go touring in Mexico for two weeks with some friends I’d made. My advice would be, plan ahead,
but don’t worry if things change. Keep your cash in various places in your clothing, and take advice
about the places to avoid at night. I never felt scared, I just enjoyed the adventure. And when I
came back I decided to do a degree in South American History, which I’d never have considered
before. I thought living in a flat again would be dull, but in fact I’d had enough of always being on
the move.

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B. GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY

I. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of the infinitive or the -ing form.
1. I suggest ………………………….. (call) the cinema to find out what time the film begins.
2. It’s no use ………………………….. (try) to make excuses. She won’t believe you.
3. I look forward ………………………….. (see) the artwork in the museum’s latest exhibition.
4. She spent a long time ………………………….. (talk) on the telephone so she didn’t finish her chores.
5. Fred enjoys ………………………….. (listen) to classical music as it helps him relax.
6. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how ………………………….. (dance).
7. We were happy ………………………….. (hear) that Mary is coming to visit us.
8. The couple plan ………………………….. (announce) their engagement later today.
9. Will you let me ………………………….. (read) you some parts to tell me if you like them?
10. We saw him ………………………….. (paint) the fence as we walked past his house.
11. I would have preferred ………………………….. (change) my clothes before we went out to dinner.
12. It was so nice of him ………………………….. (send) me flowers.
13. Sandra was the last ………………………….. (perform) at the dance recital.
14. For Bob ………………………….. (retire) at such a young age was unexpected.
15. It’s raining. There’s no point in ………………………….. (go) out now.
16. Would you be helpful as ………………………….. (carry) this heavy bag for me?
17. You should ………………………….. (speak) to her when you saw her.
18. He seems ………………………….. (work) hard on a solution to the problem. Don’t interrupt him.
19. He was the first runner ………………………….. (finish) the marathon.
20. We rushed to the station only ………………………….. (arrive) as the train was leaving.

II. Put the verbs in brackets into the -ing form or the infinitive without ‘to’.
1. I saw her ………………………….. (turn) the corner and ………………………….. (disappear).
2. Can you hear the dog ………………………….. (bark) outside?
3. I watched the plane ………………………….. (take off) and then I left.
4. He was listening to the rain ………………………….. (patter) on the roof.
5. Paul noticed a woman ………………………….. (stare) at him while he was waiting at the station.
6. When she opened the door she saw someone ………………………….. (try) to steal her car.

III. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the infinitive or -ing form.
Steam strains were replaced by electric ones years ago, so when the newspaper I work for heard that the ‘Black
Admiral’ steam engine had been restored, they decided (1) ………………………….. (send) me on its first trip. I didn’t
object to (2) ………………………….. (go) even though I generally dislike (3) ………………………….. (travel) by train. In fact I
was looking forward (4) ………………………….. (see) something I had never seen before. When I arrived at the station I
saw lots of people (5) ………………………….. (celebrate) the rebirth of the Admiral, and I was glad (6)
………………………….. (be) part of the party. At 2 o’clock everyone was ready (7) ………………………….. (board) the train. I
settled myself into a compartment where I was soon joined by an old man who claimed (8) ………………………….. (be)
one of the original workers on the Admiral. He claimed (9) ………………………….. (work) for a penny a day, and told me

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how much he had hated (10) ………………………….. (be/covered) in coal dust all the time. His family had been too poor
(11) ………………………….. (buy) more than the basic necessities. It was a sad story, but it was a pleasure (12)
………………………….. (listen) to him. At every station people were waiting (13) ………………………….. (greet) the train,
and it was exciting (14) ………………………….. (see) the spectators’ faces as the past seemed (15) …………………………..
(come) alive again. If all trains were as appealing as the Black Admiral, I would choose (16) …………………………..
(travel) by train all the time.

IV. Fill in the correct preposition.

1. She applied …………………… the manager …………………… the post of editor of the magazine.
2. He is crazy …………………… all kinds of fast cars.
3. I wouldn’t bet …………………… it being warm tomorrow.
4. The manager of the bank had to account …………………… all the money that was missing.
5. I didn’t realise there would be a charge …………………… using this telephone.
6. The police announced that they were going to work …………………… the public to solve the case.
7. Nobody seems to care …………………… what is happening in the world today.
8. James’ mother told him to take care …………………… himself during the journey.
9. Mark is very clever …………………… figuring out how machines work.
10. It was very clever …………………… you to remember to bring an umbrella.
11. There has been some confusion …………………… the results of the election.
12. The inexperienced driver was confused …………………… which turn to take and ended up on a dead-end street.
13. You can’t compare Elvis Presley …………………… Michael Jackson. Elvis is the king.
14. Compared …………………… winters in Moscow, this isn’t really cold at all.
15. The police Inspector wasn’t able to comment …………………… the case as they had no new evidence.
16. I’m going to have to stop eating chocolate. I think I’m addicted …………………… it.
17. Michael’s been asked to contribute …………………… this new science fiction magazine.
18. I couldn’t get into the museum because it was crowded …………………… tourists.
19. Scientists are still trying to find a cure …………………… cancer.
20. You have to comply …………………… these rules or you will lose your job.

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