Physical effects, also known as practical, special or mechanical effects, are performed in front of the camera

during principal photography. They include weather effects, water effects and pyrotechnics, in other words,
the techniques to display fireworks. Stunts or dangerous actions, bullet hits, explosions and collapsing
buildings are also considered physical effects.

Rather than rely on the weather to perform as needed, filmmakers look to physical effects to generate such
atmospheric events as rain, fog, snow and wind. Sprinklers with various kinds of nozzles produce cinematic
rain, which may be heated to keep the actors comfortable. Sometimes, as in the 1952 film Singing in the Rain,
water was mixed with paint or with milk to help it show up on screen. Scenes that take place in the water or
on rough seas are usually filmed in a studio tank with miniature ships and other vessels. In the 1997
film Titanic, miniatures in a tank represented the sinking ocean liner in some scenes.

Winds ranging from light breezes to hurricanes are created by wind machines, that is, fans of different sizes
and powers. Small fans ruffled the actors’ hair and clothes, while a Boeing 707 jet engine drove the tornados
in the film Twister(1996). To make wind visible to the camera, lightweight particles such as dust or leaves may
be scattered in its path.

Smoke “bombs”, dry ice, pressurized air, and smoke machines using heated oil produce smoke effects. Smoke
and lighting effects can also give an illusion of underwater conditions, a technique called “dry for wet.” Dry
ice simulates fog and will sometimes be held, carefully wrapped in protective layers, in an actor’s mouth to
vaporize his or her breath in cold weather scenes.

Traditionally, salt was substituted for snow in winter scenes, but because it is so harmful to the environment,
other alternatives were developed. A combination of white sand, chalk and crystals was tried. Plastics, foams,
painted glass, liquid paraffin and potato starch, and falling ash were also found to be effective. Ripped pieces
of paper, which move almost like real snow, are a common solution. Several different substances, depending
on the needs of a scene, may be used at the same time. New materials that melt like real snow may be used
in close-up shots. Today, computer graphics (CG) are often used to paint backgrounds snowy white, while
physical snow effects are used in the foreground.

In conclusion, there are many types of physical effects that are commonly used and considered important in
movie making these days. However, with any type of physical effects, the physical effects crew has
to devise strategic ways to operate them in order to protect film crew, stunt coordinators and the technicians
themselves as safe as possible along with the lively and real scenes.

Questions 1-2
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

1. The main idea discussed in the text is

A. there is a variety of physical effects which are helpful for movie makers in many situations.

B. the crew has to look for perfect ways to conduct the physical effects.

C. physical effects are produced in front of the camera.

D. physical effects have a long history.

2. According to the text,

A. filmmakers often wait for the weather to perform the scene they need.
 B. filmmakers generate atmospheric events by using physical effects.

C. filmmakers usually use visual effects which often take place during principal photography or in
post-production.

D. filmmakers produce a great number of stunts, bullet hits, explosions and collapsing buildings in a
film.

Questions 3-5
Look at the following films (Question 3–5) and the list of physical effects below.
Match each film with its correct physical effect, A–F.
Type the correct letter, A–F, in blanks 3–5.

3. Titanic

4. Singing in the Rain

5. Twister

List of Physical Effects

A Fireworks are created by thousands of burning metal particles.

B Water was combined with paint or milk.

C Big fans with 1000V power were used to create a hurricane.

D A Boeing 707 jet engine created tornados.

E Smoke was produced by heated oil.

F Miniatures in a tank imitate the sinking large ship in some scenes.

Questions 6-12

Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below.

Filmmakers often use physical effects to form the 6. when they shoot the scenes. There are many types

of 7. . They use sprinklers to create rain which is likely to be warmed before shooting in order that actors

are 8. . Besides, they may mix substances together or even use 9. such as ships or vessels to
illustrate some water scenes. Wind is often produced by fans or even an airplane engine while fog may come

out from an actor’s mouth thanks to 10. which is carefully wrapped in protective layers. Salt was one

method used to create snow for winter scenes and filmmakers even tried another way, a 11. of white

sand, chalk and crystals. However, a popular way to bring snow to the audiences is 12. which move
like real snow. To make the scenes exactly the same, they also combine computer graphic and physical effects
together. In general, physical effects are important and widely known in movie making these days but they
need thoroughly editing and arranging to produce lively shots.

A miniature models D physical effects G ripped pieces of papers

B atmospheric events E dry ice H stunt coordinator

C comfortable F combination I different substances

Oprah Winfrey

Born in 1954 to an unmarried teenage mother, Oprah Winfrey spent her first years on her grandmother's farm
in Kosciusko, Mississippi, while her mother looked for work in the North. Life on the farm was difficult
and unpleasant but her grandmother taught her to read at an early age, and at the age of 3 Oprah was reciting
poems and Bible verses in local churches. Despite the hardships of her physicalenvironment, she enjoyed
the loving support of her grandmother and the church community, who raised her as a gifted child.

Her world changed for the worse at age 6, when she was sent to Milwaukee to live with her mother, who had
found work as a housemaid. In the long days when her mother was absent from their inner city apartment,
young Oprah was repeatedly abused or attacked by male relatives and other visitors. The abuse, which lasted
from the ages of 9 to 13, was emotionally terrible. When she tried to run away, she was sent to a youth
detention center where young children and adolescents are taught and training. However, she was not allowed
to staybecause all the beds were filled. In 1968, at the age of 14, she was out of the house and on her own.
After giving birth to a baby boy who died at an early age, she went to Nashville, Tennessee to live with her
father.

Vernon Winfrey was a strict disciplinarian but he gave his daughter the safe life she needed. He set many
rules for her and he required her to read a book and write a book report each week. "As strict as he was,"
says Oprah, "he had some concerns about me making the best of my life, and would not accept anything
less than what he thought was my best." In this structured environment, Oprah flourished, and became an
honor student, winning prizes for oratory and dramatic recitation.

In 1971, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty prize and was offered an on-air job at WVOL,
a radio station that works for the African American community in Nashville. She also won a full scholarship to
Tennessee State University, where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts. Oprah
continued to work at WVOL in her first years of college, and her broadcasting career became very successful.
She left school and signed on with a local television station as a reporter and anchor.

In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV News as a co-anchor. There, she co-hosted her first talk
show, People Are Talking, while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. She found a job that
perfectly suited her outgoing, empathetic personality, and word soon spread to other cities. In January
1984, she was invited to Chicago to host a half-hour morning program on WLS-TV. In less than a year, she
turned AM Chicago into the hottest show in town. The format was soon expanded to an hour, and in
September 1985 it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show.
A year later, The Oprah Winfrey Show was broadcast nationally, and quickly became the number one talk
show in national syndication. In 1987, its first year, the show received three Daytime Emmy Awards in
the categories of Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Outstanding Direction. The
following year, in 1988, the show received its second consecutive Emmy as Outstanding Talk/Service
Program, and Oprah herself received the International Radio and Television Society's "Broadcaster of the
Year" Award. She was the youngest person ever to receive the honor.

Questions 1-6

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

1954

Milwauke

on her own

miss black tennessee

1984

1988

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

Questions 7-10

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

7. What does “hardship” in the first paragraph mean?

A. Rich and wealthy family

B. Dirt and pollution

D. Happiness and pleasure

8. What happened to Oprah from her ages of 9 to 13?

A. She entered college.

B. She suffered from sexual abuse.

C. She won a scholarship for her beauty.

D. She was taught and trained by her grandparents.

9. Which of the following Emmy Awards did The Oprah Winfrey Show NOT receive?

A. Outstanding Host

B. Outstanding Talk/Service Program

C. Outstanding Show Producer

D. Outstanding Direction

10. What is the best title for this passage?

A. Oprah Winfrey’s early life

B. Oprah Winfrey’s talents

C. Oprah Winfrey’s successes in her life

D. Oprah Winfrey’s impressive television program