6 Writing A report

6 Writing A report
SPEAKING
READING
1
Think of a film or TV documentary you've seen
recently which showed some spectacular scenery. Use
the questions to prepare to tell a partner about it.
1
2
W h a t was it about?
What was the scenery like?
3
Was the scenery central to the film or was it just a
backdrop?
Do y o u k n o w where it was filmed?
Is this information important i n order to understand
the film?
4
5
2
Work in pairs. Tell your partner about your film, then
answer these questions.
•
Have y o u seen the film or documentary your partner
described?
If yes, d i d y o u enjoy it too?
If not, w o u l d y o u like to see it? W h y or w h y not?
•
»
Preliminary location report:
1
Complete the film location report with the headings
a-e.
a
Accommodation
d
Location
b
c
Description
Facilities
e
Other important information
2
The producer of the film made some notes as she
was reading the report. Put the questions in the order
in which she wrote them.
LJ
C o u l d we get permission to build a small road?
Do the local people have experience of this k i n d of
work?
•
EH
•
H o w cold is it up there i n the winter?
H o w m u c h w o u l d it cost per night for the entire team?
W h a t sort of training are they t h i n k i n g of?
3
Work in pairs. If you were film producers, which of the
questions in exercise 2 would be most important to
you?
ROCCA CALASCIO
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide basic information about
the suitability of Rocca Calascio as a location.
1
The ruined castle of Rocca Calascio is dramatically situated in the
Gran Sasso mountains of central Italy. It stands at the top of a
mountain 1,400 metres above sea level and is surrounded by other
snow-covered peaks. The castle overlooks the picturesque village
of Calascio and has spectacular views of the valleys below.
2
Although Rocca Calascio lies above the snowline in the winter, it
can easily be reached by car at any time of year. Road connections
are good and Rome, with its two international airports, is only a
short drive away.
3
The village of Calascio offers only very limited accommodation
with no email or internet facilities. However, the neighbouring
town of L'Aquila, with a good range of four and five-star hotels,
could easily accommodate all the staff and cast.
4
The village and castle have both power and water supplies
provided by the local council. There are no roads leading
through the village or up to the castle so all equipment
will need to be carried by hand.
One of the conditions for obtaining permission to film is that we
work closely with the local employment office in recruiting extras
and catering staff. We will also be expected to cooperate with
the local film school in L'Aquila offering training sessions for bofstudents and teaching staff.
Conclusion
Despite some practical difficulties, I would recommend that we
include Rocca Calascio on our short list of possible locations and
commission a fuller report.
A report
LANGUAGE FOCUS
5
Writing 6
Work in pairs. Insert the name of a village or
small town in your country in the yellow
1
1
Put the phrases below into two groups: (a) beginning a report,
box. Then complete each sentence in three
(b) ending a report.
different ways.
M y o w n v i e w is that Rocca Calascio w o u l d (not) be a n
1
appropriate location.
is extremely picturesque,
although ...
2
This report outlines the advantages a n d disadvantages o f . . .
3
The information b e l o w provides essential information about ...
4
The purpose of this report is to examine the suitability o f . . .
5
T a k i n g everything into consideration, Rocca Calascio w o u l d
6
T o s u m u p , it m a y be concluded that ...
2
Complete the text with words from the box.
2
It is popular w i t h tourists i n the summer.
However, ...
3
Despite the fact that ... , it . . .
(not) seem to be suitable for our purposes.
WRITING
1
Work in groups. A film company is looking
for a range of interesting locations in your
drive
neighbouring
situated
stands
offer
surrounded
area. They have asked you to write a report
overlooks
on one of them. Follow the steps below to
views
help you prepare your report.
1
~ p h e village of
J . Beynac
(1)
o n the River
Dordogne i n the
south-west of
France. The castle
is (2)
nn a rnrk w h i c h
r
village a n d has breathtaking (4)
of the
river valley.
Beynac is (5)
b y beautifully unspoilt
countryside, b u t the major cities of Bordeaux a n d
Toulouse are o n l v a short (6)
awav. The
village of Beynac a n d the (7)
t o w n of
Sarlat (8)
a wide choice of a c c o m m o d a t i o n
and restaurants.
3
Work in pairs. Think of a village that you know. Describe its
location using the language in exercise 2 .
Decide o n a location a n d the k i n d of f i l m it
w o u l d be suitable for
2
Choose five adjectives that describe the
location
3
Write a sentence describing the location to
4
M a k e notes o n its precise location a n d
someone w h o ' s never seen it before
distance from major towns and airports
5
6
The type of ac c ommodation i n the area
Facilities that w i l l be useful to the f i l m
crew (electricity, r u n n i n g water, etc)
7
A n y other information that might be
important
2
Use your ideas from exercise l to write the
report.
REMEMBER
•
TO ...
use clear headings and subheadings.
•
explain the purpose of the report.
•
recommend the location.
•
suggest any f o l l o w - u p action.
•
use any useful expressions from the
Language focus section.
4
Choose the correct word to complete the sentences.
1
Although / Despite / However Rocca Calascio lies above the
2
T h e village of Calascio offers only l i m i t e d accommodation.
•
check your spelling a n d punctuation.
snowline, it can easily be reached b y car.
Although
/ Despite / However, L ' A q u i l a could easily
accommodate a l l the staff.
3
Although
/ Despite / However some practical difficulties, I
w o u l d recommend that w e include Rocca Calascio o n our short
list of possible locations.
137
Writing A report
SPEAKING
1 Although
2 However
3 Despite
• Students think of a film or T V documentary that they've
seen recently, w h i c h showed spectacular scenery. They
read the questions and make notes about the film or T V
documentary so that they can tell a partner about it.
Pairwork. Students think of different village or small t o w n
from the one they described i n exercise 3, that is i n their
o w n country, and write its name i n the yellow box. They
then complete each sentence i n three different ways.
2
• Pairwork. Students take it i n turns to tell their partner
about their f i l m , using the notes they made i n exercise 1.
Their partner then answers the questions i n exercise 2.
WRITING
READING
Students complete the film location report w i t h the
headings a-e.
lb
2d
3a
4c
Se
• Students put the notes the producer made about the film
location report i n the order i n w h i c h she wrote them. Point
out to the students that she does not make notes on one of
the sections, and makes two notes o n another section.
Correct order: 3 , 4 , 1, 2, 5
Pairwork. Students look back at the questions i n exercise
2 and imagine they are film producers. They choose the
question w h i c h they think is most important to them if
they were the film producer.
L A N G U A G E FOCUS
• Students divide the phrases into the two groups depending
on whether they a) begin or b) end a report.
a) 2 , 3 , 4
b) 1 , 5 , 6
Students complete the text w i t h the words i n the box.
They can then compare their answers with a partner
before y o u check w i t h the class.
1
2
3
4
stands
situated
overlooks
views
5
6
7
8
surrounded
drive
neighbouring
offer
Pairwork. Students think of a village that they k n o w well
(it doesn't have to be i n their o w n country), a n d describe
it to their partner, using the language i n exercise 2.
Students choose the correct w o r d to complete the
sentences.
188
» G r o u p w o r k . Put students into small groups. Tell them
that they are going to write a film location report. They
read the instructions and follow the steps to prepare
their report.
i
• Students n o w write their report, using their ideas from
exercise 1.
• Refer students to the Remember to ... box at the bottom of
the page to help them write their report.
• Students could write the report i n class or for homework.
Sample
answer
Preliminary location report: stately home, Oxfordshire
The report below provides information about a potential
location for the opening exterior shots for the drama
series, Country Life.
1 Description
This superb m a n s i o n house is situated i n extensive
gardens, set well back from the m a i n road. It has 400
acres of w o o d l a n d a n d landscaped gardens featuring
lawns, avenues and a lake.
2 Facilities
It is currently being used as a hotel and conference
centre and has been used before o n three occasions as
a T V or film location. It has all the facilities one c o u l d
expect of a five-star hotel, as w e l l as a helipad.
3 Accommodation
The rooms a n d catering services available are of a very
high standard and the centre w o u l d be able to house all
the crew and cast.
4 Location
T h e centre is located 50 miles from the studios i n L o n d o n
and is easily accessible from the M 4 0 motorway.
Conclusion
F r o m this preliminary report it w o u l d seem that the site
is suitable for our purposes a n d I r e c o m m e n d organizing
a visit before c o m m i s s i o n i n g a further report.