B) Read the text and answer the questions above.

All this coordinated effort, involving perhaps hundreds of workers, results in many thousands of feet of exposed film and recorded sound-on-tape. For every shot called for in the script or storyboard, the director usually makes several takes, or unique versions, of that shot. For instance, if the finished film requires one shot of an actor saying a line, the director may make several takes of that speech, each time asking the actor to vary the delivery. Not all takes are printed, and only one of those becomes the shot included in the finished film. Extra footage can be used in coming-attractions trailers and electronic press kits.

Because shooting usually proceeds out of continuity, the director and crew must have some way of labeling each take. As soon as the camera starts, one of the cinematographer’s staff holds up a slate before the lens. On the slate is written the production scene, shot, and take. A hinged arm at the top, the clapboard, makes a sharp smack which allows the recordist to synchronize the soundtrack with the footage in the assembly phase. Thus every take is identified for future reference. There are also electronic slates which keep track of each take automatically and provide digital readouts.

In filming a scene, most directors and technicians follow an organized procedure. While crews set up the lighting and test the sound recording, the director rehearses the actors and instructs the cinematographer. The director then supervises the filming of a master shot. The master shot typically records the entire action and dialogue of the scene. There may be several takes of the master shot. Then portions of the scene are restaged and shot in closer views or from different angles. These shots are called coverage, and each one may require many takes. Today most directors shoot a great deal of coverage, often by using two or more cameras filming at the same time. The script supervisor checks to ensure that continuity details are consistent within all these shots.

When special effects are to be included, the shooting phase must carefully plan for them. In many cases, actors will be filmed against neutral blue backgrounds so that their figures may be inserted into computer-created settings. Or the director will film performers with the understanding that other material will be composited into the frame.