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VOA慢速英语2013 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Women Grow Their Roles in Independent Film Making

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AMERICAN MOSAIC1 - Women Grow Their Roles in Independent Film Making

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I’m June Simms.

Today we hear about Justin Timberlake and play songs from his new album, “The 20/20 Experience.”

And, we hear from a young singer/songwriter who comes from Austin, Texas -- the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World.”

But first we have a report about women in independent film.

The Rise of Women in Independent Film

Independent films made history this year. For the first time, women made half of the American dramatic productions shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The festival took place at the same time as the release of a study on women in American independent films. Kelly Jean Kelly has more.

Ava DuVernay loves making movies. She has directed three documentaries and two feature films, also known as narrative2 films. All were independently produced. She says finding financing is often difficult for women.

“In some cases, male-run institutions or male-run organizations or companies find it challenging to wrap their arms about, ‘I’m giving all this money to a woman to make our thing.’”

Ava DuVernay’s experience appears to confirm the findings of a study about women in independent film. University of Southern California researchers studied films shown at the Sundance Film Festival between 2002 and 2012. The research team found that close to 40 percent of documentary film creators were women. But only about 25 percent of feature films had women in top positions.

Stacy Smith was a lead investigator3 of the study.

“Females were perceived to be not as trustworthy leading a crew. They were perceived to be not as confident handling not only financial matters but also leading the production of the set.”

There have been exceptions, like Kathryn Bigelow. In 2010, she won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Movie for “The Hurt Locker4.” Her film told about American soldiers in Iraq.

And Zoe Kazan was able to find financing for her film “Ruby Sparks,” which was released last year. She wrote and starred in the film.

The USC researchers spoke5 with about 50 film industry leaders and content creators who detailed6 the barriers women face in movie-making. Most of those questioned are women. Again, Stacy Smith.

“One of their chief obstacles is convincing male-dominated financiers and male-dominated decision-makers of their ability to helm a project and carry it through to commercial viability7.”

Narrative films depend on financial support from producers or investors8 who are seeking to make profit. Documentaries often get financing from non-profit groups and investors who care about the subject of the film. Women are more successful in getting funding for documentaries.

Keri Putnam is with the Sundance Institute. She says there are plans to train women about finance.

“Understanding the financing models, understanding how to ask for money, having the courage, the familiarity and the experience going in and teeing up for funding, that’s something training can provide.”

The study suggests people should be educated about the inequality between men and women in independent feature films. It says this could help more women reach the success and critical praise enjoyed by Kathryn Bigelow.

Boy Musician Plays at South by Southwest

The city of Austin, Texas, calls itself “The Live Music Capital of the World.” Austin supports a large number of local music artists. One of the newest is a teenager. William Graham is the 13-year old-son of Jon Dee Graham, a well-known local musician. The boy made his first public appearance at the city’s “South by Southwest” festival.

The Saxon Pub put established Texas singers and their musical children together on the same stage.

“Please welcome John Dee Graham and his son, William.”

Being with well-known musicians seems natural for William. His father says he grew up among them.

“His first question, when he was learning to talk and he would meet someone, he would go up ‘what do you play?’ because he thought everybody was a musician.”

William Graham is now a skilled guitar player and writes his own songs.

“I have always been around music and I have always loved going to shows and listening to music.”

But he also enjoys some quiet time in one of Austin’s nature conservation areas. There he has time to think about his music, his writing and his other interests.

"Architecture and engineering and environmental architecture.”

William Graham has taken classes in these subjects at Northwestern University’s program for gifted and talented youth. But he has also had to deal with a bone disorder9 that kept him out of competitive sports.

“It has been hard living and not being able to do the things that other kids have done and I have always observed the world in a certain way and it just gave me all this different stuff I wanted to write about.”

William Graham has shown understanding for people suffering from difficulties and abuse. One of his songs is about children trapped in wars in Africa.

“It is raising awareness10 about African child soldiers and the children who are being taken away from their homes and given guns to go and fight in an army.”

William credits his father for some his musical creations. But, Jon Dee Graham says he provides little guidance to the teenager.

“As little as possible because, as an artist, he needs to find his own way, and he is, and as a kid, he has to find his own way, and he is.”

Together, the Grahams carry on a family music tradition.

Justin Timberlake “The 20/20 Experience”

Not surprisingly, Justin Timberlake is holding the number-one position on Billboard’s Top Two Hundred albums chart for a second week. The 32-year-old artist released his new album “The 20/20 Experience,” last month. Christopher Cruise has some news about the singer and plays some of the new album.

“The 20/20 Experience” is already a platinum-rated record. More than one million copies of the album sold before it was even on the market two weeks. The success of the first single from the album helped push sales. Here is “Suit & Tie.”

Timberlake worked with one of the industry’s major powers, Jay-Z, on “The 20/20 Experience.” In a recent interview, Timberlake said he and Jay-Z have always had a great relationship. He said they had similar personalities11. “Very relaxed. Easy-going,” he said.

Justin Timberlake has made only three albums in his 11-year solo recording12 career. However, he is still hugely popular. Along with his success in the music industry, he has won praise for his acting13 in several Hollywood movies.

Timberlake will hit a new high next week when he performs at the White House. He will be among several musicians honoring one of President Obama’s favorite singers, Al Green. The concert takes place April ninth. It will be broadcast on American public television, April sixteenth.

We leave you with “Mirrors” from Justin Timberlake’s latest album, “The 20/20 Experience.”


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mosaic CEExS     
n./adj.镶嵌细工的,镶嵌工艺品的,嵌花式的
参考例句:
  • The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
  • The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。
2 narrative CFmxS     
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的
参考例句:
  • He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
  • Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。
3 investigator zRQzo     
n.研究者,调查者,审查者
参考例句:
  • He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
  • The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。
4 locker 8pzzYm     
n.更衣箱,储物柜,冷藏室,上锁的人
参考例句:
  • At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
  • He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。
5 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
6 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
7 viability FiHwY     
n.存活(能力)
参考例句:
  • What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么?
  • Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说,科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。
8 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
9 disorder Et1x4     
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调
参考例句:
  • When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后,他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
  • It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。
10 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
11 personalities ylOzsg     
n. 诽谤,(对某人容貌、性格等所进行的)人身攻击; 人身攻击;人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
  • Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
12 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
13 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。

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