Daily English 1211 Watching Movie and TV Franchises

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:29
Explanation begins at: 3:45
Normal Speed begins at: 15:00

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,211 – Watching Movie and TV Franchises.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,211. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Ursula and Ian about watching movies and TV shows that are based on similar stories and similar characters. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Ursula: Weren’t you watching this same movie yesterday?

Ian: No, this is the sequel. Yesterday, I watched Aims Pond. This is Aims Pond: Super Spy.

Ursula: Wasn’t this originally a TV show?

Ian: Actually, it was originally a novel, which was adapted into a long-running TV show. Then, it was turned into a movie franchise. The new installment is coming out next month and I can’t wait!

Ursula: The latest installment? I thought it was just a trilogy.

Ian: No, the original film has spawned four sequels and two prequels so far.

Ursula: So you’re watching all the films again?

Ian: That’s right, but I’m not stopping there. I’m watching all of the TV show episodes again, too. And if I have time, I’ll even watch the spin-off.

Ursula: Spin-off? I didn’t know there had been a spin-off.

Ian: There was. Aims Pond’s brother got his own show: Jaime Pond: Building Inspector. It wasn’t very successful.

Ursula: I guess we can call you a superfan.

Ian: That’s right. I’m a superfan of the super spy!

[end of dialogue]

This episode is all about “franchises” (franchises). “Franchises” are films, television shows, video games, and other products that all have the same characters and the same or similar stories. You can think of, for example, the Star Wars franchise – there are many different Star Wars movies – or perhaps the Jason Bourne franchise. There are novels with Jason Bourne and then there were movies with Jason Bourne. These are all part of a “franchise” – a similar set of stories and characters.

Ursula begins our dialogue by saying, “Weren’t you watching this same movie yesterday?” Ian says, “No, this is the sequel (sequel).” A “sequel” is a show or a movie that continues the story from the previous show or movie. So you have the first Star Wars movie and then you have a sequel, which continues the story. It tells you what happens after the end of the first movie, in effect.

Nowadays we also have what are called “prequels” (prequels). A “prequel” is a show or a movie that says, or tells you, what happens before the original movie. And of course, Star Wars has sequels and prequels. Star Trek, another popular franchise that began as a television show and then became a set of movies, has prequels and sequels also.

Ian is watching a sequel. He says, “Yesterday, I watched Aims Pond. This is Aims Pond: Super Spy.” A “spy” (spy) is a person whose job it is to discover secrets of another country or even another company. Ursula says, “Wasn’t this originally a TV show?” That is, wasn’t this story first on a TV show before it was in a movie. Ian says, “Actually, it was originally a novel.” A “novel” (novel) is, of course, a fictional book. Harry Potter was originally a character in the novels which were later made into movies.

Another way of saying “made into” is “adapted (adapted) into.” You can have a story that begins as a novel that is “adapted into a movie” – or in the case of our dialogue, “adapted into a long-running TV show.” “Long-running” means it was on television for many years, in this case. “Then,” Ian says, “it was turned into a movie franchise.” “To be turned into” here means something similar to “to be made into” or “to be adapted into.” It just means to be changed into something. In this case, the TV show was turned into a movie franchise.

Ian says, “The new installment is coming out next month and I can’t wait.” The “new installment” (installment) is the new, in this case, “movie.” The “new installment” is the new part or the new version of some television show, movie, or book series. “The new installment is coming out,” meaning it will be released. You will be able to watch it next month.

“The latest installment?” Ursula asks. “I thought it was a trilogy.” A “trilogy” (trilogy) is a group of three related books, movies, or stories. The Lord of the Rings was a trilogy. There were three parts to it. There was The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Those three movies were part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Ursula is confused because she thought that the series that Ian was watching with Aims Pond was a trilogy, and therefore there were no more installments to be released. Ian says, “No, the original film has spawned four sequels and two prequels so far.” The verb “to spawn” (spawn) means to produce or to generate. The verb is often used in cases like this when something produces or generates many different additional parts or additional installments. This original movie, according to Ian, “spawned four sequels and two prequels.”

Ursula says, “So, you’re watching all the films again?” Ian says, “That’s right, but I’m not stopping there. I’m watching all of the TV show episodes again, too.” So Ian is going back and watching all of the movies that are part of this franchise and the original TV episodes that came before the movies. “And,” he adds, “if I have time, I’ll even watch the spin-off.”

A “spin-off” (spin-off) is a product that is associated with the original show or movie – another show or movie typically that is based on, or comes from, a story or a character in another book, TV show, or movie. “Spin-offs” were quite popular in the 1970s and ’80s in American television. If there was a very popular TV show, sometimes they would take one of the characters from that TV show and make a whole new show, an additional show based just on that character.

So for example, there was a popular TV show in the 1970s called All in the Family. Well, that was such a popular TV show that the television studio, the company that made that TV show, decided to produce a new show that was based on one of the characters in that show called George Jefferson. And so we had a show called The Jeffersons. And then I think there might have been a spin-off from that show as well.

Sometimes you have spin-offs of spin-offs – television shows that take characters from other television shows. Spin-offs can also happen in the movie industry, where a character from a popular movie gets his or her own movie. Ursula says, “Spin-off? I didn’t know there had been a spin-off.” Ian says, “There was. Aims Pond’s brother got his own show: Jaime Pond: Building Inspector. It wasn’t very successful.”

Ian is talking about this fictional franchise that he is watching. It’s based on a character named Aims Pond. Well, Aims Pond has a brother, and that brother got his own spin-off movie, “Jaime Pond: Building Inspector.” A “building inspector” is a person who has the job of going into a building or a house and making sure that it is safe. Ian says the spin-off wasn’t very successful.

Ursula says, “I guess we can call you a superfan.” A “superfan” is a person who is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about something. If you, for example, love watching all of the Game of Thrones TV shows, but you also read about them and you go back and read all the books and you follow the different bloggers about that particular series, you might be a superfan. You love that series so much that you want to know everything about it.

Ian says, “That’s right. I’m a superfan of the super spy!” The word “super” (super) is often used to mean great or wonderful. It can also mean, as it does here, the best of a certain category. So a “super spy” would be one of the best spies in the world. Ian is a “superfan” of the “super spy,” Aims Pond, who should not be confused with the character James Bond. That’s a completely different franchise.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Ursula: Weren’t you watching this same movie yesterday?

Ian: No, this is the sequel. Yesterday, I watched Aims Pond. This is Aims Pond: Super Spy.

Ursula: Wasn’t this originally a TV show?

Ian: Actually, it was originally a novel, which was adapted into a long-running TV show. Then, it was turned into a movie franchise. The new installment is coming out next month and I can’t wait!

Ursula: The latest installment? I thought it was just a trilogy.

Ian: No, the original film has spawned four sequels and two prequels so far.

Ursula: So you’re watching all the films again?

Ian: That’s right, but I’m not stopping there. I’m watching all of the TV show episodes again, too. And if I have time, I’ll even watch the spin-off.

Ursula: Spin-off? I didn’t know there had been a spin-off.

Ian: There was. Aims Pond’s brother got his own show: Jaime Pond: Building Inspector. It wasn’t very successful.

Ursula: I guess we can call you a superfan.

Ian: That’s right. I’m a superfan of the super spy!

[end of dialogue]

The scriptwriter for one of the longest-running podcasts in the history of the Internet (it’s true), is Dr. Lucy Tse, the scriptwriter right here on ESL Podcast.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m the host of one of the longest-running podcasts on the Internet, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, and I thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again, won’t you? Right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

sequel – a show or movie that continues the story from a previous show or movie, showing what happens next

* That movie was so exciting! I can’t wait for the sequel to find out what happens next to the main character.

spy – a person who engages in espionage; a person whose job is to discover the secrets of other countries or companies

* Kent is always sneaking into locked rooms and looking through other people’s drawers. He would be a great spy.

novel – a fictional book; a long, book-length written story

* Pride and Prejudice is Irina’s favorite novel.

to be adapted into – to be changed and made appropriate for some other forum or medium, such as when a book is changed to make a TV show

* This TV series should be adapted into a series of books for children.

long-running – aired or shown for a long period of time; shown on TV for many years

* The Brady Bunch is a long-running sitcom about an American family with six children.

to be turned into – to become something; to change in some way, adopting a new identity

* Who came up with the idea of having these warehouses be turned into luxury condos?

movie franchise – films, shows, video games, and related products that are all about the same characters and stories

* Hollywood studios dream about creating the next great movie franchise.

installment – one part of a TV, movie, or book series

* Customers formed long lines at bookstores, waiting to buy the next installment of the popular teen series.

trilogy – a group of three related books or movies that tell related stories about the same group of characters

* The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy comprising The Fellowship of the Ring,

The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

to spawn – to produce, reproduce, or generate; to lead to the creation of something

* Those viruses have spawned a lot of public health concerns.

prequel – a show or movie whose story comes before the story found in the previous show or movie, showing what happened earlier

* The movie begins when the characters are already old. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see a prequel that shows their experiences up to that point?

spin-off – a product that is associated with the original show or movie, using one or more of the same characters in a different but possibly related story

* Joey was a spin-off from the popular TV show Friends.

building inspector – a person whose job is to make sure that buildings are safe and that they are built according to all laws and regulations

* The building inspector approved our electrical system, but said that we need to install some wheelchair ramps for the front entrance.

superfan – a person who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about something

* Manny is a superfan who can remember all the scores for every game the team has ever played.

Comprehension Questions

1. Which of these presents the earliest part of a story?
a) A sequel
b) An installment
c) A prequel

2. What is Jaime Pond: Building Inspector about?
a) It tells the story of what happened before Aims Pond.
b) It tells the story of what happened to Aims Pond’s brother.
c) It tells an unrelated story by the same scriptwriter.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

to be turned into

The phrase “to be turned into,” in this podcast, means to become something or to change in some way, adopting a new identity: “No one expected our small town to be turned into such a popular tourist destination.” The phrase “to turn off” means to make someone lose his or her sexual attraction to another person: “Barney’s habit of burping really turns off women.” The phrase “to turn (someone) away” means to refuse to help someone: “They were turned away from the homeless shelter because there weren’t any more beds that night.” The phrase “to turn up” means to find or discover: “Have the police turned up any new evidence in the case?” Finally, the phrase “to turn in” means to go to bed: “I’m tired, so I’m going to turn in. Good night.”

spin-off

In this podcast, the phrase “spin-off” means a product that is associated with the original show or movie, using one or more of the same characters in a different but possibly related story: “Spin-offs are rarely as good as the original shows.” In business, a “spin-off” is part of a company that becomes a separate, independent company: “Have you thought about making the retail stores a spin-off so that we can focus more on manufacturing?” The phrase “to spin out” means for a car to move in a tight circle when the driver loses control: “The roads were icy this morning, and many cars spun out.” Finally, the phrase “to spin (one’s) wheels” means to try to do something without much success or progress: “We’ve been trying to expand the business, but so far we’re just spinning our wheels.”

Culture Note

Movie Merchandizing and Tie-Ins

Movies used to be a form of entertainment, but they are “increasingly” (more and more) viewed as opportunities for “profitable” (making a lot of money) merchandizing and tie-ins.

For example, the popular “cartoon” (movie or TV show made with drawings, not actors) Toy Story and its sequels has spawned a lot of movie merchandizing opportunities. Almost all of the characters have been made into “toys” (objects for children to play with), and young fans of the movie often “clamor” (loudly demand or ask for) for their parents to buy the toys for them.

Many other children’s movies have merchandising in “collaboration” (cooperating; joint work) with fast food restaurants. Customers can buy “children’s meals,” which are packages of smaller “portions” (serving sizes) of popular children’s foods along with a small toy that is often related to a character in a popular movie. In some cases, the merchandise seems to “drive” (cause to increase) “box office receipts” (how much money is made from people seeing a movie) more than the movie drives purchases of the merchandise.

Food companies often profit from “tie-ins,” or opportunities to have their products seen and “promoted” (advertised) in movies. For example, in the well-known movie E.T., the characters made a “trail” (path) of Reese’s Pieces candies for the “extra-terrestrial” (alien; a living being from another planet) to follow, and sales of the candies “skyrocketed” (increased significantly in a very short period of time) by 65%.

Inspired by that success, food companies now actively “seek” (look for) “product placements,” or opportunities to have actors “consume” (eat or drink) or “otherwise” (in some other way) interact with their products “on screen” (in a movie or TV show).

Comprehension Answers

1 - c

2 - b