April 18, 2025 • 10 mins
Gillian Woodward and Roger Basick share with us about the successful career of film producer, Steven Spielberg.
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https://spotlightenglish.com/uncategorized/steven-spielberg/
Download our app for Android at http://bit.ly/spotlight-android
Download our app for iOS at http://bit.ly/spotlight-apple
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spotlightradio
Are you learning English? Are you looking for a way to practice your English? Listen to Spotlight to learn about people and places all around the world. You can learn English words, and even practice English by writing a comment.
Visit our website to follow along with the script: http://spotlightenglish.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Jillian Woodward.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And I'm Roger Basick. Spotlight Advanced uses a special English
method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand
no matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
The mechanical shark did not work. It was built with
gears and bars inside its body. It sank to the
bottom of the ocean. The crew could not do their
work without it. The film was about the shark. The
director needed to finish quickly. The film studio was waiting.
No one thought they could make this film. No one
(00:47):
knew what to do, but the young director had an idea.
He was about to change the film industry.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Today's Spotlight Advanced looks at the powerful impact of two
films directed by Stephen Spielberg. He has made more than
thirty six films in his career, but these two films
were the most important. These films influenced other filmmakers. These
films changed decisions made by film studios. Many now consider
(01:18):
Spielberg the greatest director ever.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
It started in nineteen seventy five with the film Jaws.
Spielberg had made a few other small films before Jaws,
but these other films did not make much money. If
Jaws did not sell many tickets, Spielberg's career might be over.
Film studios would not trust him to make any more films.
He needed success.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Jaws is about a great white shark. The shark attacks
swimmers off the coast of Massachusetts in the United States.
Spielberg had a mechanical shark made for the film, but
they had only tested it in fresh water. The water
off the coast of Massachusetts is salty. When they put
(02:09):
the shark in this salty water, it sank. The salt
damaged the gears inside the shark. The shark was not
ready to be used in the film.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Spielberg needed to save his film. He decided to use
the problem with the shark to his advantage. In Jaws,
he waited to reveal the shark. He only hinted at
its presence. This heightened the feeling of terror. He filmed
underwater shots from the point of view of the shark
as it hunted. He showed only the shark's tail poking
(02:43):
out of the water in a few scenes. The longer
the audience did not see a full view of the shark,
the more their fear grew. It also gave Spielberg and
his crew time to fix the shark. They could use
the shark in the film's later scenes.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Jaws was a huge success. People from all over the
world saw the film. Newspaper reviewers said it was wonderful.
The movie made four hundred and seventy million dollars in
ticket sales. It made more money than any other film
before It created the summer blockbuster. This is a term
(03:26):
given to successful movies in the summer. Before Jaws, not
many people went to theaters in the summer, but Jaws
proved summer films could be very popular. Many studios started
releasing films at the beginning of each summer. Jaws was
so successful that the studio made three sequels. A sequel
(03:50):
is a story that continues from a previous one. All
of the Jaws films made a total of eight hundred
million dollars.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Jaws influenced many other excellent films, but it also made
a different kind of impact. Spielberg used many clever and
creative techniques as a director, but most people focused on
how much money Jaws made. Spielberg's success with the Jaws
movies helped his friend, director George Lucas make the film
(04:24):
Star Wars. The first Star Wars movie was a huge success.
The Star Wars films became another global franchise. A franchise
is a collection of films with the same group of
characters and story. A franchise also includes the games, television shows, toys,
and clothing connected to these characters and their story. The
(04:46):
Star Wars franchise made over ten billion dollars.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
No one had seen this kind of financial success in
films before Steelberg. It changed how film studios viewed possible
new projects. This made many directors, writers and actors upset
with Spielberg. They felt limited in what they could create.
Film studios rejected many projects because studios did not think
(05:14):
these other film projects could make much money. The quality
of scripts and stories suffered. Writer Daniel Dakery said.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
In fact, some say jaws huge success ruined Hollywood. It
pushed studios away from artistic projects. Now few things matter
more than opening weekend numbers, advertising and summer blockbuster season.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Spielberg continued to make very successful movies. Several of his films,
such as e T The Extraterrestrial, Indiana, Jones and The
Raiders of the Lost Arc and Jurassic Park were incredibly popular,
Spielberg made many sequels over the next forty years. These
franchises sold toys, video games, and clothing related to these films.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Other film studios wanted to make as much money they
wanted franchises. A franchise meant that studios could make sequels,
They could sell merchandise. They could even create amusement park attractions,
video games, comic books, and television series. Studios could also
re release earlier films to celebrate the franchise's newest film.
(06:32):
A franchise makes much more money than just one film.
The Jurassic Park franchise made over six billion dollars. The
Indiana Jones franchise made over two billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
But Spielberg was more than a director who made blockbuster
movies that started franchises. He could do more than make
a lot of money. He was an artist. Nearly twenty
years after he made Jaws, released a new film. This
film showed the world he was one of the greatest
directors ever. Many people called it his best film. The
(07:10):
American Film Institute named it the eighth greatest film ever made.
The United States National Film Registry chose it for special
preservation in two thousand and four, the United States Library
of Congress officially declared it historically and culturally significant. It
is the film Schindler's List.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Schindler's List was based on a true story. During World
War II, Nazi Germany tried to kill all the Jewish
people in Europe. This was called the Holocaust, but not
all Germans agreed with the Holocaust. Oscar Schindler was a businessman.
(07:53):
He saved many Jews by hiring them to work for him.
This helped keep them from being sent away to be killed.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
The movie was a success commercially, it made more than
three hundred and twenty million dollars. But this time, Spielberg
also received praise from film reviewers. They loved his storytelling.
They praised his choice to film in black and white
with only symbolic use of color. This choice fit the
(08:22):
film's serious attitude. Film writer Richard Props said.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
It is Spielberg's finest work. I doubt he will make
another as great. Schindler's List is more than a film.
It is a life experience of great depth and beauty
and greatness.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Schindler's List won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the
highest honor for a film. Spielberg also won the Academy
Award for Best Director. Spielberg later said he thought it
was his best film. Schindler's List led to greater understanding
the Holocaust. It educated audiences about the Nazi plan to
(09:09):
kill the Jewish people. The film industry now honored Spielberg's
work with many awards. For this film, he was considered
the best director in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Spielberg directed more films after Schindler's List that reviewers and
audience is respected, such as Saving Private Ryan. He won
many more awards. His films inspired the next generation of directors.
He was no longer the young man who needed a
quick idea to fix his mechanical shark. He was the
(09:45):
master director with all the great ideas.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Have you ever seen Jaws or Schindler's List? Have you
seen any of Steven Spielberg's other films? What's your favorite
Spielberg film? Leave a comment on our website at www
dot Spotlight English dot com. You can also find us
on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Blue Sky.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
And x.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
You can also get our programs delivered directly to your
Android Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer
was mitchio Ozarki. The voices you heard were from the
United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted
for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is
called Steven Spielberg.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
We hope you can join us again for the next
Spotlight Advance program. Goodbye,
Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Jillian Woodward.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And I'm Roger Basick. Spotlight Advanced uses a special English
method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand
no matter where in the world they live.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
The mechanical shark did not work. It was built with
gears and bars inside its body. It sank to the
bottom of the ocean. The crew could not do their
work without it. The film was about the shark. The
director needed to finish quickly. The film studio was waiting.
No one thought they could make this film. No one
(00:47):
knew what to do, but the young director had an idea.
He was about to change the film industry.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Today's Spotlight Advanced looks at the powerful impact of two
films directed by Stephen Spielberg. He has made more than
thirty six films in his career, but these two films
were the most important. These films influenced other filmmakers. These
films changed decisions made by film studios. Many now consider
(01:18):
Spielberg the greatest director ever.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
It started in nineteen seventy five with the film Jaws.
Spielberg had made a few other small films before Jaws,
but these other films did not make much money. If
Jaws did not sell many tickets, Spielberg's career might be over.
Film studios would not trust him to make any more films.
He needed success.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Jaws is about a great white shark. The shark attacks
swimmers off the coast of Massachusetts in the United States.
Spielberg had a mechanical shark made for the film, but
they had only tested it in fresh water. The water
off the coast of Massachusetts is salty. When they put
(02:09):
the shark in this salty water, it sank. The salt
damaged the gears inside the shark. The shark was not
ready to be used in the film.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Spielberg needed to save his film. He decided to use
the problem with the shark to his advantage. In Jaws,
he waited to reveal the shark. He only hinted at
its presence. This heightened the feeling of terror. He filmed
underwater shots from the point of view of the shark
as it hunted. He showed only the shark's tail poking
(02:43):
out of the water in a few scenes. The longer
the audience did not see a full view of the shark,
the more their fear grew. It also gave Spielberg and
his crew time to fix the shark. They could use
the shark in the film's later scenes.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Jaws was a huge success. People from all over the
world saw the film. Newspaper reviewers said it was wonderful.
The movie made four hundred and seventy million dollars in
ticket sales. It made more money than any other film
before It created the summer blockbuster. This is a term
(03:26):
given to successful movies in the summer. Before Jaws, not
many people went to theaters in the summer, but Jaws
proved summer films could be very popular. Many studios started
releasing films at the beginning of each summer. Jaws was
so successful that the studio made three sequels. A sequel
(03:50):
is a story that continues from a previous one. All
of the Jaws films made a total of eight hundred
million dollars.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Jaws influenced many other excellent films, but it also made
a different kind of impact. Spielberg used many clever and
creative techniques as a director, but most people focused on
how much money Jaws made. Spielberg's success with the Jaws
movies helped his friend, director George Lucas make the film
(04:24):
Star Wars. The first Star Wars movie was a huge success.
The Star Wars films became another global franchise. A franchise
is a collection of films with the same group of
characters and story. A franchise also includes the games, television shows, toys,
and clothing connected to these characters and their story. The
(04:46):
Star Wars franchise made over ten billion dollars.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
No one had seen this kind of financial success in
films before Steelberg. It changed how film studios viewed possible
new projects. This made many directors, writers and actors upset
with Spielberg. They felt limited in what they could create.
Film studios rejected many projects because studios did not think
(05:14):
these other film projects could make much money. The quality
of scripts and stories suffered. Writer Daniel Dakery said.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
In fact, some say jaws huge success ruined Hollywood. It
pushed studios away from artistic projects. Now few things matter
more than opening weekend numbers, advertising and summer blockbuster season.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Spielberg continued to make very successful movies. Several of his films,
such as e T The Extraterrestrial, Indiana, Jones and The
Raiders of the Lost Arc and Jurassic Park were incredibly popular,
Spielberg made many sequels over the next forty years. These
franchises sold toys, video games, and clothing related to these films.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Other film studios wanted to make as much money they
wanted franchises. A franchise meant that studios could make sequels,
They could sell merchandise. They could even create amusement park attractions,
video games, comic books, and television series. Studios could also
re release earlier films to celebrate the franchise's newest film.
(06:32):
A franchise makes much more money than just one film.
The Jurassic Park franchise made over six billion dollars. The
Indiana Jones franchise made over two billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
But Spielberg was more than a director who made blockbuster
movies that started franchises. He could do more than make
a lot of money. He was an artist. Nearly twenty
years after he made Jaws, released a new film. This
film showed the world he was one of the greatest
directors ever. Many people called it his best film. The
(07:10):
American Film Institute named it the eighth greatest film ever made.
The United States National Film Registry chose it for special
preservation in two thousand and four, the United States Library
of Congress officially declared it historically and culturally significant. It
is the film Schindler's List.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Schindler's List was based on a true story. During World
War II, Nazi Germany tried to kill all the Jewish
people in Europe. This was called the Holocaust, but not
all Germans agreed with the Holocaust. Oscar Schindler was a businessman.
(07:53):
He saved many Jews by hiring them to work for him.
This helped keep them from being sent away to be killed.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
The movie was a success commercially, it made more than
three hundred and twenty million dollars. But this time, Spielberg
also received praise from film reviewers. They loved his storytelling.
They praised his choice to film in black and white
with only symbolic use of color. This choice fit the
(08:22):
film's serious attitude. Film writer Richard Props said.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
It is Spielberg's finest work. I doubt he will make
another as great. Schindler's List is more than a film.
It is a life experience of great depth and beauty
and greatness.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Schindler's List won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the
highest honor for a film. Spielberg also won the Academy
Award for Best Director. Spielberg later said he thought it
was his best film. Schindler's List led to greater understanding
the Holocaust. It educated audiences about the Nazi plan to
(09:09):
kill the Jewish people. The film industry now honored Spielberg's
work with many awards. For this film, he was considered
the best director in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Spielberg directed more films after Schindler's List that reviewers and
audience is respected, such as Saving Private Ryan. He won
many more awards. His films inspired the next generation of directors.
He was no longer the young man who needed a
quick idea to fix his mechanical shark. He was the
(09:45):
master director with all the great ideas.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Have you ever seen Jaws or Schindler's List? Have you
seen any of Steven Spielberg's other films? What's your favorite
Spielberg film? Leave a comment on our website at www
dot Spotlight English dot com. You can also find us
on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Blue Sky.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
And x.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
You can also get our programs delivered directly to your
Android Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer
was mitchio Ozarki. The voices you heard were from the
United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted
for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is
called Steven Spielberg.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
We hope you can join us again for the next
Spotlight Advance program. Goodbye,
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