Int. So Edward, you make animated films. Can you talk a little bit about it?

Edward: Well, everybody knows the computer animation that is now widely used to make cartoon films. I work with less popular animating technique – what they call paint-on-glass animation. The Other Side of the Volcano is my very first attempt to animate by painting on glass. Every time it is shown on the big screen, I cannot help seeing every single mistake I made. It’s really embarrassing.

Int. What did it feel like working on this film?

Edward: It was such a risky venture for me, full of discoveries but also very frustrating. All I knew when I started the film, was that would be very hard, and that I would need a lot of self-discipline, endurance and concentration. First priority for me was physical comfort. Aside from having a bed close by, I designed my own animation table so that my assistant Annabel and I could work face to face, sitting down comfortably, and with the trigger of the second-hand Bolex camera not too high for our fingers to reach.

Int. What makes this technique so special?

Edward: The general method of this technique is to work directly under the camera. Although it does not give an opportunity to achieve the quality of a finished painting in each shot, but it gives me wonderful opportunities for variations on a subject. I love working with living ideas, and making transformations during the filming process. As for The Other Side of the Volcano, I made a storyboard, but how the next scene would work was …well … decided as we went along. Sometimes, one second of transition would take me one entire day to accomplish. If I was not in the best of moods, the transitions became awkward and less imaginative.

Int. Do you use inks of paints?

Edward: Actually, such work is a process, where one has to solve current creative and technical tasks on each shot. I did some tests with inks, water-based paints and oil paints. The tropical heat of the Philippines, however, was just so strong that, aside from making me easily tired, almost every paint dried much too quickly, except for the oil paint. So when making The Other Side of the Volcano I decided on that - though nowadays I prefer water-based paints as they are non-smelly.

Int. I think lighting is most essential, isn’t it?

Edward: As you use glass to paint on, lighting is a vitally important aspect of film-making. Top lighting will give your colors more brilliance while bottom lighting will mute them. As for me, I decided to use fluorescent lights for bottom lighting.

 

Int. And what about the tools you work with?

Edward: I used to experiment with all kinds of brushes, tools to manipulate clay with, cotton buds, tissue, etc., often with disastrous results. Now my fingers and a pointed stick for scratching in lines, are the only tools I use.

Int. Is paint-on-glass animations similar to any other form of art?

Edward: I labored over the film for more than seven months. Those who have seen The Other Side of the Volcano in international animation festivals say that it reminds them of a mosaic. Though for me it’s quite similar to sculpture, modeling forms in clay, where you are constantly improving on the image as you go along.

Int. Oh, I see. Well, Edward…

You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds.)

Now you will hear the text again. (Repeat)

You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds)

This is the end of the task.

 

Part 3

Task B9-B14

You will hear 6 people talking about animal rights. For questions В 9- В 14, choose from the list A-G, the statement which best conveys what each speaker is talking about. Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use.   You will hear the recording twice. Write your answers in the corresponding boxes in the table. You now have 30 seconds in which to look at the questions.

Now we are ready to start.

Speaker 1

All animals including humans have hunted one another for food since time began. No, I myself could never kill an animal for sport or out of cruelty, but I live in a cold state and a fur coat keeps me warm. It’s common knowledge that the ability to adapt and use our natural resources contributes to the technological advance of society. Nature was one of the primary resources which protected people while we were still in less developed stages of civilization. I honestly don’t believe that much of the world would have survived had they said, “I can’t kill this animal for warmth. I would rather freeze and die during the snowstorm.”

Speaker 2

If the leather is collected from a cow that is already being slaughtered for food, I think we should not waste any of it; of course, it should be used. I have no idea what happens to the cows from India which is the country that worships them and considers them sacred. Do you know if they can use a dead cow for leather? Because if they can do that, why don’t we do the same with other animals if we want to use their skins so much. I think all animal liberation groups will support me.

 

Speaker 3

I’m glad most people agree that those large fur coats for fashion are a horrible waste. But why does it stop there? We no longer need the hides of animals to survive the winter; there are many materials for jackets we can use now that do the job wonderfully. If fluffy is all you want, there are plenty of synthetic alternatives. There is no honor in having "real fur" for your fluffy costume. I do agree that at one time, furs and animal skins were necessary for survival. However, that day has passed. It doesn’t make sense any more.

                                                                                                                            

Speaker 4

 Honestly, I have leather items because I personally really like the way the belts look. My wallet was a gift from my grandma, and I love my grandma. The coats were also gifts from my parents, and then the shoes. I agree that it’s bad that animals have to go through pain when they are killed, but I’ve never been an animal person who walks around thinking about what he’s wearing. I just put it on and go. I’m extremely easily distracted and things like that get pushed out of my mind well before I start thinking about them.

 

Speaker 5

Well, I never used to think about the animals until I was exposed to the truth of cruelty. Honestly, I really don’t believe that it is okay to torture animals, at least not while there are alternatives. What gives us the right to kill and take the skins of animals and use them as we please? I really don’t feel there are too many people who look at what manufacturers do to those creatures, and don’t shudder, a little, somewhere in their heart. Have some compassion people! Think of all your adorable cats and dogs being skinned alive and then see how you feel.

Speaker 6

I feel that using animals for essential clothing is okay, but simply to wear some ridiculous coat which is a complete and utter waste of extremely valuable animal resources is not alright. Yeah, killing minks and chinchillas or other animals solely for the purpose of making impractical furry decorations is something I would love to see stopped. You will probably throw away the thing in a year or two when it goes out of fashion. In fact, there is no way to put a correct answer to this because everybody has his or her own system of values. I just feel that wearing something that took 200 animals in order to create … well … is wasteful.