A Close Shave has been designed at upper beginner / pre-intermediate
level. The student’s book aims for a “neutral”
interpretation so as to make it suitable for the widest possible
age range. In other words, we have avoided emphasis on the “younger”
aspects of the characters (such as Wallace and Gromit cuddly toys),
while also avoiding any activities that excluded the younger learner
in terms of sophistication of approach or using life experience.
It is an adaptation of an Academy Award-winning animated film
by Nick Park, written by Nick Park and Bob Baker. The visuals,
music and sound effects are identical. However, in this ELT version,
the language level of the dialogue has been greatly simplified
and a narrator has been added. The voices of Wallace and Wendolene
are by the same actors, Peter Sallis and Anne Reid, with the same
accents, as the original version. As adaptors we were aware of
an awesome responsibility. The original is so well-loved and so
highly-rated that it was difficult to start again from scratch.
After extensive research, it was decided to keep the language
level as low as we could in this version, while also providing
a definitely higher level than our adaptation of The Wrong Trousers.
The video can be used at virtually all levels by amending
the tasks. The tasks in this version are at upper beginner
/ pre-intermediate level. Students can use this independently
of the lower-level ELT adaptation of The Wrong Trousers.
A great deal of work in the video naturally lends itself
to the present perfect tense, and it appears from unit
one. Work in The Wrong Trousers ELT adaptation includes
was / were, but not the past simple tense. If you are
going straight from The Wrong Trousers to A Close Shave,
we assume that students will have been familiarized with
the past simple before commencing A Close Shave. The pre-title
first section of unit one will enable you to check knowledge
of the past simple with new classes.
We have avoided much of the language of speculation which
would have added interesting prediction activities. You
may wish to add speculation activities at higher levels.
We have, however, suggested some of the possibilities
for extension in the Teacher’s Notes which follow.
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| Credits
Animation: Nick Park & Steve Box
Voice of Wallace: Peter Sallis
Voice of Wendolene: Anne Reid
Narrator: Stephen Tompkinson
Written by Bob Baker & Nick Park
Director: Nick Park
ELT adaptation credits
ELT Adaptation by Peter Viney & Karen Viney
Producer: Rob Maidment
Script Editor: Martyn Hobbs
Activity Book / Teacher’s Book editor: Tim Blakey
Designer: Rob Hancock
© Aardman / Wallace & Gromit Limited / BBC
Worldwide 1995 / Oxford University Press 2000
Components:
Video ISBN 0-19-459240-5 VHS-PAL
Video ISBN 0-19-459241-3 VHS-SECAM
Video ISBN 0-19-459242-1 VHS-NTSC
Student’s Book ISBN 0-19-459243 X
Teacher’s Book ISBN 0-19-459244 8
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