With millions of fans around the world, the Simpsons are everyone’s favourite cartoon family But it is not easy making the five yellow characters into a TV series The process of making an episode takes about nine months Producers Mike Scully says : “It’s like having a baby Only it’s a cartoon baby !” SCRIPT READING When the script is finished, it is given a « read-through » by the voice artists This usually takes place between July and November The script read-through is very funny, and sometimes family, friends and celebrities are invited to watch too Writers, producers and cartoon creator Matt Groening can see from their reactions if an episode will be a hit ! After the script read-through, changes are made The episode is recorded on a Monday in a recording studio, where the voice artists sit or stand in front of their microphones They can get very animated - just like their characters They also add a lot of humour to the script by improvising SCRIPT WRITING First, a team of about 15 writers meet to decide on storylines They exchange ideas for jokes and gags, and then one or two of them write the episode After this, the team of writers reads the script, and makes suggestions to make it funnier This process takes about three months STORYBOARD When all the dialogue has been recorded, it is sent to animation studios in Hollywood There, storyboard artists create simple sketches of the episode, and send them back to the writers and producers for approval The animators take the storyboards and photograph them Then they are assembled into a basic video on computers, and mixed with the voice recordings This takes about three months COLOUR AND ANIMATION Next, the colour department adds colour to the basic animation Traditionally, they use a palette of just 200 colours to maintain the authentic Simpson look Then the animation is sent to South Korea, where it is painted in highquality ink, and re-animated It takes another two or three months before the episode is returned to the Hollywood studio SOUND AND MUSIC When the studio receives the episode, finishing touches are made Sound-effects are added, and original music is added by composer Alf Clausen An orchestra of 35 musicians performs the music which adds drama and emotion It is then mixed in a special sound studio FINISHED EPISODE Finally, the episode is ready to be watched by the writers and producers This is the first time they have seen it finished, and they often watch it the night before it is broadcast So they are all very nervous to see the finished product ! But everyone who works on The Simpsons describes it is as “the best job in show business.” DID YOU UNDERSTAND ? Circle the right answer ! On what day is an episode of the Simpson recorded ? a) on Monday b) on Tuesday c) on Wednesday “EACH OTHER” OR “THEMSELVES” ? Make the right choice ! 1) They often write to _ 2) The Simpson like _ 3) They hurt _ while they were playing football 4) They worry about _ 5) Marge and Homer have known _ for a long time 6) These computers can reprogramme _ 7) Bart and Lisa enjoyed _ at the basketball match In what country is The Simpsons painted in high-quality ink ? a) USA b) Japan c) South Korea How long does it take to make an episode ? a) six weeks b) nine months c) eleven months How many musicians perform the music for a Simpsons episode ? a) 25 b) 35 c) 45 FILL IN THE BLANKS USING « FOR » OR « SINCE » 1) The Simpsons has been running 17 December 1989 2) The press has been talking about The Simpsons Movie three years 3) Trailers for The Simpsons Movie have been in cinemas 2006 4) Writers have been working on The Simpsons Movie a long time 5) Rumours of a Simpsons movie have been circulating early in the series FIND THE MISSING PREPOSITION !! Use ON, FOR, IN or AT « Marge, can we go bowling _ the weekend ? » « Patty and Selma ? Oh great How long are they staying ? « A week ? But I wanted to go to Moe’s _ Sunday ! « Woo-hoo ! » QUESTIONS ON THE SIMPSONS ! Find the question corresponding to the answer ! 1) _ ? Yes, Bart likes skateboarding 2) _ ? Yes Homer can drive 3) _ ? Lisa is years old 4) _ ? Bart’s friend is Millhouse 5) _ ? The Simpson’s cat is called Snowball « No Homer ! My sisters are coming over _ Saturday « They’re staying _ a week « Well I’m sorry, you won’t be able to go But we can go bowling together _ a week if you like MAKING THE SIMPSONS… Turn the sentences into the passive voice 1) Animators animate a Simpson episode 2) Actors record a Simpson episode 3) Experts assemble the animation 4) Sound engineer add sound-effects THE SIMPSONS ANAGRAMS Decipher the words and find the mystery word ! 1) Marge is a SUPREUMM : 2) Maggie is the BYBA of the Simpson family : 3) The Simpsons TV show often has UGSET TARSS : 4) Bart watches a lot of ETLEVISINIO : 5) The Simpson often AGERU : 6) The Simpsons are politically ROCRIENCT : 7) In 2007, there was a Simpsons VIMOE : 8) Homer loves to drink REEB : 9) Lisa is a GNEUIS : 10) Bart is the DRUEAHCVEEIR of the family : 11) RNOADLO was a guest star on The Simpsons : 12) The Simpsons live in GRIPENSLIFD : The Simpsons is an American comedy created by WHO SAYS WHAT ? HOMER 1 KRUSTY DR NICK FLANDERS MR BURNS 1/ Excellent ! 2/ D’oh ! 3/ Eat my shorts ! BART 4/ Hi Everybody ! 5/ Hey hey ! 6/ Okily Dokily