Unit 9 · Culture & Creativity · Lesson 42
Behind the Scenes
Learn to talk about services and creative work using have/get something done. You'll describe process steps so you can talk about how things are made.
Warm-up · §1
5 minGet talking
One thing you've genuinely created (song, video, dish, code). What was the hardest step?
One thing you'd rather have someone else do than do yourself: haircut, tax, filming, editing.
Which behind-the-scenes job would you love to watch for a day: film director, chef, tour manager, designer?
Grammar focus · §2
8–10 min'Have / get something done' — arranging services
Quick rule
Subject + have/get + object + past participle. 'Have' = neutral/formal. 'Get' = informal/spoken. Same meaning.
Pattern builder
Present simple
have/get + object + V3
e.g. I have my nails done monthly.
Past simple
had/got + object + V3
e.g. We had the film scored by a composer.
Future / modal
will/need to/going to have + object + V3
e.g. I need to get my laptop fixed.
Compare
| Meaning | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| You do it | subject + verb + object | I cut my hair. (myself) |
| Someone does it for you | have/get + object + V3 | I had my hair cut. |
| Something happens TO you (bad) | have + object + V3 | I had my phone stolen. |
Examples
- →
I had my hair cut yesterday. (someone cut it for me)
- →
She's getting her photos edited by a professional.
- →
We had the kitchen painted last month.
- →
I need to get my phone repaired.
- →
They had the whole scene reshot after the test screening.
Common mistakes
I cut my hair yesterday. (meaning: went to salon)
✓ I had my hair cut yesterday.
Without 'have', it sounds like you cut it yourself.
I had cut my hair.
✓ I had my hair cut.
Word order matters: object BEFORE past participle.
She got her photos to edit.
✓ She got her photos edited.
Use past participle (V3), not infinitive.
Natural English
'Get' sounds more informal and is more common in speech: 'I'm getting my hair done tomorrow.' 'Have' is slightly more formal or neutral. Both are grammatically identical.
Deep dive (full explanation)
When someone ELSE does something for you, we don't say 'I cut my hair' (that means you did it yourself). We use 'have / get something done' = subject + have/get + object + past participle. It signals: the action was done FOR you.
Question 1.'I ___ yesterday.' (meaning: at the salon)
Question 2.'She's ___ by a professional.'
Question 3.'We ___ the kitchen ___ last month.'
Question 4.'I need to ___ my phone ___.'
Question 5.Which is WRONG?
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.'I ___ yesterday.' (meaning: at the salon)
Quick check 2.'She's ___ by a professional.'
Vocabulary · §3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
director
the person in overall creative control of a film/show.
producer
the person managing the money and logistics.
editor
the person who assembles and shapes the final cut.
score
the music composed for a film or show.
screenplay / script
the written words and directions.
location
the place where a scene is filmed.
cast
the actors in a production.
rehearsal
practice before a performance.
take
one attempted recording of a scene.
post-production
everything done after filming (editing, sound, colour).
creative process
the steps a creator goes through to make work.
commission
to formally hire someone to make something for you.
Activate it now
Use each word about a real project you know.
- Make it yours#1
One creative project you've been part of — even a small one. What was your role?
creative processdirector - Your view#2
Who deserves more credit for a film — director, writer or editor? Defend your pick.
directoreditorscreenplay / script - Rank#3
Rank hardest jobs in a film crew: director, producer, editor, composer, location scout.
producereditor - Complete#4
Finish: 'If I could commission any artist to make something for me, I'd ___.'
commission - Discuss#5
Are rehearsals overrated? Some directors film 30 takes; others film two. Which do you trust?
rehearsaltake
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · §4
3–4 minLinking 'had' and 'got' to the object
'Had' and 'got' link straight into the object in fast speech: 'HAD-my-hair-cut' → 'HAM-my-hair-cut'; 'GOT-my-photos-edited' → 'GOM-my-photos-edited'. The final consonant merges with the next word.
- I HAM-my-hair-cut yesterday.
- She's GET-ing-her-photos edited.
- We HAD-the-kitchen painted.
- I need to GET-my-phone fixed.
- They HAD-the-scene reshot.
Reading · §5
8–10 minThe Ninety-Minute Illusion
Listen to the passage
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
A ninety-minute film represents somewhere between one and three years of work. What you see is smooth. What made it is anything but. The screenplay was rewritten six times before it was even greenlit. The cast was assembled slowly, and two of the leads were only cast after a bigger name dropped out. The producer had the budget cut twice, then quietly restored. Filming itself is the visible part. Behind that: the director had every scene storyboarded, the composer had a temporary score written to time cuts, and the editor had rough assemblies made in parallel with the shoot. Locations were changed at the last minute because permits fell through. Some scenes were reshot after test screenings. Most of what an audience later calls 'the director's vision' was, in reality, a hundred small decisions made under pressure — often by people whose names appear halfway through the credits. The illusion of a single voice is exactly that: an illusion, carefully constructed by dozens. When you next watch a scene that feels effortless, remember: someone had it rewritten, someone had it recast, and someone had it rescored — probably twice.
Question 1.How long does a 90-minute film typically take?
Question 2.How many rewrites before greenlight?
Question 3.What happened to some scenes after test screenings?
Question 4.What is 'the director's vision', according to the writer?
Q1.The passage says filmmaking is a smooth linear process.
Q2.According to the writer, editors and composers work in parallel with the shoot.
Q3.The 'single director voice' idea is described as carefully constructed.
Listening · §6
8–10 minA young filmmaker interviewed (about 1:20)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Host:You've just finished your first short. What surprised you?
Tomas:How much I ended up getting done by other people. I had the script edited by a friend, the score written by a composer I found online.
Host:Did you edit it yourself?
Tomas:No, I had it edited by someone with real experience — best decision I made.
Host:Locations?
Tomas:One location fell through the day before. We got permission for a new one within eight hours.
Host:Takes per scene?
Tomas:Never more than four. If it's not working by then, it needs a rewrite, not another take.
Host:Post-production?
Tomas:Longer than the shoot. We had the sound remixed twice and the colour graded properly.
Host:Advice for someone starting?
Tomas:Get things done by people better than you. That's the whole trick.
Question 1.Who edited Tomas's script?
Question 2.How did he find the composer?
Question 3.What is his rule on takes?
Question 4.What's his advice to beginners?
Exam skills · §7
5 minStrategy focus — Describing services in Writing Part 2
Task
Reviews and process descriptions often need 'have/get something done' to sound natural — otherwise every sentence starts with 'I' or 'someone'.
Strategy
Alternate: subject action → 'had something done' → subject action. This varies structure and sounds authentically B2.
Example
I wrote the first draft alone, then had it edited by a friend who works in publishing. Once we were happy, I got the cover designed by a local illustrator and had the whole thing formatted for print.
Practice · §8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.I ___ my hair ___ at the new place.
Question 2.She's ___ her photos edited professionally.
Question 3.We need to ___ the kitchen painted.
Question 4.The person in overall creative control = the ___.
Question 5.Music composed for a film = the ___.
Question 6.Formally hiring someone to make you a work = to ___.
Q1.Fill: 'I had my phone r___.' (fixed by someone)
Q2.Fill: 'Everything after filming' = p___-production.
Q3.'One attempted recording' = a t___.
Writing · §9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 130–170 word behind-the-scenes account of ANY creative project (film, song, event, product, art). Use at least FOUR 'have/get something done' constructions and FIVE items of production vocabulary.
Your answer
Show model answer
Our short film almost didn't happen. I wrote the first draft in a week, then had it torn apart by a friend who edits scripts for a living. That was the best decision I made — I got the rewrite done in three days, and the story finally worked. We assembled a small cast, mostly acting students, and rehearsed for two afternoons before the shoot. On day one, one of our locations fell through. We got permission for a rooftop within four hours — probably my favourite scene in the finished film. Post-production took longer than the shoot. I had the whole thing edited by someone with real experience, then got a temporary score written by a composer I found online. We had the sound remixed twice and finally had the colour graded properly. What you see on screen is ninety minutes of work. What made it was six months of getting help from people better than me.
Speaking · §10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
ROLEPLAY — Explaining a project. Your teacher/partner asks: 'How did you actually make it?' Answer in 60–90 seconds about ANY creative project (real or invented) using FOUR 'have/get something done' constructions and FIVE production vocabulary items.
Useful phrases
- • I had the script ___
- • We got the ___ done by ___
- • The score was ___
- • We had ___ reshot ___
- • Post-production was ___
- • Getting it done by ___
- FriendHow did you actually make your short film?
- You_______________
- FriendDid you edit it yourself?
- You_______________
- FriendAny advice for beginners?
- You_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Optional group extensions. ~18 min total
Homework · §11
Take-homeTake it home
Write a 150-word behind-the-scenes account of any project using four 'have/get something done' forms.
Record a 60-second voice note describing something you've had done recently and by whom.
Write true sentences with: director, editor, score, post-production, take, commission.
Watch a 3-minute making-of clip and note two 'have/get something done' forms.
Recap · §12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- You can use 'have / get something done' in present, past and future.
- You can describe creative production with B2 vocabulary.
- You can talk about who did what in a project without sounding repetitive.
- You're ready for Lesson 43 — 'Reading Between Lines'.