The Spider-Man Before Spider-Man PDF

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Before Reading

The Spider Man Behind Spider-Man


Feature Article by Bijal P. Trivedi

What is your
dream job ?
KEY IDEA Ever since you were little, people have probably asked
you what you want to be when you grow up. Now that you’re older
and know yourself better, your dream job might be coming into focus.
Is it a job that would take you outdoors? Onto a movie set? Into
a sports arena? Your ideal career probably reflects your individual
talents, interests, and personality. In the following article, you’ll read
about a man who turned his passion into a dream job.

SURVEY Interview several classmates to Name Dream Job Why?


find out what their dream jobs would be.
Kayla Veterinarian 1. Likes taking
Ask these students why they chose the
care of animals
jobs they did. How do their dream careers
2. Gets good
compare to your own? grades in science
3. Enjoys learning
about animals

884
elements of nonfiction: text features
Nonfiction articles often contain text features, design elements
A Love of Science
that help organize the material and identify key ideas. Common Bijal Trivedi (bGjPEl
text features include trC-vAPdC) became
fascinated with
• headings—the title of the article
dinosaurs at the
• subheadings—headings that signal the beginning of a age of nine. Soon
new topic or section within a written piece after, she transferred
her interest to the
• sidebars—additional information set in a box alongside,
space shuttle and
below, or within an article astronomy. From an
• bulleted lists—lists of items of equal value or importance. early age, it was clear
This list of text features is an example of a bulleted list. that Trivedi’s dream Bijal P. Trivedi
job would involve born 1970
Recognizing text features can help you find information. As you science.
read “The Spider Man Behind Spider-Man,” notice how the text
Exciting Places and Discoveries Trivedi
features clue you in to the topics and key ideas. studied science in college and earned
master’s degrees in both biology and
reading strategy: summarize science journalism. Because Trivedi didn’t
want to work in a lab, she became a science
Have you ever told a friend about a movie you just saw? If so,
writer. She has written for magazines such
you probably gave your friend a summary. When you summarize as National Geographic, Popular Science,
a piece of writing, you briefly retell the main ideas or key points. and Wired. She says, “Being a science writer
Summarizing is a way to check your understanding, and it can is a bit like being Indiana Jones—you get
help you remember information. As you read “The Spider Man to travel with lots of smart scientists to
Behind Spider-Man,” use a chart to take notes on the key points. exciting places and then write stories about
their discoveries.” Trivedi has won several
Later, you’ll use these notes to summarize the article.
awards for her journalism.
What Steven Kutcher His Training and His Spider-Man more about the author
Does Background Experience For more on Bijal P. Trivedi, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

Background
vocabulary in context The Amazing Spider-Man In 1962, writer
Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko created the
The boldfaced words help the author describe one man’s character of Peter Parker, a teenager who
interesting career. Try using context clues to figure out what gains spider-like powers through the bite
each word means. of a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-
Man. Spider-Man first appeared in an issue
1. He has the perseverance necessary to finish the job. of Amazing Fantasy by Marvel Comics and
2. Bill is an engaging person whom everyone likes. then gained a comic book series all his own.
3. Maria has the potential to become a first-rate scientist. The Amazing Spider-Man comics have been
popular ever since. In the movies about
4. Ashley’s watercolor rendition of her dream earned praise the superhero, CGI, or computer-generated
from her art teacher. imagery, made it appear that Peter Parker
could swing from one tall building to another,
stick to walls, and do other incredible feats
that only a Spider-Man could do.

the spider man behind SPIDER - M A N 885


ntomologist Steven Kutcher is the spider man behind Spider-Man. “He’s
E the guy to call in Hollywood when you need insects—he is the ultimate
insect trainer,” says Robin Miller, property master for the movie Spider-Man.
“I know how to get a cockroach to run across the floor and flip onto its
back. I can get cockroaches, beetles, and spiders to crawl to a quarter four
feet away on cue. I can make bees swarm indoors and I can repair butterfly
a SUMMARIZE
What are some of
wings,” says Kutcher. He has even made a live wasp fly into an actor’s
Kutcher’s unique skills? mouth. “I study insect behavior, and learn what they do and then adapt
Record them in your chart. the behavior to what the director wants,” says Kutcher. a

b TEXT FEATURES 10 Passion for Bugs b


On the basis of this
Kutcher’s love of insects began as a toddler when he collected fireflies in
subheading and what
you’ve read so far, what New York. But he was also influenced by very “positive early childhood
information do you experiences in nature” when his family would spend summers in the
expect to find in this Catskills.1 “Something about seeing fish, catching butterflies, lit a fire
section? within me,” says Kutcher.
Kutcher followed his passion for bugs and studied entomology in
college, receiving his B.S. from the University of California, Davis, and
later an M.A. in biology—with an emphasis on entomology,2 insect
behavior, and ecology3 from the California State University in Long Beach.
20 He had planned to pursue a Ph.D.,4 but when he wasn’t accepted at the
graduate school of his choice he decided to reevaluate his career options.

1. Catskills (kBtPskGlzQ): the Catskill Mountain region in New York state. It is a popular vacation area.
2. entomology (DnQtE-mJlPE-jC): the study of insects.
3. ecology (G-kJlPE-jC): the study of relationships among living things and their environment.
4. B.S.; M.A.; Ph.D.: Bachelor of Science, an undergraduate degree; Master of Arts, a graduate
degree; Doctor of Philosophy, a graduate degree that is usually more time-consuming and
difficult to earn than a master’s degree.

886 unit 8: facts and information


ANALYZE VISUALS
Based on this photo of
Steven Kutcher, what
can you infer about his
interests and personality?

the spider man behind SPIDER - MAN 887


One day he received a call from his former academic advisor asking him
to baby-sit 3,000 locusts that were to be used for the movie Exorcist 2.
Kutcher had to place the locusts wherever they were needed, including on
the stars Richard Burton and Linda Blair. That was his first job, and it has
been Hollywood creepy crawlies ever since.
After doing a long survey of movies Kutcher found that about one third of
potential (pE-tDnPshEl) all movies had an insect in it. “I saw immediate job potential,” Kutcher says.
n. the ability to grow or Almost 25 years after his first job Kutcher now holds an impressive list
develop
30 of movie, television, music video, and commercial credits that include his
biggest movie, Arachnophobia, the comedy-thriller in which a California
town is overrun with deadly spiders. He also supervised the bug and
spider stunts in Alien, Contact, Jurassic Park, Pacific Heights, and Wild
Wild West.
engaging (Dn-gAjPGng) adj. “He is a very observant and engaging guy,” says Lucinda Strub, a special
charming; likeable effects person who worked with Kutcher on Arachnophobia. “One of his
main goals is to educate the public about how fascinating and interesting
insects are. He is really out to teach people about bugs,” says Strub, who
then . . . clarified that “of course spiders are not bugs, they are arachnids.”

So You Want to Be
an Entomologist?
such as plant pollinators,6 insect
D o you get grossed out when
you see a spider or earwig5
crawling up your wall? Or does the
parasites, and insect predators.

spider’s web and the inchworm’s Interests and Skills


movement fascinate you? If the Entomologists need the intellect,
latter question describes you, then curiosity, creativity, patience, and
perseverance entomology could be the perfect perseverance required to pursue
(pûrQsE-vîrPEns) n. steady career for you. answers to complex research
persistence in sticking to Entomologists study the questions about bugs. Because
a course of action
classification, life cycle, and habits there are thousands and thousands
of insects and related life forms, and of insect species, entomologists
plan and implement insect surveys must also have a good memory.
and pest management programs. They Entomologists must be able to work
also investigate ways to control insect well both independently and as part
pests and manage beneficial insects of a team.

5. earwig (îr-wGgQ): an insect that has two pincers protruding from the rear of its abdomen.
6. pollinators (pJlPE-nAtQtErs): animals that carry pollen from one plant to another, causing the
plants to produce fruit.

888 unit 8: facts and information


40 Even with his busy filmmaking schedule, Kutcher still finds time to
teach once a week at a local community college. He also started the annual
Insect Fair at the Los Angeles Arboretum. c c SUMMARIZE
Reread lines 22–42.
What are two of the
The Perfect Match most important pieces
Kutcher’s most recent challenge has been finding the perfect spider for the of information you get
movie Spider-Man. . . . The concept designer for the movie produced a from these paragraphs?
Add them to your chart.
computer rendition that combined traits of up to four arachnids to create
an image of the mutant spider that bites Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) rendition (rDn-dGshPEn) n.
and endows him with spider powers. d a pictorial representation;
“I was given this drawing of a spider that didn’t exist and told to find an interpretation
50 a real spider that matched it,” says Miller, whose responsibilities include
assembling all the props in the entire film. The spider resembled a black d TEXT FEATURES
Reread the subheading
widow, which wasn’t an option because its bite is too dangerous. and first sentence of
Miller contacted Steven Kutcher and showed him the picture. Kutcher this section. What
then arranged a “spider Olympics” for Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. “perfect match” does the
Kutcher brought in different types of spiders to showcase the talents of subheading refer to?
each, says Miller. “He literally had the spiders doing tricks.” One spider

Typical Tasks
• Study the evolution of insects AVERAGE EARNINGS
• Discover and describe new species
of insects Maximum Salary:
• Conduct research into the impact $71,270
and control of insect pest problems
• Conduct field and laboratory Average Salary:
tests of pesticides to evaluate $47,740
their effect on different species of
insects under different conditions Entry Level Salary:
• Curate museum insect collections $29,260
• Prepare publications that make it e TEXT FEATURES
possible to identify insect, spider, What does this bulleted
list help you better
mite, and tick species science classes. Many students understand?
• Coordinate public awareness and get a general undergraduate degree
education programs e in biology or zoology7 and then f TEXT FEATURES
specialize in entomology at the What does the
information presented
Educational Paths post-graduate level. For those
in the blue sidebar add
Students interested in a career wishing to lead research teams or to your understanding of
working with insects should prepare teach at the university level, a Ph.D. Steven Kutcher and his
for college by taking a variety of is a requirement. f career?

7. zoology (zL-JlPE-jC): the study of animals.

the spider man behind SPIDER - MAN 889


could jump, another was able to
spin webs very quickly, and yet
another was able to produce a
60 drag line and essentially swing
out of the way—all activities
that Spider-Man can do.
The spider that Raimi
selected was Steatoda grossa, a
brown spider with a smooth,
swollen body and thin twiggy
legs. The problem was that the
color was wrong, “we needed
a spider that had metallic blue
70 and a radioactive8 red-orange
color to it,” says Miller.
The answer was spider make-
up. Originally Kutcher wanted
to make an entire costume for
the spider, but the timing came
down to the wire and he finally
settled on body paint. “I had to
find a non-toxic9 paint, design a
little harness to hold the spider
80 as he was painted, and supervise The Steatoda grossa spider
the artist painting Steatoda.”
“I need the spider to go from A to B to C and Steve can train it to do
that,” says Miller, who has worked with Kutcher on several movies.
“He is very creative; he can figure out how to get the creature to do what
he wants while being very delicate,” says Strub.
Why, in this age of computer-generated special effects, did the director
simply not animate the spider? “The real thing always looks best, especially
when it fills the whole movie screen,” says Miller. And computer-generated
g SUMMARIZE graphics are very expensive, although the scene where the mutant spider
What crucial jobs did 90 bites Peter Parker is computer-generated.
Kutcher perform in “People find me, and I’m off on these adventures,” says Kutcher,
the making of Spider-
Man? Add these to the
“problem solving, and exploring, and teaching, and educating people about
appropriate section of insects.” But Steven Kutcher’s hat best describes his life, his love, and his
your chart. philosophy: “Bugs are my business.” g

8. radioactive (rAQdC-I-BkPtGv): exhibiting radiation emissions that possibly result from a nuclear
explosion.
9. non-toxic: not poisonous or otherwise life-threatening.

890 unit 8: facts and information


After Reading

Comprehension
1. Recall What was Steven Kutcher’s first experience on a movie set?
2. Recall Why did the makers of Spider-Man want to use a real spider instead
of a computer-generated spider for most of the spider scenes?
3. Clarify Why was it such a challenge for Kutcher to find the perfect spider
for the movie Spider-Man?

Critical Analysis
4. Examine Text Features Which text features help you find the following
pieces of information? Note your answers in a chart like the one shown.

Information Text Feature That Helps You Find It


Broad focus of the article
Kutcher’s interest in bugs
Typical tasks performed by entomologists
General information about entomologists

5. Compare Summaries Using the chart you made as you read, write a summary
of the entire article. Next, trade summaries with a classmate. Compare the
summary you received with the article to see if the summary is complete.
Share your findings with your classmate, and then revise your own summary
as needed.
6. Make Generalizations A generalization is a broad statement about a group
of people or a topic. Based on the information given in the article and the
sidebar, what’s one generalization you can make about the kind of people
who become entomologists?
7. Draw Conclusions Reread lines 11–15 and 35–42. Why do you think Kutcher
wants other people to have a better understanding of insects?

Extension and Challenge


8. Big Question Activity What was your answer to the big question on
page 884? Using books or the Internet, find out what skills or education
you might need for this career. Present this information in a format similar
to the sidebar on pages 888–889.
9. Creative Project: Music Alone or in a small group, create a song or rap from
the point of view of an insect who “works” for Steven Kutcher. Look back at
the article to help you recall some of the things these creatures have been
trained to do and Kutcher’s attitude toward what some people call “creepy
crawlies.” Share your song or rap with the class.

the spider man behind SPIDER - MAN 891

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