[General] Can a Film Change the World?

[registered]

What I really want to ask is not this question, sorry.
This is the title of a passage, and there is a paragraph I cannot fully understand, (especially the red words really confused me), hoping someone can help me.

"More and more, Hollywood is betting on its power of social engineering. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney have taken pay cuts and strolled red carpets for features that further humanitarian or political agendas."

My questions:
1. What does "strolled red carpets" mean? why is it not "strolling red carpets"?
2. "Stars have taken ... for features that..." means the pay cuts and red carpets are features? the features can further humanitarian and political agendas?

:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?:-?

 

[BobK]

It seems to me that 'strolled' is a silly choice of word, but the verb ending is right. The sentence calls for a finite verb - in parallel with 'have taken'.

As to the rest of the sentence, you probably find it hard to parse because two of the words are syntactically ambiguous:

• feature is a noun, referring to movies/films
• further is a verb, roughly synonymous with 'advance'

b

 

[5jj]

Stars of a film that is given a big premiere walk on a red carpet from their cars to the the cinema.

 

[registered]

Can anybody paraphrase this sentence?

 

[Conan Long]

I'm not a teacher, but here is my attempt to paraphrase this.

"To an increasing extent, Hollywood is taking its chance in using its (superstars') influences to affectsocial behaviors on a large scale. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney have taken pay cuts and walked the red carpet for movies that promote humanitarian and political agendas."

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

… taken pay cuts and strolled red carpets for features that further humanitarian or political agendas.

Just to follow on from 5jj's post. The point being made is that when these big stars stroll along the red carpet at a premiere, they are constantly interviewed by the media. The actors use this opportunity to further publicize and explain the particular agenda of the movie being premiered.
So, they do the film for less money than usual as well as putting extra effort into promoting the film's particular concerns or message.

 

[mkey]

Hello.

This sentence to me looks like it was translated from some other language, shabbily at that.

I don't get the part about pay cuts, even if actors' fees have been lowered, this bit of information stands out from the whole.

That bit about "strolling for features" is probably the part that got translated badly.

"Stroll the red carpet" in direct translation would obviously mean walking the red carpet on your way to some premier, but I find that symbolism is probably more important here then the exact definition. This image of people rolling down a red carpet in front of a successful person is very well known, something we're accustomed to. Something we connect with success and greatness. Well, that's at least what Hollywood has thought me.

"stroll for features" would probably mean that walking the red carpet or, more directly, being famous enables you (gives you the "features)" to influence other people more easily.

Putting all of it together: famous people can be easily used to influence people. For the good or bad. People are inclined to be somewhat mesmerized by stardom, so ideas promoted by "stars" are more likely to become their own. I just don't get that part about pay cuts, that's totally lost on me.

 

[5jj]

This sentence to me looks like it was translated from some other language, shabbily at that.

It's not great literature, but perfecty natural journalistic English

I don't get the part about pay cuts, even if actors' fees have been lowered, this bit of information stands out from the whole.

It's perfectly natural English. I took a pay cut in my last job because the school was going through a rough time. I thought it better to take a cut in pay than to have no job.

That bit about "strolling for features" is probably the part that got translated badly.

They weren't 'strolling for features'. I explained the 'strolling the red carpet', and Bob explained what a 'feature was.

 

[Raymott]

"stroll for features" would probably mean that walking the red carpet or, more directly, being famous enables you (gives you the "features)" to influence other people more easily.

No, "features" means "feature films", which pretty much means "films", as Bob said in post #2.

"More and more, Hollywood is betting on its power of social engineering. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney have taken pay cuts and strolled red carpets for features that further humanitarian or political agendas."
"Increasingly, the people who run the Hollywood film industry are using their power to change society. Stars such as ... have offered to work for less money than usual (have taken a cut in their pay) and have walked along the red carpet to movies that show the types of humanitarian and political values that they (the stars or their bosses) agree with (thus advertising and popularising those values)."

 

[mkey]

Well,

I have spent my fair share of time translating some texts and (more importantly) correcting some texts others translated. And based on that experience this sentence looks translated to me.

I do understand what "taking a pay cut" means, what I said is that it didn't fit with the rest of the sentence, at least the way I interpreted it.

I do understand what "strolling the red carpet" means. Can not the noun "feature" also be used for "characteristic" or "a prominent ability?"

 

[Raymott]

Well,

I have spent my fair share of time translating some texts and (more importantly) correcting some texts others translated. And based on that experience this sentence looks translated to me.

I do understand what "taking a pay cut" means, what I said is that it didn't fit with the rest of the sentence, at least the way I interpreted it.

I do understand what "strolling the red carpet" means. Can not the noun "feature" also be used for "characteristic" or "a prominent ability?"

The paraphrase was for the OP, who asked for it.
Yes, it certainly could be translated; though I'd guess that it's taken directly from the second paragraph of this TIME (US) article.
Can a Film Change The World? - TIME

 

[BobK]

... Can not the noun "feature" also be used for "characteristic" or "a prominent ability?"

It can, but it doesn't in this context.

b

 

[SoothingDave]

These actors work on smaller pictures, which earns them less pay than doing another big summer blockbuster. But the movie is about an "important subject" so it garners them awards (the red carpet is standing for awards, not just premieres).

 

[Tdol]

I have spent my fair share of time translating some texts and (more importantly) correcting some texts others translated. And based on that experience this sentence looks translated to me.

I'm afraid that it doesn't to me- it looks like a fairly typical journalistic sentence. The person is trying, and not succeeding IMO, to pull off some sort of literary effect, which is what might give the air of translation to you, but it just sounds like a native trying to puff up their words to me.

 

[registered]

The paraphrase was for the OP, who asked for it.
Yes, it certainly could be translated; though I'd guess that it's taken directly from the second paragraph of this TIME (US) article.
Can a Film Change The World? - TIME

Yes yes !!
this sentence is at the beginning of the second parapgraph !

 

[registered]

• feature is a noun, referring to movies/films

b

thanks for explaining this word! I just thought it means "characteristic" or something.

 

[registered]

Thank you for your explaining!! I guess I got it!
Can I say this sentence in this way——
“Increasingly, many Hollywooders (can I say it like this?) are investing on this to influence the social behaviors. For the movies that further humanitarian or political agendas, some stars like ... have accepted lower pays and walked the red carpet (for publicizing). ”

 

[Raymott]

Thank you for your explaining!! I guess I got it!
Can I say this sentence in this way——
“Increasingly, many Hollywooders (can I say it like this?) are investing on this to influence the social behaviors. For the movies that further humanitarian or political agendas, some stars like ... have accepted lower pays and walked the red carpet (for publicizing). ”

No, you can't say 'Hollywooders'. Firstly, people who live in Hollywood are called "Hollywoodites" (or so Google tends to indicate). But more importantly, 'Hollywood' in this case doesn't mean 'people who live in Hollywood'.
And no you can't express the sentence the way you have. What you've written has too many errors to correct, given that you already have two correct versions.