Q&A Hero

Q: Which of the following sounds are typically used to draw the attention of an audience? a. sound effects faithful to their source b. a synchronous sound bridge c. nondiegetic, offscreen sound to the exclusion of all else d. medium pitch sound e. diegetic sound effects

Q: In Le Million (1931), director Ren Clairs decision to have the sounds of a football game humorously play over a scene featuring characters scrambling to find a valuable lottery ticket is a use of a. synchronous sound. d. on-screen sound. b. asynchronous sound. e. simultaneous sound. c. diegetic sound.

Q: Which of the following is an example of synchronous sound? a. Characters search for a lost dog, and the audience hears the sounds of a hockey game. b. A bottle of champagne is opened, and the audience hears a pop as the cork flies across the room. c. A baby cries, and the audience hears the roar of a lion. d. A couple fights, and the audience hears an ambulance siren. e. A woman opens her mouth to scream, and the sound of a train whistle is heard.

Q: What is the significance of the offscreen sound used when Lieutenant Fontaine is imprisoned in A Man Escaped (1956)? a. The offscreen sounds of daily life represent the world outside the prison, and therefore, freedom. b. The offscreen sounds of other prisoners wailing suggest the tyranny of the Nazis. c. The offscreen sounds of rain, thunder, and lightning represent the power of nature. d. The offscreen sounds of cell doors and keys clanking suggest the gears of justice are in motion. e. The offscreen sounds of gunshots suggest he may soon be liberated.

Q: How is sound pitch (or level) defined? a. by the frequency (or speed) with which it is produced b. by its amplitude (or degree of motion within the sound wave) c. by its harmonic content d. by its timbre and texture e. by its volume or intensity

Q: What does the shift from low-pitched to high-pitched music in the all work and no play scene in The Shining (1980) signal to the audience? a. It highlights Wendys coping strategy of denial. b. It underscores how Wendy has become more relaxed. c. It signals Wendys growing comfort with Jacks writing. d. It suggests that Wendys anxiety has escalated to sheer panic. e. It underscores Wendys nonchalant attitude.

Q: Why would filmmakers use the extremes of near silence or shocking loudness in a scene? a. to signal something important b. to create rhythm c. to express a characters point of view d. to create harmonic unity e. to underscore a theme

Q: A sounds faithfulness or unfaithfulness to its source is known as its a. fidelity d. frequency b. timbre e. harmonic content c. amplitude

Q: The same note played at the same volume on three different instruments (say, a piano, violin, and oboe) will produce tones very different in quality since each instrument has its own a. amplitude. d. frequency. b. harmonic content. e. color. c. pitch.

Q: How do the sounds of a violent storm shape the audiences interpretation of The Ice Storm (1997)? a. The nonfaithful sound suggests that Ben and Elena might be able to save their marriage. b. The sweeping wind sounds suggest that this difficult time will pass. c. The harsh breaking sounds serve as a metaphor for the characters frail lives. d. The nonfaithful sound suggests that the characters social order is under attack. e. The faithful sounds of the snow landing on the commuter train suggest a smooth, calming end.

Q: Which statement best describes the film sound we hear when Charlie points his fingers as if they were a gun in Mean Streets (1973)? a. we hear a gunshot, a nonfaithful sound b. we hear thunder, a faithful sound of the storm c. we hear a bomb exploding, a faithful sound of terrorist activity d. we hear a kiss, a faithful sound between Charlie and Teresa e. we hear a firecracker, a nonfaithful sound

Q: How is a sound designers approach to a sound track similar to how a painter treats a canvas? a. A sound designer uses a sounds pitch as a painter uses a brush. b. A sound designer uses background tones like a painter uses different colors. c. A sound designer mixes dialogue and effects like a painter mixes different colored paints. d. A sound designer edits sounds the way a painter makes compositional choices. e. A sound designer uses music the way a painter uses a model as the basis for a painting.

Q: Which of the following is a responsibility of a sound designer? a. dissuading screenwriters to consider all types of sound b. recording production sound c. supervising two stages of filmmaking: preproduction and production d. overseeing the creation and control of how silence is used in a movie e. leaving the editing team alone in postproduction to make decisions involving sound

Q: Which of the following is an assistant to the production sound mixer? a. rerecording mixer d. sound editor b. boom operator e. sound effects personnel c. Foley artists

Q: Which of the following is a reason why sound editing takes up a great deal of the time in the editing process? a. Significant portions of the dialogue may need to be created or added during postproduction. b. Unwanted sounds need to be filtered out. c. Sound tracks usually need to be combined and compressed. d. The relative loudness and various aspects of sound quality need to be adjusted. e. Dialogue must be recorded.

Q: Synchronized picture/sound work of a days shooting is known as a. ADR. d. mixing. b. double-system recording. e. dailies. c. outtakes.

Q: Why is ADR used? a. to help sort through outtakes b. to rerecord sound originally recorded on the set or in a foreign language c. to put film sound on a medium separate from the picture d. to help transition to the digital format e. to add dialogue when screening the dailies

Q: Which of the following describes what happens during the process of sound mixing? a. Different individual sound tracks are combined and compressed into one composite sound track. b. Foley sounds are added. c. Dialogue is recorded. d. Usable film footage is logged for easy accessibility. e. Automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) is often needed.

Q: Which of the following does NOT describe a perceptual characteristic of sound? a. pitch d. fidelity b. quality e. amplitude c. loudness

Q: Which film, whose sounds were almost all produced in the studio, is memorable for its richly textured sound design and multilayered sound mixing? a. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2006) b. Inception (2010) c. Alien (1979) d. You, the Living (2007) e. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Q: What is the effect of hearing the Gregorian chant Dies Irae during the opening of The Shining (1980)? a. It underscores the theme of freedom. b. It foreshadows an upbeat denouement. c. It provides us with clear clues about the characters location. d. The music signals that things will not end well for these characters. e. It suggests temporal continuity.

Q: With regard to sound, what is the crucial difference between sound and silent films? a. A sound film can emphasize silence, but a silent film has no option. b. A sound film only uses diegetic sound, but a silent film can use nondiegetic sound. c. A sound film uses automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), but a silent film uses rerecording. d. A sound film does not use ambient noise, and silent films only use sound effects. e. A sound films fidelity is never faithful to its source, and silent films are always faithful to their sources.

Q: Which of the following is a phase of sound production? a. mise-en-scne d. effecting b. coverage e. framing c. editing

Q: Explain why it is that montage editing (in the Hollywood sense of the word) is so counterintuitive and potentially unnatural compared to the way human beings see and experience the world.

Q: Most film sounds are constructed a. on the set. d. during sound design. b. while location scouting. e. in preproduction. c. during postproduction.

Q: What does Darren Aronofsky mean by hip-hop montage and how does it operate in Requiem for a Dream (2000)?

Q: The group responsible for the sound in movies is called the a. ADR team. d. sound-mixing team. b. gaffer crew. e. sound editors. c. sound crew.

Q: Describe how the climatic sequence of Francis Ford Coppolas epic Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now uses both parallel and associative editing.

Q: Why has the role of the sound designer become more prominent over the years? a. Directors have learned how well they can cover up mistakes in shooting. b. Sound design has simplified so people understand better how it functions. c. Producers have realized that it is more economical to invest in a top sound designer than a cinematographer. d. Motion picture sound has become more complex and increasingly innovative. e. More men have entered the field, yielding higher salaries.

Q: Discuss a scene of discontinuity editing using jump cuts in the seminal French New Wave film Breathless (1960).

Q: Which of the following is an assumption on which the concept of sound design rests? a. Image and sound create separate worlds for the viewer. b. Sound should be integral to at least two of three phases of film production (preproduction, production, and postproduction). c. Sound should be added in postproduction only. d. A films sound is never as expressive as its images. e. Images and sound are co-expressible.

Q: Summarize the three factors upon which the 180-degree system depends and which work together to achieve the goals of continuity editing.

Q: Using a hypothetical example, demonstrate how the jump cut can be used for expressive purposes.

Q: Using two hypothetical examples, explain how fade-ins/fade-outs can be used both within scenes and between scenes.

Q: Which choices by filmmakers contribute to effective editing, and why?

Q: What is the advantage of the style of editing that presents a cumulative series of details from different viewpoints?

Q: The entrance of Lil Z into the frame when he runs into Rocket in the opening sequence of City of God is filmed as a slow-motion shot. Why?

Q: What are some conclusions that can be reached concerning the editing of the opening sequence of City of God?

Q: Why are the shots of Rocket in the opening sequence of City of God relatively stable and of longer duration than the shots of Lil Z, which are heavily fragmented and handheld?

Q: When the editor cuts away from the chase in the opening sequence to introduce Rocket in the city of God, what is being created? a. a sequence of parallel action b. a montage sequence c. a graphic match d. a shot/reverse shot sequence e. an eyeline match

Q: Using a single movie scene either as mentioned in the textbook or elsewhere, explain the difference between the technique, craft, and art of editing.

Q: Explain the major challenges that director Amanda Lipitz and editor Penelope Falk faced in constructing the documentary, Step.

Q: Which of the following is an example of point-of-view editing? a. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of another character also looking offscreen b. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of the exterior of the location where that character is positioned c. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of that character from another angle d. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot, from his or her point of view, of what he or she is looking at e. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of that character walking toward something

Q: Using hypothetical examples, explain the difference between crosscutting and intercutting.

Q: What is a jump cut? a. a cut between two similar shapes b. a cut joining two actions into one flowing movement c. a cut matching the eyelines of two different characters d. a cut paralleling simultaneous occurrences taking place in two different locations e. a cut creating a disorienting ellipsis between two shots caused by the absence of a portion of film that would have provided continuity

Q: Which film was one of the first movies to intentionally and repeatedly violate conventional continuity with jump cuts that call attention to the films construction? a. Rear Window (1954) d. Breathless (1960) b. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) e. The Tin Drum (1979) c. Casablanca (1942)

Q: Why are jump cuts sometimes regarded more as an error than as an expressive technique? a. because they can occur on purpose according to filmmakers artistic visions b. because they often occur because filmmakers have failed to follow continuity principles. c. because they dont communicate meaning d. because they look antiquated e. because they are so common

Q: What is the purpose of the fade-in and fade-out? a. to start and end the film b. to dissolve between scenes c. to allow a scene to open or close slowly d. to denote dream sequences e. to signify a characters lapse into unconsciousness

Q: How does a dissolve differ from a fade? a. A dissolve can be used to mark the passing of time, whereas a fade cannot. b. A dissolve can be used to mark a connection between two shots, whereas a fade cannot. c. A dissolve emphasizes the image, whereas a fade does not. d. A dissolves transition occurs simultaneously on the screen, whereas a black screen separates the two parts of a fade. e. A dissolve is a transitional cut, whereas a fade is not.

Q: What is a dissolve? a. a fade-in or fade-out within a scene b. a scene that ends on a down note c. when a small circle of visible action surrounded by black expands to fill the entire screen d. when a character never reappears in a movie e. a transitional device in which a shot gradually superimposes over another shot

Q: A wipe, which is a transitional device in which shot B wipes across shot A vertically, horizontally, or diagonally to replace it, was commonly used in what popular movie franchise? a. X-Men d. Star Wars b. Twilight e. Hunger Games c. Lord of the Rings

Q: What is an iris-out? a. the effect in which the film image dissolves into a circle b. the effect in which the film image starts with a small circle of visible action and then expands out c. the effect in which the film image wipes into a wider circular view d. the effect in which the film image blurs focus e. the effect in which the film image closes in on an image with a gradually tightening circle

Q: Why would an editor choose an iris-out over another type of transition? a. The iris-out draws the audiences attention to a particular place on the screen. b. The iris-out looks more sophisticated. c. The iris-out is cheaper to implement. d. The iris-out is more expressive. e. The iris-out is the only way to signify the ending of a scene.

Q: What is the best way to analyze an editors contributions to a film? a. by comparing how different editors composed the same film b. by investigating the editors entire body of work c. by looking at the raw footage of the film and then the final product d. by reading interviews with the editor e. by examining individual scenes and trying to understand how their parts fit together

Q: Which of the following categorizes repeated shots of a man sharpening knives in the opening sequence of City of God? a. match cut d. pattern b. master shot e. fade-in/fade-out c. shot/reverse shot

Q: Why does the director of City of God use middle and long shots during the opening sequence when the chicken is running through the streets? a. because they allow closer proximity to an important symbol b. because they give the viewer a wider perspective on the chase and verify the chickens forward movement c. because they force the viewer to sympathize with the animal d. because they fit into a tightly organized sequence that excludes all handheld shots e. because they show off the films location shooting

Q: Which of the following is a graphic match cut? a. a shot showing a man firing an arrow and then a shot of that arrow hitting a target b. a shot showing an eye and then a shot showing a moon in the same size and shape as the eye before it c. a shot showing a man driving to work and then a shot showing what his wife is doing at home d. a shot showing landscape and then a closer shot showing a group of people driving via horse through that landscape e. a shot showing one person talking and then another shot showing the person to whom the first is talking

Q: Graphic matches often repeat ________ and provide a strong ________. a. actors; visual sense of a connection between them b. similar shapes; direct link between the events and content presented in the two different shots c. odd associations; visual sense of fragmentation and disorientation d. spatial impossibilities; temporal sense of nothingness e. cinematic convention; spatial sense of wholeness

Q: At one moment in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), a cut causes an abrupt transition between a shot of a bone thrown in the air by a primitive prehuman and a shot of a spaceship. This cut is shocking and unusual because a. it signals a shift between radically different genres. b. it implies an immense period of elapsed time. c. it implies a barely perceptible period of elapsed time. d. the shots possess no connection whatsoever. e. the bone turns suddenly into a spaceship.

Q: Which of the following describes the way continuity and discontinuity can be employed in the movies? a. When continuity editing is used in a movie, discontinuity can never also be used. b. When continuity editing is used in a movie, discontinuity can only be used in dream sequences and for other such fantastical moments. c. When continuity editing is used in a movie, discontinuity must also be used. d. Continuity and discontinuity editing can only be used together in avant-garde films. e. Continuity and discontinuity editing are tendencies along a continuum that can be used whenever the narrative of the film calls for either of them.

Q: What is screen direction? a. a screen appearing to move in a theater based on optical illusion b. camera movement in relation to the static position of a film screen c. filmmakers directing movies to fit movie theater screens d. the way direction takes precedence over all other aspects of movie production e. direction of a figures or objects movement on the screen

Q: What are the fundamental building blocks of continuity editing? a. graphic matches and superimpositions b. master shots and the 180-degree system c. jump cuts and violations of the 30-degree rule d. flash-forwards and freeze-frames e. vari-speed motion

Q: How does the 180-degree system influence screen direction? a. It prevents screen direction from being coherent to the viewer. b. It makes screen direction haphazard across and between cuts. c. It ensures consistent screen direction when shots are edited together. d. It disrupts screen direction and substitutes for its discontinuity. e. It isolates screen direction and foregrounds it for the viewer.

Q: Which of the following demonstrates a violation of the 180-degree system? a. In a scene of dialogue in which character A and character B stand still and face each other, the camera records shots of both characters solely from one side of an imaginary line between them. b. In a scene of dialogue in which character A and character B move around a room together while talking, the camera records shots of both characters solely from one side of an imaginary line, even as that line changes with their movements. c. In an action scene featuring one car chasing another, two separate shots capture first car A and then car B from different sides of an imaginary line between them. d. In an action scene featuring one car chasing another, two separate shots capture first car A and then car B from the same side of an imaginary line between them. e. No imaginary line is drawn between two characters in a gun battle sequence.

Q: What is the axis of action? a. an imaginary horizontal line between the main characters being photographed that determines where the camera should be placed to preserve screen direction b. an imaginary vertical line between the main characters being photographed that determines where the camera should be placed to preserve screen direction c. an imaginary horizontal line that divides the top and bottom of a movie screen d. an imaginary vertical line that divides the right and left side of a movie screen e. a real line placed by the director in the scene to demarcate where actors should stand and move

Q: Where must the camera be placed in relation to the axis of action? a. on both sides of the axis of action in alternating sequence b. on both sides of the axis of action in random sequence c. on both sides of the axis of action depending on the directors fancy d. on one side and one side only of the axis of action e. on one side of the axis of action but also on the opposite side if the need for further coverage calls for such a switch

Q: What is the purpose of keeping the camera on one and only one side of the axis of action? a. The resulting shots disorient the viewer as to what is happening in the scene. b. The resulting shots orient the viewer as to what is happening in the scene. c. The resulting shots alienate the viewer in regard to what is happening in the scene. d. The resulting shots allow the viewer to question what is happening in the scene. e. The resulting shots position the viewer as an intruder in regard to what is happening in the scene.

Q: The 180-degree system is a. a rule that can never be violated. b. a convention that can be broken. c. a restriction on artistic freedom. d. a guideline for directors to carefully work around. e. an obsolete principle held over from the early days of filmmaking.

Q: What is a match-on-action cut? a. a cut that shows the likeness in shape or volume of two different objects or people b. a cut that shows two characters looking at each other across two different shots c. a cut that shows us the continuation of a characters or objects motion through space d. a cut that jumps among seemingly unrelated or unconnected objects and people e. a cut that shows a person looking offscreen and what he or she is looking at

Q: Which of the following constitutes an eyeline match cut? a. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of another character also looking offscreen b. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of the exterior of the location where that character is positioned c. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of that character from another angle d. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of another character looking back at him e. a shot of a character looking offscreen and then a shot of that character walking toward something

Q: What is the difference between point-of-view shots and eyeline matches? a. Point-of-view shots show what a character is looking at, whereas eyeline matches do not. b. Point-of-view shots include reaction shots of a character, whereas eyeline matches do not. c. Point-of-view shots include shots that show us what a character is looking at from his approximate position, whereas eyeline matches join two comparatively objective shots. d. Point-of-view shots necessarily involve characters, whereas eyeline matches do not. e. Point-of-view shots cannot include dialogue, whereas eyeline matches must.

Q: What is it that signals to the editor how long to make each shot and with what rhythm to combine them? a. the depth of the movies characters b. the type of music used on the movies sound track c. the average number of takes the director recorded for each shot d. the internal requirements of the movies narrative e. the amount of overall footage shot for the movie

Q: How does an editor control the rhythm of a film? a. by timing sound track music correctly to edited shots b. by making sure edited shots match each other in terms of continuity c. by following each shot with a counter-shot that reverses the field of the previous one d. by forcing shots to be part of the same montage sequence even if they dont make logical sense when placed together e. by varying the duration of the shots in relation to one another and thus controlling their speed and accents

Q: Which is a quality that discontinuity editing seeks to achieve? a. logic d. sequential flow b. invisibility e. temporal and spatial orientation c. contrast

Q: What is one of the goals of continuity editing? a. to remind audiences they are watching a manufactured illusion b. to keep viewers oriented in space and time c. to ensure a dynamic flow between shots d. to maintain little connection between adjacent shots and scenes e. to call attention to itself as an element of cinematic form

Q: Montage editing that uses juxtaposition to impart meaning in a way that we usually cannot help but notice is known as a. parallel editing. d. continuity editing. b. associative editing. e. point-of-view editing. c. elliptical editing.

Q: The climactic scene of Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now (1979) in which juxtaposed shots of Willard slashing Kurtz with shots of the tribespeople slaughtering a passive water buffalo is an example of what two forms of editing? a. associative and elliptical d. parallel and continuity b. continuity and elliptical e. parallel and associative c. associative and continuity

Q: How does a film editor typically fulfill his or her responsibilities for the spatial relationships between shots? a. by disregarding how audiences understand the space inhabited by the characters on-screen b. by placing shots together so that the sense of the overall space suggested on-screen shifts and expands c. by using only close-up shots d. by using only establishing shots e. by adhering to violations of the 180-degree rule

Q: Why is there no need for filmmakers to film in a real space whose dimensions correspond to the ones implied by editing? a. because audiences will never believe in the plausibility of an on-screen space b. because production equipment cannot fit into or navigate a real space c. because directors are not trained to work within a real space d. because editing establishes relationships between shots that can fool audiences into accepting the believability of spaces actually shot in fractions of implied space e. because editing establishes relationships between shots that can fool audiences into accepting the believability of spaces actually shot in complete and vast space

Q: Which of the following is an element that the film editor does NOT manipulate? a. mise-en-scne b. spatial relationships between shots c. spatial relationships between characters, objects, and their surroundings d. temporal relationships between shots e. the overall rhythm of the film