Q&A Hero

Q: "High-key" lighting is typical of Hollywood filmmaking.

Q: In shallow-space composition, the closest and most distant planes appear A. blurred. only slightly separated. C. significantly separated. D. indistinguishable.

Q: Which statement about film acting is TRUE? A. Unlike stage actors, film actors must usually overplay their roles. B. Film actors typically act in a more restrained manner than stage actors. C. Film actors must adjust their movements based on camera distance. D. Film actors are less concerned with facial expressions than stage actors.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a term used to describe how far away from the camera a plane is? A. Near ground B. Foreground C. Background D. Middle ground

Q: Movement is an important depth cue because it suggests A. size diminution. B. balance of composition. C. aerial perspective. D. both volumes and planes.

Q: When a filmmaker employs a limited palette, he or she uses A. a simple setting with few props. only a few colors in the same range. C. a small cast of actors. D. only one or two camera angles.

Q: The term key light refers to A. subdued lighting. B. background lighting. the primary light source. D. a natural light source.

Q: A "prop" is an object in the setting that A. has a function in the action of the film. B. helps the actors remember their lines. C. supports large pieces of scenery. D. serves as a filler to make a set look complete.

Q: The two most basic types of light in a scene are the key and the rim.

Q: Frontal lighting has a tendency to A. create shadows. B. distort images. eliminate shadows. D. sculpt a character's features.

Q: Georges Mlis's "Star-Film" studio was designed to give him control over every aspect of mise-en-scene.

Q: The aspect of lighting that refers to the relative intensity of illumination is called A. density. quality. C. direction. D. color.

Q: When filmmakers choose to control lighting, they typically use A. different colors of lighting. B. a soft, yellow, incandescent light. C. natural sources of lighting. D. a light that is as purely white as possible.

Q: In a film, when actors engage in conversation, they usually A. look directly at each other and seldom blink. B. glance away often as they gather their thoughts. C. blink frequently to show that they are interested in the conversation. D. focus their gaze directly at the camera.

Q: In classical Hollywood, an actor who was typecast A. played roles in office settings, showcasing fast typing skills. B. was directed to avoid portraying a specific stereotype. was directed to conform to audiences' expectations. D. usually represented a social class or historical movement.

Q: "Performance capture" focuses on filming A. the whole body. the face. C. background images. D. unexpected events.

Q: The easiest way for a filmmaker to achieve compositional balance is to A. focus on figures on the right or the left. B. make the shot as wide as possible. center the frame on the human body. D. counterweight two or more elements.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a way in which a film suggests volume in a space? A. Planes B. Shape C. Shading D. Movement

Q: Depth cues that create the illusion of depth requiring input from only one eye are A. monochromatic. B. monotone. C. monolithic. D. monocular.

Q: Georges Mlis was A. an early director of fantasy films and master of mise-en-scene. B. an important French set designer of the 1930s. C. the director of Our Hospitality. D. the first historian to study mise-en-scene in the cinema.

Q: Stop-action involves A. having actors stand in the same spot where they were at the end of one shot while the lighting is adjusted for the next shot. B. halting the filming in one set and moving on to another while shooting out of continuity. C. one actor in a scene refraining from any obvious movement after delivering a line so as not to call attention away from the actor who is responding. D. animating an object by changing its position between each frame shot.

Q: Aerial perspective suggests depth by making more distant planes seem hazier than closer ones. B. creating a high angle that makes parallel lines meet at the horizon. C. composing a shot that makes the sky dominate the image. D. filming from directly above a character or a setting.

Q: Size diminution suggests depth by A. making parallel lines seem to intersect. B. creating false perspective by placing taller characters closer to the camera and shorter characters farther off. C. implying that the elements which are smaller in the shot tend to be farther away. D. reducing the cues for perspective so that the space appears relatively shallow

Q: Film scholars use the term mise-en-scene to describe the director's control over A. where the film will be shot. what appears in the film frame. C. what actors will appear in the film. D. how long shooting will last.

Q: Discuss at least two ways in which Citizen Kane's narrative adheres to conventions of classical Hollywood narrative and some of the ways in which it departs from that tradition.

Q: In a film, a "highlight" refers to A. a significant scene that may become part of a movie trailer. B. acting that exceeds the director's expectations. C. the climax of the story developed in the film. D. lighting that produces a patch of brightness on a surface.

Q: Discuss at least two ways in which Citizen Kane's plot differs from its underlying story. Be as specific as you can in giving examples of manipulations of temporal order, duration, and frequency.

Q: Explain how Citizen Kane's narrative fails to achieve complete closure and discuss some of the effects this has on the spectator's understanding of the film.

Q: Which of the following is NOT considered part of a shot's mise-en-scene? A. The actors' movements B. The camera's angle on the action C. Objects visible in the distance D. The shadows

Q: A major example of a nonrealistic and expressionistic set design is A. Greed. B. Intolerance. C. The Spider's Stratagem. D. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Q: The system of lighting widely used in classical Hollywood filmmaking is known as three-point lighting. B. five-point lighting. C. cast-shadow lighting. D. omnidirectional lighting.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a term for a type of directional lighting? A. Top lighting B. Underlighting C. Overlighting D. Backlighting

Q: Which of the following is NOT a type of lighting in the three-point lighting system? A. Rack light B. Backlight C. Key light D. Fill light

Q: According to Film Art, a film actor's performance style is most affected by A. the microphone placement. the camera distance. C. the aspect ratio. D. the lighting.

Q: "Frontality" of staging means that A. a character is placed in the extreme foreground of the shot. B. a character is facing toward the camera. C. one character blocks spectators' views of another character. D. a character is moving toward the foreground.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a motif in the mise-en-scene in Buster Keaton's Our Hospitality? A. A sampler embroidered "Love Thy Neighbor" B. A fish-on-a-line motif C. A gun rack D. A dog-on-a-leash motif

Q: Explain the term narration, making reference in the course of your discussion to the concepts of range and depth. Use specific examples from Film Art, the lecture, and any of the narrative films shown for this course.

Q: Discuss how causality operates in two or three scenes from [title of film shown in class]. Be sure to describe how specific events motivate other events.

Q: Define the terms order, duration, and frequency as they apply to narrative time. Give specific examples of each from Film Art, the lecture, and any of the narrative films shown for this course. Answers will vary

Q: Describe at least two basic narrative traits of the classical Hollywood cinema, and give examples of each from Film Art, the lecture, and films shown in class.

Q: [The following question can be used if you show your class a film that presents a distinct alternative to the classical Hollywood cinema.] Describe two significant ways in which the narrative of [film title] departs from the classical Hollywood cinema's tradition. Be as specific as possible in giving examples from the film.

Q: In classical films, characters rarely achieve their goals through changing their situations or attitudes.

Q: A common pattern of plot development involves a character gaining knowledge as the film progresses.

Q: The onset of the conflict is the part of the plot that introduces the backstory and initial situation.

Q: Characters are the most common source of causes in a narrative.

Q: Groundhog Day is an example of a film with a "what-if" plot.

Q: The locale of the plot is always the same as that of the story action.

Q: An "omniscient" narrator usually has very little information about plot and characters.

Q: Explain the distinction made in Film Art between "plot" and "story" in narrative films. Use specific examples from Film Art, the lecture, and [title of film shown in class].

Q: Discuss some of the ways in which a spectator actively participates in understanding the narrative of a film. Give specific examples from Film Art, the lecture, and any of the narrative films shown for this course.

Q: Explain why it is often useful to compare the opening and closing of a film in analyzing its narrative. Give some specific examples from Film Art, the lecture, and any of the narrative films shown for this course.

Q: Films such as Run, Lola, Run by Tom Tykwer and Peter Howitt's Sliding Door distort story time by providing alternative futures to the viewer.

Q: Alfred Hitchcock's approach to narration is to withhold as much information as possible from the spectator in order to create surprise.

Q: The plot duration of Citizen Kane consists of roughly 65 years of Kane's life plus the length of Thompson's investigation.

Q: In Citizen Kane, the pattern of plot development is consistently to move between flashbacks of Kane as an old man progressively back to flashbacks of him as a child.

Q: Non-character narrators are common in documentaries.

Q: A classical narrative usually involves a blocking element, or an opposition that creates conflict for the protagonist.

Q: At what point in a film does most of the exposition usually take place? A. Just before the climax B. During the resolution C. Near the beginning D. Immediately following the climax

Q: A complex character typically A. possesses a variety of traits. B. faces multiple conflicts. C. has difficulty making decisions. D. overcomes obstacles.

Q: What is the term for how often a story event is presented in a plot? A. Parallelism B. Repetition C. Frequency D. Exposition

Q: Narrative form can be used in documentary films.

Q: The opening scene of North by Northwest contains no nondiegetic elements.

Q: Howard Hawks's The Big Sleep is an example of objective, highly restricted narration.

Q: In a narrative film, plot duration is always equal to story duration.

Q: A point-of-view shot is an example of perceptual subjectivity in narration.

Q: Plots based on searches might be considered examples of goal-oriented plots.

Q: "Restricted" narration is commonly used in mystery films. B. documentaries. C. classical films. D. biographical films.

Q: Classical filmmakers prefer that the end of a film A. set up the possibility for a sequel. bring closure. C. leave some degree of mystery. D. pose a question to spectators.

Q: The agent who tells the story in a film is called the A. protagonist. B. commentator. C. antagonist. D. narrator.

Q: The process of narration involves A. presenting story information in a clear chronological order. B. providing information that spectators would not otherwise have. distributing story information to achieve specific effects. D. interpreting events and actions for spectators.

Q: In a film, the high point of the action that increases tension for the spectator is called the A. climax. B. resolution. C. closing. D. conflict.

Q: "Setup" refers to A. preparation for shooting. the first quarter of a film's plot. C. the buildup just before the climax. D. a plot twist.

Q: Action that takes place before the plot begins is called the A. exposition. B. setup. C. opening. D. backstory.

Q: Ambiguity in Citizen Kane arises in part from A. the reporter Thompson's concealment of what he learns about Kane's childhood. B. the refusal of Susan to cooperate with Thompson. C. the lack of clarity of some of the characters' motivations. D. the crucial lies told by the characters to Thompson.

Q: Film Art argues that the search for the meaning of "Rosebud" in Citizen Kane is more than a gimmick because A. Thompson's discovery of "Rosebud" is what permits the narrative to achieve complete closure. B. the "Rosebud" motif creates parallelisms among all the flashbacks. the search provides a cause that motivates an investigation into character traits. D. "Rosebud" provides vital motivation about why Kane's mother sent him to live with Thatcher.

Q: Citizen Kane creates a narrative parallel between Kane's political campaign and A. his attempt to promote Bernstein despite Thatcher's objections. B. the montage sequence of Kane's first marriage deteriorating. C. his attempt to make Leland into a famous drama critic. D. his attempt to foster Susan's operatic career.

Q: 16. Which of the following statements is NOT true of the narration in Citizen Kane? A. The multiple flashbacks narrated by different characters yield restricted, generally objective information about Kane. B. For much of the film, the information presented by the narration is largely limited in range to the reporter Thompson's knowledge. C. At the beginning and ending of the film, the narration moves outside the range of knowledge of any of the characters. D. The flashbacks are used both to reveal and to conceal story information.

Q: What is the term for a chain of events linked by cause and effect and occurring in time and space? Narrative B. Plot C. Causality D. Parallelism

Q: In a narrative, the sum total of all events in chronological order is the A. plot. B. range. story. D. outcome.

Q: A "point-of-view shot" is taken from A. the filmmaker's optical standpoint. a character's optical standpoint. C. a remote location. D. a point above the action.