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Q:
Write a paragraph explaining how we distinguish an experimental film using abstract form from one using associational form. Use specific examples from Film Art, from lectures, or from films shown for the course.
Q:
Some non-narrative films draw on aspects of narrative form to organize sections or parts. Choose one non-narrative film that draws on narrative principles. What sort of non-narrative principles organize the overall film? How does it draw on narrative principles of organization? What purposes are fulfilled by the narrative portions of the film? Point to specific sequences that support your claims.
Q:
Describe how animation differs from live-action filming. Explain the common types of animation and give examples of each.
Q:
How did the animation technique used to make Duck Amuck differ from that used to make Sita Sings the Blues? What makes each film visually interesting and unique? How do the films reflect the time periods in which they were made? Use specific examples from each film to illustrate you ideas.
Q:
The most important Surrealist films of the 1920s were made in England.
Q:
The Soviet Montage movement emphasized individual personalities by using famous actors with very distinctive appearances and mannerisms.
Q:
By definition, an abstract experimental film does not involve any recognizable objects.
Q:
When a documentary is referred to as synthetic it means it's a false documentary, or a mockumentary.
Q:
Cheaper animated productions, including some television, use ______ animation, in which only small sections of the image move from frame to frame.
A. full
B. cel
C. drawn
D. limited
Q:
In full animation, A. figures are rendered in fine detail, with tiny, nonrepetitive movements. B. a large "cast" of characters is involved. C. various areas of the screen use cut-outs at different times. D. movement takes place on all areas of the screen at all times.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT one of the three closely related categories of three-dimensional object animation?
A. Claymation using Plasticine
B. Model animation using puppets
C. Pixillation with ordinary objects or people
D. Illustrative animation using collage
Q:
"3D" computer animation is so named because it
A. gives an impression of depth when viewed through special glasses in a theatre.
makes two-dimensional drawings look three-dimensional (with "volume").
C. is made to be shown on special 3D movie screens.
D. involves the 3D's: drawing, detail, and description.
Q:
Directed by Chuck M. Jones in 1953, ______, with its experimental feel, is considered one of the masterpieces of American animation. A. The Scarlet Pumpernickel B. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs C. Duck Amuck D. Fantasia
Q:
Dimensions of Dialogue, by Czech animator Jan Svankmajer, can best be described as
A. light-hearted, happy, and whimsical.
surreal, violent, and disturbing.
C. lyrical, flowing, and poetic.
D. hilarious, sardonic, and satirical.
Q:
Fact-based films such as Apollo 13, Schindler's List, and Selma are considered documentaries because they deal with real events.
Q:
Although documentaries often record events as they are occurring, sometimes events in a documentary may be staged.
Q:
Cinma-vrit or "cinema-truth" is another term for direct-cinema documentary.
Q:
When a documentary filmmaker wants to make an argument or convince people of something, he or she employs categorical form.
Q:
Olympia, Helvetica, and Gap-Toothed Women are examples of documentaries that use categorical form.
Q:
Mokumentaries pretend to portray real people and are often quite serious.
Q:
In The River, Pare Lorentz explores a number of balanced viewpoints on his subject, leaving the audience to form their own conclusions.
Q:
Experimental films are also known as avant-garde films.
Q:
Animated films are distinguished from live-action ones by the kinds of work done at the ______ stage.
A. development
B. pre-production
production
D. post-production
Q:
In animation, cels are A. segments of the storyboard. B. clear rectangular sheets of celluloid. C. sections within the script. D. areas of the screen on which images are drawn.
Q:
The greatest challenge involved in using categorical form in a documentary is the
A. difficulty involved in properly assigning categories and finding examples of those.
B. fact that it tends to develop in complex ways and thus risks confusing the viewer.
C. difficulty involved in properly relating the categories to the viewer's experience.
D. fact that it tends to develop in fairly simple ways and thus risks boring the viewer.
Q:
Whereas most documentaries present talking heads in ______, Les Blank's Gap-Toothed Women makes extensive use of ______.
A. extreme close-ups; medium shots or medium close-ups
B. extreme long shots; extreme close-ups
medium shots or medium close-ups; extreme close-ups
D. extreme close-ups; extreme long shots
Q:
Which of the following is NOT one of the four attributes of rhetorical form in a documentary film? A. It addresses the viewer openly. B. The subject of the film is usually a matter of opinion or interpretation, and not necessarily scientific truth. C. The subject of the film is usually presented as a highly controversial issue. D. It appeals to our emotions, rather than relying purely on factual evidence. E. It attempts to persuade the viewer to make a choice.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT typical of rhetorical form? A. Arguments from indisputable scientific truth with no room for interpretation B. Arguments from source, involving sources of information that are meant to be seen as reliable C. Arguments including a clear presentation of an explicit persuasive opinion D. Viewer-centered arguments, which usually tap into the viewer's emotions
Q:
A significant example of rhetorical documentary form is
A. Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi
Pare Lorentz's The River
C. Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising
D. Les Blank's Gap-Toothed Women
Q:
Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that Pare Lorentz builds viewers' trust in The River? A. The narrator's rich voice, which makes him sound trustworthy B. Extensive use of facts and dates C. Celebrity endorsements and voiceovers sprinkled throughout the film D. A list of government agencies that sponsored the film
Q:
Railroad Turnbridge, Scorpio Rising, and Ballet mcanique are all examples of
A. experimental film.
B. rhetorical form.
C. direct cinema.
D. found footage.
Q:
One place where the average viewer is likely to be exposed to avant-garde cinema (or at least its influence) is in
A. television commercials.
music videos.
C. Facebook status updates.
D. educational films used in middle school health classes.
Q:
In addition to narrative form, experimental or avant-garde films may use ______ or ______ form.
A. rhetorical; associational
B. abstract; categorical
C. rhetorical; categorical
D. abstract; associational
Q:
Ballet mcanique is an example of a(n) ______ film.
A. rhetorical documentary
B. associational experimental
abstract experimental
D. categorical documentary
Q:
A Movie by Bruce Conner is a(n) A. example of a compilation documentary film. B. compilation that exemplifies associational form. C. example of a direct-cinema documentary film. D. experimental film that exemplifies abstract form.
Q:
Associational form works most like
A. traditional portrait painting in oils.
B. motet form in choral music.
C. folkloric storytelling.
D. metaphorical poetry.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT one of the basic principles typically employed in making an associational film? A. To tell a clearly understandable story. B. Build the film around groups of images. C. Create variations between parts of the film. D. Repeat motifs to reinforce associations.
Q:
Which of the following is the best example of an associational film?
A. Ballet mcanique
B. Dimensions of Dialogue
C. An Inconvenient Truth
D. Koyaanisqatsi
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a type of documentary film? A. Nature documentary, involving animals or other subjects in nature B. Portrait documentary, which focuses on the biography of a person C. Visionary documentary, which presents the director's abstract proposal D. Synthetic documentary, a combination of documentary types
Q:
Due to their defined formulas for success, genres are unable to respond quickly to broad social trends.
Q:
In addition to narrative documentaries, documentaries may take non-narrative forms, including
A. portrait and categorical.
rhetorical and categorical.
C. rhetorical and visionary.
D. portrait and visionary.
Q:
Based on the genre film(s) screened or discussed or both in class, indicate two conventions of character, plot, theme, or iconography that are distinctive of the genre. Then, for each convention you select, show how the film(s) you select exemplify the genre. As evidence, cite specific scenes that use the conventions.
Q:
Select any film genre that has been discussed in this course. Provide two examples of conventions that are significant to the genre. Now cite two specific scenes from films that provide examples of innovative handling or unique adaptation of those conventions.
Q:
Briefly describe how ideas about genre are used by people within the film industry, by film reviewers, and by ordinary moviegoers.
Q:
In a short essay, discuss the importance of new subgenres and the mixing of genres to changes in genre conventions, drawing on examples from class readings and screenings.
Q:
Discuss the common "reflectionist" argument that genres mirror larger events and trends in society. Drawing on examples from class readings and screenings, suggest the strengths and weaknesses of this argument.
Q:
Film Art suggests that the Western deals with "the conflict between civilized order and the lawless frontier." Drawing on readings and screenings, suggest what conventions and iconography of the Western are associated with that conflict.
Q:
Select any relatively recent crime thriller, such as David Fincher's Gone Girl (2014) or Jaume Collet-Serra's Run All Night (2015), and discuss how the filmmaker has manipulated the typical characters and narrative structure to refresh the genre.
Q:
Drawing on class readings and screenings, describe the kinds of conventions and iconography used to evoke the monstrous forces at the center of the horror film. Suggest some reasons for the enduring appeal of this genre.
Q:
Drawing on class readings and screenings, describe the typical narrative patterns used to integrate song-and-dance numbers into musicals, commenting especially on the importance of romance.
Q:
Beyond the competition, conflict, suspense, and surprise of sports films there is ideological commentary. Choose a relatively current sports film such as Niki Caro's McFarland, USA (2015) or Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw (2015) and investigate the ideological and cultural message of the film.
Q:
A film is a documentary if it
is labeled as such.
B. records events precisely as they occur.
C. contains no staged re-creations.
D. consists only of verifiable truths.
Q:
Mockumentaries can best be defined as films that A. imitate the conventions of documentaries, often for comedic effects, but do not pretend to be factual. B. take very real, serious topics and present them in a comical light. C. imitate the conventions of documentaries and present themselves as factual to trick the audience. D. deliberately avoid the conventions of the documentary.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a type of documentary film?
A. The compilation, created by assembling images from archival sources
B. The interview or talking-heads documentary
C. Direct-cinema documentary, a recording of events as they happen
D. Staged documentary, which consists entirely of re-creations of events with professional actors
Q:
A "direct-cinema" documentary is one
A. in which the director stages the action.
that records real events as they happen.
C. consisting mainly of interviews.
D. made up entirely of archival footage.
Q:
Genre conventions include plot patterns, thematic patterns, and stylistic patterns.
Q:
Most scholars see genre films as pure escapism, with no significant relation to contemporary society.
Q:
Social processes can be reflected in genre innovations. For example, films such as Aliens reflect the new conceptions of gender in the 1970s.
Q:
Sports films do not have their own plot patterns, iconography, or themes--they only borrow from more traditional genres.
Q:
One characteristic of any given genre is that its form remains unchanged over time.
Q:
A genre's iconography consists of
A. its typical plot patterns.
B. its use of recurring themes.
C. the sum of all its editing conventions.
D. its characteristic objects, settings, and stars.
Q:
John Ford's The Searchers is a major example of which genre?
The Western
B. The detective story
C. The science-fiction film
D. The musical
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a reason for the recent popularity of the crime thriller with filmmakers? A. Audiences love suspense and enjoy twists and surprises. B. It requires the use of popular and elaborate special effects. C. It is relatively inexpensive to produce. D. It offers showy roles to actors.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a film genre? A. Western films B. Black-and-white films C. Science-fiction films D. Musical films
Q:
Film scholars argue that genre conventions, repeated from film to film,
A. indicate continual studio worries about profits.
B. reflect actors' and producers' resistance to change in film technology.
C. result in audience boredom and demand for innovative ideas.
D. reflect audience doubts or anxieties and therefore vary with history.
Q:
Many scholars believe that the cultural explanation of the emergence of the subgenre of family horror films in the 1970s indicated viewers' A. concern about Watergate and Richard Nixon's crimes. B. uncertainty about their fundamental beliefs about the world and their identity. C. lessening interest in television. D. anxiety about the increase in crime in New York City.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a convention of the romantic comedy?
A. "Cute meet"
B. "Big misunderstanding"
C. Physical separation
D. Flashback
Q:
The term subgenre refers to
A. inferior examples of a genre.
distinct types within a genre.
C. subversive examples of a genre.
D. genres from foreign countries.
Q:
The Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film Swing Time is an example of the backstage musical.
Q:
The typical Western thematically places the hero between savagery and civilization.
Q:
The periods of time during which a given genre is popular are called "cycles."
Q:
When analyzing a film, what qualifies as a salient technique? Give some examples from Film Art or from a film watched for class.
Q:
Filmmakers avoid mixing the conventions of more than one genre.
Q:
What does it mean for style to function perceptually? What are some aspects of this quality? Give an example from Citizen Kane.
Q:
What is the relation (if any), both visually and graphically, of the beginning and ending of Citizen Kane?
Q:
How does Welles use mise-en-scene in Citizen Kane to set up the contrast between the early, idealistic part of Kane's life and his later withdrawal from public life?
Q:
In Citizen Kane, what functions does the newsreel sequence serve and what techniques does Welles use to set it apart?
Q:
Parallelism, an important feature in many great films, is surprisingly absent from Citizen Kane.
Q:
Welles makes the important newsreel sequence distinctive by using a number of techniques that do not appear anywhere else in Citizen Kane.
Q:
If a character speaks, the viewer expects to hear diegetic sound that is faithful to the source.