film
Syd Field defines a screenplay as...
...a story told with pictures, in dialogue and description, and placed within the context of dramatic structure.
The "Crisis Point" in a film is often a moment where a character must make a decision that will directly lead to...
...the climax.
Say you're watching a film that happens to be 120 minutes long, according to Syd Field, how long should Act I aproximately be?
30 minutes
Which of the following is NOT an example of asynchronous sound?
A bottle of champagne is opened, and the audience hears a pop as the cork flies across the room.
What is the definition of "verisimilitude"?
A convincing appearance of truth.
What is a jump cut?
A cut creating a disorienting ellipsis between two shots caused by the absence of a portion of film that would have provided continuity.
What is a match-on-action cut?
A cut that shows us the continuation of a character's or object's motion through space.
What is "montage" in the Hollywood sense of the word?
A sequence of shots, often with superimpositions and optical effects, which shows a condensed series of events.
What is a dissolve?
A transitional device in which a shot gradually superimposes over another shot.
What is the axis of action?
An imaginary horizontal line between the main characters being photographed that determines where the camera should be placed to preserve screen direction.
Which of the following constitutes a flashback?
An interruption of the chronological progression of an action movie to show a tranquil moment from the protagonist's childhood.
What is an anti-hero?
An unsympathetic character in pursuit of a less-than-noble goal.
Why is there no need for filmmakers to film in a real space whose dimensions correspond to the ones implied by editing?
Because editing establishes relationships between shots that can fool audiences into accepting the believability of spaces actually shot in fractions of implied space.
Why are establishing shots particularly important for continuity editing?
Because they orient the viewer in preparation for the shots that follow.
How does an editor control the rhythm of a film?
By varying the duration of the shots in relation to one another and thus controlling their speed and accents.
What technique keeps all three planes of the film frame in focus?
Deep-focus cinematography.
Which of the following film sounds are typically recorded during production?
Dialogue
What is the difference between diegetic and nondiegetic sound?
Diegetic sound originates from a source within a film's world; nondiegetic sound comes from outside that world.
According to Syd Field, novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald found success in both writing novels and screenplays.
False
In a screenplay, the scene directions can contain the thoughts and internal motivation of the characters in the film.
False
Why are black and white films more often closely associated with gritty realism than are color films?
Historically, black and white images have been used for documentaries and newspaper photographs.
Who was responsible for inventing the art of screen acting?
Lillian Gish, under D. W. Griffith's guidance.
What are the fundamental building blocks of continuity editing?
Master shots and the 180-degree system.
Which of the following is an element that the film editor does NOT manipulate?
Mise-en-scène.
When used in continuity editing, shots in a shot/reverse shot sequence are often framed in what way?
Over the characters' shoulders.
What is the difference between story and plot?
Story contains the explicit and implicit events of the film; plot contains the explicit events in a specifically selected arrangement.
What does it mean when the stakes rise in a movie?
That as the movie progresses the protagonist confronts greater risks.
What is parallel editing?
The cutting together of two or more lines of action that occur simultaneously at different locations.
What is a backstory?
The experiences or events that occur before the start of a movie's narrative.
What is character motivation?
The realistic or plausible reasons behind the character's actions and desires.
Why did the first screen actors use exaggerated gestures, emphatic expressions, and the mouthing of words to bring their characters to life?
They were adapting the acting style of 19th-century theater.
What is the purpose of the fade-in and fade-out?
To allow a scene to open or close slowly.
What is the ultimate goal of continuity editing?
To communicate the story as clearly, efficiently, and coherently as possible.
Why is sound overlapped?
To link and provide unity between disparate shots.
What is the principal difference between traditional sound effects and Foley sounds?
Traditional sound effects are created and recorded "wild"; Foley sounds are recorded in sync with the picture.
According to Syd Field, Act II is twice as long as Act III.
True
It is often the protagonist's (or main character) personal journey to accomplish a goal that dictates the rising action (dramatic structure) of the film.
True
Which of the following is most likely to draw an audience to a movie?
a famous actor
While dialogue in most movies represents ordinary speech, the screwball comedies of the 1930s invented:
a fast, witty style that called attention to itself.
To visually imply a character's power and superiority, the camera is traditionally placed at ________ in relation to that character.
a low angle
During the classical Hollywood studio era, the mise-en-scène of each studio's movies was often created through ________.
a predetermined formula
What grammatical tool can be compared to the function of a freeze-frame?
an exclamation point.
The effective use of ________ is often used to separate a subject from the background and add depth to a shot.
backlight
The planning of the placement and movement of figures and camera is a process known as ________.
blocking
How does shot/reverse shot fool viewers in order to achieve continuity?
by linking together shots onscreen that could have been recorded at completely different moments.
What is often the most important factor in determining a film's financial success?
casting
Audiences' expectations in regard to "reality":
change across time and cultures.
The three factors that influence the length of any shot are the screenplay, the editing, and the ________.
cinematography
Although each thing that is seen within a shot may not have a meaning in and of itself, it is the ________ of these things that provide overall meaning.
combination
The 180-degree system is a(n):
convention that can be broken.
One of the most difficult challenges cinematographers face when filming traditional two-dimensional imagery is ________.
creating the illusion of depth
The cinematographer is also known as the ________.
director of photography
Most film sounds are constructed ________.
during postproduction
When an extreme long shot shows a wide view of a location and provides some background information, it is also known as a(n) ________.
establishing shot
In film analysis, the term mise-en-scène refers to:
everything the audience sees, hears, and experiences while viewing a movie.
The combination of lighting, color, the movement of actors, and other visual elements contained by the ________ contribute to the meaning of a shot.
frame
Two key aspects of composition are ________.
framing and kinesis
The________ is the person responsible for powering the lights and other camera-related equipment during production.
gaffer
The effect of an ellipsis is determined by:
how much story time is implied between shots.
Although the director's vision shapes a movie's mise-en-scène, the cinematographer must make decisions about:
how to photograph the movie.
The main source of illumination used in three-point lighting is the ________.
key light
Shots with duration between one and ten minutes that allow the preservation of real space and real time are called ________.
long takes
________ is a lighting technique often associated with horror and film noir.
low-key
Of the many things studio-era actors used to create an appealing screen image, two of the most personal and important were ________.
makeup and hair
The kinesis of objects and figures within the frame and of the frame itself are both aspects of ________.
mise-en-scène
The ________ describes the relationship between the subject being photographed and the level and height of the camera.
shooting angle
A ________ is the basic building block of a movie.
shot
Sets are often built on a ________, which is a windowless, soundproofed, interior shooting environment.
soundstage
Charlie Chaplin created his Tramp character:
starting with the costume.
When designing costumes for a futuristic sci-fi movie, designers must take into account the social structure and values of an imaginary society as well as ________.
the audience's expectation of what the future should look like
During production, the crew most closely associated with the camera consists of ________.
the camera operator and the first and second AC
The compositional principle that divides the frame horizontally and vertically in order to visualize the height, width, and depth of cinematic space is called ________.
the rule of thirds
What is the basic building block of film editing?
the shot
The Method (or Method acting) did not make a major impact on Hollywood until the 1950s because:
the studios were reliant on the star system and were not interested in the process of acting.
The choice of costumes worn by actors in a movie can contribute to________.
the telling of a movie's story
How do environmental sounds typically function in a film?
they provide information about a film's setting and action.
The vertical movement of a camera mounted on a gyroscopic head of a stationary tripod is a ________.
tilt shot
A ________ shot is when the camera is mounted on a dolly to move smoothly along with the action.
tracking
Despite advances in digital media, most feature film productions are shot ________.
with traditional film stock
Johnny Depp's acting career is unusual because he has attained star status:
without any fixed persona.