Film Studies Final Exam chapter 1

For how long were motion pictures popular before they were considered worthy of serious study?

50 years

Which of the following would NOT be considered an alternative analysis of Juno?

A look at the creative and ideological contributions of the movie's female screenwriter.

Which of the following does NOT provide an example of how movies relate to viewer expectations?

A movie adheres to a winning formula in which a protagonist pursues a goal by confronting obstacles.

What does a fade-out/fade-in usually convey when used in a narrative film?

A passage of time in between scenes.

Which of the following would NOT be considered a comparative analysis of Juno?

An analysis of the movie's successful adherence to a three-act screenplay structure.

Why would an analysis of the way Juno uses editing techniques similar to those among other contemporary movies be considered a valid one?

Because it divorces the film from its cultural context.

Why is cultural invisibility not always a calculated decision on the part of filmmakers?

Because they don't know any better.

How have motion pictures been recently liberated from the imposed impermanence that helped foster cinematic invisibility?

By being available on and through DVD, DVR, and streaming video.

Which of the following is NOT a method by which movies can diverge from the model of most North American and western European films?

By filming with handheld video cameras, a small crew, and a cast of nonactors.

In regard to viewers' shared belief systems, how can movies deemed "controversial" or "provocative" be popular with audiences?

By triggering emotional responses from viewers that reinforce yearnings that lie deep within.

Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate element to comparatively analyze across a director's body of work?

Critical reception.

The manner in which movies from various countries and societies present their narratives is often profoundly affected by:

Cultural Tradition

One of the unique properties of movies that distinguishes it from any other visual medium is its capacity to:

Isolate details and juxtapose images within and between shots

6.)Which of the following is NOT typical of a finished movie product?

It is highly experimental and "difficult" for most viewers.

3.)Why are movies worthy of serious study, as opposed to being merely an outlet for escape or entertainment?

Seriously studying movies allows people to understand how movies shape the way we view the world.

What does a low-angle shot usually convey when used in a narrative film?

The dominance or empowered position of a character.

Beyond breaking down a movie to identify the tools and techniques that comprise it, film analysis is also primarily concerned with:

The function and potential effect of its combined tools and techniques

51. Which of the following would NOT be illuminated by a comparative analysis of a movie?

The repeated use of a color palette in a specific movie.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of noncommercial alternative films on the fringes of popular culture?

They are funded by major Hollywood studios.

As opposed to the theater, how is cinema capable of conveying an object's physical properties as well as its narrative significance and emotional meaning?

Via many practical options.

1.)In what ways that extend far beyond the multiplex have movies permeated our lives?

We watch movies on cable and satellite channels, online, on our iPads and cell phones, buy them at video stores, through the mail, and so on.

Which of the following is NOT a movie meaning expressed through form?

What a character is thinking or feeling.

31. Implicit meaning is best defined as _____, while explicit meaning is best defined as

a deep-level association, connection, or inference; meaning available on the surface of the movie

23. In order to exploit cinema's capacity for transporting audiences into the world of the story, the commercial filmmaking process stresses:

a polished continuity of lighting, performance, costume, makeup, and movement.

The Harry Potter movies' relationship to Christianity has been interpreted by many conservative critics as:

adversarial.

13. A shot is best defined as:

an unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of a motion-picture camera.

Even as Juno seems to call into question some of contemporary America's attitudes about family, it also:

appeals to an arguably more fundamental American value of robust individualism.

Juno adheres to cultural invisibility by:

championing a protagonist who rejects convention yet ultimately upholds the traditional institutions she seemingly scorns.

In order to possess validity, interpretation of a movie needs to be:

completely unrelated to the surface story.

The waiting room scene in Juno depends significantly on _____ to function effectively.

complicated and disorienting point-of-view shots

For a series of movies like Harry Potter, special effects:

contribute a sophisticated visual spectacle to match its sophisticated story and characters.

Defying the rules of continuity is often done to:

convey chaos and confusion.

An analysis of the decidedly different characters, settings, and stories among an array of contemporary dramatic comedies dealing with pregnancy might reveal:

current ideas about women and motherhood.

One of the most common editing techniques designed to hide the instantaneous and potentially jarring shift from one camera viewpoint to another is:

cutting on action.

Unlike most film series, the Harry Potter franchise features:

dramatic and complex narrative development.

Techniques such as fade-outs/fade-ins and low-angle shots communicate meaning by:

drawing upon the way we automatically interpret visual information in our real lives.

14. The joining together of discrete shots is called:

editing.

The simple awareness that Juno's opening shot is the first image of the movie informs the analyst of the moment's:

evocation of setting and time.

47. Alternative approaches to film analysis search beneath a movie's form and content in order to expose:

implicit and hidden meanings that inform our understanding of cinema's function within popular culture.

In the scene from Juno where the main character applies lipstick before visiting Mark, the implications of this action are:

implicit.

5.)As opposed to "film" or "cinema," the term "movies" is applied to:

motion pictures that entertain the masses at the multiplex.

11.)The essential quality that separates movies from all other two-dimensional pictorial art forms is:

movement.

7.)Almost all ubiquitous commercial, feature-length movies share the same basic and important element of:

narrative.

One way of thinking about implicit meaning is understanding it as a movie's:

overall message or "point."

Because most movies seek to engage viewers' emotions and transport them inside the world presented onscreen, the visual vocabulary of film is designed to:

play upon those same instincts that we use to navigate and interpret the visual and aural information of our "real life."

Just as explicit and implicit meanings need not pertain to the movie as a whole, not all implicit meaning is:

relevant.

12. Unlike photography and painting, films are constructed from individual:

shots

Because movies are rich in plot detail, a good analysis must begin by:

sorting through the details and extracting the most important among them.

In order to entertain and not provoke its customers, the film industry usually favors stories and themes that:

tap into and reinforce their most fundamental desires and beliefs.

17. Analysis is defined as:

the act of taking something apart to figure out what it is made of and how it fits together.

40. Formal analysis is the analytical approach primarily concerned with:

the means by which a subject is expressed.

A formal analysis of the first two shots of Juno reveals:

the multiple functions and meanings they are meant to impart.

Before attempting any interpretation of the formal elements used to communicate intended meaning to the spectator, the analyst should carefully consider:

the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or sequence in the movie.

Expectations specific to a particular performer or filmmaker can inform an analysis of:

the personal motives governing the performer or filmmaker's investment in particular projects.

19. The "invisibility" of meaning in movies is largely due to:

their rapidly and constantly changing images not giving the viewer time to contemplate them.

Film scholars pay special attention to blockbusters and other popular entertainments in order to:

understand which elements connect such movies with legions of viewers.