Film Studies Final Exam chapter 1 – Flashcards
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7.)Almost all ubiquitous commercial, feature-length movies share the same basic and important element of:
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narrative.
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11.)The essential quality that separates movies from all other two-dimensional pictorial art forms is:
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movement.
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12. Unlike photography and painting, films are constructed from individual:
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shots
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13. A shot is best defined as:
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an unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of a motion-picture camera.
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14. The joining together of discrete shots is called:
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editing.
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17. Analysis is defined as:
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the act of taking something apart to figure out what it is made of and how it fits together.
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19. The "invisibility" of meaning in movies is largely due to:
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their rapidly and constantly changing images not giving the viewer time to contemplate them.
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23. In order to exploit cinema's capacity for transporting audiences into the world of the story, the commercial filmmaking process stresses:
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a polished continuity of lighting, performance, costume, makeup, and movement.
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31. Implicit meaning is best defined as _____, while explicit meaning is best defined as
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a deep-level association, connection, or inference; meaning available on the surface of the movie
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40. Formal analysis is the analytical approach primarily concerned with:
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the means by which a subject is expressed.
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47. Alternative approaches to film analysis search beneath a movie's form and content in order to expose:
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implicit and hidden meanings that inform our understanding of cinema's function within popular culture.
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51. Which of the following would NOT be illuminated by a comparative analysis of a movie?
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The repeated use of a color palette in a specific movie.
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For how long were motion pictures popular before they were considered worthy of serious study?
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50 years
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The manner in which movies from various countries and societies present their narratives is often profoundly affected by:
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Cultural Tradition
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Because most movies seek to engage viewers' emotions and transport them inside the world presented onscreen, the visual vocabulary of film is designed to:
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play upon those same instincts that we use to navigate and interpret the visual and aural information of our "real life."
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Which of the following is NOT a method by which movies can diverge from the model of most North American and western European films?
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By filming with handheld video cameras, a small crew, and a cast of nonactors.
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of noncommercial alternative films on the fringes of popular culture?
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They are funded by major Hollywood studios.
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Beyond breaking down a movie to identify the tools and techniques that comprise it, film analysis is also primarily concerned with:
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The function and potential effect of its combined tools and techniques
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One of the unique properties of movies that distinguishes it from any other visual medium is its capacity to:
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Isolate details and juxtapose images within and between shots
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What does a fade-out/fade-in usually convey when used in a narrative film?
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A passage of time in between scenes.
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Techniques such as fade-outs/fade-ins and low-angle shots communicate meaning by:
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drawing upon the way we automatically interpret visual information in our real lives.
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What does a low-angle shot usually convey when used in a narrative film?
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The dominance or empowered position of a character.
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One of the most common editing techniques designed to hide the instantaneous and potentially jarring shift from one camera viewpoint to another is:
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cutting on action.
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In regard to viewers' shared belief systems, how can movies deemed "controversial" or "provocative" be popular with audiences?
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By triggering emotional responses from viewers that reinforce yearnings that lie deep within.
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Juno adheres to cultural invisibility by:
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championing a protagonist who rejects convention yet ultimately upholds the traditional institutions she seemingly scorns.
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A formal analysis of the first two shots of Juno reveals:
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the multiple functions and meanings they are meant to impart.
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Why is cultural invisibility not always a calculated decision on the part of filmmakers?
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Because they don't know any better.
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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?
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Via many practical options.
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How have motion pictures been recently liberated from the imposed impermanence that helped foster cinematic invisibility?
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By being available on and through DVD, DVR, and streaming video.
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In order to entertain and not provoke its customers, the film industry usually favors stories and themes that:
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tap into and reinforce their most fundamental desires and beliefs.
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Even as Juno seems to call into question some of contemporary America's attitudes about family, it also:
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appeals to an arguably more fundamental American value of robust individualism.
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One way of thinking about implicit meaning is understanding it as a movie's:
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overall message or "point."
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In order to possess validity, interpretation of a movie needs to be:
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completely unrelated to the surface story.
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The waiting room scene in Juno depends significantly on _____ to function effectively.
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complicated and disorienting point-of-view shots
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Just as explicit and implicit meanings need not pertain to the movie as a whole, not all implicit meaning is:
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relevant.
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In the scene from Juno where the main character applies lipstick before visiting Mark, the implications of this action are:
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implicit.
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Because movies are rich in plot detail, a good analysis must begin by:
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sorting through the details and extracting the most important among them.
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Which of the following does NOT provide an example of how movies relate to viewer expectations?
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A movie adheres to a winning formula in which a protagonist pursues a goal by confronting obstacles.
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Expectations specific to a particular performer or filmmaker can inform an analysis of:
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the personal motives governing the performer or filmmaker's investment in particular projects.
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Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate element to comparatively analyze across a director's body of work?
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Critical reception.
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Which of the following is NOT a movie meaning expressed through form?
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What a character is thinking or feeling.
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Before attempting any interpretation of the formal elements used to communicate intended meaning to the spectator, the analyst should carefully consider:
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the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or sequence in the movie.
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The simple awareness that Juno's opening shot is the first image of the movie informs the analyst of the moment's:
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evocation of setting and time.
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Which of the following would NOT be considered a comparative analysis of Juno?
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An analysis of the movie's successful adherence to a three-act screenplay structure.
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Which of the following would NOT be considered an alternative analysis of Juno?
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A look at the creative and ideological contributions of the movie's female screenwriter.
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An analysis of the decidedly different characters, settings, and stories among an array of contemporary dramatic comedies dealing with pregnancy might reveal:
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current ideas about women and motherhood.
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Why would an analysis of the way Juno uses editing techniques similar to those among other contemporary movies be considered a valid one?
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Because it divorces the film from its cultural context.
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Film scholars pay special attention to blockbusters and other popular entertainments in order to:
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understand which elements connect such movies with legions of viewers.
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Unlike most film series, the Harry Potter franchise features:
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dramatic and complex narrative development.
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The Harry Potter movies' relationship to Christianity has been interpreted by many conservative critics as:
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adversarial.
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For a series of movies like Harry Potter, special effects:
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contribute a sophisticated visual spectacle to match its sophisticated story and characters.
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Defying the rules of continuity is often done to:
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convey chaos and confusion.
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