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i
Test Bank
for
Understanding Movies
Fourteenth Edition
Louis Giannetti
Test Bank
for
Understanding Movies
Fourteenth Edition
Louis Giannetti
iii
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: PHOTOGRAPHY 1
CHAPTER 2: MISE EN SCÈNE 14
CHAPTER 3: MOVEMENT 28
CHAPTER 4: EDITING 42
CHAPTER 5: SOUND 56
CHAPTER 6: ACTING 70
CHAPTER 7: DRAMA 83
CHAPTER 8: STORY 97
CHAPTER 9: WRITING 111
CHAPTER 10: IDEOLOGY 125
CHAPTER 11: CRITIQUE 139
CHAPTER 12 SYNTHESIS: CITIZEN KANE 153
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: PHOTOGRAPHY 1
CHAPTER 2: MISE EN SCÈNE 14
CHAPTER 3: MOVEMENT 28
CHAPTER 4: EDITING 42
CHAPTER 5: SOUND 56
CHAPTER 6: ACTING 70
CHAPTER 7: DRAMA 83
CHAPTER 8: STORY 97
CHAPTER 9: WRITING 111
CHAPTER 10: IDEOLOGY 125
CHAPTER 11: CRITIQUE 139
CHAPTER 12 SYNTHESIS: CITIZEN KANE 153
1
TEST BANK FOR CHAPTER 1: PHOTOGRAPHY
Multiple Choice
1. Realism in film emphasizes
A. maximum distortion.
B. narrative fragmentation.
C. the richness of life.
D. stylistic flamboyance.
Answer: C
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 2
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
2. Expressionists are often concerned with
A. spiritual and psychological truths.
B. objective truths.
C. story more than style.
D. the basic, common experiences of life.
Answer: A
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 2
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
3. Busby Berkeley’s Gold Diggers of 1933 is an example of what style of film?
A. avant-garde
B. documentary
C. realist
D. formalist
Answer: D
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 3
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
TEST BANK FOR CHAPTER 1: PHOTOGRAPHY
Multiple Choice
1. Realism in film emphasizes
A. maximum distortion.
B. narrative fragmentation.
C. the richness of life.
D. stylistic flamboyance.
Answer: C
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 2
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
2. Expressionists are often concerned with
A. spiritual and psychological truths.
B. objective truths.
C. story more than style.
D. the basic, common experiences of life.
Answer: A
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 2
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
3. Busby Berkeley’s Gold Diggers of 1933 is an example of what style of film?
A. avant-garde
B. documentary
C. realist
D. formalist
Answer: D
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 3
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
2
4. Classical cinema
A. employs loosely organized plots.
B. subordinates plot and character to social themes.
C. avoids the extremes of realism and formalism.
D. sacrifices entertainment value to explore moral issues.
Answer: C
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 4-5
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
5. The shot in film is defined as
A. the gauge of film stock used to photograph the image.
B. the narrative function of the shot.
C. the duration of film exposure in a given scene.
D. the amount of subject matter included within the frame.
Answer: D
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 9
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
6. The medium two-shot reigns supreme in which one of these genres?
A. westerns
B. sci-fi pictures
C. romantic comedies
D. action movies
Answer: C
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 10
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing the
scene.
7. The over-the-shoulder shot involves
A. one person in close up.
B. two people, one of whom has his/her back to the camera.
C. three people with the camera moving from person to person.
D. a figure from the waist or knees up
4. Classical cinema
A. employs loosely organized plots.
B. subordinates plot and character to social themes.
C. avoids the extremes of realism and formalism.
D. sacrifices entertainment value to explore moral issues.
Answer: C
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 4-5
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
5. The shot in film is defined as
A. the gauge of film stock used to photograph the image.
B. the narrative function of the shot.
C. the duration of film exposure in a given scene.
D. the amount of subject matter included within the frame.
Answer: D
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 9
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
6. The medium two-shot reigns supreme in which one of these genres?
A. westerns
B. sci-fi pictures
C. romantic comedies
D. action movies
Answer: C
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 10
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing the
scene.
7. The over-the-shoulder shot involves
A. one person in close up.
B. two people, one of whom has his/her back to the camera.
C. three people with the camera moving from person to person.
D. a figure from the waist or knees up
3
Answer: B
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 11
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
8. Generally speaking, if you want to capture an intense emotion, you would use which one of
the following shot types?
A. extreme long-shot
B. medium shot
C. close-up shot
D. long shot
Answer: C
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 11
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
9. The camera’s angle can be inferred by what in a shot?
A. the background visible
B. the extremeness of the angle
C. the clearness of the object being photographed
D. the subject being photographed
Answer: A
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 12
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
10. One way to get a high angle shot is to place the camera where?
A. low to the ground looking up
B. at eye-level to the actor
C. on a crane or high promontory
D. slightly below eye-level
Answer: C
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 13
Answer: B
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 11
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
8. Generally speaking, if you want to capture an intense emotion, you would use which one of
the following shot types?
A. extreme long-shot
B. medium shot
C. close-up shot
D. long shot
Answer: C
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 11
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
9. The camera’s angle can be inferred by what in a shot?
A. the background visible
B. the extremeness of the angle
C. the clearness of the object being photographed
D. the subject being photographed
Answer: A
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 12
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
10. One way to get a high angle shot is to place the camera where?
A. low to the ground looking up
B. at eye-level to the actor
C. on a crane or high promontory
D. slightly below eye-level
Answer: C
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 13
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Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
11. Oblique-angle shots tend to suggest
A. tension, transition, and impending movement.
B. security and domination.
C. tediousness and insignificance.
D. power, stability, and fate.
Answer: A
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
12. The different styles of lighting are usually designated as
A. lighting keys.
B. light sources.
C. color temperatures.
D. lighting instruments.
Answer: A
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
13. Mysteries, thrillers, and gangster films are often shot in what lighting key?
A. continuous take
B. high key
C. low key
D. high contrast
Answer: C
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
11. Oblique-angle shots tend to suggest
A. tension, transition, and impending movement.
B. security and domination.
C. tediousness and insignificance.
D. power, stability, and fate.
Answer: A
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
12. The different styles of lighting are usually designated as
A. lighting keys.
B. light sources.
C. color temperatures.
D. lighting instruments.
Answer: A
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
13. Mysteries, thrillers, and gangster films are often shot in what lighting key?
A. continuous take
B. high key
C. low key
D. high contrast
Answer: C
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
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14. The realist filmmaker favors what kind of lighting?
A. available lighting
B. expressionistic lighting
C. symbolic lighting
D. studio lighting
Answer: A
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
15. During the big-studio era in Hollywood, cinematographers developed what important lighting
technique?
A. noir lighting
B. realistic lighting
C. high contrast lighting
D. three-point lighting
Answer: D
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 18
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
16. Color in the movies didn’t become commercially widespread until when?
A. the 1920s
B. the 1940s
C. the 1960s
D. the 1980s
Answer: B
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
17. Color tends to be what kind of element in film?
A. conscious
B. subconscious
C. intellectual
14. The realist filmmaker favors what kind of lighting?
A. available lighting
B. expressionistic lighting
C. symbolic lighting
D. studio lighting
Answer: A
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
15. During the big-studio era in Hollywood, cinematographers developed what important lighting
technique?
A. noir lighting
B. realistic lighting
C. high contrast lighting
D. three-point lighting
Answer: D
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 18
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
16. Color in the movies didn’t become commercially widespread until when?
A. the 1920s
B. the 1940s
C. the 1960s
D. the 1980s
Answer: B
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
17. Color tends to be what kind of element in film?
A. conscious
B. subconscious
C. intellectual
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D. masculine
Answer: B
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
18. Which one of these colors is considered to be warm?
A. orange
B. blue
C. green
D. violet
Answer: A
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
19. One major problem with using black-and-white photography in an otherwise color film is
A. its expense.
B. its corny symbolism .
C. tendency to warm up a movie.
D. its effects are too subtle.
Answer: B
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
20. Because the camera records things literally, if you want a coffee cup to appear larger than a
basketball, how would you photograph the two objects?
A. place the coffee cup closer to the camera than the basketball
B. place the basketball closer to the camera than the coffee cup
C. place the coffee cup directly next to the basketball
D. place both as far from the camera as possible
Answer: A
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
D. masculine
Answer: B
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
18. Which one of these colors is considered to be warm?
A. orange
B. blue
C. green
D. violet
Answer: A
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
19. One major problem with using black-and-white photography in an otherwise color film is
A. its expense.
B. its corny symbolism .
C. tendency to warm up a movie.
D. its effects are too subtle.
Answer: B
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
20. Because the camera records things literally, if you want a coffee cup to appear larger than a
basketball, how would you photograph the two objects?
A. place the coffee cup closer to the camera than the basketball
B. place the basketball closer to the camera than the coffee cup
C. place the coffee cup directly next to the basketball
D. place both as far from the camera as possible
Answer: A
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
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Page Number: 29
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities
within a shot, and suppress others.
21. Which one of these is a major advantage of using a telephoto lens?
A. It is less sensitive to distance than a wide-angle lens
B. It permits the cinematographer to remain hidden.
C. It is in sharp focus across several distance planes.
D. It allows for deep-focus photography
Answer: B
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 29-30
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
22. Filters are often used to suppress or heighten certain colors, especially in exterior scenes.
Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller (photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond) uses what kind of
filters to emphasize the bitter cold of the winter setting?
A. gauzy
B. translucent
C. green and blue
D. yellow and orange
Answer: C
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 32
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
23. Fast stocks are most commonly associated with what kind of movie?
A. westerns
B. documentaries
C. color films
D. musicals
Answer: B
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 32
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Page Number: 29
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities
within a shot, and suppress others.
21. Which one of these is a major advantage of using a telephoto lens?
A. It is less sensitive to distance than a wide-angle lens
B. It permits the cinematographer to remain hidden.
C. It is in sharp focus across several distance planes.
D. It allows for deep-focus photography
Answer: B
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 29-30
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
22. Filters are often used to suppress or heighten certain colors, especially in exterior scenes.
Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller (photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond) uses what kind of
filters to emphasize the bitter cold of the winter setting?
A. gauzy
B. translucent
C. green and blue
D. yellow and orange
Answer: C
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 32
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
23. Fast stocks are most commonly associated with what kind of movie?
A. westerns
B. documentaries
C. color films
D. musicals
Answer: B
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 32
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
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Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
24. Digital images are stored on
A. filmstrips.
B. celluloid.
C. reels.
D. memory cards.
Answer: D
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 34
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
25. The more pixels that make up a digital image, the
A. lower the resolution.
B. closer it resembles the subject being photographed.
C. grainier the image.
D. fewer the scan lines.
Answer: B
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 34
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
26. Which of these films most obviously blurred the distinctions between realism and formalism
through its use of digital technology?
A. Avatar
B. The Matrix
C. Multiplicity
D. Tangerine
Answer: C
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 35-37
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
27. Digital technology is making motion picture exhibition
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
24. Digital images are stored on
A. filmstrips.
B. celluloid.
C. reels.
D. memory cards.
Answer: D
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 34
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
25. The more pixels that make up a digital image, the
A. lower the resolution.
B. closer it resembles the subject being photographed.
C. grainier the image.
D. fewer the scan lines.
Answer: B
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 34
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
26. Which of these films most obviously blurred the distinctions between realism and formalism
through its use of digital technology?
A. Avatar
B. The Matrix
C. Multiplicity
D. Tangerine
Answer: C
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 35-37
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
27. Digital technology is making motion picture exhibition
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A. obsolete.
B. less expensive.
C. brighter with respect to projection.
D. more expensive.
Answer: B
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 38
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
28. Which one of these cinematographers became famous for his use of expressionistic low-key
lighting in such movies as the Godfather films?
A. Vilmos Zsigmond
B. László Kovács
C. Roger Deakins
D. Gordon Willis
Answer: D
Topic: The Cinematographer
Page Number: 42
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 8. Assess the role of cinematographers in the filmmaking process and
identify how they are able to consolidate the various elements of film photography.
29. Director Stephen Soderbergh chose to shoot the movie Traffic like a documentary to enhance
realism of the story by emphasizing which of the following cinematographic tools or techniques?
A. a handheld camera
B. CGI
C. slow film stock
D. studio lighting
Answer: A
Topic: The Cinematographer
Page Number: 43
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 8. Assess the role of cinematographers in the filmmaking process and
identify how they are able to consolidate the various elements of film photography.
30. Which type of filmmaker doesn’t want you to notice the photography, but instead to
concentrate on what is being photographed, not on how it’s being photographed.
A. realist directors
B. formalist directors
A. obsolete.
B. less expensive.
C. brighter with respect to projection.
D. more expensive.
Answer: B
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 38
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
28. Which one of these cinematographers became famous for his use of expressionistic low-key
lighting in such movies as the Godfather films?
A. Vilmos Zsigmond
B. László Kovács
C. Roger Deakins
D. Gordon Willis
Answer: D
Topic: The Cinematographer
Page Number: 42
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 8. Assess the role of cinematographers in the filmmaking process and
identify how they are able to consolidate the various elements of film photography.
29. Director Stephen Soderbergh chose to shoot the movie Traffic like a documentary to enhance
realism of the story by emphasizing which of the following cinematographic tools or techniques?
A. a handheld camera
B. CGI
C. slow film stock
D. studio lighting
Answer: A
Topic: The Cinematographer
Page Number: 43
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 8. Assess the role of cinematographers in the filmmaking process and
identify how they are able to consolidate the various elements of film photography.
30. Which type of filmmaker doesn’t want you to notice the photography, but instead to
concentrate on what is being photographed, not on how it’s being photographed.
A. realist directors
B. formalist directors
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C. documentary filmmakers
D. avant-garde filmmakers
Answer: A
Topic: The Cinematographer
Page Number: 44
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 8. Assess the role of cinematographers in the filmmaking process and
identify how they are able to consolidate the various elements of film photography.
Essay Questions
31. Explain the basic differences between realism and formalism in film.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Realism and formalism are both styles of filmmaking, and general rather than absolute terms.
2. Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of reality with a minimum
of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to suggest the richness of
life itself.
3. Generally speaking, formalistic films are stylistically flamboyant, and concerned with
expressing their subjective experience of reality, not how other people might see it.
4. Most realists would claim that their major concern is with content rather than form or
technique. The subject matter is always supreme, and anything that distracts from the content is
viewed with suspicion.
5. Formalists are not much concerned with how realistic their images are, but with their beauty or
power. They deliberately stylize and distort their raw materials so that no one would mistake a
manipulated image of an object or event for the real thing. The stylization calls attention to itself:
It’s part of the show.
6. Most fiction films fall somewhere between these two extremes, in a mode critics refer to as
classical cinema.
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 2-5
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
32. Define deep-focus photography and explain why it might be used by a filmmaker.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. The deep-focus shot is a variation of the long shot consisting of a number of focal distances
photographed in depth.
2. Deep-focus shots require the use of a wide-angle lens to photograph the scene because this type
of shot captures objects at close, medium, and long ranges simultaneously, all of them in sharp
focus.
3. The objects in a deep-focus shot are carefully arranged in a succession of planes. By using this
C. documentary filmmakers
D. avant-garde filmmakers
Answer: A
Topic: The Cinematographer
Page Number: 44
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 8. Assess the role of cinematographers in the filmmaking process and
identify how they are able to consolidate the various elements of film photography.
Essay Questions
31. Explain the basic differences between realism and formalism in film.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Realism and formalism are both styles of filmmaking, and general rather than absolute terms.
2. Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of reality with a minimum
of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to suggest the richness of
life itself.
3. Generally speaking, formalistic films are stylistically flamboyant, and concerned with
expressing their subjective experience of reality, not how other people might see it.
4. Most realists would claim that their major concern is with content rather than form or
technique. The subject matter is always supreme, and anything that distracts from the content is
viewed with suspicion.
5. Formalists are not much concerned with how realistic their images are, but with their beauty or
power. They deliberately stylize and distort their raw materials so that no one would mistake a
manipulated image of an object or event for the real thing. The stylization calls attention to itself:
It’s part of the show.
6. Most fiction films fall somewhere between these two extremes, in a mode critics refer to as
classical cinema.
Topic: Realism and Formalism
Page Number: 2-5
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: Recognize the distinctions among the three principal styles of film and the
three types of movies, and evaluate how the style affects the presentation of the story.
32. Define deep-focus photography and explain why it might be used by a filmmaker.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. The deep-focus shot is a variation of the long shot consisting of a number of focal distances
photographed in depth.
2. Deep-focus shots require the use of a wide-angle lens to photograph the scene because this type
of shot captures objects at close, medium, and long ranges simultaneously, all of them in sharp
focus.
3. The objects in a deep-focus shot are carefully arranged in a succession of planes. By using this
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layering technique, the director can guide the viewer’s eye from one distance to another.
4. Generally, the eye travels from objects at close range to those at medium and then to long.
5. A filmmaker might use a deep-focus shot to give the audience a better sense of the location or
setting of a scene (for example, in the laboratory scene in Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein) since
we are able to see clearly what is in the foreground, mid-ground, and background of an image.
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 9-11
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
33. Explain how formalists and realists differ in their choice of camera angles for photographing
a shot.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Film realists tend to avoid extreme angles. Most of their scenes are photographed from eye
level, roughly five to six feet off the ground—approximately the way an actual observer might
view a scene.
2. Realist directors usually attempt to capture the clearest view of an object.
3. Formalist directors are not always concerned with the clearest image of an object, but with the
image that best captures its essential nature.
4. Many formalist filmmakers feel that by distorting the surface realism of an object, a greater
truth is achieved—a symbolic truth—and they often choose to use extreme angles because these
distort the subject of the shot.
5. Both realist and formalist directors know that the viewer tends to identify with the camera’s
lens. The realist wishes to make the audience forget that there’s a camera at all. The formalist is
constantly calling attention to it.
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 12
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
34. Explain how a director like Alfred Hitchcock used lighting to surprise the audience in many
of his most violent scenes.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Mysteries and thrillers are generally photographed in low key, with diffused shadows and
atmospheric pools of light.
2. Lights and darks have had symbolic connotations since the dawn of humanity. The Bible is
filled with light–dark symbolism. The painters Rembrandt van Rijn and Caravaggio used light–
dark contrasts for psychological purposes as well. In general, artists have used darkness to
suggest fear, evil, the unknown.
3. Light usually suggests security, virtue, truth, joy. Because of these conventional symbolic
associations, some filmmakers deliberately reverse light–dark expectations.
layering technique, the director can guide the viewer’s eye from one distance to another.
4. Generally, the eye travels from objects at close range to those at medium and then to long.
5. A filmmaker might use a deep-focus shot to give the audience a better sense of the location or
setting of a scene (for example, in the laboratory scene in Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein) since
we are able to see clearly what is in the foreground, mid-ground, and background of an image.
Topic: The Shots
Page Number: 9-11
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. List the six basic categories of film shots and their purpose in developing
the scene.
33. Explain how formalists and realists differ in their choice of camera angles for photographing
a shot.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Film realists tend to avoid extreme angles. Most of their scenes are photographed from eye
level, roughly five to six feet off the ground—approximately the way an actual observer might
view a scene.
2. Realist directors usually attempt to capture the clearest view of an object.
3. Formalist directors are not always concerned with the clearest image of an object, but with the
image that best captures its essential nature.
4. Many formalist filmmakers feel that by distorting the surface realism of an object, a greater
truth is achieved—a symbolic truth—and they often choose to use extreme angles because these
distort the subject of the shot.
5. Both realist and formalist directors know that the viewer tends to identify with the camera’s
lens. The realist wishes to make the audience forget that there’s a camera at all. The formalist is
constantly calling attention to it.
Topic: The Angles
Page Number: 12
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 3. Describe the five basic angles in the cinema and what contextual
information the audience derives from each choice.
34. Explain how a director like Alfred Hitchcock used lighting to surprise the audience in many
of his most violent scenes.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Mysteries and thrillers are generally photographed in low key, with diffused shadows and
atmospheric pools of light.
2. Lights and darks have had symbolic connotations since the dawn of humanity. The Bible is
filled with light–dark symbolism. The painters Rembrandt van Rijn and Caravaggio used light–
dark contrasts for psychological purposes as well. In general, artists have used darkness to
suggest fear, evil, the unknown.
3. Light usually suggests security, virtue, truth, joy. Because of these conventional symbolic
associations, some filmmakers deliberately reverse light–dark expectations.
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4. Alfred Hitchcock’s movies attempt to jolt viewers by exposing their shallow sense of security.
He staged many of his most violent scenes in the glaring light.
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
35. Explain how filmmakers Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Benigni both used color in
similar ways in their films The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and Life Is Beautiful.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Both films slowly drain the color from scenes to subtly symbolize the growing emotional
darkness of each story.
2. In Vittorio De Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which is set in Fascist Italy, the early
portions of the movie are richly resplendent in shimmering golds, reds, and almost every shade of
green.
3. As political repression becomes more brutal, these colors slowly begin to wash out, until near
the end of the film the images are dominated by whites, blacks, and blue-grays.
4. Life Is Beautiful begins as a slapstick comedy, and the colors are warm and sunny, typical of
Mediterranean settings.
5. But as the Nazi Holocaust spreads, the colors begin to pale. Once the hero is inside the death
camp, virtually all the color is drained from the images. Only a few faded flickers of skin tones
occasionally punctuate the ashen pallor of the camp and its prisoners.
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23-26
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
36. Explain how the choice to use telephoto lenses by a filmmaker helps provide a commentary
on the relationship of characters to their surroundings.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Telephoto lenses can be so precise that they can focus on just one thin slice of action that’s
only a few inches deep. This forces the eye to concentrate only on that one thin slice of the
image that’s in focus.
2. In the film Running Scared, for example, the gun and actor Paul Walker’s hand are radically
blurred, as is the background behind him. Our eyes are forced to concentrate on the face of the
character, the only thing in focus, during a decisive moment of his life.
3. Telephoto lenses can also be used to enhance the lyrical potential of an image by again
blurring the foreground and/or background and forcing the audience to focus on only what the
filmmaker wants us to concentrate on.
4. In Cinderella Man set during the Great Depression, for example, the blurry background
renders it supremely irrelevant to what matters most to the two lead characters—each other. The
4. Alfred Hitchcock’s movies attempt to jolt viewers by exposing their shallow sense of security.
He staged many of his most violent scenes in the glaring light.
Topic: Light and Dark
Page Number: 17
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 4. Outline the various types of lighting styles used in film and the symbolic
connotations of each.
35. Explain how filmmakers Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Benigni both used color in
similar ways in their films The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and Life Is Beautiful.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Both films slowly drain the color from scenes to subtly symbolize the growing emotional
darkness of each story.
2. In Vittorio De Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which is set in Fascist Italy, the early
portions of the movie are richly resplendent in shimmering golds, reds, and almost every shade of
green.
3. As political repression becomes more brutal, these colors slowly begin to wash out, until near
the end of the film the images are dominated by whites, blacks, and blue-grays.
4. Life Is Beautiful begins as a slapstick comedy, and the colors are warm and sunny, typical of
Mediterranean settings.
5. But as the Nazi Holocaust spreads, the colors begin to pale. Once the hero is inside the death
camp, virtually all the color is drained from the images. Only a few faded flickers of skin tones
occasionally punctuate the ashen pallor of the camp and its prisoners.
Topic: Color
Page Number: 23-26
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the way directors consciously use colors to symbolically enhance
the film’s dramatic content.
36. Explain how the choice to use telephoto lenses by a filmmaker helps provide a commentary
on the relationship of characters to their surroundings.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Telephoto lenses can be so precise that they can focus on just one thin slice of action that’s
only a few inches deep. This forces the eye to concentrate only on that one thin slice of the
image that’s in focus.
2. In the film Running Scared, for example, the gun and actor Paul Walker’s hand are radically
blurred, as is the background behind him. Our eyes are forced to concentrate on the face of the
character, the only thing in focus, during a decisive moment of his life.
3. Telephoto lenses can also be used to enhance the lyrical potential of an image by again
blurring the foreground and/or background and forcing the audience to focus on only what the
filmmaker wants us to concentrate on.
4. In Cinderella Man set during the Great Depression, for example, the blurry background
renders it supremely irrelevant to what matters most to the two lead characters—each other. The
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telephoto lens, in effect, is a silent declaration of their total devotion to each other. The
surroundings don’t matter.
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 30
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
37. Explain how digital technology has revolutionized special effects in movies, and how it was
used to create films like Avatar and The Matrix.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Because the pixels of a digital image can be easily manipulated by computer, digital
technology has revolutionized special effects in movies. In the past, whole scenes often had to be
reshot because of technical glitches.
2. For example, if a modern auto or telephone wires appeared in a period film, the scene had to
be recut or even re-photographed. Today, such details can be removed digitally.
3. In Avatar, James Cameron’s sci-fi extravaganza employs the full range of CGI and motion
capture technology in creating a 3D sense of floating through the eerie planetary space of
Pandora, with its ethereal forests and exotic creatures. These sequences are almost like lyric
poetry—fluid and breathtaking.
4. The Matrix is full of gravity-defying stunts like people floating and hovering in the air,
running up walls, moving in slow motion, and levitation fighting which could only be created
through digital special effects. In one scene for example, a battle is “frozen” while the camera
swings around it. The F/X team also devised a technique called “bullet time,” in which
characters dodge gunfire in super-slow-motion.
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 36-3
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
telephoto lens, in effect, is a silent declaration of their total devotion to each other. The
surroundings don’t matter.
Topic: Lenses, Filters, and Stocks
Page Number: 30
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Identify how lenses, filters, and stocks can intensify given qualities within
a shot, and suppress others.
37. Explain how digital technology has revolutionized special effects in movies, and how it was
used to create films like Avatar and The Matrix.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Because the pixels of a digital image can be easily manipulated by computer, digital
technology has revolutionized special effects in movies. In the past, whole scenes often had to be
reshot because of technical glitches.
2. For example, if a modern auto or telephone wires appeared in a period film, the scene had to
be recut or even re-photographed. Today, such details can be removed digitally.
3. In Avatar, James Cameron’s sci-fi extravaganza employs the full range of CGI and motion
capture technology in creating a 3D sense of floating through the eerie planetary space of
Pandora, with its ethereal forests and exotic creatures. These sequences are almost like lyric
poetry—fluid and breathtaking.
4. The Matrix is full of gravity-defying stunts like people floating and hovering in the air,
running up walls, moving in slow motion, and levitation fighting which could only be created
through digital special effects. In one scene for example, a battle is “frozen” while the camera
swings around it. The F/X team also devised a technique called “bullet time,” in which
characters dodge gunfire in super-slow-motion.
Topic: The Digital Revolution
Page Number: 36-3
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 7. Evaluate the changes that digital technologies have had on film
production, editing, presentation, and distribution.
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TEST BANK FOR CHAPTER 2: MISE EN SCÈNE
Multiple Choice
1. Mise en scène was originally a French theatrical term meaning
A. in three dimensions.
B. under the proscenium arch.
C. in the middle of the scene.
D. placing on stage.
Answer: D
Topic: Introduction
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
2. Mise en scène in the movies resembles the art of painting in that
A. an image is presented on a flat surface.
B. the frame is unimportant.
C. three-dimensional images are created from two-dimensional space.
D. it has depth as well as width and height.
Answer: A
Topic: Introduction
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
3. The frame of the screen defines the
A. auditorium.
B. world of the film.
C. real world.
D. length of the shot.
Answer: B
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
TEST BANK FOR CHAPTER 2: MISE EN SCÈNE
Multiple Choice
1. Mise en scène was originally a French theatrical term meaning
A. in three dimensions.
B. under the proscenium arch.
C. in the middle of the scene.
D. placing on stage.
Answer: D
Topic: Introduction
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
2. Mise en scène in the movies resembles the art of painting in that
A. an image is presented on a flat surface.
B. the frame is unimportant.
C. three-dimensional images are created from two-dimensional space.
D. it has depth as well as width and height.
Answer: A
Topic: Introduction
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
3. The frame of the screen defines the
A. auditorium.
B. world of the film.
C. real world.
D. length of the shot.
Answer: B
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
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4. Unlike the painter or still photographer, the filmmaker
A. must fit the composition to a single-sized frame.
B. is unconcerned with the frame.
C. fits the frame to the composition.
D. can vary the aspect ratio of the composition.
Answer: A
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the concept
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
5. Most movies today are projected in one of two aspect ratios: 1.85:1 and
A. 1.33:1.
B. 1:1.
C. 2.35:1 .
D. 1.66:1.
Answer: C
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
6. Filmmakers always think in terms of a framed image. Some of them, like Steven Spielberg,
carry what portable device to help them pre-frame an image?
A. a viewfinder
B. a zoom lens
C. a photograph
D. a plate
Answer: A
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 49
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
7. The area of the frame that often suggests powerlessness is the
A. center.
4. Unlike the painter or still photographer, the filmmaker
A. must fit the composition to a single-sized frame.
B. is unconcerned with the frame.
C. fits the frame to the composition.
D. can vary the aspect ratio of the composition.
Answer: A
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the concept
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
5. Most movies today are projected in one of two aspect ratios: 1.85:1 and
A. 1.33:1.
B. 1:1.
C. 2.35:1 .
D. 1.66:1.
Answer: C
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 47
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
6. Filmmakers always think in terms of a framed image. Some of them, like Steven Spielberg,
carry what portable device to help them pre-frame an image?
A. a viewfinder
B. a zoom lens
C. a photograph
D. a plate
Answer: A
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 49
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
7. The area of the frame that often suggests powerlessness is the
A. center.
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B. top.
C. left/right edge.
D. bottom.
Answer: D
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 55
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
8. Highly symmetrical designs are generally used when a director wishes to stress
A. chaos.
B. stability.
C. imbalance.
D. confusion.
Answer: B
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 58
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
9. In movies, the __________ is usually the determining factor in composition.
A. the need for balance
B. the photographable material
C. dramatic context
D. aspect ratio
Answer: C
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 61
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
10. Filmmakers outside the classical tradition tend to favor compositions that are
A. balanced.
B. symmetrical.
C. off-center.
D. uneven.
B. top.
C. left/right edge.
D. bottom.
Answer: D
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 55
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
8. Highly symmetrical designs are generally used when a director wishes to stress
A. chaos.
B. stability.
C. imbalance.
D. confusion.
Answer: B
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 58
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
9. In movies, the __________ is usually the determining factor in composition.
A. the need for balance
B. the photographable material
C. dramatic context
D. aspect ratio
Answer: C
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 61
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
10. Filmmakers outside the classical tradition tend to favor compositions that are
A. balanced.
B. symmetrical.
C. off-center.
D. uneven.
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Answer: B
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 61
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
11. In black-and-white movies, the dominant contrast is generally achieved through
A. the use of color.
B. the juxtaposition of shapes
C. the use of lines.
D. the juxtaposition of lights and darks.
Answer: D
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 62-64
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
12. Movie images are generally scanned by a viewer
A. in a structured sequence of eye-stops.
B. from right to left.
C. from bottom to top.
D. randomly.
Answer: A
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 63
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
13. Psychological experiments have revealed that certain lines suggest directional movements. If
movement is perceived, horizontal lines tend to move
A. from top to bottom.
B. downward.
C. from right to left.
D. from left to right.
Answer: D
Topic: Composition and Design
Answer: B
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 61
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
11. In black-and-white movies, the dominant contrast is generally achieved through
A. the use of color.
B. the juxtaposition of shapes
C. the use of lines.
D. the juxtaposition of lights and darks.
Answer: D
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 62-64
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
12. Movie images are generally scanned by a viewer
A. in a structured sequence of eye-stops.
B. from right to left.
C. from bottom to top.
D. randomly.
Answer: A
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 63
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
13. Psychological experiments have revealed that certain lines suggest directional movements. If
movement is perceived, horizontal lines tend to move
A. from top to bottom.
B. downward.
C. from right to left.
D. from left to right.
Answer: D
Topic: Composition and Design
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Page Number: 66
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
14. Parallelism is a common principle of design, implying
A. unity.
B. conflict.
C. chaos.
D. weakness.
Answer: A
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 66
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
15. Directors generally emphasize __________ in their images precisely because they wish to
avoid an abstract, flat look in their compositions.
A. color
B. width
C. volume
D. height
Answer: C
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 67
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
16. The amount of __________ included within the frame can radically affect our response to the
photographed materials.
A. colors
B. shapes
C. foliage
D. space
Answer: D
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 68
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Page Number: 66
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
14. Parallelism is a common principle of design, implying
A. unity.
B. conflict.
C. chaos.
D. weakness.
Answer: A
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 66
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
15. Directors generally emphasize __________ in their images precisely because they wish to
avoid an abstract, flat look in their compositions.
A. color
B. width
C. volume
D. height
Answer: C
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 67
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
16. The amount of __________ included within the frame can radically affect our response to the
photographed materials.
A. colors
B. shapes
C. foliage
D. space
Answer: D
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 68
Difficulty Level: Moderate
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Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
17. In his study On Aggression, psychologist Kondrad Lorenz discusses how most animals—
including humans—are
A. bipedal.
B. territorial.
C. color blind.
D. calm.
Answer: B
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 68
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
18. A director can make a viewer feel insecure by doing what with respect to a character we
identify with, as Mike Nichols did in The Graduate.
A. by placing a hostile foreground element between us and the character we identify with
B. by removing all background elements behind the character we identify with
C. by placing the characters at a social distance from the camera
D. by placing the character at a personal distance from the camera
Answer: A
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 69
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
19. An actor can be photographed in any of five basic positions. Which position is most intimate
with respect to the audience?
A. quarter-turn
B. profile
C. full-front
D. back to camera
Answer: C
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 75
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
17. In his study On Aggression, psychologist Kondrad Lorenz discusses how most animals—
including humans—are
A. bipedal.
B. territorial.
C. color blind.
D. calm.
Answer: B
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 68
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
18. A director can make a viewer feel insecure by doing what with respect to a character we
identify with, as Mike Nichols did in The Graduate.
A. by placing a hostile foreground element between us and the character we identify with
B. by removing all background elements behind the character we identify with
C. by placing the characters at a social distance from the camera
D. by placing the character at a personal distance from the camera
Answer: A
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 69
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
19. An actor can be photographed in any of five basic positions. Which position is most intimate
with respect to the audience?
A. quarter-turn
B. profile
C. full-front
D. back to camera
Answer: C
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 75
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
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Learning Objective: 4. Diagram the five basic positions in which an actor can be photographed,
and describe the different psychological undertones of each.
20. If a director wanted to portray an intimate, romantic conversation between a man and a
woman, what would be the most advantageous way to stage the two characters?
A. both in profile, looking at each other
B. both facing full-front, looking directly at the camera
C. one in profile and one facing full front
D. one with their back to the camera, one facing full front
Answer: A
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 80-81
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 4. Diagram the five basic positions in which an actor can be photographed,
and describe the different psychological undertones of each.
21. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall subdivided the way people use space into __________ major
proxemic patterns.
A. six
B. five
C. four
D. three
Answer: C
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 81
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
22. Social distances range from
A. eighteen inches away to about four feet
B. four feet to about twelve feet
C. from skin contact to about eighteen inches away
D. twelve feet to twenty-five feet and more
Answer: B
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 82
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
Learning Objective: 4. Diagram the five basic positions in which an actor can be photographed,
and describe the different psychological undertones of each.
20. If a director wanted to portray an intimate, romantic conversation between a man and a
woman, what would be the most advantageous way to stage the two characters?
A. both in profile, looking at each other
B. both facing full-front, looking directly at the camera
C. one in profile and one facing full front
D. one with their back to the camera, one facing full front
Answer: A
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 80-81
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 4. Diagram the five basic positions in which an actor can be photographed,
and describe the different psychological undertones of each.
21. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall subdivided the way people use space into __________ major
proxemic patterns.
A. six
B. five
C. four
D. three
Answer: C
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 81
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
22. Social distances range from
A. eighteen inches away to about four feet
B. four feet to about twelve feet
C. from skin contact to about eighteen inches away
D. twelve feet to twenty-five feet and more
Answer: B
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 82
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
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21
23. In movies, proxemic patterns are generally most closely related to
A. the shots and their distance ranges.
B. the number of people in the scene.
C. how many people are in the theater.
D. cultural norms.
Answer: A
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 82
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
24. Each proxemic pattern has an approximate camera equivalent. The social distances
correspond to
A. medium or full shots.
B. close-ups or extreme close-ups.
C. long shots.
D. extreme long shots.
Answer: A
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 82
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
25. Which one of these best explains why Charlie Chaplin would choose an intimate proxemic
distance for the camera in the final scene of City Lights?
A. to heighten the tragedy of the scene
B. to heighten the comedy of the scene
C. to increase the audience’s objectivity to the scene
D. to lessen the audience’s connection to the Tramp
Answer: A
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 85
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
26. In terms of design, open form emphasizes
23. In movies, proxemic patterns are generally most closely related to
A. the shots and their distance ranges.
B. the number of people in the scene.
C. how many people are in the theater.
D. cultural norms.
Answer: A
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 82
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
24. Each proxemic pattern has an approximate camera equivalent. The social distances
correspond to
A. medium or full shots.
B. close-ups or extreme close-ups.
C. long shots.
D. extreme long shots.
Answer: A
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 82
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
25. Which one of these best explains why Charlie Chaplin would choose an intimate proxemic
distance for the camera in the final scene of City Lights?
A. to heighten the tragedy of the scene
B. to heighten the comedy of the scene
C. to increase the audience’s objectivity to the scene
D. to lessen the audience’s connection to the Tramp
Answer: A
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 85
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
26. In terms of design, open form emphasizes
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A. formality.
B. self-consciousness.
C. organization.
D. unobtrusiveness.
Answer: D
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 86
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
27. Because they are influenced by __________ films, realist directors prefer open forms.
A. documentary
B. classical
C. color
D. black-and-white
Answer: A
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 87
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
28. __________ more precisely controlled in closed forms than open.
A. Color is
B. Lighting is
C. Mise en scène is
D. Angles are
Answer: C
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 88
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
29. In open-form movies like Traffic, the __________ generally leads the camera.
A. lighting
B. dramatic action
C. setting
D. mise en scène
A. formality.
B. self-consciousness.
C. organization.
D. unobtrusiveness.
Answer: D
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 86
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
27. Because they are influenced by __________ films, realist directors prefer open forms.
A. documentary
B. classical
C. color
D. black-and-white
Answer: A
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 87
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
28. __________ more precisely controlled in closed forms than open.
A. Color is
B. Lighting is
C. Mise en scène is
D. Angles are
Answer: C
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 88
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
29. In open-form movies like Traffic, the __________ generally leads the camera.
A. lighting
B. dramatic action
C. setting
D. mise en scène
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Answer: B
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 89
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
30. Anticipatory setups tend to imply
A. fatality.
B. spontaneity.
C. free will.
D. choice.
Answer: A
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 89
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
Essay Questions
31. Explain why mise en scène is more complicated in film than it is in live theater.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Originally a French theatrical term meaning “placing on stage,” the phrase refers to the
arrangement of all the visual elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area—the
stage.
2. No matter what the confines of the stage may be, its mise en scène is always in three dimensions.
Objects and people are arranged in actual space, which has depth as well as height and width. This
space is also a continuation of the same space that the audience occupies, no matter how much a
theater director tries to suggest a separate “world” on the stage.
3. Mise en scène in film is a blend of the visual conventions of the live theater with those of
painting.
4. Like the stage director, the filmmaker arranges objects and people within a given three-
dimensional space. But once this arrangement is photographed, it’s converted into a two-dimensional
image of the real thing.
5. The space in the “world” of the movie is not the same as that occupied by the audience. Only the
image exists in the same physical area, like a picture in an art gallery.
6. Mise en scène in the movies resembles the art of painting in that an image of formal patterns
and shapes is presented on a flat surface and is enclosed within a frame. But cinematic mise en
scène is also a fluid choreographing of visual elements that are constantly in flux.
Topic: Introduction
Page Number: 2
Answer: B
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 89
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
30. Anticipatory setups tend to imply
A. fatality.
B. spontaneity.
C. free will.
D. choice.
Answer: A
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 89
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
Essay Questions
31. Explain why mise en scène is more complicated in film than it is in live theater.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Originally a French theatrical term meaning “placing on stage,” the phrase refers to the
arrangement of all the visual elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area—the
stage.
2. No matter what the confines of the stage may be, its mise en scène is always in three dimensions.
Objects and people are arranged in actual space, which has depth as well as height and width. This
space is also a continuation of the same space that the audience occupies, no matter how much a
theater director tries to suggest a separate “world” on the stage.
3. Mise en scène in film is a blend of the visual conventions of the live theater with those of
painting.
4. Like the stage director, the filmmaker arranges objects and people within a given three-
dimensional space. But once this arrangement is photographed, it’s converted into a two-dimensional
image of the real thing.
5. The space in the “world” of the movie is not the same as that occupied by the audience. Only the
image exists in the same physical area, like a picture in an art gallery.
6. Mise en scène in the movies resembles the art of painting in that an image of formal patterns
and shapes is presented on a flat surface and is enclosed within a frame. But cinematic mise en
scène is also a fluid choreographing of visual elements that are constantly in flux.
Topic: Introduction
Page Number: 2
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24
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
32. Explain how the fixed frame of a movie screen affects the way a director shoots a particular
object or scene. What are some of the challenges presented by the constant size of the movie
frame?
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. In the traditional visual arts, frame dimensions are governed by the nature of the subject matter.
Thus, a painting of a skyscraper is likely to be vertical in shape and would be framed accordingly. A
vast panoramic scene would probably be more horizontal in its dimensions. But in movies, the frame
ratio is standardized and isn’t necessarily governed by the nature of the materials being photographed.
2. The constant size of the movie frame is especially hard to overcome in vertical compositions. A
sense of height must be conveyed in spite of the dominantly horizontal shape of the screen.
3. One method of overcoming the problem is through masking. In Intolerance, for example, D. W.
Griffith blocked out portions of his images through the use of black masks. These in effect connected
the darkened portions of the screen with the darkness of the auditorium.
4. To emphasize the steep fall of a soldier from a wall, the sides of the image were masked out. To
stress the vast horizon of a location, Griffith masked out the lower third of the image—thus creating a
widescreen effect.
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 49-53
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
33. Explain how the frame can act as an aesthetic device in movies.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. The sensitive director is just as concerned with what’s left out of the frame as with what’s
included. The frame selects and delimits the subject, editing out all irrelevancies and presenting
us with only a “piece” of reality.
2. The frame is thus essentially an isolating device, a technique that permits the director to confer
special attention on what might be overlooked in a wider context.
3. The movie frame can function as a metaphor for other types of enclosures. Some directors use
the frame voyeuristically. In many of the films of Alfred Hitchcock, for example, the frame is
likened to a window through which the audience may satisfy its impulse to pry into the intimate
details of the characters’ lives. In fact, both Psycho and Rear Window use this peeping technique
literally.
4. Certain areas within the frame can suggest symbolic ideas. By placing an object or actor
within a particular section of the frame, the filmmaker can radically alter his or her comment on
that object or character. Placement within the frame is another instance of how form is actually
content. Each of the major sections of the frame—center, top, bottom, and sides—can be
exploited for such symbolic purposes.
Topic: The Frame
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
32. Explain how the fixed frame of a movie screen affects the way a director shoots a particular
object or scene. What are some of the challenges presented by the constant size of the movie
frame?
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. In the traditional visual arts, frame dimensions are governed by the nature of the subject matter.
Thus, a painting of a skyscraper is likely to be vertical in shape and would be framed accordingly. A
vast panoramic scene would probably be more horizontal in its dimensions. But in movies, the frame
ratio is standardized and isn’t necessarily governed by the nature of the materials being photographed.
2. The constant size of the movie frame is especially hard to overcome in vertical compositions. A
sense of height must be conveyed in spite of the dominantly horizontal shape of the screen.
3. One method of overcoming the problem is through masking. In Intolerance, for example, D. W.
Griffith blocked out portions of his images through the use of black masks. These in effect connected
the darkened portions of the screen with the darkness of the auditorium.
4. To emphasize the steep fall of a soldier from a wall, the sides of the image were masked out. To
stress the vast horizon of a location, Griffith masked out the lower third of the image—thus creating a
widescreen effect.
Topic: The Frame
Page Number: 49-53
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 1. Identify the two main screen aspect ratios and evaluate how directors
have used masks and other techniques in order to both enhance and overcome them.
33. Explain how the frame can act as an aesthetic device in movies.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. The sensitive director is just as concerned with what’s left out of the frame as with what’s
included. The frame selects and delimits the subject, editing out all irrelevancies and presenting
us with only a “piece” of reality.
2. The frame is thus essentially an isolating device, a technique that permits the director to confer
special attention on what might be overlooked in a wider context.
3. The movie frame can function as a metaphor for other types of enclosures. Some directors use
the frame voyeuristically. In many of the films of Alfred Hitchcock, for example, the frame is
likened to a window through which the audience may satisfy its impulse to pry into the intimate
details of the characters’ lives. In fact, both Psycho and Rear Window use this peeping technique
literally.
4. Certain areas within the frame can suggest symbolic ideas. By placing an object or actor
within a particular section of the frame, the filmmaker can radically alter his or her comment on
that object or character. Placement within the frame is another instance of how form is actually
content. Each of the major sections of the frame—center, top, bottom, and sides—can be
exploited for such symbolic purposes.
Topic: The Frame
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Page Number: 53
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
34. Explain the way the human eye perceives a movie composition and briefly explain how
directors Roman Polanski and Orson Welles used composition and visual design differently in
their adaptations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth to enhance the ideas of madness and isolation.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Movie images are generally scanned in a structured sequence of eye-stops. The eye is first
attracted to a dominant contrast that compels our most immediate attention by virtue of its
conspicuousness. The eye then travels to the subsidiary areas of interest within the frame.
2. Roman Polanski’s presentation of Lady Macbeth’s isolation and madness is conveyed in a
relatively realistic manner, with emphasis on acting and subtle lighting effects.
3. For example, in one shot where Lady Macbeth lies next to her husband in bed, Polanski lit the
shot in high contrast, with Lady Macbeth brightly lit and her husband lit in a more subdued
manner. She is also surrounded by darkness except for the brightly lit “empty” space between her
and her husband. This emphasizes the dramatic context of the film, for Lady Macbeth is slowly
descending into madness and feels spiritually alienated and isolated from her husband.
4. Orson Welles took a more formalistic approach, using physical objects with the frame to
convey Lady Macbeth’s interior states.
5. For example, in one shot Welles photographs Lady Macbeth next to an iron fence’s knifelike
blades, which almost seem to pierce the character’s body. The fence is not particularly realistic
or even functional. Welles exploited it primarily as a symbolic analogue of her inner torment.
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 63
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
35. Explain how the amount of space included within the frame can radically affect our response
to the photographed materials.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. With any given subject, the filmmaker can use a variety of shots, each of which includes or
excludes a given amount of surrounding space.
2. The way we respond to objects and people within a given area is a constant source of information in
life as well as in movies. In virtually any social situation, we receive and give off signals relating to
our use of space and those people who share it.
3. The way that people are arranged in space can tell us a lot about their social and psychological
relationships. In film, dominant characters are almost always given more space to occupy than
others—unless the film deals with the loss of power or the social insignificance of a character.
4. A master of mise en scène can express shifting psychological and social nuances with a single shot
by exploiting the space between characters.
Page Number: 53
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Analyze It
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how
the use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
34. Explain the way the human eye perceives a movie composition and briefly explain how
directors Roman Polanski and Orson Welles used composition and visual design differently in
their adaptations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth to enhance the ideas of madness and isolation.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Movie images are generally scanned in a structured sequence of eye-stops. The eye is first
attracted to a dominant contrast that compels our most immediate attention by virtue of its
conspicuousness. The eye then travels to the subsidiary areas of interest within the frame.
2. Roman Polanski’s presentation of Lady Macbeth’s isolation and madness is conveyed in a
relatively realistic manner, with emphasis on acting and subtle lighting effects.
3. For example, in one shot where Lady Macbeth lies next to her husband in bed, Polanski lit the
shot in high contrast, with Lady Macbeth brightly lit and her husband lit in a more subdued
manner. She is also surrounded by darkness except for the brightly lit “empty” space between her
and her husband. This emphasizes the dramatic context of the film, for Lady Macbeth is slowly
descending into madness and feels spiritually alienated and isolated from her husband.
4. Orson Welles took a more formalistic approach, using physical objects with the frame to
convey Lady Macbeth’s interior states.
5. For example, in one shot Welles photographs Lady Macbeth next to an iron fence’s knifelike
blades, which almost seem to pierce the character’s body. The fence is not particularly realistic
or even functional. Welles exploited it primarily as a symbolic analogue of her inner torment.
Topic: Composition and Design
Page Number: 63
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 2. Analyze the way the human eye perceives a composition and the way
design and the geography of the frame is used to enhance a thematic idea.
35. Explain how the amount of space included within the frame can radically affect our response
to the photographed materials.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. With any given subject, the filmmaker can use a variety of shots, each of which includes or
excludes a given amount of surrounding space.
2. The way we respond to objects and people within a given area is a constant source of information in
life as well as in movies. In virtually any social situation, we receive and give off signals relating to
our use of space and those people who share it.
3. The way that people are arranged in space can tell us a lot about their social and psychological
relationships. In film, dominant characters are almost always given more space to occupy than
others—unless the film deals with the loss of power or the social insignificance of a character.
4. A master of mise en scène can express shifting psychological and social nuances with a single shot
by exploiting the space between characters.
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5. The amount of open space within the territory of the frame can be exploited for symbolic purposes.
Generally speaking, the closer the shot, the more confined the photographed figures appear to be.
Such shots are usually referred to as tightly framed. Conversely, longer, loosely framed shots tend to
suggest freedom.
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 68-77
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how the
use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
36. How do proxemic patterns relate to the various types shots in film and their distance ranges,
and what effect do they have on the viewer?
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. In terms of psychological effect, the various shots tend to suggest physical distances.
2. Usually, filmmakers have a number of options concerning what kind of shot to use to convey
the action of a scene. What determines their choice is the emotional impact of each of the
different proxemic ranges.
3. Each proxemic pattern has an approximate camera equivalent. The intimate distances, for
example, can be likened to the close up. The personal distance is approximately a medium shot.
The social distances correspond to the full shot ranges. And the public distances are roughly
within the long and extreme long shot ranges.
4. In general, the greater the distance between the camera and the subject, the more emotionally
neutral we remain. Conversely, the closer we are to a character, the more we feel that we’re in
proximity with him and hence the greater our emotional involvement.
5. “Long shot for comedy, close-up for tragedy” was one of Charles Chaplin’s most famous
pronouncements. The proxemic principles are sound, for when we are close to an action—a
person slipping on a banana peel, for example—it’s seldom funny, because we are concerned for
the person’s safety. If we see the same event from a greater distance, however, it often strikes us
as comical.
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 81-85
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
37. Explain how a director like Gillian Armstrong, through the use of open and closed forms,
tackles the problem of period films having a tendency to look stagey and researched.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Period films often have a tendency to look stagey and researched, especially when the
historical details are too neatly presented and the characters are posed in a tightly controlled
setting.
2. In Mrs. Soffel Gillian Armstrong avoided this pitfall by staging many of her scenes in open
form, almost like a documentary caught on the run.
5. The amount of open space within the territory of the frame can be exploited for symbolic purposes.
Generally speaking, the closer the shot, the more confined the photographed figures appear to be.
Such shots are usually referred to as tightly framed. Conversely, longer, loosely framed shots tend to
suggest freedom.
Topic: Territorial Space
Page Number: 68-77
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 3. Describe how the three visual planes suggest depth in a scene and how the
use of this territory can act as a means of communication.
36. How do proxemic patterns relate to the various types shots in film and their distance ranges,
and what effect do they have on the viewer?
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. In terms of psychological effect, the various shots tend to suggest physical distances.
2. Usually, filmmakers have a number of options concerning what kind of shot to use to convey
the action of a scene. What determines their choice is the emotional impact of each of the
different proxemic ranges.
3. Each proxemic pattern has an approximate camera equivalent. The intimate distances, for
example, can be likened to the close up. The personal distance is approximately a medium shot.
The social distances correspond to the full shot ranges. And the public distances are roughly
within the long and extreme long shot ranges.
4. In general, the greater the distance between the camera and the subject, the more emotionally
neutral we remain. Conversely, the closer we are to a character, the more we feel that we’re in
proximity with him and hence the greater our emotional involvement.
5. “Long shot for comedy, close-up for tragedy” was one of Charles Chaplin’s most famous
pronouncements. The proxemic principles are sound, for when we are close to an action—a
person slipping on a banana peel, for example—it’s seldom funny, because we are concerned for
the person’s safety. If we see the same event from a greater distance, however, it often strikes us
as comical.
Topic: Proxemic Patterns
Page Number: 81-85
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 5. Explain the four main proxemic patterns in film and culture, and describe
how the distances between characters can be used to establish the nature of their relationships.
37. Explain how a director like Gillian Armstrong, through the use of open and closed forms,
tackles the problem of period films having a tendency to look stagey and researched.
Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Period films often have a tendency to look stagey and researched, especially when the
historical details are too neatly presented and the characters are posed in a tightly controlled
setting.
2. In Mrs. Soffel Gillian Armstrong avoided this pitfall by staging many of her scenes in open
form, almost like a documentary caught on the run.
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27
3. Armstrong photographed the main character and her children in such a way as to almost
obscure them with the surrounding foreground and background environment and unimportant
details like extras.
4. A more formalist director would have eliminated such foreground and background
“distractions” and the clutter and brought the principal characters toward the foreground.
5. Armstrong achieves a more realistic and spontaneous effect by deliberately avoiding an
“arranged” look in her mise en scène through the use of open forms.
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 86
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
3. Armstrong photographed the main character and her children in such a way as to almost
obscure them with the surrounding foreground and background environment and unimportant
details like extras.
4. A more formalist director would have eliminated such foreground and background
“distractions” and the clutter and brought the principal characters toward the foreground.
5. Armstrong achieves a more realistic and spontaneous effect by deliberately avoiding an
“arranged” look in her mise en scène through the use of open forms.
Topic: Open and Closed Forms
Page Number: 86
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Learning Objective: 6. Illustrate why open and closed forms serve as two distinct attitudes about
reality and list in which circumstances they each prove most effective.
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28
TEST BANK FOR CHAPTER 3: MOVEMENT
Multiple Choice
1. Like the words kinetic, kinesthesia, and choreography, cinema derives from the Greek
word for
A. genre.
B. pattern.
C. seeing all.
D. movement.
Answer: D
Topic: Kinetics
Page Number: 96
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 1. Describe the three main types of motion and kinetic arts, and explain how
each type can be affected by stylization.
2. A naturalistic actor like Bruce Willis uses only what kind of
movements?
A. lyrical
B. stylized
C. realistic
D. balletic
Answer: C
Topic: Kinetics
Page Number: 96
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Describe the three main types of motion and kinetic arts, and explain how
each type can be affected by stylization.
3. Which one of these actors’ movements would be considered the most stylized?
A. Gene Kelly
B. Charlie Chaplin
C. Marcel Marceau
D. Bruce Willis
Answer: C
Topic: Kinetics
Page Number: 96
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Describe the three main types of motion and kinetic arts, and explain how
TEST BANK FOR CHAPTER 3: MOVEMENT
Multiple Choice
1. Like the words kinetic, kinesthesia, and choreography, cinema derives from the Greek
word for
A. genre.
B. pattern.
C. seeing all.
D. movement.
Answer: D
Topic: Kinetics
Page Number: 96
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: 1. Describe the three main types of motion and kinetic arts, and explain how
each type can be affected by stylization.
2. A naturalistic actor like Bruce Willis uses only what kind of
movements?
A. lyrical
B. stylized
C. realistic
D. balletic
Answer: C
Topic: Kinetics
Page Number: 96
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Describe the three main types of motion and kinetic arts, and explain how
each type can be affected by stylization.
3. Which one of these actors’ movements would be considered the most stylized?
A. Gene Kelly
B. Charlie Chaplin
C. Marcel Marceau
D. Bruce Willis
Answer: C
Topic: Kinetics
Page Number: 96
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: 1. Describe the three main types of motion and kinetic arts, and explain how
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