History vs. Hollywood Unit 1 Test (smaller)

Question 1

Pre-1920s Film History

Answer 1

Early Cinematic Origins, the Infancy of Film

Question 2

Pre-1920s Film History

Early Movie Milestones

Answer 2

The Great Train Robbery (1903)
Told a story
Edited images from simultaneous
10 minutes; 14 scenes

D.W. Griffith: first great “artist” of film as director (made 3-hour epic “Birth of a Nation” in 1915 about KKK)

Charlie Chaplin: “The Little Tramp” character established by the mid-1910s

Movies were silent; accompanied in theatres by a live piano player

Question 3

1930s Film History -

Answer 3

The Talkies, the Growth of the Studios and ‘The Golden Age of Hollywood

Question 4

1930s Film History

Trends of the 1930s

Answer 4

Genres: Gangster, Western, Dance-Musical, Horror…

Strong Women: Katherine Hepburn, Mae West

Young Stars: Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney

Question 5

1940s Film History

Answer 5

The War and Post-War Years, the Beginnings of Film Noir

Question 6

1950s Film History -

Answer 6

The Cold War and Post-Classical Era, the Era of Epic Films and the Threat of Television

Question 7

1960s Film History -

Answer 7

The End of the Hollywood Studio System, and the Era of Independent, Underground Cinema

Question 8

1970s Film History -

Answer 8

The Last Golden Age of American Cinema (the American “New Wave”), and the Advent of the Blockbuster Film

Question 9

1980s Film History -

Answer 9

Teen-Oriented Angst Films, and the Dawn of the Sequel, with More Blockbusters

Question 10

1990s Film History -

Answer 10

The Era of Mainstream Films and Alternative or Independent (“Indie”) Cinema; and the Rise of Computer-Generated Films; also the Decade of Remakes, Re-releases, and More Sequels

Question 11

2000s Films -

Answer 11

he New Millenium, an Age of Advanced Special Effects, and the Search for the Perfect Blockbuster

Question 12

What is a genre:

Answer 12

A category or type of film.

Question 13

Genres help to classify or organize films -

Answer 13

they create a “that looks familiar, I have seen that before” reaction in our brains

Question 14

Can you come up with some examples of storylines that happen in specific genres - For example - in action movies, they always get the bad guy

Answer 14

In rom-coms…
The girl always gets the guy
There’s always a sad moment and it’s raining
A meet-cute
They get together at the end of the film
But they almost didn’t get together

Question 15

What is iconography?

Answer 15

Repeated images or sounds among a genre.

Question 16

List the 5 Stages of Genre:

Answer 16

Primitive Stage
Classical Stage
Revisionist
Parody
Extension

Question 17

Primitive Stage

Answer 17

Early or birth of the genre

Techniques are not well established and conventions not developed - these are the first attempts

Question 18

Classical Stage

Answer 18

Patterns are continuing

A following has developed

Values of the genre

Question 19

Revisionist

Answer 19

Iconography is similar, but more complex and ambiguous

Values of the original genre are questioned (maybe the bad guy turns out to be good)

May have to watch closely to see the ties to the original genre

Question 20

Parody

Answer 20

Similar iconography

The theme will stay the same

Mocking the genre

Stock characters will be over-embellished

Question 21

Extension

Answer 21

Take the themes and values of the genre

Iconography may change

Structure may change

Question 22

2 genres I should know…

Answer 22

Film Noir

Blaxploitation

Question 23

Shot Types:

Answer 23

These terms describe the camera’s viewpoint and show the effect this might have on the audience. The following examples are taken from clips of The Dark Knight.

Question 24

Camera Movement:

Answer 24

These terms describe the way in which a camera is moved to direct our attention to emphasize a particular viewpoint.

Question 25

Mise en scène:

Answer 25

This term is used to describe what is in the frame and why.

Question 26

Lighting:

Answer 26

This term is used to describe how lighting is used to draw attention to a person or object, or to hide it.

Question 27

Sound:

Answer 27

This term is used to describe the presence and purpose of the soundtrack and other sound effects.

Question 28

Editing:

Answer 28

This term is used to describe the changing shots within a piece of film.

Question 29

Title Graphics:

Answer 29

This term is used to describe the title and credits of a film, and what the colours and background can tell us about the genre of the genre of the film.

Question 30

Long Shot:

Answer 30

A long shot establishes where the scene takes place, showing either a full subject and/or an extensive background.

Question 31

Mid Shot:

Answer 31

A mid shot shows the torso of the subject and some background.

Question 32

Close-Up:

Answer 32

A close-up is used to show emotion and/or draw attention to the face or another subject depicted in the shot.

Question 33

Over the Shoulder Shot:

Answer 33

This is used when two characters are interacting face to face.

Question 34

Point-of-view Shot:

Answer 34

Depicts the action of the scene from a character’s viewpoint, either to encourage empathy from the audience or to establish mood or importance.

Question 35

High Angle Shot:

Answer 35

The camera looks down on the person or object, making the person or object appear vulnerable or insignificant.

Question 36

Low Angle Shot:

Answer 36

The camera looks up at the person or object, making the person or object appear powerful or important.

Question 37

Panning Shot:

Answer 37

The camera moves slowly across from side to side from a fixed axis.

Question 38

Tilt Shot:

Answer 38

The camera moves up and down from a fixed axis.

Question 39

Crane Shot:

Answer 39

The camera, mounted on a crane, moves around at a distance and above ground level.

Question 40

Tracking Shot:

Answer 40

The camera follows the action, mounted on tracks laid for that purpose, often pulling backward from a scene.

Question 41

Hand Held:

Answer 41

Used to create a greater sense of authenticity; for example, it could be used to provide eyewitness accounts of a specific character.

Question 42

Mise en Scène

There are four different things to consider when analyzing what is in a scene, why it was chosen, and whether it is effective:

Answer 42

Setting and props
Costume and makeup
Body language and facial expression
Lighting and colour

Question 43

Lighting

Answer 43

Lighting quickly creates an atmosphere on screen. If it is dark and shadowy we might be made to feel uneasy, as in a thriller; if the lighting is bright we feel happy and confident. The filmmaker can use lighting to draw our attention to a person/object or equally, to hide them.

Question 44

Sound
There are three elements to a film soundtrack:

Answer 44

Dialogue
Music
Sound effects

Question 45

Editing

Answer 45

The speed with which a shot changes can be very effective at creating an atmosphere.
The speed with which a shot changes affects a viewer.