Formal elements 1
Formal elements 2
Genre
Narrative
Contexts of Viewing
100
Describe the difference between continuity and disjunctive editing
Continuity editing is designed to be invisible, whereas disjunctive editing is designed to draw attention to itself.
100
What is the difference between low and high key lighting and give an example?
High key lighting is when it is bright with few contrasts, low key lighting is when it is shadowy with sharp contrasts between light and dark EX: low key lighting in Double Indemnity, high key lighting in All About Eve
100
What film genre does Breathless frequently reference/cite?
Film noir
100
What is self-reflexivity?
Films that reference their status as films
100
Where does the term Bollywood come from?
Combination of Hollywood and Bombay.
200
What are the two traditions of mise-en-scene?
Naturalistic and theatrical mise-en-scene
200
What are the three components of three-point lighting?
fill, back, key
200
What is the femme fatale?
The sexualized female figure; often lures or traps the unsuspecting male protagonist through her sexuality.
200
Why is the Production Code Administration (PCA) relevant to this course?
Censorship
200
What are the four aspects of a star?
private person, worker, commodity, and cultural sign
300
What are the four elements of sound hierarchy?
voice, music, sound effects, atmospheric sound
300
What is the 30 degree rule?
The camera must move at least 30 degrees between shots in order to not disrupt sense of continuity.
300
What are the three film modes?
Narrative, documentary, experimental
300
What is the difference between the organization of narrative film and documentary film?
Narrative film is organized around a linear narrative structure, documentary is organized rhetorically.
300
What are the three types of camp?
Gay, intellectual, mass
400
What is the 180 degree rule?
A part of continuity editing; the camera stays on one side of the axis of action throughout a scene
400
What is the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sound?
Diegetic sound is present within the story world and can be heard by characters, non-diegetic exists outside of the story world (such as a soundtrack).
400
What is the difference between prescriptive and descriptive generic expectations?
Prescriptive: Sees genre as a distinct body of films. Has an ideal or model against which other films are to be evaluated. More focused on genre purity and corruption. Descriptive: Treat it as more than just a defined body of films. Genre is maintained by a horizon of expectations shared by people who make films, people who market them, people who review them, and people who watch them. Generic expectations change over time.
400
What is character hierarchy?
The arrangement of characters in terms of focus and importance in film, in which some are privileged over others. Classical narrative cinema usually centers around white, male protagonists.
400
What is remediation?
The inclusion of old media forms into new ones.
500
What is the difference between image as text and image as presence?
Image as text refers to an image that demands interpretation on part of the viewer. Image as presence refers to the immersive and emotional connection the viewer has to the image.
500
What is mise-en-abyme?
Infinite layering (such as a dream within a dream within a dream...). Part of experimental film aesthetics.
500
What are the modes of documentary?
Expository mode: explains the world Observational mode: watches the world Interactive mode: interacts with the world Reflexive mode: self-consciously explores the process of documenting the world Performative mode: evokes the world through poetic form & performance Reconstructive mode: reconstructs/reenacts historical and contemporary events
500
What is the difference between story and plot?
The plot is the way the story elements are revealed to the audience. The story is the chronological chain of events.
500
What is a paratext?
Materials surrounding the film text (such as promotional posters, trailers) that shape our relationship to the film itself.