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Screenwriting
Auteurs
Miscellaneous
100
This is a description of auteurism.
What is a theory of filmmaking in which the director is considered the primary creative force behind the film?
100
Name the technique used int he first 20 seconds of this clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elQ1SSyTjk4
What is rack focus?
100
"No Country For Old Men" was adapted from a novel by this American author.
Who is Cormac McCarthy?
100
This director was born in Germany and is one of very few professionals to earn an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).
Who is Mike Nichols?
100
This is the last opportunity you will have to earn extra credit this semester. It is worth 10 points (2%).
What is -- see a film (any film) at Liberty Hall on Mass St, write a one-page response, and turn it in with your ticket stub.
200
These are reasons that the auteur theory is debated by film critics and theorists.
Film is too complex to be attributed to a single person. The producers and studios that are associated with the film may be at least as important as the director.
200
Name the genre this clip belongs in and name at least one technique it uses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nBwfZZvjKo
What is a documentary? What are: voice over, animation, non-diegetic sound
200
Sometimes, the audience will know information that the protagonist of a film does not. To maintain the film's drama, the director may utilize this tool to show the character as he catches up with the audience. An example occurs in "The Verdict" when Frank finds out that his girlfriend is corrupt.
What is a "dumb show"?
200
These are two elements frequently associated with the work of the Coen Brothers.
What are: active camera; quirky, cartoon-ish characters, lots of dialogue and slang; suspense, shocking violence and humor; elaborate set pieces; adaptation and homage; kidnapping, murder, blackmail, mistaken identity
200
This director's style was heavily influenced by Hal Ashby's symmetrical framing, stylized mise-en-scene, and absurd comic timing.
Who is Wes Anderson?
300
This critic founded the film journal "Cahiers du Cinema" in Paris after WW2.
Who is Andre Bazin?
300
Literature and film share two techniques used in this clip. http://movieclips.com/HSgs-smoke-signals-movie-you-gotta-have-faith/
What are flashback and narration?
300
This play was directed for the screen by first-time film director Mike Nichols, but it was not "opened up" as much as many adapted plays usually are. You must explain "opening up" and why it does not apply here to get the points.
What is "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" When a director "opens up" a play he makes the drama more cinematic by adding additional locations and moving the action out of a fixed set.
300
After beginning his career as a film editor, this auteur's light handed directorial style and early death made him one of the lesser-known directors of the 1970s. His contemporaries include Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and Dennis Hopper.
Who is Hal Ashby?
300
Hal Ashby's directorial debut was a film called "The Landlord" and it was unique for its era because of its focus on race issues. What was the documentary about Hal's life called?
What is "A Man Out of Time"?
400
Name one of the types of work that can be adapted for the screen, and the challenges of adapting this type of work.
What are novels, short stories, plays, musicals. Novels will often need to be condensed, short stories expanded. Preserving the essence of the work is a challenge screenwriters must address. Plays and stage musicals need to be "opened up" so they are more cinematic and less theatrical.
400
Name the auteur and at least two indicators of the relevant authorial signature. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Je2WxsqWA
Who Are the Coen Brothers? What is the man behind the desk, quirky characterization, predominance of dialogue
400
This playwright, screenwriter, and director wrote the gritty script for "The Verdict."
Who is David Mamet?
400
Due to director's guild rules which prohibit co-credited editors on the same film, the Coen Brothers adopted this pseudonym. They edit all of their films together, but this name appears in the credits and has twice been nominated for an Academy Award.
Who is Roderick Jaynes?
400
A scene whose execution displays technical virtuosity and requires elaborate planning and execution, sometimes at the expense of narrative progression.
What is a set piece?
500
He refined the auteur theory to these three criteria: 1) An auteur is technically competent 2) An author's personality appears through recurring stylist traits in his/her work 3) An auteur's films show a tension between his/her personality and his/her material
Who was film critic Andrew Sarris?
500
Describe some of the techniques used in this clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-O3FOwJQdY
What is reflexivity? PS This movie was shot by Francois Truffaut, who introduced the idea of "Auteurism" to cinema.
500
While working on "Miller's Crossing" which is based on the hard-boiled detective novels of Dashiell Hammett, the Coens experienced writer's block and wrote this movie. You must name the movie and describe its basic premise to earn the points.
What is "Barton Fink"? The film is about a playwright who goes to Hollywood and gets writer's block while working on a screenplay.
500
Known for his ability to bring great performances out of his actors and his dedication to rehearsing before shooting, this director's films often feature themes of corruption and justice.
Who is Sidney Lumet?
500
An auteur's unique style can be understood by looking at these factors.
What are collaboration, variety, repetition, quotation, and borrowings.