Midterm Review

CFV 123:01 Fall 2011

Exam Structure&

General Directions

CFV 123 Fall 2011

Exam Structure

1. Matching: 10 questions/ 1 pt. each2. Multiple Choice: 10 questions/ 1 pt. each3. Definitions: 20 questions/ 2 pts. each4. Short Answers: 5 questions/ 4pts each5. Sequence Analysis: 1 question/ 10 pts.6. Short Essay: 1 question/ 10 pts.100pts. total*PLUS 5 1pt. BONUS QUESTIONS*

Exam Structure

1. Matching: 10 questions/ 1 pt. each• You will be asked to match modes/film

movements and production scales with filmsscreened in class.

• Some modes will apply to more than one film:list them all.

2. Multiple Choice: 10 questions/ 1 pt. each• Asks you to select the answer that does NOT

apply to the question.• Covers concepts and categories from readings

and presentations

Exam Structure

3. Definitions: 20 questions/ 2 pts. each• Covers editing, cinematography, mise-en-

scene, and narrative techniques• You will be asked to match terms from an

answer bank to their definitions, AND• Give one example for each technique from

films shown in class.• Make sure to answer both parts.• Each term will be used only once.

Exam Structure

4. Short Answers: 5 questions/ 4pts each• Three ask you to distinguish different categories of

meaning in films screened in class.• Express each type of meaning in ONE sentence.• The meanings should be clearly suggested by the

film, but of course there are several correct answers.• Two ask you to give an example of a specific

narrative device in a film screened in class, anddescribe how it creates meaning in the scene and/orfilm as a whole.

• Just a few sentences are fine, but make sure toaddress all parts of the questions.

Exam Structure

5. Sequence Analysis: 1 question/ 10 pts.• You will be shown a clip from a film screened in class.• The question will indicate what aspect(s) of film form you

should pay attention to.• You will be asked to both describe AND analyze how the

clip uses specific techniques to create meaning. Makesure you relate these techniques to the film as a whole.

• Make sure to read the question carefully and answer ALLparts of the question.

• One or two concise, well thought-out paragraphs issufficient. More does not equal better.

• Keep focused, and DO NOT write about techniques thatfall outside the area you are asked to write about.

Exam Structure

6. Short Essay: 1 question/ 10 pts.• You will be asked to relate a specific film (NOT your choice) to a

specific mode or modes.• You will need to be familiar both with the primary film, and the

narrative and stylistic norms of the mode(s).• You will also need to draw from other films screened in class to

illustrate your examples. Be specific.• Be prepared to make connections to the meaning and structure of

the primary film as a whole.• You need to do more than just give examples- use these to support

a thesis statement about how the primary film relates to the modeor modes.

• You will need to write 3-5 well written, organized paragraphs thatflow together and work to develop your argument.

• Be concise and focused, and make sure you back up yourstatements throughout.

Breakdown

100 points total on midterm + 20% of semester grade = 5 missed points on exam =

1 point off final course grade

DON’T FORGET:YOU ALSO HAVE 5 ONE POINT EXTRA

CREDIT BONUS QUESTIONS!

General Directions

BRING 2 OR MORE BLUEBOOKS!• Available at University Bookstore• If you forget, you will have to run and get

some, taking away from your exam time

Write ALL Answers in your bluebook!• You can take notes on your exam sheet, and it

must be handed in, but I will be recycling thembefore grading

General Directions

CLEARLY LABEL YOUR ANSWERS!• Include question #.• If you do the test sections out of order, clearly

indicate this in your bluebook.

Be legible!• If I can’t read it, I can’t grade it!• Include letter for matching, definition, and

multiple choice questions.

General Directions BUDGET YOUR TIME WISELY!

• Just the letter is ok for matching / multiple choice.• For definition questions, no need to write a

complete sentence for your examples.• Be concise in your short answer questions: use

complete sentences, but focus on the content.• Make sure your essay is well structured and

concise: pay more attention to grammar, transitions,and organizing an argument, but remember contentis still most important. Make every paragraph count.

• Don’t pad your answers- it doesn’t help yourmatching, definition, and multiple choice grading,and will hurt your short answer, analysis, and essayquestions, as well as taking up valuable time.

General Directions REFER TO FILMS IN THE PROPER FORMAT

• Film Name (Director’s Name, Year)

• The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)• Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai, 1994)• The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)• The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)• If… (Lindsay Anderson, 1968)• The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

Review Topic:

SCALES OFPRODUCTION

&FILM MODES/MOVEMENTS

SCALES OF PRODUCTION• Large-scale Production

• Firm division of labor across units• Detailed production stages• Studio system:

• Centralized in Hollywood Golden Age (pre-1960’s)• Talent and crew on contract• ALL resources provided by studio

• Now combination of studio resources (stages, distribution) andindependent contractors brought in to produce a single filmpackage

• Independent Production• Made for theatrical market, but without major distributor

financing (personal investment, TV stations, grants)• General division of labor along studio lines, less rigid

• Small-scale Production• Little or no division of labor• Personal, collaborative, or collective

MODES / FILM MOVEMENTS• Films we can group together because they share:

• A definite historical existence• Time period and/or production methods and scale• Manifesto or shared goals/ impulses

• A set of formal conventions• Stylistic• Narrative

• Implicit viewing procedures

• A given film may belong to several of these groupingsand sub-groupings

• The production methods, formal conventions, andaudiences of one group (mode/movement) may beinfluenced by or draw from another group while stillremaining distinct

MODES / FILM MOVEMENTS• Classical Hollywood Cinema

• Post-classical Hollywood Cinema• Hollywood Art Cinema• New Hollywood Cinema/ The Blockbuster

• International Art Cinema• Italian Neorealism• “New” Cinemas

• French New Wave• British New Wave• Japanese New Wave• Other “New” Cinemas

• “Oppositional” Cinema

Classical Hollywood Cinema (1908- early 1950’s)• Stylistic Norms

• “Invisible” style• Continuity editing• 180 degree system• Sequences anticipated viewer attention• Sequences worked to orient viewer in time and space• Worked to keep viewers “in” the world of the film

• Narrative Norms• Plot-driven, economical• Active main character with clearly defined goals• Often had romantic sub-plot• Strong closure• Unusual stylistic shifts always clearly motivated from

within story world, or according to genre conventions• Production

• LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION• Studio system, vertical integration

• Fine-tuned division of labor across units, crew on contract

Classical HollywoodCinema

The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)

Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema (post WWII- present)• Hollywood Art Cinema (late 1950’s to about 1975)

• Stylistic & Narrative Norms• A new generation of “film brats” drew on both Classical

Hollywood and Art Cinema themes and techniques• Aimed at post-war youth market and traditional CHC market• Encouraged lower budgets and innovation

• Production• LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION• Partial Studio System

• Fine-tuned division of labor across units, independent contractorssigned up for specific projects

• New Hollywood: Blockbuster Era (Mid 1970’s- present)• Stylistic & Narrative Norms

• “High Concept”; Style over meaning; renewed “B” genres; plot-driven• Targeted widest possible audience, large budgets, effects/spectacle

• Production• LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION• Partial Studio System

• Fine-tuned division of labor across units, independent contractorssigned up for specific projects

Post-classical HollywoodCinema

The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

Hollywood Art Cinema

International Art Cinema (Post WWII- present)• Stylistic Norms

• Frequently departs from classical “invisible” style• Motivated by realism

• Social Realism (real problems, locations, etc.)• Psychological Realism (this is how life is/ feels)

• AND Authorial Expressivity• Author as overriding intelligence organizing film• We are made aware that the story is being TOLD TO US• Technique draws attention to status as film and/or other films

• Narrative Norms• Loose cause-effect linkage of events• Passive characters w/out defined desires & goals• Less concerned with action than reaction• Deliberate Ambiguity• Lack of closure

• Production• Most often INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION• Occasionally LARGE- or SMALL-SCALE PRODUCTION• Made for international markets

International Art Cinema

Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai, 1994) The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966) The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973) If… (Lindsay Anderson, 1968)

ART CINEMA: Italian Neorealism (1942-1951)• Stylistic Norms

• Made use of non-actors (“Typage”)• Shot on real locations• Often used natural/ available light• Documentary-like aesthetic

• Narrative Norms• Looser plots, noncausally motivated details• Passive main character reacts to stimuli• Ambiguous or open-ended conclusions

• Key Themes• Social realism

• working class or disenfranchised characters• “Life as it really is”• Critical of contemporary society

• Connections• Reaction against dominant cinema “White Telephone Dramas”• Influenced by Jean Renoir, French Popular Front films, Italian

melodramas with social-realist themes• Influenced French New Wave, future filmmakers

• Production• INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

ART CINEMA: French New Wave (1959-1964)• Stylistic Norms

• “Casual” style• Shot on real locations, often with natural/ available light• Extremely mobile camera, often handheld

• Play with medium of film• Non-diegetic inserts, Freeze frames, Jump cuts• Stylized mise-en-scene and composition

• Narrative Norms• Loose or nonlinear plots, noncausally motivated details• Passive main character reacts to stimuli• Ambiguous or open-ended conclusions• References to status as film, other films• Breaking of “story” world

• Key Themes• Young and disenfranchised characters• Critical of contemporary society

• Connections• Key filmmakers start out as critics. Reaction against FRENCH dominant cinema,

embraced and played with norms of Hollywood Cinema.• Influenced by Neorealism, Hollywood “auteurs”.• Influenced other New cinemas, some techniques incorporated back into dominant

cinema• Production

• INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

ART CINEMA: Other “New” Cinemas(late 1950’s- present)

• Refers to several national cinema movements that developedas an alternative to the dominant mode of cinema

• Stylistically and/or structurally innovative

• Depart from classical narrative norms

• Influenced by the French New Wave

• Frequently geared towards a youth or alternative sub-culture

• Often work with political or sexual themes

• New German Cinema, Japanese New Wave, British New Wave, etc.

• Each specific movement has own timeline of development

• Usually INDEPENDENT PRODUCTIONS, but can be any production scale.

British New Wave

If… (Lindsay Anderson, 1968)

“Oppositional” Cinemas(“Occupied” Cinema, etc.)

• Any film made under harsh institutional censorship (eithercodified in law or enforced through implied threat) thatincorporates forbidden themes or critiques in such a way as topass the censor while making such themes or critiquesobvious to attuned audiences.

• Frequently use symbolism or satire to couch critique

• Frequently demonstrate deliberate ambiguity, open for multipleinterpretations

• Usually LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTIONS or INDEPENDENTPRODUCTIONS but can be any production scale.

“Oppositional” Cinema

The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)

The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939) Classical Hollywood Cinema Large Scale Production

Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai, 1994) International Art Cinema Contemporary Hong Kong Cinema Independent Production

The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966) International Art Cinema Independent Production

The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973) International Art Cinema “Oppositional” Cinema Independent Production

If… (Lindsay Anderson, 1968) International Art Cinema British New Wave Independent Production

The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) Post-classical Hollywood Cinema Hollywood Art Cinema Large Scale Production

Review Topic:

DEFINITIONS ANDTERMINOLOGY

&SCREENINGEXAMPLES

MotifAn element in a film that is repeated in a significant way.EXAMPLES: “California Dreaming” is a sound motif and the stuffed animals are a visual motif in

Chungking Express, the beehive in The Spirit of the Beehive is a visual AND sound motif.

Flashback Narrative technique in which a past story event is revealed onscreen after the present point in an

otherwise linear plot progression.EXAMPLES: When the police officer remembers his love affair with the flight attendant, we see them

together in a flashback in Chungking Express. When Harry realizes his misinterpretation of thetapes, we may see the “real” conversation as a flashback in The Conversation (ambiguous).

Montage SequenceA segment of a film that summarizes a topic or compresses a passage of time into brief symbolic or

typical images.EXAMPLES: The redecorating of the second police officer’s apartment in Chungking Express is

condensed into a time montage.

Elliptical EditingCondensing time through editing.EXAMPLES: When Dorothy follows the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, we cut from Munchkin

land to an abandoned field without showing the full journey in real time.

Eyeline MatchTwo shots, where the first is a glance, and the second reveals what is being looked at.EXAMPLES: The close-up of the father’s face near the beginning of The Spirit of the Beehive is

followed by what he is looking at, from approximately the same angle: a beehive. In If… theshot of Travis glancing at The Girl’s bum, followed by the bum, is an eyeline match (and ALSOa P.O.V. shot).

Graphic Match Match of shape or volume between two consecutive shots.EXAMPLES: The cut from the beehive to the stain glass window in The Spirit of the Beehive.

Match on ActionAn editing technique in which an action begun in one shot is continued, seemingly without

break, in the subsequent shot.EXAMPLES: The movement of the boys’ swordfight across the cut to B&W in If…

Sound AdvanceTransition in which the sound from the second shot overlaps the image from the first shot.EXAMPLES: The sound of the tapes rewinding in Harry’s shop is heard over the previous elevator shot

in The Conversation. The cut to the shop reveals the source of the sound.

On-screen/ Off-screen SoundSound where the source is visible to the audience in the current shot framing. / Sound where

the source is NOT visible to the audience in the current shot framing, but where theaudience can infer that the source exists within the story world.

EXAMPLES: We simultaneously see and hear Dorothy clicking her shoes in The Wizard of Oz. / Wehear cows moo at Dorothy’s farm, but never see them, we hear the witch cackle before we seeher swoop into frame in the tornado scene in The Wizard of Oz.

Non-diegetic/ Diegetic SoundSound from outside the story world. / Sound from within the story world.EXAMPLES: The music in the massacre scenes in The Battle of Algiers. / The children crying in the

massacre scenes in The Battle of Algiers.

Internal / External Diegetic soundSound from within the story world, with a source outside a character’s subjectivity. / Sound

from within the story world, with a source from inside a character’s head.EXAMPLES: Harry’s conversation with the Director’s Assistant in The Conversation. / Harry “telling”

the priest he feels guilty about the murder (internal monologue), the distortion of the phrase“He’d kill us if he got the chance” (ambiguous- can be read as filtered through Harry’ssubjectivity) in The Conversation.

Tracking ShotThe camera moves in or out on the z axis and/or x axis.EXAMPLES: After Ali’s arrest and imprisonment in The Battle of Algiers, he is revealed on the floor of

his cell by a long tracking shot over the bodies of fellow inmates.

Zoom Focal length changes, resulting in a change of shot scale, but camera does not move.EXAMPLES: In the opening shot of The Conversation, we zoom in from an extreme long shot of Union

Square to a medium long-shot of Harry on the park bench.

Extreme Long ShotA shot in which the subject appears extremely far away, dwarfed by surroundings.EXAMPLES: The opening shot of the crowd in Union Square in The Conversation.

High-Angle ShotA shot in which the camera is positioned higher than, but not directly above, the subject.EXAMPLES: In If… the reaction to the “Crusaders” attack on Founders day is shot from a high-angle

(as if from the roof-top).

Slow MotionFilm shot at more frames/ second than the standard 24 FPS sound speed, resulting

in the appearance of slower than normal motion when projected.EXAMPLES: The gymnastics demonstration in If…

High-Key LightingLow contrast between light and dark areas of the shot, soft-edged shadows.EXAMPLES: The “Off to see the Wizard” musical numbers in The Wizard of Oz.

Low-Key LightingStrong contrast between light and dark areas of the shot, sharp shadows.EXAMPLES: The shot of the three fugitives hiding in the wall in The Battle of Algiers.

Deep-Space CompositionA shot in which there is a great deal of in-focus depth in the frame.EXAMPLES: The scene in which the two sisters approach the deserted building in which Frankenstein

is said to live in The Spirit of the Beehive.

Review Topic:

TYPES OF MEANING&

GENERALREVIEW

Referential MeaningConcrete, tangible meaning dependent on spectator’s ability to identify specific items

already invested with significance outside the film world.

EXAMPLE FOR WIZARD OF OZ: “During the Depression, a tornado takes a girl from her Kansas farm to themythical world of Oz. After a series of adventures, she returns home.”

EXAMPLE FOR IF…: “In late 1960’s England, a group of disaffected youth, obsessed with images of sex andviolence, including magazine photographs depicting the Vietnam Conflict, rebel. They find surplus guns andammunition left over from WWII in storage, and shoot at the students, parents, and teachers gathered forFounder’s Day at their expensive public school.”

Explicit MeaningOpenly asserted, concrete meaning. The obvious“point” of the film.

EXAMPLE FOR WIZARD OF OZ: “A girl dreams of leaving home to escape her troubles. Only after she leaves doesshe realize how much she loves her family and friends.”

EXAMPLE FOR THE CONVERSATION: “A man whose business it is to spy on others realizes that his own life is notprivate after getting emotionally involved in a confusing assignment.”

Implicit MeaningMore abstract, broad meanings implied by the film. General themes. Interpretation.

EXAMPLE FOR WIZARD OF OZ: “An adolescent who must soon face the adult world yearns for areturn to childhood, but she eventually accepts the demands of growing up.”

EXAMPLE FOR CHUNKING EXPRESS: “In a crowded, hectic, but ultimately lonely modern world,love stories are not determined by fate, but by chance.”

Symptomatic MeaningSituates film as a function of wider values characteristic of the society in which the film was

made. Do not have to be intentional.

EXAMPLE FOR WIZARD OF OZ: “In a society where human worth is measured by money, the homeand the family might seem like the last refuge of human values. This belief is especially strongin times of economic crisis, such as the Great Depression.”

EXAMPLE FOR THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS: “The use of documentary-like style and appeals toobjectivity in presenting the events leading to Algerian independence is indicative of thecinema’s base as a middle-class institution; even a politically liberal member of this class isultimately trapped between capital and labor, and as such places value on the ability to see “bothsides” of what is essentially a class conflict.