Intro to Film Exam Solved Correctly To
Score A+ 2025
cinematic language CORRECT ANSWERS The systems, methods, or conventions by
which the movies communicate with the viewer.
shot CORRECT ANSWERS In an edited film, an unbroken span of action captured by
an uninterrupted run of the camera that lasts until it is replaced by another shot by
means of a cut or other transition. 2. During the pre-production and production process:
a specific arrangement of elements to be captured in a particular composition from a
pre-determined camera position.
editing CORRECT ANSWERS The process by which the editor combines and
coordinates individual shots into a cinematic whole; the basic creative force of cinema.
cut CORRECT ANSWERS 1. the act of an editor selecting an in point and an out point
of a shot as part of the editing process; 2. a direct change from one shot to another as a
result of cutting; that is, the precise point at which shot A ends and shot B begins; 3. an
edited version of a scene or film, as in a "rough cut".
close-up (CU) CORRECT ANSWERS A shot that often shows a part of the body filling
the frame—traditionally a face, but possibly a hand, eye, or mouth.
storyboards CORRECT ANSWERS A shot-by-shot breakdown that combines sketches
or photographs of how each shot is to look and written descriptions of the other
elements that are to go with each shot, including dialogue, sound, and music.
blocking CORRECT ANSWERS The actual physical relationships among figures and
settings. Also, the process during rehearsal of establishing those relationships.
fade-out/fade-in CORRECT ANSWERS A transitional devise in which the first shot
fades out (gets progressively darker) until the screen is entirely black. After a moment,
the succeeding shot fades in (becomes increasingly exposed). Fades often imply a
passage of time.
low-angle shot CORRECT ANSWERS Also known as low shot. A shot that is made with
the camera below the action; it typically places the observer in a position of inferiority
cutting on action CORRECT ANSWERS Also known as match-on-action cut. A
continuity editing technique that smooths the transition between shots portraying a
single action from different camera angles. The editor ends the first shot in the middle of
a continuing action and begins the subsequent shot at approximately the same point in
the matching action.
,protagonist CORRECT ANSWERS The primary character whose pursuit of the goal
provides the structural foundation of a movie's story.
implicit meaning CORRECT ANSWERS An association, connection, or inference that a
viewer makes based on the given (explicit) meaning conveyed by the story and form of
a film. Lying below the surface of explicit meaning, implicit meaning is closest to our
everyday sense of the word meaning.
explicit meaning CORRECT ANSWERS Everything that a movie presents on its
surface.
formal analysis CORRECT ANSWERS Film analysis that examines how a scene or
sequence uses formal elements—narrative, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing,
sound, and so on—to convey the story, mood, and meaning.
form CORRECT ANSWERS The means by which a subject is expressed. The form for
poetry is words; for drama, it is speech and action; for movies, it is pictures and sound;
and so on.
theme CORRECT ANSWERS A shared, public idea, such as a metaphor, an adage, a
myth, a familiar conflict, or personality type.
motif CORRECT ANSWERS A recurring visual, sound, or narrative element that imparts
meaning or significance.
dolly in CORRECT ANSWERS Slow movement of the camera toward a subject, making
the subject appear larger and more significant. Such gradual intensification is commonly
used at moments of a character's realization or decision or as a point-of-view shot to
indicate the reason for the character's realization.
duration CORRECT ANSWERS A quantity of time. In any movie, we can identify three
specific kinds of duration: story duration (the time that the entire narrative arc—whether
or not explicitly presented on-screen—is implied to have taken), plot duration (the time
that the events explicitly shown on-screen are implied to have taken), and screen
duration (the actual time elapsed while presenting the movie's plot; that is, the movie's
running time).
point of view (POV) CORRECT ANSWERS The position from which a film presents the
actions of the story; not only the relation of the narrator(s) to the story, but also the
camera's act of seeing and hearing. The two fundamental types of cinematic point of
view are omniscient and restricted.
Because most movies seek to engage viewers' emotions and transport them inside the
world that is presented on-screen, the visual vocabulary of film is designed to
CORRECT ANSWERS play on the same instincts that we use to navigate and interpret
the visual and aural information of our "real life."
, In order to entertain and not provoke its customers, the film industry usually favors
stories and themes that CORRECT ANSWERS tap into and reinforce their most
fundamental desires and beliefs.
Why is cultural invisibility not always a calculated decision on the part of filmmakers?
CORRECT ANSWERS because they are products of the same society inhabited by
their intended audience
Because movies are rich in plot detail, a good analysis must begin by CORRECT
ANSWERS sorting through the details and extracting the most important among them.
Implicit meaning is best defined as ________, while explicit meaning is best defined as
________. CORRECT ANSWERS a deep-level association, connection, or inference;
meaning available on the surface of the movie
In what ways that extend far beyond the multiplex have movies permeated our lives?
CORRECT ANSWERS We watch movies on cable and satellite channels, online, and
on our iPads and cell phones; we buy them at video stores and through the mail; and so
on.
The joining together of discrete shots is called CORRECT ANSWERS editing
Before attempting any interpretation of the formal elements used to communicate
intended meaning to the spectator, the analyst should carefully consider CORRECT
ANSWERS the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or sequence in the movie.
Why are movies worthy of serious study, as opposed to being merely an outlet for
escape or entertainment? CORRECT ANSWERS Seriously studying movies allows
people to understand how movies shape the way we view the world.
Audience expectations specific to a particular performer can inform an analysis of
CORRECT ANSWERS the personal motives governing the performer's investment in
particular projects.
Almost all ubiquitous commercial, feature-length movies share the same basic and
important element of CORRECT ANSWERS narrative
One of the unique properties of movies that distinguishes it from any other visual
medium is its capacity to CORRECT ANSWERS isolate details and juxtapose images
within and between shots.
The "invisibility" of meaning in movies is largely due to CORRECT ANSWERS their
rapidly and constantly changing images not giving the viewer time to contemplate them.
Score A+ 2025
cinematic language CORRECT ANSWERS The systems, methods, or conventions by
which the movies communicate with the viewer.
shot CORRECT ANSWERS In an edited film, an unbroken span of action captured by
an uninterrupted run of the camera that lasts until it is replaced by another shot by
means of a cut or other transition. 2. During the pre-production and production process:
a specific arrangement of elements to be captured in a particular composition from a
pre-determined camera position.
editing CORRECT ANSWERS The process by which the editor combines and
coordinates individual shots into a cinematic whole; the basic creative force of cinema.
cut CORRECT ANSWERS 1. the act of an editor selecting an in point and an out point
of a shot as part of the editing process; 2. a direct change from one shot to another as a
result of cutting; that is, the precise point at which shot A ends and shot B begins; 3. an
edited version of a scene or film, as in a "rough cut".
close-up (CU) CORRECT ANSWERS A shot that often shows a part of the body filling
the frame—traditionally a face, but possibly a hand, eye, or mouth.
storyboards CORRECT ANSWERS A shot-by-shot breakdown that combines sketches
or photographs of how each shot is to look and written descriptions of the other
elements that are to go with each shot, including dialogue, sound, and music.
blocking CORRECT ANSWERS The actual physical relationships among figures and
settings. Also, the process during rehearsal of establishing those relationships.
fade-out/fade-in CORRECT ANSWERS A transitional devise in which the first shot
fades out (gets progressively darker) until the screen is entirely black. After a moment,
the succeeding shot fades in (becomes increasingly exposed). Fades often imply a
passage of time.
low-angle shot CORRECT ANSWERS Also known as low shot. A shot that is made with
the camera below the action; it typically places the observer in a position of inferiority
cutting on action CORRECT ANSWERS Also known as match-on-action cut. A
continuity editing technique that smooths the transition between shots portraying a
single action from different camera angles. The editor ends the first shot in the middle of
a continuing action and begins the subsequent shot at approximately the same point in
the matching action.
,protagonist CORRECT ANSWERS The primary character whose pursuit of the goal
provides the structural foundation of a movie's story.
implicit meaning CORRECT ANSWERS An association, connection, or inference that a
viewer makes based on the given (explicit) meaning conveyed by the story and form of
a film. Lying below the surface of explicit meaning, implicit meaning is closest to our
everyday sense of the word meaning.
explicit meaning CORRECT ANSWERS Everything that a movie presents on its
surface.
formal analysis CORRECT ANSWERS Film analysis that examines how a scene or
sequence uses formal elements—narrative, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing,
sound, and so on—to convey the story, mood, and meaning.
form CORRECT ANSWERS The means by which a subject is expressed. The form for
poetry is words; for drama, it is speech and action; for movies, it is pictures and sound;
and so on.
theme CORRECT ANSWERS A shared, public idea, such as a metaphor, an adage, a
myth, a familiar conflict, or personality type.
motif CORRECT ANSWERS A recurring visual, sound, or narrative element that imparts
meaning or significance.
dolly in CORRECT ANSWERS Slow movement of the camera toward a subject, making
the subject appear larger and more significant. Such gradual intensification is commonly
used at moments of a character's realization or decision or as a point-of-view shot to
indicate the reason for the character's realization.
duration CORRECT ANSWERS A quantity of time. In any movie, we can identify three
specific kinds of duration: story duration (the time that the entire narrative arc—whether
or not explicitly presented on-screen—is implied to have taken), plot duration (the time
that the events explicitly shown on-screen are implied to have taken), and screen
duration (the actual time elapsed while presenting the movie's plot; that is, the movie's
running time).
point of view (POV) CORRECT ANSWERS The position from which a film presents the
actions of the story; not only the relation of the narrator(s) to the story, but also the
camera's act of seeing and hearing. The two fundamental types of cinematic point of
view are omniscient and restricted.
Because most movies seek to engage viewers' emotions and transport them inside the
world that is presented on-screen, the visual vocabulary of film is designed to
CORRECT ANSWERS play on the same instincts that we use to navigate and interpret
the visual and aural information of our "real life."
, In order to entertain and not provoke its customers, the film industry usually favors
stories and themes that CORRECT ANSWERS tap into and reinforce their most
fundamental desires and beliefs.
Why is cultural invisibility not always a calculated decision on the part of filmmakers?
CORRECT ANSWERS because they are products of the same society inhabited by
their intended audience
Because movies are rich in plot detail, a good analysis must begin by CORRECT
ANSWERS sorting through the details and extracting the most important among them.
Implicit meaning is best defined as ________, while explicit meaning is best defined as
________. CORRECT ANSWERS a deep-level association, connection, or inference;
meaning available on the surface of the movie
In what ways that extend far beyond the multiplex have movies permeated our lives?
CORRECT ANSWERS We watch movies on cable and satellite channels, online, and
on our iPads and cell phones; we buy them at video stores and through the mail; and so
on.
The joining together of discrete shots is called CORRECT ANSWERS editing
Before attempting any interpretation of the formal elements used to communicate
intended meaning to the spectator, the analyst should carefully consider CORRECT
ANSWERS the narrative intent of the moment, scene, or sequence in the movie.
Why are movies worthy of serious study, as opposed to being merely an outlet for
escape or entertainment? CORRECT ANSWERS Seriously studying movies allows
people to understand how movies shape the way we view the world.
Audience expectations specific to a particular performer can inform an analysis of
CORRECT ANSWERS the personal motives governing the performer's investment in
particular projects.
Almost all ubiquitous commercial, feature-length movies share the same basic and
important element of CORRECT ANSWERS narrative
One of the unique properties of movies that distinguishes it from any other visual
medium is its capacity to CORRECT ANSWERS isolate details and juxtapose images
within and between shots.
The "invisibility" of meaning in movies is largely due to CORRECT ANSWERS their
rapidly and constantly changing images not giving the viewer time to contemplate them.
