Understanding Movies Chapter 8 Exam
Questions and Answers
Genres - ANSWER-a recognizable type of movie, characterized by certain
preestablished conventions. Some common American genres are westerns, thrillers,
sci-fi movies, etc. A ready-made narrative form.
Stars - ANSWER-a film actor or actress of great popularity. A personality star tends to
play only those roles that fit a preconceived public image, which constitutes his or her
persona. An actor star can play roles of greater range and variety. Eddie Murphy is a
personality star; Nicole Kidman is an actor star.
voice-over - ANSWER-a nonsynchronous spoken commentary in a movie, often used to
convey a character's thoughts or memories.
first-person - ANSWER-any shot that is taken from the vantage point of a character in
the film, showing what the character sees
realistic - ANSWER-implied author is virtually invisible
classical - ANSWER-generally aware of a shaping hand in the storyline
formalistic - ANSWER-the author is overtly manipulative, sometimes scrambling the
chronology of the story or heightening or restructuring events to maximize a thematic
idea.
convention - ANSWER-an implied agreement between the viewer and artist to accept
certain artificialities as real in a work of art. In movies, editing (or the juxtaposition of
shots) is accepted as "logical" even though a viewer's perception of reality is continuous
and unfragmented.
flashbacks - ANSWER-an editing technique that suggests the interruption of the present
by a shot or series of shots representing the past
classical paradigm - ANSWER-term invented by scholars to describe a certain kind of
narrative structure that has dominated fiction film production ever since the 1910s
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avant-garde - ANSWER-From the French, meaning "in the front ranks." Those minority
artists whose works are characterized by an unconventional daring and by obscure,
controversial, or highly personal ideas
Questions and Answers
Genres - ANSWER-a recognizable type of movie, characterized by certain
preestablished conventions. Some common American genres are westerns, thrillers,
sci-fi movies, etc. A ready-made narrative form.
Stars - ANSWER-a film actor or actress of great popularity. A personality star tends to
play only those roles that fit a preconceived public image, which constitutes his or her
persona. An actor star can play roles of greater range and variety. Eddie Murphy is a
personality star; Nicole Kidman is an actor star.
voice-over - ANSWER-a nonsynchronous spoken commentary in a movie, often used to
convey a character's thoughts or memories.
first-person - ANSWER-any shot that is taken from the vantage point of a character in
the film, showing what the character sees
realistic - ANSWER-implied author is virtually invisible
classical - ANSWER-generally aware of a shaping hand in the storyline
formalistic - ANSWER-the author is overtly manipulative, sometimes scrambling the
chronology of the story or heightening or restructuring events to maximize a thematic
idea.
convention - ANSWER-an implied agreement between the viewer and artist to accept
certain artificialities as real in a work of art. In movies, editing (or the juxtaposition of
shots) is accepted as "logical" even though a viewer's perception of reality is continuous
and unfragmented.
flashbacks - ANSWER-an editing technique that suggests the interruption of the present
by a shot or series of shots representing the past
classical paradigm - ANSWER-term invented by scholars to describe a certain kind of
narrative structure that has dominated fiction film production ever since the 1910s
Page 340
avant-garde - ANSWER-From the French, meaning "in the front ranks." Those minority
artists whose works are characterized by an unconventional daring and by obscure,
controversial, or highly personal ideas
