Deck 6: Cinematography

Question 1

A film stock's "speed" refers to its

A) ease of use.
B) motion through the camera.
C) sensitivity to light.
D) cost.
E) size.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The specialized digital format that compresses all pixel information into manageably sized files for editing and viewing is known as a

A) codec.
B) additive color system.
C) thumb drive.
D) Steadicam.
E) dolly.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Since 1968, virtually all Hollywood feature films used ________ film stock.

A) grainy
B) stereoscopic
C) fast
D) black and white
E) color

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Why do audiences associate black-and-white photography and cinematography with a stronger sense of unidealized realism than that provided by color film stock?

A) Color images are distracting.
B) The plots of black-and-white films are more realistic.
C) The reason is the historical use of black-and-white images for documentaries and newspaper photographs.
D) Black-and-white images offer ambiguous moral positions for characters.
E) Color films are more closely associated with fantasy.

Question 5

Which film switched between eighteen different stocks and formats to give the story a feeling of disorienting instability?

A) Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace
B) The Searchers
C) Tangerine
D) Carol
E) Natural Born Killers

Question 6

The use of color film stock for John Ford's The Searchers (1956) was probably due less to aesthetics than to.

A) the scarcity of black-and-white film stock following World War II.
B) industry trends.
C) advances in camera technology.
D) budgetary concerns.
E) John Wayne's contract demands.

Question 7

The ________ is the person responsible for feeding film stock into magazines that are then loaded onto the camera during production.

A) loader
B) first assistant cameraperson
C) gaffer
D) best boy
E) grip

Question 8

Why is it unusual that protagonist Marshal Will Kane in High Noon (1952) wears a black hat?

A) It makes it difficult to see his eyes.
B) It was uncomfortable for the film's star, Gary Cooper.
C) It is not what was described in the screenplay.
D) Dark tones are traditionally associated with antagonists.
E) It is not part of an authentic wardrobe of nineteenth-century law enforcement officers.

Question 9

The cinematographer is also known as the

A) visual director.
B) filmographer.
C) video recordist.
D) lighting director.
E) director of photography.

Question 10

When mixed together in varying degrees, the three primary additive colors, consisting of ________, can produce all the other colors in the spectrum.

A) red, green, and blue
B) red, green, and cyan
C) black, white, and blue
D) brown, black, and green
E) magenta, red, and yellow

Question 11

The term for one camera position and everything associated with it is

A) a take.
B) the format.
C) the scene.
D) the shooting ratio.
E) a setup.

Question 12

Which color film system recorded images on three separate strips of film simultaneously?

A) Kodak
B) Cinecolor
C) Technicolor
D) Monopack
E) Fujichrome

Question 13

By 2012, what percentage of the top-grossing feature films were shot digitally?

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 60 percent
E) 75 percent

Question 14

Each time that a planned shot is captured is called a

A) scene.
B) sequence.
C) shot.
D) take.
E) setup.

Question 15

The additive process to render color images on film stock was replaced by the ________ process in the 1930s.

A) monochromatic
B) hand-tinting
C) stenciling
D) toning
E) subtractive

Question 16

Cinematographic properties of the shot controlled by the DP include the recording medium, lighting, and

A) location.
B) lenses.
C) genre.
D) editing.
E) mise-en-scène.

Question 17

Although the director's vision shapes a movie's mise-en-scène, the cinematographer must make decisions about

A) the casting of the principal actors.
B) how to photograph the movie.
C) the editing of the shots.
D) when to question the credibility of an actor's performance.
E) the emotional truth of the screenplay's dialogue.

Question 18

What do you call the fragments of image information that a digital camera captures with its electronic sensor?

A) silver halide crystals
B) pixels
C) gauges
D) grips
E) gaffers

Question 19

During production, the crew most closely associated with the camera consists of

A) the director and the production manager.
B) the production designer, editor, and assistant director.
C) the gaffer and best boy.
D) the camera operator and the first and second assistant camerapersons (ACs).
E) grips and electricians.

Question 20

A ________ is an unbroken span of action capture by an uninterrupted run of the camera.

A) scene
B) sequence
C) shot
D) slate
E) setup

Question 21

The change of the point of focus from one subject to another during a shot is known as a

A) focal-length shift.
B) change in perspective.
C) rack focus.
D) wandering.
E) depth change.

Question 22

The ________ lens tends to exaggerate the perceived spatial relationship between the subject and the camera.

A) wide-angle
B) telephoto
C) prime
D) normal
E) macro

Question 23

A colored filter placed before the lens is often used to correct

A) focus.
B) color temperature.
C) framing.
D) performance.
E) aspect ratio.

Question 24

Adjusting the aperture of a camera lens changes the

A) focal length of the lens.
B) implied proximity of the camera to the subject.
C) contrast of the filmed image.
D) amount of light that passes through the lens.
E) color temperature of the light source.

Question 25

The terms "long shot" and "medium shot" refer to

A) the implied distance between the camera lens and the subject being filmed.
B) the duration of a take.
C) the focal length of the lens.
D) the distance between a subject being filmed and the background.
E) the amount of light needed to capture an image on film.

Question 26

"Depth of field" refers to the distances in front of the camera (and its lens) in which the subjects are

A) distorted.
B) out of focus.
C) in the frame.
D) dwarfed by the environment.
E) in apparent sharp focus.

Question 27

The ________ is the level and height of the camera in relation to the subject being photographed.

A) composition
B) placement principle
C) balance of the frame
D) camera angle
E) image depth

Question 28

The use of ________ during filming can manipulate natural light by redirecting it.

A) key light
B) flags
C) backlight
D) silks
E) bounce boards

Question 29

The selective use of a ________ lens during the filming of a scene from Sunset Boulevard (1950) captured images that relate to our day-to-day experience of depth and perception.

A) zoom
B) normal
C) variable-focal-length
D) fisheye
E) short-focal-length

Question 30

To visually imply a character's power and superiority, the camera is traditionally placed at ________ in relation to that character.

A) a high angle
B) eye level
C) a low angle
D) a subjective angle
E) a neutral angle

Question 31

When an extreme long shot is used to provide spatial context at the beginning of a scene, it is also known as

A) a setup shot.
B) a mask shot.
C) a functional shot.
D) a complex shot.
E) an establishing shot.

Question 32

What technique keeps all three planes of the film frame in sharp focus?

A) wide-angle composition
B) deep-focus cinematography
C) deep-space composition
D) Russian formalism
E) spatial balance

Question 33

Wide-angle, normal, and telephoto lenses with fixed focal lengths are known as ________ lenses.

A) realistic
B) documentary
C) zoom
D) stationary
E) prime

Question 34

Hollywood became the center of American film production in part because of

A) its proximity to Mexico.
B) the color temperature of West Coast sunshine.
C) its exotic appeal to audiences.
D) the abundance of sunshine.
E) local access to film equipment manufacturers.

Question 35

The planning of the placement and movement of figures and camera is a process known as

A) shaping.
B) storyboarding.
C) kinesis.
D) staging.
E) blocking.

Question 36

The middle-focal-length lens (from 35mm to 50mm) is also known as a

A) fisheye lens.
B) telephoto lens.
C) zoom lens.
D) wide-angle lens.
E) normal lens.

Question 37

If you are a cinematographer and the director asks you to photograph just the lips of an actor, what type of shot is she asking for?

A) personal
B) point-of-view
C) extreme close-up
D) close-up
E) medium

Question 38

Up until the 1950s, the standard aspect ratio of most 35mm Hollywood films was ________, which is known as the Academy ratio.

A) 1.66:1
B) 1.375:1
C) 2.35:1
D) 1.85:1
E) 2.75:1

Question 39

One of the most difficult challenges cinematographers face when filming traditional two-dimensional imagery is

A) creating the illusion of depth.
B) creating realistic lighting.
C) disguising changes in camera movement.
D) framing great distances.
E) maintaining focus.

Question 40

When framing a shot, cinematographers are limited by the aspect ratio, which is the

A) perceived depth of field of an image.
B) relationship between the focal length and the film gauge.
C) size of the projected image.
D) ratio of the width of the image to its height.
E) ratio between the key light and fill light.

Question 41

To imply that the on-screen world is somehow out of balance, filmmakers may photograph a subject with a ________, which tilts the camera from its normal horizontal and vertical position.

A) high-angle shot
B) Dutch-angle shot
C) extreme low-angle shot
D) zoom shot
E) subjective point-of-view (POV) shot

Question 42

The vertical movement of a camera mounted to the head of a stationary tripod is a

A) tilt shot.
B) dolly shot.
C) pan shot.
D) zoom shot.
E) handheld shot.

Question 43

The sequence shot is a particular kind of which of the following aesthetics?

A) long take
B) fast motion
C) slow motion
D) closed frame
E) point of view

Question 44

The standardized number of frames shot and projected per second is 24 frames per second (fps), but what frame rate did Peter Jackson experiment with in The Hobbit trilogy in an effort to produce sharper images and a more precise reproduction of movement?

A) 8 fps
B) 16 fps
C) 25 fps
D) 32 fps
E) 48 fps

Question 45

In the 1960s, a popular way of moving the camera in the cinéma vérité style of filmmaking was done by a

A) Steadicam.
B) zoom lens.
C) dolly.
D) moving crane.
E) handheld camera.

Question 46

________ POV shows us what the camera/narrator sees, remaining fairly neutral with the camera more or less objectively recording the action of the story.

A) An objective
B) A subjective
C) A single character's
D) A group
E) An omniscient

Question 47

A director chooses the ________ frame when the characters in the story are restricted in their movements, often due to outside forces, such as social or economic background or a repressive government.

A) balanced
B) composed
C) open
D) asymmetrical
E) closed

Question 48

________ is a specific visual effect in which a live-action subject wears a bodysuit fitted with reflective markers that enables a computer to record each movement as digital images.

A) In-camera
B) Mechanical
C) Optical
D) Motion capture
E) SPFX

Question 49

Within one shot of The Birth of a Nation (1915), D. W. Griffith establishes a view of a Civil War battle, turns the camera toward a woman and small children on a wagon, and then turns back to the battle in order to

A) create a longer take.
B) save production costs by reducing camera setups.
C) exploit the relationship between the lens and the camera.
D) enhance the perceived camera angle.
E) show the relationship between the horror of the battle and the misery it creates for civilians.

Question 50

Darren Aronofsky's stylized and allegorical horror film Mother! (2017) is, by design, ________ film.

A) a closed
B) a documentary
C) an open
D) a factual
E) both an open and closed

Question 51

Of the various elements of composition, which one directly implies a point of view?

A) color
B) kinesis
C) organization of figures
D) framing
E) balance

Question 52

The opening of Orson Welles's Touch of Evil (1958) features a lengthy, continuous ________ shot.

A) digital video
B) stationary camera
C) trackless dolly
D) crane
E) pan

Question 53

Which European director referred to the moving camera as "the unchained camera" and is known for pioneering its use?

A) F. W. Murnau
B) Otto Preminger
C) Alfred Hitchcock
D) Pedro Almodóvar
E) Lars von Trier

Question 54

The open frame is generally used in ________ films.

A) horror
B) documentary
C) realistic
D) antirealistic
E) foreign

Question 55

In a ________ shot, the camera is mounted on a wheeled platform to move smoothly along with the action.

A) pan
B) zoom
C) crane
D) dolly
E) rack

Question 56

To achieve an incongruous dreamlike quality that placed viewers in the protagonist's solitary perspective, the filmmakers of Moonlight (2016) shot virtually every scene using only a

A) single fill light.
B) single key light.
C) single backlight.
D) single three-point lighting system.
E) single spotlight.

Question 57

The slow-motion power walk was popularized in which of the following films?

A) Amélie
B) Reservoir Dogs
C) Rumble Fish
D) The Birds
E) Lucy

Question 58

To reveal the inner thoughts of Nicole Kidman's character, Anna, in Birth (2004), the director combined what two cinematographic tools?

A) deep focus and fast motion
B) the close-up and the long take
C) the close-up and the high angle
D) the Steadicam and slow motion
E) a single character's POV and a zoom-in

Question 59

The Steadicam is a patented harness device worn by the camera operator that combines the mobility of a ________ with the smoothness of a ________.

A) dolly shot; tracking shot
B) handheld camera; tracking shot
C) handheld camera; dolly shot
D) tracking shot; pan shot
E) pan shot; tracking shot

Question 60

A director chooses the ________ frame when the characters in the story are restricted in their movements, often due to outside forces, such as social or economic.

A) balanced
B) composed
C) open
D) asymmetrical
E) closed

Question 61

Citing specific examples, how did most filmmakers create the illusion of depth in films prior to Citizen Kane (1941)? What were some of the techniques credited to Greg Toland that helped change those approaches?

Question 62

Explain the aesthetic advantages of the Steadicam and how director Stanley Kubrick used it to his thematic advantage in The Shining (1980).

Question 63

Some of the more striking cinematic moments in Moonlight are accomplished with alternating ________ shots involving the direct gaze of each character into the camera.

A) extreme close-up
B) Dutch angle
C) aerial
D) point-of-view
E) extreme long

Question 64

How did set and costume designers and makeup artists of the classical Hollywood studio system manipulate colors when shooting in black and white? Why was this necessary?

Question 65

Using an example from the text, explain the following: While cinematographers must have firm control over the framing, lighting, and composition of a shot, occasionally the unexpected may play a role in creating a great shot.

Question 66

In Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins and cinematographer James Laxton chose to shoot in a ________ to help the actors immerse themselves in a dramatic situation without the distraction of cutting and slating new takes.

A) codec
B) studio
C) color
D) Dutch angle
E) 8mm

Question 67

Although Technicolor film was available in the early 1930s, what non-aesthetic factors influenced the studios' decisions to shy away from using Technicolor? Beginning in 1939, what factors contributed to the gradual shift to color production?

Question 68

How did director Barry Jenkins and director of photography James Laxton achieve an incongruous dreamlike quality in Moonlight, thus creating an aesthetic that diverged from the documentary realism typically expected of independent film dealing with social issues?

Question 69

Explain how Spike Lee in Do the Right Thing (1989) and Stanley Kubrick in The Shining (1980) use low-angle shots to convey two different meanings.

Question 70

What are the reasons by which a cinematographer would select opened or closed framing for a film?

Question 71

Fast motion, which is achieved by filming at a lower frame rate to make action on-screen appear twice as fast as it should, can be used for comedic or dramatic effects. Describe some films' use of fast motion for such effects.

Question 72

What are the differences between a shot, a take, and a setup? How are they related?

Question 73

What is the primary goal of a cinematographer? In what ways is a cinematographer's method in achieving that goal similar to that of a painter or writer?

Question 74

Identify those occasions when filmmakers changed the aspect ratio within a film.

Question 75

Virtually all feature films today are shot in color. Identify two examples in which the use of black and white may have been a better choice from a critical standpoint. Explain your answer.

Question 76

Explain the key differences between a zoom shot and a dolly shot and explain why zoom shots are used less frequently than dolly shots by professional filmmakers.

Question 77

Citing an example from the text, in what ways can the traditional meanings of a high-angle shot be reversed?