Deck 5: Visual Media: Photography, Movies, and Television

Question 1

What are the two major functions of still images in society?

A) Information and manipulation
B) Surveillance and cultural transmission
C) Visual storytelling and motivation
D) Technology enhancement and recordkeeping

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What was the earliest recording device in the history of photography?

A) Handheld camera
B) Telescope
C) Wooden sketches
D) Camera obscura

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to a recent study, __________ percent of American consumers binge-watch TV.

A) 40
B) 50
C) 60
D) 70

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Named for its French inventor, which of the following was an early type of photographic device that allowed photographs to be created by exposing positive images on a metal plate?

A) Cinématographe
B) Daguerreotype
C) Camera obscura
D) Kinetoscope

Question 5

The primary function of the American motion picture industry is to __________.

A) inform audiences about family values
B) raise awareness about social conflict
C) entertain
D) promote critical thinking

Question 6

A difference existed between the camera invented by Thomas Edison and the one patented by the Lumière brothers in France: the Lumières' camera was __________.

A) lightweight and stood on five legs
B) equipped with audio-recording capabilities
C) portable and served as a projector
D) able to shoot in color

Question 7

Watching short recorded scenes on a Kinetoscope, a precursor to the motion picture viewer, was similar to the experience of a ___________.

A) peep show
B) theater performance
C) rock concert
D) 3-D cinema experience with special glasses

Question 8

Famous for movies that conjured illusions, Georges Méliès was the first director who __________.

A) introduced sound into his films
B) featured live animals as an attraction
C) made objects disappear, appear, and change
D) relied on children to perform tricks on camera

Question 9

Released in 1927 and starring Al Jolson, the first commercially successful "talkie" was __________.

A) The Great Train Robbery
B) The Jazz Singer
C) The Birth of a Nation
D) The Kid

Question 10

__________ directed the first great documentary film, entitled Nanook of the North (1922).

A) John Grierson
B) Sergei Eisenstein
C) Fritz Lang
D) Robert Flaherty

Question 11

Two of the earliest and most famous Technicolor films, both released in 1939, became classics in the history of American cinema. What are these two films?

A) The Black Pirate and The Jazz Singer
B) Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz
C) M and Nosferatu
D) Psycho and The Birds

Question 12

Concerns raised about binge-watching TV are similar to those regarding the potentially harmful effects of __________.

A) video gaming
B) overeating
C) tweeting
D) Instagramming

Question 13

Who was the nineteenth-century photographer acclaimed for his Civil War photos and portraits of famous people?

A) George Eastman
B) Thomas Edison
C) Mathew B. Brady
D) Georges Méliès

Question 14

Who invented roll film in 1884, making it more practical for newspapers to publish timely news photos?

A) George Eastman
B) Eadweard Muybridge
C) Thomas Edison
D) Mathew Brady

Question 15

When were the first cable television systems, called community antenna television (CATV), built noncommercially?

A) 1948
B) 1964
C) 1980
D) 1986

Question 16

__________ is HBO's most-watched series to date.

A) True Blood
B) Game of Thrones
C) The Sopranos
D) Sex and the City

Question 17

Who created Nosferatu, an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula tale, that helped develop the language of film?

A) D. W. Griffith
B) Sergei Eisenstein
C) Georges Méliès
D) F. W. Murnau

Question 18

Which of the following assertions is correct about MTV?

A) Jackass was its most viewed series ever.
B) Its first music video was Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
C) It exemplified a shift in television programming to a fragmented and specialized approach.
D) It exemplified a shift in television programming to a one-size-fits-all approach.

Question 19

Ava, a TV writer, is currently pitching a series that is proving popular with TV producers for its depictions of contemporary social and civil rights issues. Which TV program, the highest-rated series of the 1970s, paved the way for exploration of these controversial themes?

A) All in the Family
B) Hill Street Blues
C) NYPD Blue
D) The Wire

Question 20

Kim, a film writer, is currently pitching a film that is proving unpopular with studio executives for its racial stereotyping. Which early film that pioneered innovative cinematic techniques became a controversial classic because of similar charges of racism?

A) Battleship Potemkin
B) Birth of a Nation
C) The Jazz Singer
D) The Wizard of Oz

Question 21

Because of increasing broadband access and growing ranks of cord cutters, cable companies have begun to offer __________.

A) lower monthly subscription costs
B) better customer service
C) a la carte channels
D) skinny bundles

Question 22

Despite his unique cinematic and storytelling style, the films of director/writer Sam Slasher are often criticized for their violent content. The work of which director/writer has elicited similar assessments?

A) Spike Lee
B) Quentin Tarantino
C) Stephen Spielberg
D) Stanley Kubrick

Question 23

The current president of Lucasfilm is __________, who identifies the essence of great film as great __________.

A) Sally Field; acting
B) George Lucas; special effects
C) Steven Spielberg; directing
D) Kathleen Kennedy; storytelling

Question 24

Where did the motion picture industry begin, and for what reason?

A) New York, because its entertainment center already had Broadway and vaudeville theaters
B) Chicago, because its central location reduced distribution costs
C) Hollywood, because that's where the Warner Brothers first produced films
D) Hollywood, because the warm, dry weather allowed filmmakers to produce films year-round

Question 25

The main channel for marketing movies is __________.

A) television advertising
B) radio advertising
C) Facebook
D) Twitter

Question 26

Which statement best describes the movie-industry business model?

A) Make one blockbuster movie and dozens of low-budget films every year.
B) Raise theater ticket prices every two years.
C) Get as many people as possible to pay to watch a movie.
D) Create licensing deals that generate more revenue than the actual movie.

Question 27

Which era is often referred to as the golden age of television?

A) The 1940s
B) The 1950s
C) The 1960s
D) The 1970s

Question 28

Where did much of television's early programming come from?

A) Broadway theater
B) Comic books
C) Dime novels
D) Radio

Question 29

Which category constitutes the largest single expense in a movie budget?

A) Distribution
B) Marketing
C) Production
D) Script adaptation

Question 30

On average, how many hours per day does a child between eight and eighteen spend in front of some kind of screen (TV, computer, or smartphone/mobile device)?

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6.5
D) 8

Question 31

A staple of early television programming, the soap opera has largely disappeared because __________.

A) the principal advertisers for such shows no longer exist
B) television has been reluctant to produce Spanish-language telenovelas
C) brand-name advertisers for household products no longer feel the need to spend money on television commercials to gain new customers
D) more women have entered the workplace and audiences have shrunk

Question 32

Joseph Niépce created pictures in 1827 using __________ that required __________ of exposure.

A) asphalt-like material; eight hours
B) charcoal derivatives; two hours
C) phosphorous and sand; one hour
D) liquid nitrate and flour; thirty minutes

Question 33

Which of the following directors is generally considered one of the most influential international film auteurs, some of whose early films were remade as Westerns?

A) Spike Lee
B) Akira Kurosawa
C) Clint Eastwood
D) Sergio Leone

Question 34

What was the first of two changes that radically altered the video market?

A) The Telecommunications Act of 1996
B) The move from DVDs to streaming
C) The move from videotapes to DVDs
D) The invention of HD technology

Question 35

What is the position of the movie industry on the trend toward subscription streaming services?

A) The movie industry likes this trend because it protects against digital privacy.
B) The movie industry dislikes this trend because profit margins are lower with digital streaming.
C) The movie industry is not concerned because streaming services offer formulaic and inferior viewing fare.
D) The movie industry is not concerned because the high overhead for streaming services means lower inventory.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of product placement?

A) A full-size R2-D2 replica sold in Walmart
B) A miniature C-3PO free with a full-meal deal at McDonald's
C) A YouTube video featuring someone dressed up as R2-D2
D) C-3PO wearing an Apple watch in a Star Wars trailer

Question 37

Heavy advertising occurs __________ weeks before a movie's release.

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four

Question 38

Now that the American movie industry has adopted digital technology at all levels of production, audiences should enjoy which of the following?

A) More transmissions of high-culture programming such as opera performances
B) Holograms in movie theaters
C) Cinema with taste and motion elements
D) Improved picture quality (including 3-D), sound, and movie availability

Question 39

Reflecting the growing Latin American population in the United States, in the 1980s the Reliance Capital Group launched which Spanish-language network?

A) Hispanic Television Network
B) Univision
C) Telemundo Group
D) Si TV

Question 40

Why is cable television able to produce more innovative and edgy content than network TV?

A) Cable TV CEOs are more open-minded about content that appeals to diverse audiences.
B) Cable television is unfettered by FCC content restrictions on network profanity and partial nudity.
C) Cable TV producers are on average much younger than their network counterparts.
D) Network programmers are reluctant to switch from what has succeeded so well in the past.

Question 41

The switch to an entirely digital signal freed up bandwidth space, allowing broadcasters and cable operators to offer new products such as __________.

A) video-on-demand
B) online dating services
C) foreign-language programs
D) public broadcasting

Question 42

Which assertion about reality television is correct?

A) Reality television has never been popular in Europe or Asia.
B) Reality television is profitable for networks because production costs are much lower.
C) Reality shows got their name from their ability to faithfully capture and convey reality.
D) Reality shows are declining in popularity in the United States.

Question 43

Which of the four primary means of distributing television programming appeals to many millennials?

A) Broadcasting
B) Cable
C) Direct-to-home satellite
D) Internet

Question 44

According to the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics, what is the primary responsibility of the reporter?

A) To avoid sensationalism
B) To report diverse perspectives
C) To seek the truth
D) To protect anonymous sources

Question 45

One obstacle to the movie industry's adoption of digital distribution has been __________.

A) the major studios' perception that this system offers little or no potential for savings
B) pressure from independent film producers who have blocked the move
C) concerns over piracy after watching the music industry's battles with file-swapping services
D) the concern over loss of quality during the replication process

Question 46

Morgan Freeman, James Franco, Amanda Seyfried, and Brad Pitt were introduced to audiences in which of the following formats?

A) Soap opera
B) Game show
C) Situation comedy
D) Reality show

Question 47

Madison Mogul knows her latest film will appeal to movie studios because it can support a number of sequels while providing a formulaic story and characters, qualities often associated with __________.

A) documentaries
B) blockbusters
C) romantic comedies
D) film noir

Question 48

Most commercially produced motion pictures in the United States are intended __________.

A) to comply with the Hollywood star system model
B) to be perceived as serious art
C) to educate as they entertain
D) to make money

Question 49

TV commentator Les Brown claims which genre of programming constitutes a near-perfect form for television?

A) Drama
B) Reality television
C) Sports
D) Science fiction

Question 50

Which show is a precursor to user-generated content (UGC)?

A) America's Funniest Home Videos
B) Candid Camera
C) Cops
D) Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Question 51

What are some of the negative effects associated with binge-watching TV?

Question 52

Which legal decision contributed to the end of the Hollywood star system, and what alternative form of film production developed as a consequence of this decision?

Question 53

Describe the price hikes employed by cable companies.

Question 54

What are some of the pros and cons of reality TV? Consider the perspectives of the industry, the viewer, and the participant.

Question 55

Identify two factors that have prevented 4K-resolution TV from taking off?

Question 56

Discuss the importance of, and technological influences on, movie genres.

Question 57

Discuss the functions of television, including how and why it became a mass medium much faster than film, music, and radio. What are your predictions about the future of television?

Question 58

Discuss and provide examples of some of the ethical issues that arise in the field of photojournalism.

Question 59

Describe the Hollywood star system that dominated the early years of the film industry.

Question 60

Discuss the role of sports programming on television, and identify which sporting events are most watched in the United States and globally.