Deck 13: Television and Video Art

Question 1

What distinguishes television from video art?

A) The moving image is not the subject matter of video art.
B) Only television uses animation.
C) Unlike television programs, video art can be viewed on video monitors, but not on a computer screen.
D) Video art is more experimental than television.

Answer 1

Video art is more experimental than television.

Question 2

Since 2000, there has been a shift in how people watch television because of ?

A) the spread of cable service offering more choices
B) the BBC began putting content on-line
C) the rise of YouTube
D) Networks failing

Answer 2

the spread of cable service offering more choices

Question 3

Early situation comedies typically

A) focused on upper-class families that audiences would want to emulate
B) centered on urban working-class families facing everyday problems
C) lacked diversity, thus reflecting prevailing racist attitudes of the time
D) were one hour long, rather than the half-hour format that is common today

Answer 3

centered on urban working-class families facing everyday problems

Question 4

The usual series episode on television is

A) unpredictable
B) an offshoot of drama
C) self-contained
D) incomplete

Question 5

The power of the serial was made most evident by the production of

A) Rich Man, Poor Man
B) Roots
C) Upstairs, Downstairs
D) Another World

Question 6

Who was the most important early video artist?

A) Nam June Paik
B) Peter Campus
C) Gary Hill
D) Judith Barry

Question 7

Which of the following artists created The Feast of Trimalchio ?

A) Nam June Paik
B) the f/64 Group
C) Gary Hill
D) the AES1 F

Question 8

Which of the following artists won the International Prize at the Venice Biennale in 1999 for Electric Earth?

A) Bill Viola
B) Peter Campus
C) Doug Aitken
D) Judith Barry

Question 9

Who is the most celebrated video artist working today?

A) Bill Viola
B) Peter Campus
C) Doug Aitken
D) Judith Barry

Question 10

Which of the following is true about Bill Viola's work?

A) It rejects religion and spirituality.
B) It is heavily influenced by contemporary painters.
C) It is often playful and lighthearted.
D) It makes effective use of a slow-motion technique.

Question 11

Which of the following helped begin the open-ended serial?

A) The Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
B) The British Broadcasting System (BBC)
C) Home Box Office (HBO)
D) The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC)

Question 12

Downton Abbey is an example of a

A) situation comedy
B) telenovela
C) variety show
D) historical serial

Question 13

Michael K. Williams, starred as Omar Little on which television show?

A) Bonanza
B) L.A. Law
C) the Wire
D) The Honeymooners

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT typically associated with video art?

A) sound
B) a dramatic narrative line
C) innovation
D) unpredictable structures

Question 15

What differentiates The Sopranos from most gangster movies?

A) It glorifies the protagonist's mob life.
B) It often relies on cliff-hanger climaxes at the ends of episodes.
C) Because it is on television, nudity and obscene language are restricted.
D) It portrayed the protagonist as a haunted man seeing a psychiatrist.

Question 16

What makes The Sopranos or The Wire effective as television series? Would they work as films? Study individual scenes and shots, and explain what the producers have done to make The Sopranos or The Wire effective on a television screen.