Deck 3: Writing About Film

Question 1

A crucial first step in writing a film analysis essay is crafting a strong ________.

A) thesis
B) title
C) opinion
D) plot summary

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A scholar conducting archival research might study ________.

A) internal studio memos
B) published scholarship on a film
C) post-screening audience responses to a film
D) secondary sources

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Big Heat draws a parallel between the gangster's moll Debbie and the wife of a corrupt police officer by showing ___________________.

A) both women in mink coats
B) both women carrying the queen of spades from a deck of cards
C) both women ridiculing the film's protagonist, Dave Bannion
D) both women with scarred faces

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A strong thesis for a formal,academic argument will ________.

A) propose a debatable argument
B) center on an evaluative claim
C) will not reveal a writer's understanding of themes too early
D) all of these

Question 5

In The Big Heat,gangster's moll Debbie redeems herself by ________.

A) saving Bannion's life
B) committing herself to charity
C) deciding not to go through with the planned heist
D) committing murder

Question 6

In a research paper,students should focus on a(n)________ claim.

A) evaluative
B) descriptive
C) narrative
D) interpretive

Question 7

Many of the gags in Steamboat Bill,Jr.center on the father's fear that his son is too ________.

A) effeminate
B) snobby
C) masculine
D) obese

Question 8

Which of the following details is an example of how Bill Jr.from Steamboat Bill Jr.embodies modern values?

A) He drives a fancy car.
B) His father owns the county's new riverboat.
C) He wears a carnation when he meets his father at the train station.
D) His stocky build stands in sharp contrast to his father's diminutive stature.

Question 9

According to the sample research paper,which of the following statements explains how American Psycho is a textbook example of Piñedo's theory of postmodern horror?

A) It borrows its central conceit from a European film rather than developing a new idea.
B) It ends on a dismal, ambiguous note rather than offering audiences a satisfying conclusion.
C) Its exploration of the moral questions surrounding vampirism is dated.
D) Its main character is initially perceived as being normal, perfect and above reproach, but is quickly revealed to be mentally unstable, thus demonstrating that "the monster can reside within anyone."

Question 10

________ has contributed to the fact that a wider array of film writing has become available to the general public in the last decade.

A) Independent zines
B) The Internet
C) Increased coverage in mainstream press
D) all of these

Question 11

One of the benefits of a film journal is that it ________.

A) provides opportunities for personal exploration
B) helps film students study for exams
C) helps one generate ideas for papers
D) all of these

Question 12

According to the essay,Steamboat Bill Jr.repeatedly draws attention to Bill Jr.'s small stature to emphasize his __________.

A) sense of displacement
B) lack of masculinity
C) ineffectualness
D) all of the above

Question 13

When writing about a film,film scholars should usually __________________ to manage verb tense.

A) employ present tense throughout
B) alternate between past and present tense for variety
C) rely solely on past tense throughtout
D) because film studies is a relatively new field, there are no established conventions for managing verb tense

Question 14

The ________ relies heavily on evaluative statements.

A) scene-analysis paper
B) research paper
C) popular review
D) film analysis

Question 15

________ is a term which denotes a genre of American films with a downbeat tone that emerged in the 1940s.

A) Film noir
B) hard boiled
C) Revisionist Western
D) Social realism

Question 16

The ________ relies heavily on evaluative statements.

A) scene analysis
B) research paper
C) popular review
D) film analysis

Question 17

In the essay on The Big Heat,Debbie's half-scarred face visually represents the idea of ________,integral to the author's thesis.

A) beauty
B) duality
C) ugliness
D) honesty

Question 18

According to the sample film analysis on Steamboat Bill,Jr.Bill's father associates his son with ________.

A) elitism
B) old ways
C) masculinity
D) modernity

Question 19

The sample film analysis of Steamboat Bill,Jr.opens with a comparison of the film to ________.

A) Romeo and Juliet
B) As You Like It
C) Macbeth
D) Hamlet

Question 20

What image is an outward symbol of The Big Heat's interest in the duality of Debbie's moral character?

A) She always carries the queen of spade from a deck of cards
B) She always carries the two of diamonds from a deck of cards
C) Half of her face is scarred
D) She refuses to commit a murder, even after police officer Dave Bannion has asked her to

Question 21

A good research paper does not merely collect and repeat the information contained in these sources.Serious research involves a process whereby the writer gathers information and ideas that may support and contest the working __________.

Question 22

The writer of a popular review should understand who her readers are and consider their values as she evaluates films.

Question 23

Let the Right One In creates an uncanny vision of childhood horror by showing a vampire _____________________.

A) doing jumping jacks
B) reading romance novels
C) playing with a Rubik's cube
D) playing with a pocket knife

Question 24

Reading about film is generally not considered a part of film culture.

Question 25

The primary function of a research paper is for students to show professors they have read and understood a wide array of articles on a single film,and to demonstrate an ability to summarize these articles for a general audience.

Question 26

The most important component of a strong thesis is a clear,detailed descriptive claim.

Question 27

The scene analysis paper relies heavily on evaluative statements.

Question 28

Briefly explain (in 1-3 sentences)why the following sentence would NOT make an effective thesis statement for a formal academic analysis of a film: "Batman Begins,a compelling account of how Bruce Wayne transformed himself into the 'caped crusader,' is a comic book fan's ideal film,full of rousing fight scenes,lively villains,and eye-popping special effects."

Question 29

Identify three common rhetorical approaches for constructing thesis statements in academic writing about film.

Question 30

Let the Right One In draws a parallel between what two characters by placing them both in separate but adjacent windows in an apartment complex?

A) a vampire and a little boy who becomes her friend
B) a vampire and the police officer trying to find her
C) a little boy and the police officer who's trying to apprehend the vampire
D) a little boy and the thugs who torment him

Question 31

T or F: Unlike Twilight and other contemporary vampire films,Let the Right One In clearly portrays the monster as an unsympathetic creature.

Question 32

Film journals might include evaluative claims,as well as interpretive claims.

Question 33

In the past decade,less written material has become available to people interested in learning about film.

Question 34

Film Journals,unlike formal writing,demand that an author stays focused on a central,clearly-defined argument.

Question 35

The following might serve as a good thesis because it is a good example of an interpretive claim: "Inception is utterly compelling thanks largely to its unconventional narrative structure,and its dynamic editing."

Question 36

In The Big Heat,gangster's moll Debbie redeems herself by saving Bannion's life.

Question 37

According to the sample research paper,throughout Let the Right One In,Tomas Alfredson's unique combination of elements of the classical and postmodern horror film reflects the modern vampire's ambiguity.

Question 38

T or F: Oskar,the boy in Let the Right One In,repeatedly quotes lines of dialogue from violent American movies,suggesting that childhood innocence is a myth.

Question 39

According to Scott Foundas,District 9 is a commentary on ______________________.

A) racism
B) consumer culture
C) media saturation
D) the U.S. presence in the Middle East

Question 40

The crucial first step in writing a film analysis essay is crafting a strong thesis.

Question 41

The term ____________ refers to the effect horror films sometimes create when they make something that was once familiar seem strange and terrifying.

Question 42

What are three common rhetorical approaches to writing a research paper? Using a film that has been screened in class,propose and describe two possible arguments about the film that use different rhetorical approaches.

Question 43

What are the five common rhetorical approaches for crafting a thesis statement about a film? Using one of the films screened in class,propose two possible interpretive claims that use these approaches as models ?

Question 44

In The Big Heat,gangster moll Debbie and the wife of a corrupt police officer are "sisters under the ________________."

Question 45

Using a film that has been screened in class,craft an evaluative claim about it. Then craft a descriptive claim about the same film. Last,craft an interpretive claim about this film. Briefly describe each.

Question 46

The name of Bill Sr.'s steamboat is __________________,a detail linking him to outdated,rural Southern values.

Question 47

Of the genres of film writing that students are commonly asked to read and/or write,the __________is the one that is not strictly academic.

Question 48

These letters "ls," "ms," "ts," "la," are a few examples of ____________________.