Film Appreciation Exam 1

Front 1

5 elements of a good story

Back 1

credible, interesting, unified in plot, handles emotional material with restraint, both simple and complex

Front 2

dramatic structure: chronological

Back 2

exposition, complication, climax, denouement

Front 3

when a film starts in the middle of the action

Back 3

in medias res

Front 4

characterization through clothes, hair, the actor playing the part, etc.

Back 4

characterization through appearance

Front 5

characterization through what they say and how they say it

Back 5

characterization through dialogue

Front 6

when a character's personality is portrayed through their actions; the smallest actions provide the most effective characterization

Back 6

characterization through external action

Front 7

when we see or hear things the character imagines, remembers, or thinks about

Back 7

characterization through internal action

Front 8

conversations between side characters about the main character; reactions to the main character when they walk in a room, etc.

Back 8

characterization through reactions of others

Front 9

when there's a character whose background, attitudes, ideas, etc. is opposite of the main character

Back 9

characterization through contrast

Front 10

exaggerating or distorting a character's dominant features or personality traits

Back 10

caricature

Front 11

the repetition of a single action, phrase, or idea by a character so that it becomes a trademark of that character

Back 11

leitmotif

Front 12

when a character's name portrays something about their personality or has a certain connotation

Back 12

characterization through nametyping

Front 13

minor characters whose actions are predictable or typical of their profession

Back 13

stock characters

Front 14

characters who fit into preconceived patterns of behavior typical of a group of people

Back 14

stereotypes

Front 15

characters deeply affected by the action of the plot; undergo some significant change from beginning to end

Back 15

dynamic or developing characters

Front 16

characters who remain essentially the same throughout the film

Back 16

static characters

Front 17

two dimensional, predictable characters who lack the complexity and uniqueness of psychological depth

Back 17

flat characters

Front 18

unique, complex characters with psychological depth

Back 18

three dimensional or round characters

Front 19

a story in which every object, person, and event has a deeper, abstract meaning; there's a clear, separate story on a purely figurative level

Back 19

allegory

Front 20

something that stands for something else

Back 20

symbolism

Front 21

pre-charged, ready made symbol that people already recognize as standing for something else, ex. Cross, American Flag, dove

Back 21

universal and natural symbols

Front 22

ways of creating symbolic meaning

Back 22

repetition, value placed on an object by a character, context, special visual, aural, or musical emphasis

Front 23

a metaphor that has to do with what's going on; emerge directly from the scene at hand

Back 23

intrinsic metaphor

Front 24

metaphors that have nothing to do with the scene itself, but are inserted artificially by the filmmaker

Back 24

extrinsic metaphor

Front 25

when the audience knows something the characters dont

Back 25

dramatic irony

Front 26

a sudden backfiring of events so that the outcome is exactly the opposite of what the character intended

Back 26

situational irony

Front 27

when characters embody deep contradictions or do the opposite of their expected behavior

Back 27

irony of character

Front 28

when an event takes place in a setting that's the opposite of where we would usually expect it to take place

Back 28

irony of setting

Front 29

a juxtaposition of opposite attitudes or feelings; happy music playing during a horrible event, or a serious portrayal of ridiculous events

Back 29

irony of tone

Front 30

suggests that life is a game that can't be won no matter how hard you try

Back 30

cosmic irony

Front 31

three most common aspect ratios

Back 31

1.33, 1.85, 2.55

Front 32

time period in which the story takes place

Back 32

temporal factors

Front 33

four setting factors

Back 33

temporal, geographic, social structures and economic factors, moral attitudes and modes of behavior

Front 34

setting as a significant controlling force in characterization

Back 34

setting as a determiner of character

Front 35

setting gives you an understanding of the character

Back 35

setting as a reflection of character

Front 36

creating a reality that makes the viewer believe the setting and feel like they're there; gives authenticity

Back 36

setting for verisimilitude

Front 37

enhances a film's theme and meaning through settings with a high visual impact

Back 37

setting for sheer visual impact

Front 38

setting creates a specific mood

Back 38

setting to create emotional atmosphere

Front 39

when setting takes on strong symbolic overtones and represents the location and ideas that go with it

Back 39

setting as symbol

Front 40

when the small world in the film is representative of humankind and the world as a whole

Back 40

setting as microcosm