Chapter 6 The Relation of Shot to Shot

CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING Multiple-Choice Questions 1. An ordinary modern Hollywood film typically contains a. 600 to 800 shots. b. 300 to 400 shots. c. 4,000 to 5,000 shots. d. 1,000 to 2,000 shots. Answer: d Bloom's level: Remember 2. Which of the following is NOT a type of transition from one shot to another? a. a dissolve b. a glide c. a wipe d. a fade Answer: b Bloom's level: Remember 3. In the scene of the gas-station explosion in The Birds, the editing employs a. strong graphic matching. b. conflicting graphic qualities. c. brief dissolves to create a montage sequence. d. systematic crossing of the axis of action. Answer: b Bloom's level: Understand 4. Lev Kuleshov's discovery, termed the "Kuleshov effect," suggests that a. graphic matching usually enhances the narrative clarity of a scene. b. the spectator's center of attention should be kept close to the middle of the screen from one shot to the next. c. even if no establishing shot is shown, spectators will still assume that objects in separate shots are near one another. d. spectators tend not to notice editing if matches on action and shot/reverse shots are consistently used. Answer: c Bloom's level: Understand 5. a. b. c. d. Crosscutting is an editing technique that alternates between simultaneous shots in two separate spaces. moves back and forth across the axis of action. introduces flashbacks by direct cuts rather than dissolves or fade-outs. alternates long-shot views with close-ups. 1 CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING Answer: a Bloom's level: Remember 6. A temporal ellipsis in editing a. repeats an action. b. shows parallel actions. c. eliminates part of the action. d. creates a smooth match on action. Answer: c Bloom's level: Remember 7. What change in continuity editing has occurred to adapt to the increased number of shots used in films since 1960? a. increased use of establishing shots b. more frequent motion of the camera c. less use of telephoto lenses d. more distant views of characters Answer: b Bloom's level: Understand 8. a. b. c. d. The technique of overlapping editing consists of cutting away to action happening elsewhere. expanding the scene by showing more than one view of the same action. placing a small portion of one strip of film over another in order to make a splice. making scene changes so rapidly that the audience cannot see what is happening in the individual shots. Answer: b Bloom's level: Remember 9. Continuity editing is a system for a. rapidly editing on video as the film is being shot. b. creating a regular rhythm for a scene. c. making shots progressively more rapid during a scene. d. for keeping the spatial and temporal relations of a scene clear. Answer: d Bloom's level: Remember 10. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the 180-degree system? a. It keeps part of the background consistent from shot to shot. b. It ensures constant screen direction from shot to shot. c. It ensures a temporal overlap from shot to shot. d. It avoids crossing the axis of action. Answer: c Bloom's level: Understand 11. The opening scene of The Maltese Falcon contains examples of what type of 2 CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING editing? a. crosscutting b. montage sequence c. rhythmic cutting d. shot/reverse shot Answer: d Bloom's level: Remember 12. The axis of action is a. an imaginary vertical line down the center of the screen around which the characters are placed to preserve graphic continuity. b. an imaginary line between the main characters that determines where the camera should be placed to preserve continuity. c. an imaginary line between the main character and the camera that determines where the camera should be placed for close-ups. d. a chalk line marked on the floor to show how far away from the camera the actor should be. Answer: b Bloom's level: Remember 13. The 180-degree system is designed to a. ensure consistent screen direction across cuts. b. create smooth, unnoticeable matches on action across cuts. c. allow the camera to cut from action in one location to action elsewhere. d. avoid cutting in the middle of a camera movement to a static framing. Answer: a Bloom's level: Understand 14. A cheat cut involves a. crossing the axis of action but also matching on action. b. "cutting" the film in the camera so that actual splices are not needed. c. splicing together two shots taken from the same framing but with an ellipsis. d. a slight mismatch in the positions of mise-en-scene elements. Answer: d Bloom's level: Remember 15. Crosscutting typically a. provides a greater degree of continuity than a shot/reverse shot does. b. creates a less restricted knowledge of narrative events than other types of editing. c. creates a more restricted knowledge of narrative events than other types of editing. d. demands a great deal of matching on action. Answer: b Bloom's level: Understand 16. In the continuity system, a montage sequence usually a. compresses a lengthy series of actions into a few moments. |3 CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING b. generates suspense during a last-minute rescue situation. c. serves as a brief epilogue to the main narrative. d. uses eyeline matching to guarantee clear spatial relations among shots. Answer: a Bloom's level: Understand 17. Precise graphic matching in a narrative context is typical of the films of a. Stan Brakhage. b. Yasujiro Ozu. c. Andy Warhol. d. Bruce Conner. Answer: b Bloom's level: Remember 18. Which of the following is NOT a significant alternative to the techniques of the continuity system? a. 360-degree space b. nondiegetic inserts c. jump cuts d. cheat cuts Answer: d Bloom's level: Understand 19. Which of the following is NOT characteristic of the editing in Sergei Eisenstein's October? a. graphic discontinuities b. establishing shots c. crosscutting d. unclear temporal relations Answer: b Bloom's level: Remember 20. In Citizen Kane, Orson Welles utilizes what kind of transition between the deathbed sequence and the "News on the March" sequence? a. fade-in b. POV shot c. graphic mismatch d. match on action Answer: c Bloom's level: Remember 21. Intra-frame editing allows filmmakers to a. intercut two unrelated images to imply spatial proximity. b. combine parts of different shots into a single shot. c. splice together multiple frames to produce a new graphic relation. d. utilize mismatched shots in a conversation sequence to hide their flaws. Answer: b 4 CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING Bloom's level: Understand 22. Kuleshov typically utilized what editing technique to create a sense of spatial proximity between shots? a. shot/reverse shot b. crosscutting c. eyeline match d. reframing Answer: c Bloom's level: Remember 23. A match on action a. carries a single movement across two or more shots. b. smoothes the transition across a jump cut. c. provides a way of avoiding the 180-degree rule. d. allows for cheat cuts without violating continuity. Answer: a Bloom's level: Remember 24. In Rear Window, POV editing a. provides the viewer with omniscient access to the murder. b. confuses the viewer concerning the actual location of Jeff. c. restricts the viewer to Jeff's range of knowledge. d. introduces unrestricted access to the occurrences in Thorwald's apartment. Answer: c Bloom's level: Remember 25. Contemporary filmmaking differs from that of classical Hollywood in all the following ways except a. more frequent use of close-ups. b. less crosscutting. c. fewer establishing shots. d. increased use of telephoto lens. Answer: b Bloom's level: Understand 26. A chase sequence will typically utilize what editing pattern? a. crosscutting b. shot/reverse shot c. graphic matches d. eyeline matches Answer: a Bloom's level: Remember 27. Which of the following is NOT used to produce an elliptical transition? a. fade CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING b. montage sequence c. dolly shot d. cut Answer: c Bloom's level: Understand True-False Questions 28. Films that use a great deal of editing are more "cinematic" than those that rely mostly on long takes. Answer: False Bloom's level: Understand 29. Film editing may be thought of as the coordination of one shot with the next. Answer: True Bloom's level: Remember 30. In order to create a smooth flow of narrative information, Hollywood films use detailed graphic matches for most cuts. Answer: False Bloom's level: Remember 31. In editing, rhythm depends on the patterning of shot lengths. Answer: True Bloom's level: Remember 32. An establishing shot is a close view that reveals a significant detail in the scene. Answer: False Bloom's level: Remember 33. Most contemporary films indicate the passage of time through fades and dissolves instead of direct cuts. Answer: False Bloom's level: Remember 34. A scene's axis of action shifts as the characters move around the set. Answer: True Bloom's level: Remember 35. The term shot/reverse shot refers to cutting across the axis of action. Answer: False Bloom's level: Remember 36. A match on action is a common method of breaking the axis of action. Answer: False 6 CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING Bloom's level: Remember 37. Most shot/reverse-shot cuts utilize the eyeline match. Answer: True Bloom's level: Understand 38. Flashbacks are the most common departure from a 1-2-3 temporal order in Hollywood continuity films. Answer: True Bloom's level: Remember 39. Overlapping editing expands story duration. Answer: True Bloom's level: Remember 40. In the sequence at the gas station in The Birds, Hitchcock utilizes a long camera movement to reframe the complex action. Answer: False Bloom's level: Remember 41. Editing is the most effective technique for controlling a viewer's attention. Answer: True Bloom's level: Understand 42. Graphic qualities are rarely considered in continuity editing. Answer: False Bloom's level: Understand 43. Elliptical editing expands story time. Answer: False Bloom's level: Understand 44. A shot can be as short as a single frame. Answer: True Bloom's level: Understand 45. A POV shot is optically identical to an eyeline match. Answer: False Bloom's level: Understand 46. POV editing in Rear Window violates the 180-degree rule. Answer: False Bloom's level: Understand 47. The "intensified continuity" that characterizes contemporary filmmaking is well adapted for viewing on small screens. 7 CHAPTER 6 THE RELATION OF SHOT TO SHOT: EDITING Answer: True Bloom's level: Remember 48. A match on action is so powerful that it can create spatial and temporal continuity across the cut. Answer: True Bloom's level: Understand Essay Questions 49. Discuss the most significant aspects of the editing in this short segment. Be sure to mention temporal, spatial, rhythmic, and graphic qualities in the cutting. Answer: Answers will vary Bloom's level: Apply Instructor info: Show a brief clip of about four shots three times, ideally twice at the beginning of the question and again about halfway through the allotted time. The shots should not be so short that the students cannot grasp them. 50. Cite at least three techniques of continuity editing that can be found in this scene. What purposes are fulfilled by the selected techniques? Answer: Answers will vary Bloom's level: Evaluate Instructor info: Show, two or three times, a short conversation scene involving two or three characters that makes use of analytical editing, the 180-degree rule, and other principles of mainstream continuity editing. You might make this a longer, comparative essay question by showing a second clip of about the same length but from a film made using editing techniques different from those of Hollywood. In that case, the same question could be used, but add "Describe at least three ways in which the editing in the second scene departs from the continuity tradition." 51. Discuss how the number of shots in a film has evolved since 1930 and how this has affected the continuity editing system. Answer: Answers will vary Bloom's level: Remember 8