Chapter 22: A Global Cinema
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Between 1990 and 1995, all of the following were true of the Hollywood studios EXCEPT
a. their marketing costs rose by over 90 percent.
b. star salaries doubled.
c. box-office revenue decreased slightly.
d. the profit margin for feature films declined by 15 percent.
e. production costs experienced double-digit growth.
f. All of the above are true.
2. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of films produced by the major studios
a. stayed relatively stable. d. increased by 25 percent.
b. decreased slightly. e. decreased by 25 percent.
c. increased slightly. f. none of the above
3. The percentage of earnings that came from the theatrical release of American motion pictures in the
mid-1990s was
a. 90 percent. d. 20 percent.
b. 50 percent. e. 5 percent.
c. 35 percent. f. none of the above
4. By the late 1990s, major studios
a. needed to gross $500 million in theatrical releases to stay solvent.
b. were releasing films first in major cities, then in the suburbs.
c. were producing less elaborate, “indie” films to keep the cost of productions down.
d. gained more from foreign theatrical releases than domestic.
e. were forced to renegotiate many directors’ contracts, to their loss.
f. none of the above
5. All of the following are true of saturation booking EXCEPT
a. it was necessitated by rising production costs.
b. it meant opening on two to three thousand screens simultaneously.
c. it put heavy emphasis on the first three days of a film’s release, which determined its value in all
other markets.
d. it led to increased emphasis on franchises.
e. it only applied to a small number of big budget films, whereas others followed the model of
platform booking.
f. all of the above
6. An entertainment brand can be described as
a. a lump of content that can be exploited through film, broadcast and cable television, publishing,
theme parks, music, and merchandising.
b. the spokes of a wheel radiating from a product so that exploitation both produces income and
strengthens the brand.
c. repurposing material from feature film production into other media or repurposing material from
other media into feature films.
d. the financing of production based on its potential reproducibility and synergy.
e. none of the above
f. all of the above
7. Which of the following is NOT true of the film industry in the United States in the mid-2010s?
a. It has the largest home market for motion picture screens in the world.
b. The American market accounts for over 40 percent of the global box office.
c. There are more than one hundred thousand movie screens in the United States.
d. Studios could amortize the production cost of their films in the U.S. market alone.
e. Neither b nor d are true.
f. None of the above are true.
8. The American studios
a. have been gradually losing global market share for over a decade.
b. are facing tougher competition from international filmmakers for their respective domestic markets
but not the global market.
c. are still focused almost entirely on the domestic market because of its predictability and
profitability.
d. enjoy a global market power that has never been stronger or totalizing in nature.
e. both a and b
f. none of the above
9. Which of the following is NOT an aspect of the Hollywood studios’ international strategy?
a. recognition that the American market is completely saturated
b. making films with international settings in order to attract a global audience
c. 40 percent of total film rentals come from foreign sources
d. the production of action-adventure franchises as global blockbusters
e. the abandonment of the Hollywood star system
f. All of the above are aspects of Hollywood’s global strategy.
10. During the 2000s, Hollywood
a. set up production units in international markets.
b. funded local-language projects in countries like Mexico, Spain, and China.
c. employed a “country manager” system that had a head of international production in its
Hollywood headquarters.
d. allowed local managers to run individual territories and operate as stand-alone producers.
e. none of the above
f. all of the above
11. Cha, Cha, Cha Productions is a partnership of Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Iñárritu, and Alfonso
Cuarón that is financed by a five-picture deal with
a. Universal. d. Warner Brothers.
b. Sony. e. 20th Century-Fox.
c. Disney. f. none of the above
12. The period during which Hollywood makes over 40 percent of its box-office revenue is
a. the Christmas season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
b. the summer season between May and Labor Day.
c. the fall season between back to school and Thanksgiving.
d. the winter season between January and March.
e. the spring season from March through May.
f. No single season dominates Hollywood’s box office.
13. The plans for James Cameron’s Avatar franchise that exemplifies the thinking of today’s Hollywood
studios are
a. for two more films to be shot simultaneously.
b. to release a film every two years for the next decade, which will close out the larger story.
c. to create a narrative universe that will be realized over two decades or more in media that haven’t
even been invented yet.
d. to release a sequel in the next few years and see how it performs at the box office before
committing to making any more films in the series.
e. to concentrate all efforts on the theatrical release of the planned sequels.
f. none of the above
14. In the 2000s
a. both box-office revenue and film attendance rose dramatically.
b. box-office receipts rose due to higher ticket prices even though attendance dropped.
c. there was a theater building boom to accommodate a growing audience.
d. both box-office revenues and theater attendance dropped dramatically.
e. both a and c.
f. none of the above
15. Which of the following strategies did producers NOT use to increase sales in foreign markets?
a. Foreign sets, such as Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam, were used.
b. More action-adventure films were produced.
c. Producers paid foreign actors large sums to star in their films.
d. Popular young adult book series were adapted for the screen.
e. Producers cast their films with globally recognized stars.
f. none of the above
16. The two extremes in terms of commerce and culture in the movie business are the Hollywood studios
and
a. international producers. d. independent auteurs.
b. low-budget exploitation producers. e. television.
c. grass roots, third-world filmmakers. f. none of the above
17. Between 2004 and 2013, the total number of tickets sold in the United States
a. rose slightly showing a gradual growth in the industry.
b. leveled off showing a stability in the industry and audience.
c. rose nearly 20 percent after several decades of steady decline.
d. declined slightly but was still above its lowest points in the 1980s and ’90s.
e. declined by more than 10 percent indicating a shrinking domestic market.
f. none of the above
18. The number of films released by the Hollywood majors over the past decade
a. has declined by 50 percent. d. has increased slightly.
b. has increased by 50 percent. e. has stayed about the same.
c. has declined slightly. f. none of the above
19. The leading region outside of the United States in terms of global box office is
a. Europe. d. Africa.
b. Latin America. e. Asia Pacific.
c. the Middle East. f. none of the above
20. Nollywood refers to the film industry of
a. India. d. Thailand.
b. Nigeria. e. Norway.
c. Turkey. f. none of the above
21. Which of the following is NOT true of Nigerian film?
a. They are generally shot on 16mm or super-8 film.
b. The industry produced sixteen hundred films in 2006 alone.
c. They depend on a genre-based star system.
d. They are shot on schedules ranging from three to ten days.
e. They are often shot in English.
f. All of the above are true.
22. The Nigerian comedy Osuofia in London
a. was the first African film to win the Grand Prix at Cannes.
b. focuses on corruption in the oil business in the Niger delta.
c. was never released theatrically but sold over four hundred thousand VHS tapes and DVDs.
d. earned more on its first day of release than the simultaneously released The Lord of the Rings:
Return of the King.
e. was banned in Nigeria but became an international hit.
f. none of the above
23. The greatest influence on filmmaking in the developing world is
a. Hollywood investment in local industries.
b. the waning influence of Hollywood that allows local industries to grow.
c. cable television.
d. government policies that encourage more localized production while putting limits on Hollywood
imports.
e. digital video.
f. none of the above
24. Nuri Bilge Ceylan is the leading director in
a. Nigeria. d. Turkey.
b. Thailand. e. Kenya.
c. Sri Lanka. f. none of the above
25. The films of Nuri Bilge Ceylan are notable for
a. their relatively large budgets and crews.
b. their popularity at home while being virtually unseen abroad.
c. being shot on 35mm film while virtually all other filmmakers are shooting digital video.
d. their action and special effects sequences, which are unusual in the developing world.
e. both c and d
f. none of the above
26. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
a. became in 2010 the first film from Thailand to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
b. is part of a multi-platform multimedia project called “Primitive.”
c. is about the transformation and extinction of cinema itself.
d. comprises six reels, each shot in a different style.
e. all of the above
f. none of the above
27. By the mid-2010s, the percentage of movie theaters in the United States that has switched to digital
projection was
a. 100 percent. d. 50 percent and growing steadily.
b. just under 90 percent. e. only 20 percent but growing rapidly.
c. leveling off at around 75 percent. f. none of the above
28. While an average film print costs $2,000, the cost of a digital print is
a. about the same.
b. a little higher but a good value since it lasts forever.
c. a little over $100.
d. half as much at around $1,000.
e. a little lower but much easier to transport.
f. none of the above
29. The transformation of movie theaters in the United States to digital projection was paid for
a. by the Hollywood studios.
b. by Wall Street–financed programs that allowed theater owners and the studios to share expenses.
c. by the theaters with no help from Hollywood or Wall Street.
d. by immediately raising ticket prices until the new equipment was paid off.
e. by government-guaranteed loans directly to the theaters.
f. none of the above
30. The first major studio to stop releasing its movies on film in the United States was
a. Universal. d. Warner Brothers.
b. Sony. e. Paramount.
c. 20th Century-Fox. f. none of the above
31. Big D. EXT, RPX, and UltraAVX are all examples of
a. large format theater systems.
b. digital video cameras.
c. digital special effects systems.
d. digital editing platforms.
e. high quality, digital audio playback systems.
f. none of the above
32. The most successful independent film in box-office history is
a. Pulp Fiction. d. Little Miss Sunshine.
b. Sex, Lies, and Videotape. e. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
c. The Blair Witch Project. f. none of the above
33. The strategy employed by the major Hollywood studios to deal with the rise of the independents in the
1990s was
a. to make more blockbusters so the indies couldn’t compete.
b. to buy them.
c. to distribute their films and so share in the profits.
d. to try to drive them out of business by driving up production costs.
e. both a and d
f. none of the above
34. Which of the following independent production companies was NOT bought by Turner Entertainment
between 1993 and 1994?
a. New Line Cinema.
b. Castle Rock Entertainment.
c. Miramax.
d. Fine Line features.
e. All of the above were bought by Turner Entertainment.
f. None of the above were bought by Turner Entertainment.
35. The category of film that comprised over half the features released in the United States during the
2000s was
a. studio-produced blockbusters.
b. niche market specialty films from the conglomerate owned “indies.”
c. sequels and franchise films.
d. genre and art films coming from true independent producers.
e. torture porn.
f. none of the above
36. Which of the following is NOT a modern independent studio?
a. Lion’s Gate Films
b. IFC Films
c. Samuel Goldwyn Films
d. The Weinstein Company
e. Miramax
f. All of the above are contemporary independents.
37. The specific meaning of “independent” when speaking of independent film is
a. the subject of much debate and disagreement.
b. a specific region of the film landscape that has much in common with other apsects of “indie”
culture in music and publishing.
c. the whole range of production, distribution, and exhibition beyond the realms of the Hollywood
studios.
d. variable, ranging from very low or no budget films to some work handled by the studio specialty
divisions.
e. films made to show at festivals like Sundance and South–by-Southwest but not for mainstream
release.
f. all of the above
38. The DSLR is a type of
a. digital projector. d. editing software.
b. large format presentation system. e. special effects technique.
c. camera. f. none of the above
39. Which of the following is NOT a quality of the “slow cinema”?
a. long takes
b. It emerged from the American independent movement.
c. subdued visual schemes that require the viewer’s eye to do more work
d. ambient noises and field recordings
e. nonnarrative strategies of storytelling
f. all of the above
40. Which of the following filmmakers is NOT connected to the “slow cinema” movement?
a. Kingsley Ogoro d. Nuri Bilge Ceylan
b. Béla Tarr e. Lucrecia Martel
c. Abbas Kiarostami f. all of the above
41. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of long form television such as HBO’s Game of
Thrones?
a. greater character development
b. ease of following the narrative
c. greater articulation of detail to provide narrative foundation
d. graphic sex and high quality special effects
e. ability to develop multiple story lines
f. All of the above are advantages.
42. Which contemporary mainstream filmmaker has turned to long form television for artistic reasons?
a. David Fincher d. Francis Ford Coppola
b. Steven Soderbergh e. both a and b
c. Quentin Tarantino f. none of the above
43. Since the beginning of 2014, the number of new DVD and Blu-ray releases
a. has declined precipitously.
b. has dropped for standard DVDs but risen very quickly for Blu-ray DVDs.
c. has stabilized with DVD becoming a predictable revenue source for studios.
d. has risen substantially as the demand for DVDs continues to grow.
e. has virtually disappeared.
f. none of the above
44. The phenomenon of “binge watching” dates to the introduction of
a. VHS video tape. d. Netflix.
b. DVD. e. video on the Internet.
c. cable television. f. none of the above
45. Amazon Studios refused to release its series all at once like Netflix because
a. it is a more cost-effective strategy.
b. they spend more time on production, so it takes longer to release individual episodes.
c. they want people to be able to freely talk about the show without “spoilers.”
d. they want to be more like the traditional television networks.
e. both b and d
f. none of the above
46. Problems with “binge viewing” include all of the following EXCEPT
a. difficulty in promoting and generating buzz about network and streaming services’ series.
b. it cut advertisers out of the equation.
c. it appeared to be compensation for Netflix’s production of subpar series.
d. it has turned out to be a short-lived fad.
e. marketers were initially reluctant to move advertising dollars from the networks to online services.
f. none of the above
47. The number of people watching online videos on a daily basis by 2014
a. had reached a plateau and began slowly dropping.
b. was still too small to attract major advertisers.
c. was not large enough to affect network and cable ratings.
d. was impossible to gauge because there was no way to measure viewership.
e. approached one hundred million and was growing rapidly.
f. Both b and c are true.
48. The industry that had grown so large by the 2010s that it acquired film studios and television networks
to create enormous media cartels was
a. publishing. d. television networks.
b. Internet service providers. e. movie studios.
c. cable and satellite TV providers. f. none of the above
49. The horror subgenre that emerged in the mid-2000s emphasizing violence, nudity, mutilation, and
sadism has been dubbed
a. the slasher film. d. the hostile film.
b. the splatter film. e. the found footage film.
c. the viscera film. f. none of the above
50. “Torture porn” was
a. fantastically lucrative.
b. critically embraced as a critique of consumer culture.
c. only popular with a small but devoted niche audience.
d. produced exclusively in the United States.
e. never produced or distributed by the major studios.
f. all of the above
51. The country in which “torture porn” has emerged as a serious artistic genre was
a. Italy.
b. France.
c. South Korea.
d. Russia.
e. Great Britain.
f. None of the above; the subgenre has only been produced in the United States.
52. Which of the following is NOT a “recovered/found footage” film?
a. The Blair Witch Project. d. Cannibal Holocaust.
b. Saw. e. Paranormal Activity.
c. Cloverfield. f. all of the above
53. The film whose success is credited with sparking the revitalization of the romantic comedy is
a. Sleepless in Seattle. d. When Harry Met Sally.
b. Four Weddings and a Funeral. e. There’s Something About Mary.
c. You’ve Got Mail. f. none of the above
54. The director of such modern screwball comedies as Flirting with Disaster and Silver Linings Playbook
is
a. Spike Jonze. d. Wes Anderson.
b. Alexander Payne. e. Jim Jarmusch.
c. Sofia Coppola. f. none of the above
55. The director noted for his dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American life in films
like Election and Sideways is
a. David O. Russell. d. Paul Thomas Anderson.
b. Spike Jonze. e. Alexander Payne.
c. Wes Anderson. f. none of the above
56. The work of directors like Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, and Alexander Payne suggests that American
film comedy has turned toward
a. sophisticated absurdism.
b. broad, vulgar humor.
c. a greater simplicity of dialogue and narrative.
d. a high degree of realism.
e. intensified romanticism.
f. none of the above
57. The American director known for his relatively unstructured narratives that often take place in a single
day but who also made two rotoscoped films and a remake of The Bad News Bears is
a. Spike Jonze. d. Paul Thomas Anderson.
b. Richard Linklater. e. Alexander Payne.
c. David O. Russell. f. none of the above
58. Richard Linklater’s Boyhood
a. takes place in a single day.
b. is the sequel to School of Rock.
c. was shot intermittently over a twelve-year period.
d. is based on a science-fiction novel by Phillip K. Dick.
e. both a and b
f. none of the above
59. Which of the following is NOT a film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson?
a. The Master d. Next Stop Wonderland
b. There Will Be Blood e. Magnolia
c. Boogie Nights f. none of the above
60. The director of The Social Network and Seven who also serves as executive producer on Netflix’s
House of Cards is
a. Paul Thomas Anderson. d. Christopher Nolan.
b. Wes Anderson. e. David Fincher.
c. Brad Anderson. f. none of the above
61. The youngest director to ever win the Palme d’Or at Cannes who went on to be the only filmmaker in
history to be nominated for Best Direction for two films simultaneously by the Academy Awards, the
Golden Globes, and the Directors Guild of America is
a. Chris Nolan. d. Spike Lee.
b. Paul Thomas Anderson. e. Steven Soderbergh.
c. Richard Linklater. f. none of the above
62. Steven Soderbergh
a. has never worked in television, producing only feature films.
b. makes films that are entertaining but never deal with political themes.
c. has always worked in a single genre, becoming one of the most consistent directors in the
American cinema.
d. moves consistently between big budget commercial productions like Oceans Eleven and
low-budget experimental work.
e. has made relatively few films in his career, but all have been both critical and popular successes.
f. none of the above
63. Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? references which classic screwball comedy director who
has been one of the filmmakers’ biggest influences?
a. Frank Capra d. Howard Hawks
b. Preston Sturges e. Ernst Lubitch
c. Billy Wilder f. none of the above
64. The Coen Brothers’ film about the artistic disappointments of a Greenwich Village folk singer is
a. Intolerable Cruelty. d. Burn After Reading.
b. The Ladykillers. e. A Serious Man.
c. Inside Llewyn Davis. f. none of the above
65. The director whose work probes the dark side of the mind and explores notions of reality and identity
is
a. Christopher Nolan. d. Sofia Coppola.
b. Kathryn Bigelow. e. Steve McQueen.
c. Joel Coen. f. none of the above
66. Which of the following is NOT a film directed by Sofia Coppola?
a. The Virgin Suicides d. Somewhere
b. Marie Antoinette e. Lost in Translation
c. Point Break f. none of the above
67. The first woman to ever win an Academy Award for Best Director is
a. Sofia Coppola.
b. Lucrecia Martel.
c. Kathryn Bigelow.
d. Ida Lupino.
e. Dorothy Arzner.
f. None of the above; a woman has never won the Academy Award for Best Director.
68. Which of the following is NOT true of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing?
a. It was shot in two weeks.
b. It was a breakthrough for African American filmmakers in the sophistication and accomplishment
of its characters.
c. It is about students at a historically black college.
d. It was made for $175,000.
e. It grossed over $7 million domestically.
f. Reviewers argued the controversial content could incite race riots.
69. Which of the following is NOT true of Spike Lee as a filmmaker?
a. He writes, produces, and directs almost all of his films.
b. He has worked successfully in documentary as well as fictional narrative film.
c. He is a graduate of NYU’s Master’s degree program in film.
d. He has bankrolled recent productions through the Kickstarter crowdfunding source.
e. He often appears in his own films.
f. All of the above are true of Spike Lee.
70. The award-winning British director of films such as Hunger and Shame is
a. Christopher Nolan. d. Michael Fassbinder.
b. Ridley Scott. e. Steve McQueen.
c. Alexander Payne. f. none of the above