ASU FMS394 Mod Quizzes on Film Authorship

Questions and Answers

In racial discourse and theory, what do the terms 'white' and 'whiteness' refer to?

A social process (correct)

A political movement

A biological category

A geographical region

How does Robin DiAngelo define 'White Fragility'?

A lack of racial stamina

Research shows that a sense of white superiority and knowledge of racial power codes appears to develop as early as high school.

False

What manifestation of White Fragility does DiAngelo note that Eduardo Bonilla-Silva documents?

Verbal incoherence Signup and view all the answers

Using Tolkien's own accounts of the relation between Middle-earth and this world, what does Butler argue is the connection?

A & C (Geography & Mythology and history) Signup and view all the answers

What is the process called where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed across multiple channels for a unified entertainment experience?

Transmedia Storytelling Signup and view all the answers

Transmedia stories are almost always based on what?

Complex fictional worlds that sustain multiple interrelated characters and stories Signup and view all the answers

How does Jenkins describe convergence?

A model for thinking about current media change, defined through the layering, diversification, and interconnectivity of media Signup and view all the answers

What functions does most transmedia content serve?

All of the above (Offers backstory and maps the world, Offers other characters' perspective on the action & Deepens audience engagement) Signup and view all the answers

What does Jenkins argue about interactivity and participation?

Interactivity has to do with the properties of the technology and participation has to do with the properties of the culture Signup and view all the answers

What is the industrial response to the heightened value of interactivity and play for audiences?

The matrix of associated cultural forms that produces the intertextual commodity of the 21st century Signup and view all the answers

According to Marshall, how does narrative define audiences in the new intertextual commodity?

Audience pleasure has shifted from narrative to a new subjectivity derived from the transformative agency in games and the role as "user" on the internet Signup and view all the answers

What do Littleton and Steinberg note about the sale of 21st Century Fox assets to Disney?

It reflects a rising uncertainty about the economics of traditional media outlets in the face of digital technology Signup and view all the answers

What did Kathleen Kennedy announce that irked some longtime fans after taking over as president of Lucasfilm, Ltd.?

All characters and stories from non-Star Wars projects (e.g., novels and comics by independent authors) are not part of Star Wars canon Signup and view all the answers

How has Lucasfilm's licensing business sought to broaden the base of customers for Star Wars products?

B & C (Taking a brand traditionally known for boys and widening it to include apparel, jewelry, and high-end electronics aimed at girls & targeting the brand to include adults) Signup and view all the answers

Who does Henry Jenkins and Sam Ford argue are at the forefront of using technology for participatory fan activities?

Female Signup and view all the answers

What does Brown observe about political activism and fan protests?

Both essentially an expression of resistance to dominant hegemonic culture Signup and view all the answers

Why are civic struggles over popular culture forms like Star Wars important social battlegrounds?

All of the above (The popular is political, So much of our popular culture is produced as commodities by dominant media corporations & Mass mediated popular culture is the dominant form of shared culture) Signup and view all the answers

What does Brown assert about the character Rey in the Star Wars series?

Is neither limited nor defined by her gender Signup and view all the answers

What was revealed about the lack of Rey merchandise for The Force Awakens?

Merchandisers were explicitly instructed to minimize Rey and emphasize the male characters Signup and view all the answers

Why did Disney buy the Star Wars and Marvel universes according to Brown?

To secure a lucrative boys market of consumers Signup and view all the answers

What shifted the #wheresRey protests to a form of resistant commodity activism?

The attention to the production of DIY Rey products on social media Signup and view all the answers

What concept does Brown argue may be the most successful method to encourage change in a media-dominated world?

Consumer Citizenship Signup and view all the answers

What did Brown note about Disney's merchandising strategy for Rogue One?

Disney and its licensing partners offered Jyn Erso toys and collectibles on par, or in excess, of those based on male characters Signup and view all the answers

How does Ann Larabee argue that Rey can be understood?

Almost always white and heterosexual Signup and view all the answers

What does Jonathan Gray say about a paratext associated with a TV show or film?

In some instances, can stand in for the entire text or become a key and "primary" platform for that text Signup and view all the answers

What key role did Star Wars action figures play in the franchise's narrative meaning?

War and the battle of good and evil Signup and view all the answers

How did Star Wars toys contribute to the gendering of the Star Wars universe?

All of the above (They were packaged in a masculine color scheme, Ads and packaging depicted young boys, not young girls, at play & Toy stores often grouped Star Wars toys with other 'boy' toys) Signup and view all the answers

What is a common difference between films or TV shows and licensed videogames?

Games are organized around the traversal of space, to which narrative is often secondary Signup and view all the answers

What are the three modes of narratives recognized by Linda Hutcheon?

Telling, showing, and participatory Signup and view all the answers

How was the character Constable Zuvio introduced to Star Wars fans?

As a toy during the merchandising bonanza known as Force Friday, before the release of The Force Awakens Signup and view all the answers

What does Pablo Hidalgo note about creativity in designing aliens for Star Wars?

Naming and identifying as many characters as possible is important for potential toys, potential storytelling, potential everything Signup and view all the answers

Why did Zuvio become prominent in toys and prerelease hype for The Force Awakens?

When the toys and marketing strategy were being planned, Zuvio, at that point, could have been in the movie Signup and view all the answers

What issue does Joshua M. Patton take with the original Return of the Jedi?

Replacing the Ewok's 'Yub Nub' song during the film's final sequence Signup and view all the answers

What has been historically absent from the study and analysis of racial imagery according to Richard Dyer?

The study of images of white people Signup and view all the answers

What consequences arise when race is only applied to non-white people according to Dyer?

Non-whites are 'just' people Signup and view all the answers

What do Hazel Carby and Dyer observe about whiteness?

It is invisible Signup and view all the answers

What does Dyer suggest about studying whiteness?

Whiteness needs to be made strange Signup and view all the answers

What was the original purpose behind creating the Twitter hashtag #blackstormtrooper?

To promote and discuss Donald Faison's series of stop-action Lego short films Signup and view all the answers

What is the alt-right strategy behind cultural incidents like civil rights complaints over screenings?

To fuel and leverage controversy to alter public discourse Signup and view all the answers

Who first articulated the concept of authorship in cinema?

François Truffaut Signup and view all the answers

What did Andrew Sarris introduce into American critical discourse?

The Auteur Theory Signup and view all the answers

What did the success of Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate say about American moviegoers?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What term defines the trend toward fewer films with increased marketing budgets?

Blockbuster Syndrome Signup and view all the answers

Who is recognized as the mentor of the 1970s auteur directors?

Francis Ford Coppola Signup and view all the answers

Which film is considered the first great blockbuster of the 1970s?

The Godfather Signup and view all the answers

Who won first prize in a student film festival while studying at USC?

George Lucas Signup and view all the answers

What film transformed film into an event through a savvy media campaign?

Jaws Signup and view all the answers

What was seen as a boon to experimentation for directors in the late 60s?

The MPAA Rating System Signup and view all the answers

What was combined with saturation booking and media campaigns by the end of the 70s?

Connection of auteurs with certain types of entertainment Signup and view all the answers

What term best characterizes Hollywood since the late 1940s?

Blockbuster Signup and view all the answers

During what period does Schatz locate the 'New Hollywood'?

1975-present Signup and view all the answers

Which development was not a dimension of the mid-1970s relationship between film and television?

The introduction of VHS Signup and view all the answers

What 1977 film soundtrack suggested the multimedia potential of Hollywood hits?

Saturday Night Fever Signup and view all the answers

Star Wars represents a shift in film narrative toward all these aesthetics except?

Genre Specificity Signup and view all the answers

What contributed to the increase in production and marketing costs for major studio releases from 1980 to 1990?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Which strategy is not employed by Hollywood studios to combat the business axiom, 'Nobody knows anything'?

Develop properties singularly for the cinema Signup and view all the answers

Whose paycheck for a 1983 film is blamed for escalating star salaries?

Sylvester Stallone for Rocky IV Signup and view all the answers

Which class of movie doesn't belong in Schatz's composition of New Hollywood?

B-class Vehicles to Develop Stars Signup and view all the answers

What buzzword does Schatz argue was defined by Spielberg?

High Concept Signup and view all the answers

What does Campbell argue about dreams and myths?

Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths Signup and view all the answers

According to Campbell, what is the hero's deed?

To move away from society in order to bring new possibilities to the range of interpreted experience for others to experience Signup and view all the answers

What does the comparison of the Book of Genesis illustrate?

Mythological text and imagery are very similar across cultures Signup and view all the answers

What are the common ideas for myths?

A & B Signup and view all the answers

How does Campbell consider mythology?

The homeland of the muses Signup and view all the answers

According to Campbell, the stories of Paul Bunyan are a myth.

False Signup and view all the answers

Why do creative works grounded in mythology resonate well with people?

The inspiration for these works comes from the unconscious Signup and view all the answers

What does Campbell argue about the representation of myths?

Metaphors must be kept alive by constant recreation through the arts Signup and view all the answers

What represents life as a battle between good and evil according to Campbell?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the hero's sphere of action?

A field of opposites Signup and view all the answers

What significant change in filmmaking was initiated by the intensification of special effects practices?

A shift in technological, aesthetic, and narrative practices Signup and view all the answers

Which film influenced young filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola when hiring?

2001: A Space Odyssey Signup and view all the answers

How did experimental filmmakers of the 1970s differ in their presentation of effects?

The amalgamation of effects and principal photography Signup and view all the answers

Which technique is not associated with experimental filmmaking?

Flashing Signup and view all the answers

At which school did many pioneering special effects artists study or teach?

California Institute of the Arts Signup and view all the answers

What strategies did West Coast experimental art movements provide to filmmakers?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes how experimental techniques informed illusion and spaces?

'Allover' Effect Signup and view all the answers

How did experimental filmmakers transform spatial relations within the frame?

Global or Spherical Signup and view all the answers

Why were experimental filmmakers frustrated during early ILM days?

Producers demanded special effects be narratively motivated Signup and view all the answers

How did critics describe the impact of special effects in films?

Empty and Juvenile Signup and view all the answers

What observation does North make about Jar Jar Binks?

The character is the most obvious example of ideas for toys informing narrative events Signup and view all the answers

What does North mean by special effects as a type of 'digression'?

They are a technological paratext that may be unrelated to the film's narrative but still complement and expand it Signup and view all the answers

What is an ambivalent attitude toward technology?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Why might Lucas have kept a sequence of a stormtrooper bumping his head?

Because it's an example of human fallibility as opposed to technical error or outdated special effects Signup and view all the answers

What has Lucas's fondness for adjusting the Star Wars master text resulted in?

Fans having the courage to create their own edits of the films Signup and view all the answers

How does Jar Jar's presence in the prequels illustrate the waning of the indexical?

Jar Jar creates a disconnect of the causal link between photographic object and real world referent Signup and view all the answers

What approach has digitization led to in filmmaking?

Both A & B Signup and view all the answers

What makes Jar Jar appear out of place?

He appears an uneasy component of place and time Signup and view all the answers

What does the virtual actor represent?

It is a special effect designed to be a spectacle but also required to integrate seamlessly with live elements of film production Signup and view all the answers

How does Jar Jar differ from digital Yoda?

Digital Yoda is reigned in to keep him consistent with the original characterization, whereas Jar Jar is immediately packaged as a digital wonder Signup and view all the answers

What is one of Tolkien's significant contributions to fiction writing?

As a builder of worlds Signup and view all the answers

For a Secondary World to be successful, it must evoke what?

Secondary Belief Signup and view all the answers

What are the three desired aspects of an invented world as per Tolkien?

Depth, detail, and coherence Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Film Authorship and Theories

François Truffaut emphasized the concept of authorship in cinema through his 1954 essay, laying the groundwork for discussions on directorial vision.
Andrew Sarris popularized the "Auteur Theory," which recognized directors as the primary authors of their films, distinguishing their unique artistic styles.

Audience Shifts and Film Trends

The films Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate marked a significant shift, indicating that late-60s audiences favored visually arresting and thematically rich narratives, often drawn from their TV experiences.
Cook identified the "Blockbuster Syndrome," reflecting a trend where fewer films were produced at higher budgets, necessitating significant marketing efforts, illustrated by iconic releases like Jaws and Star Wars.

Influential Directors and Films

Francis Ford Coppola, celebrated for films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, is regarded as a mentor to the 1970s auteur directors known as "Hollywood brats."
The Godfather, initially planned as a modest production, revolutionized blockbusters in cinema during the 1970s, blending artistry with mainstream appeal.

New Hollywood and Rating Systems

Thomas Schatz identified "New Hollywood" beginning in 1975, characterized by a unique blend of artistic creativity and commercial viability, evident in films like Jaws that transformed movie marketing.
The MPAA Rating System, established in the late 60s, allowed more experimentation in film content, which led to controversy as seen with Midnight Cowboy’s X rating.

Marketing and Distribution Evolution

By the late 70s, promotional strategies became integral to film distribution, combining auteur recognition with extensive national media campaigns.
The term "High Concept," coined by Schatz, describes films that can be succinctly summarized, aiding in marketing and audience recognition.

Mythology in Cinema

Joseph Campbell posited that myths express universal truths, with the hero's journey representing a move away from comfort to discover new experiences.
Myths, viewed as collective dreams, transcend cultures, a concept illustrated by similarities in mythological themes across different traditions.

Experimental Filmmaking and Special Effects

The late 70s marked a significant shift in special effects, as filmmakers like Coppola and Lucas began integrating them into storytelling rather than using them merely as enhancements.
California Institute of the Arts played a pivotal role in shaping filmmakers who contributed to the evolution of special effects in the industry.

Digital Characters and Cinema Trends

Jar Jar Binks exemplifies modern digital characters that blend narrative and marketing, revealing a divergence from traditional cinematic grounding, while Yoda represents a more consistent digital character aligned with established traits.
Digitization has introduced modular filmmaking practices, where separate elements can be manipulated independently, enabling a unique approach to film production.

World-Building in Fiction

J.R.R. Tolkien's contribution to fiction is the idea of the "sub-creator," emphasizing the importance of crafting believable worlds through depth, detail, and consistency.
Transmedia storytelling, as described by Henry Jenkins, involves distributing narrative elements across various media platforms to create a cohesive entertainment experience, exemplified by franchise models like Marvel.

Conclusion on Technology and Cinema

The ambivalent relationship towards technology in films illustrates the balance between tradition and innovation, as seen in the dynamics of classic genres and modern sci-fi storytelling in franchises like Star Wars.### Media Change and Transmedia Storytelling
Emergence of new media forms and adaptation of existing ones characterize current media evolution.
A model outlines media change through layering, diversification, and interconnectedness.

Functions of Transmedia Content

Transmedia enables audience connection through multiple narratives, enhancing backstory and world mapping.
It provides varied character perspectives and deepens audience engagement.

Multimodality in Transmedia

Transmedia narratives combine radical intertextuality and multimodality to enhance understanding.
Various media forms allow fans to engage with narratives uniquely.

Interactivity vs. Participation

Interactivity relates to technology properties; participation reflects cultural aspects.
Examples include gaming interactivity and cultural fan activities like dressing up as characters.

Industrial Response to Interactivity

The rise of interactivity and play in popular culture is a response to audience expectations.
New media channels like video games and interactive websites redefine audience engagement.

Value of Cultural Commodities

A film's worth as a cultural commodity hinges on its marketing and product tie-ins.
The ability to generate sequels or merchandise influences cultural impact.

Patterns of Intertextuality

Marshall identifies four intertextual styles including game-film-game and multimedia events.
Game adaptations showcase the shift of video game narratives to film and back.

Blockbuster Influence

The intertextual commodity's most significant developments stem from blockbuster films.
Notable examples include The Last Jedi and its franchise expansions.

Concept of Play in Culture

Play is central in culture industries, driving audience engagement in narratives.
It reflects societal trends and participatory culture ideals.

Promoting Immersion in Film

Successful narratives like The Blair Witch Project utilize video game-like immersion techniques.
Audience agency through gameplay transforms narrative experience.

Shift in Audience Pleasure

Viewing pleasure has evolved from mere narrative consumption to participatory involvement.
The role of "user" has redefined engagement with popular media.

Media Economics and Content Acquisition

Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox highlights uncertainty in traditional media economics amid digital shifts.
The evolution of cable television due to "cord-cutting" reflects changing viewership.

Lucasfilm's Story Canon Decisions

Kathleen Kennedy's canon policy excludes non-canon sources, uniting the narrative across major Star Wars media.
This decision was controversial among long-time fans.

Broadening Star Wars Brand Appeal

Lucasfilm's marketing strategies aim to attract a diverse audience, expanding beyond traditional demographics.
Promotions now include apparel and high-end products targeting girls and adults.

Female Fan Engagement

Female fans play a pivotal role in participatory culture, often challenging male-centric narratives.
Their activism fosters inclusivity and diversity within fandoms.

Political Activism in Popular Culture

Fan movements like #wheresRey exemplify resistance against dominant cultural narratives.
Political themes resonate through media, making cultural struggles significant social battlegrounds.

Rey as a Non-Gendered Hero

Rey's portrayal in Star Wars emphasizes a character form unbound by traditional gender roles.
Celebrated as a groundbreaking example in contemporary media.

Disney Merchandise and Gender Perceptions

Initial lack of merchandise for female characters demonstrates biases in marketing strategies.
Efforts to counter this emerged post-fan activism and protests.

Consumer Citizenship and Activism

Consumer behaviors influence corporate practices and accountability in media representation.
Activism encourages a change in production and marketing approaches.

Paratext and its Role in Narratives

Paratexts can become primary narratives, enhancing viewer engagement and interactivity.
Specific campaigns (e.g., The Dark Knight's ARG) build excitement and community.

Star Wars Toys as Cultural Narratives

Action figures sustain narrative engagement, keeping the franchise alive between film releases.
They reinforce themes like war and good versus evil.

Gendering of Star Wars Merchandise

Star Wars toy marketing is historically biased towards boys, reinforcing gender norms.
Packaging and advertising reflect cultural expectations regarding gender roles.

Video Games vs. Film Narrative Structures

Videogames often prioritize gameplay and exploration over traditional narratives.
Interaction takes precedence, redefining audience experience.

Modes of Narratives in Video Games

Linda Hutcheon identifies participatory narratives as vital in modern storytelling.
Gamers engage deeply with story worlds, transcending traditional viewer roles.

Merchandising Events and Character Introductions

Force Friday serves as a marketing tool that introduces new characters through merchandise.
This event builds anticipation before film releases.

Whiteness and Racial Imagery Analysis

Historically, white representations have been overlooked in racial imagery discussions.
Recognizing whiteness as an ideological concept is essential for understanding racial dynamics.

Impacts of 'White Fragility'

White fragility reflects a lack of exposure to racial discourse, impacting awareness and understanding.
The concept indicates a need for deeper engagement with race issues early in education.

Racial categories are fluid and socially constructed, reflecting broader societal relations.
The analysis of whiteness must evolve beyond conventional norms to understand its implications fully.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Test your knowledge on the concept of authorship in cinema with this ASU FMS394 mod quiz. Discover key figures and ideas that shaped film criticism, particularly the politique des auteurs. Perfect for students exploring film studies and critical theory.