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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What unit does the director want to concern himself with?

2. Who said that the point is what happens to he hero, not what happens to the writer?

3. What does Mamet say is a bad idea for the third beat in Chapter 2?

4. Who said, "Write the story, take out all the good lines, and see if it still works"?

5. Who did Mamet compare with Frank Capra in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the different approaches Mamet discussed as methods of storytelling in film, in Chapter 1?

2. How did Mamet explain the principle concern in choosing shots in Chapter 2?

3. What did Mamet write regarding dreams and film in Chapter 1?

4. What did Mamet indicate is the point of view of the performance artist, in Chapter 3?

5. What did Mamet write in Chapter 3 regarding film with political agendas?

6. What did Mamet write about drama school and film school in Chapter 1?

7. Describe how film is like a design.

8. How did Mamet describe Eisenstein's theory of montage?

9. What did Mamet think of the steadicam?

10. Describe Mamet's discussion of understanding precipitation in architecture in Chapter 3.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the similarities between film and dreams. What writers did Mamet cite in his discussion of this topic?

Essay Topic 2

What tasks does the director face in pre-production for a film? How does this prepare him/her for shooting?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Mamet's metaphor for film and the Countercultural Architecture movement.

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