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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. According to Mamet, what was his response to "lovely enthusiasts who will aver that the purpose of modern art is not to be liked"?

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

3. Mamet says in Chapter 3 that it is the nature of human perception to go to what?

4. According to Mamet in Chapter 3, if you want to build a roof, it might be a good idea to understand about the effects of what?

5. What is a progression toward the simplest, most ordered state, according to Mamet in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Mamet think of the steadicam?

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

3. What is the backdrop of On Directing Film? From what setting did the author base the text?

4. Describe the objective and beats in the hypothetical film in Chapter 2.

5. What are ways that directors attempt to keep the audience's attention when the design of a film fails?

6. Describe the "School of Countercultural Architecture."

7. What is a "MacGuffin", and who coined this phrase?

8. How was the hypothetical film shot in Chapter 2?

9. What did Mamet write of producers in Chapter 2?

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

Compare the films of Frank Capra and Werner Herzog. How do these directors differ in their approach and storytelling? With whom do Mamet's theories most relate?

Essay Topic 2

Who was William of Occam, and what was Occam's Razor? How does this apply to film and dramatic analysis?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss human psychology as it relates to the juxtaposition of uninflected images in film. How did Mamet describe neurosis in this analogy?

(see the answer keys)

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