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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. Using the example the class previously created, in Chapter 4, what is the meaning of the beat?

2. The purpose of rehearsal is to tell the actors, beat by beat, what?

3. The study of what is very useful for directors, according to Mamet?

4. In Chapter 5, the hypothetical film Mamet worked on with the students involved a farmer selling what?

5. What do you refer to when giving direction to the actor or the cameraman?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Mamet's reply to the question, "Is it possible to do everything "right" and still make a bad movie?"

2. What metaphor did Mamet use to illustrate the work in pre-production, in Chapter 6?

3. What analogy did Mamet give that involves Stanislavsky, in Chapter 6?

4. What is the hierarchy of film? Why did Mamet suggest the actor cannot be a fallback for the film in Chapter 6?

5. What example did Mamet give of Humphrey Bogart's simplicity, in Chapter 4?

6. What did Mamet write in Chapter 4 of the director's instructions to the actor?

7. What are modern film actors lacking in their education of storytelling, according to Mamet?

8. How did Mamet describe dealing with dialogue in Chapter 4?

9. What did Mamet caution against with having multiple motivations for the farmer in Chapter 5?

10. What does Mamet say regarding subconscious response in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the career of author David Mamet and how he came to the world of film. What was the principle area of his expertise at the time he wrote On Directing Film?

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

Define and discuss the terms "modern art" and "performance art" in the text. How did Mamet feel about these genres? What is the role of politics in film?

(see the answer keys)

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