MFA Film and Digital Media Arts

Question 1

What is 'mise-en-scène' in filmmaking?

Accepted Answer

Everything visible within the film frame — set design, lighting, costume, actor placement, and camera position

Answer

The process of editing footage together in post-production

Answer

The musical score composed for a film

Answer

The script format used during pre-production

Question 2

What is 'montage' in film theory and practice?

Accepted Answer

The theory and practice of editing — the juxtaposition of shots to create meaning beyond what any single shot contains

Answer

A widescreen cinematography technique

Answer

The use of natural lighting on location shoots

Answer

A type of musical score that matches action in a film

Question 3

What does 'aspect ratio' refer to in film and video production?

Accepted Answer

The proportional relationship between a frame's width and its height

Answer

The frame rate at which footage is recorded

Answer

The resolution measured in pixels of a digital image

Answer

The ratio of ambient to artificial light in a scene

Question 4

In digital media art, what is 'interactive installation'?

Accepted Answer

An artwork that changes or responds to viewer participation or presence, often using sensors or computer systems

Answer

Software installed on multiple computers in a gallery network

Answer

A time-based media piece played in a loop without viewer input

Answer

The physical installation of hardware components for a digital artwork

Question 5

What is a 'tracking shot' in cinematography?

Accepted Answer

A shot in which the camera physically moves through space, following or alongside a subject on wheels, dolly, or Steadicam

Answer

A static shot that uses a zoom lens to appear to move closer

Answer

An overhead aerial shot tracking a landscape from above

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A handheld shot that follows an actor's eye-line

Question 6

What is 'non-linear editing' (NLE) in video post-production?

Accepted Answer

Digital editing in which footage is accessed randomly and can be reordered without physically cutting or rearranging the source media

Answer

Editing film in the traditional linear fashion, reel to reel

Answer

Editing that deliberately jumps backward in chronological narrative order

Answer

A technique that overlaps multiple timelines simultaneously in the final cut