Most Moviegoers Tend to Sum up all of a Film‘s Features – Acting, Dire

Reading Passage Question

Most moviegoers tend to sum up all of a film‘s features – acting, directing, special effects, and script – into a blanket "I loved it" or "hated it". But movie industry workers, and even film connoisseurs, can attest to the contribution of the movie‘s 'cinematics‘, or technical features, towards creating any movie‘s atmosphere.

Artistic movies are composed of a multitude of 'shots‘ or discrete scenes usually lasting only 6 to 20 seconds; together the hundreds of individual scenes combine to make up the movie. For each shot the director has many options on how to film the same. For example, imagine that the movie‘s script calls for two actors to speak a fixed dialogue in a specified location. Even while the director stays true to the script, he has considerable leeway in how to film the scene. He may film an 'extreme long shot‘, with the camera far away. This tends to show the setting in a panorama, emphasizing the background while underplaying the actors, and is used primarily in outdoor scenes where the backdrop is particularly impressive. Or, he may employ the 'long shot‘, which brings the camera close enough to capture the actor‘s entire bodies, together with some of the setting. And finally there is the 'close-up‘, where the camera is brought in close enough to focus on the actors‘ heads and faces and has the effect of spotlighting a particular actor while hiding the setting and other actors.

Camera 'angling‘ refers to the camera‘s height from the ground and thus the vertical angle from which the audience views the action. The most common angle is filmed at adult eye level, though some artistic films for or about children can capture a child‘s-eye view of the world by filming from a child‘s eye level, looking up at most things. Similarly, even ordinary films can switch to 'low angle view‘ by occasionally lowering the camera to look upwards at a character or building. The low-angle format suggests that the object or character is somehow larger, grander and more dominant or intimidating. In contrast the 'high angle shot‘ positions the camera to look down on a character which often suggest that he is inferior, powerless, or in trouble. A 'side by side‘ shot of two characters suggest that they are equal in importance, while filming one character as seen over the shoulder of another emphasises that character, while reminding the audiences that he is being observed or heard.

“Most moviegoers tend to sum up all of a film‘s features – acting, dire” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Question 1
The passage discussion most clearly suggests that the most important aspect of filmmaking is

1. figuring out what moviegoers are going to love
2. deciding how to make a movie artistic
3. using a good director
4. signing a top actor for the lead role
5. having excellent music

Question 2
According to the passage, a scene from a horror movie showing two lovers embracing, unaware of the huge monster closing in on them, would be filmed using

1. an 'eye-level‘, 'close up‘
2. a 'high-angle‘, 'long shot‘
3. a 'low angle‘, 'long shot‘
4. a 'child‘s eye level‘, 'close up‘
5. an 'eye-level‘, 'over the shoulder‘

Question 3
According to the passage, a children‘s film with three alternative shots showing a mother scolding her small daughter, the daughter, and the father who is secretly listening, would most likely be filmed using which sequence of camera angles?

1. 'low angle‘, 'high angle‘ and 'over the shoulder‘
2. 'low angle‘, 'low angle‘, and 'high angle‘
3. 'high angle‘, 'high angle‘, and 'over the shoulder‘
4. 'over the shoulder,‘ high angle‘, and 'low angle‘
5. 'high angle‘, 'low angle‘ and 'low angle‘

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