Movie Magic
Go behind the camera and explore the storytelling tools that turn moving images into memorable cinema.
Go behind the camera and explore the storytelling tools that turn moving images into memorable cinema. Take ten thoughtfully chosen questions at your own pace. Each answer comes with a short explanation to help you connect the facts and remember something new.
What does a film editor primarily assemble?
Your question-by-question study guide
Prefer to read, or revisit what you learned? Explore every question below. Open an answer when you’re ready.
1. What does a film editor primarily assemble?
- Sets from timber
- Tickets into books
- Shots into a sequence
- Costumes from fabric
Reveal answer and explanation
Shots into a sequence — Editing combines selected shots to shape pace, meaning and continuity.
2. What is a screenplay?
- A film's advertising budget
- A written script for a film
- A cinema's seating chart
- A camera lens
Reveal answer and explanation
A written script for a film — A screenplay describes scenes, action and dialogue for a screen production.
3. Which technique creates movement from a series of still images?
- Animation
- Dubbing
- Color grading
- Location scouting
Reveal answer and explanation
Animation — Animation presents successive images fast enough to create the impression of motion.
4. What does a foley artist create?
- Film posters
- Digital subtitles only
- Camera lenses
- Sound effects performed for a production
Reveal answer and explanation
Sound effects performed for a production — Foley artists recreate sounds such as footsteps and clothing movement to match on-screen action.
5. What is a close-up shot designed to emphasize?
- A theater's exterior
- A film's credits
- A subject's detail
- An entire landscape
Reveal answer and explanation
A subject's detail — Close-ups tightly frame a face or object to draw attention to details and emotion.
6. What is a film score?
- A camera setting
- Music composed for a film
- A review rating only
- A shooting permit
Reveal answer and explanation
Music composed for a film — A score supports a film's mood and story through musical composition.
7. Which job is primarily responsible for a film's camera and lighting approach?
- Cinematographer
- Casting director
- Costume supervisor
- Dialogue coach
Reveal answer and explanation
Cinematographer — The cinematographer works with the director to shape the visual look through camera and lighting choices.
8. What is stop-motion animation?
- Filming at constant high speed
- Recording only live dialogue
- Projecting slides without motion
- Photographing objects moved a little between frames
Reveal answer and explanation
Photographing objects moved a little between frames — Small changes in physical objects between photographs create motion when frames play in sequence.
9. What does a storyboard usually show?
- Actors' contracts
- A cinema's floor plan
- Planned shots as drawings
- Ticket sales by country
Reveal answer and explanation
Planned shots as drawings — Storyboards visualize how scenes and shots may be composed before filming.
10. What is a documentary primarily concerned with?
- Telling only fantasy stories
- Presenting nonfiction subjects
- Using only animated characters
- Avoiding all editing
Reveal answer and explanation
Presenting nonfiction subjects — Documentaries explore real people, events and subjects, although their presentation involves editorial choices.