Film and TV quiz club: 24 quick, sourced quizzes

Your first Stargate ticket is dated 1994. What are you watching?

The original Stargate feature film — The original Stargate film arrived in 1994, before the live-action television branches.

SG-1 is ready to step through the gate. Where does its military team come from?

Earth — SG-1 follows a team from Earth using the alien gateway to explore other planets.

Which SG-1 spinoff takes its name from a city built by the Ancients?

Stargate Atlantis — Atlantis is the SG-1 spinoff centred on the Ancients’ legendary city.

Destiny is your spaceship. Which Stargate series have you entered?

Stargate Universe — Universe places its exploration team aboard the Ancient ship Destiny.

Which character leads the earlier adventure in Stargate Origins?

Catherine Langford — Origins follows a young Catherine Langford in a prequel set in 1939.

Which Roman numeral belongs to A New Hope?

IV — A New Hope is Episode IV, even though it was the first saga film released.

Which film sits between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi in the original trilogy?

The Empire Strikes Back — The original trilogy runs A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, then Return of the Jedi.

You want Episode I rather than the first-released film. Which title do you choose?

The Phantom Menace — The Phantom Menace carries the Episode I label and opens the numbered prequel trilogy.

Andor turns back the story clock from which film?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — Andor is a prequel to Rogue One, following Cassian Andor’s earlier path.

The label says Clone Wars, 2003. Which format have you found?

The 2D animated microseries — The 2003 project is Tartakovsky’s 2D microseries, separate from the later movie and series.

Sorcerer’s Stone is the US name for which first Harry Potter film?

Philosopher’s Stone — Philosopher’s Stone and Sorcerer’s Stone are regional titles for the same first film.

Which Harry Potter novel became two films, accounting for an eighth movie?

Deathly Hallows — Deathly Hallows was adapted as Part 1 and Part 2.

On the original seven-novel shelf, what comes immediately after Chamber of Secrets?

Prisoner of Azkaban — Prisoner of Azkaban is the third original novel, following Chamber of Secrets.

Which traveller carries the enchanted suitcase in the first Fantastic Beasts film?

Newt Scamander — Fantastic Beasts follows Newt Scamander, whose enchanted suitcase holds his creatures.

For Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, what distinguishes the creature guide from The Original Screenplay?

The guide describes creatures; the screenplay presents the film’s story — The creature compendium and the film screenplay are different kinds of writing, despite their shared title.

Which Lord of the Rings film comes between Fellowship and Return of the King?

The Two Towers — The Two Towers is the middle film of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Which title begins The Hobbit film trilogy?

An Unexpected Journey — An Unexpected Journey opens the Hobbit film route before its two sequels.

Which hobbit leads The Hobbit’s earlier adventure?

Bilbo — The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins before the later Lord of the Rings adventure.

The Lord of the Rings was traditionally published in three volumes. What does that describe?

One continuing work divided for publication — The Tolkien Estate describes one large work issued in three volumes for practical publishing reasons.

For Fellowship of the Ring, which label identifies a longer cut of the same film?

Extended edition — Fellowship’s extended edition is a longer presentation of that film, rather than the next story chapter.

The catalogue says Season 01 and the year is 1963. Which opening story are you looking for?

An Unearthly Child — An Unearthly Child opens the original 1963 run with William Hartnell’s Doctor.

Which episode opens the 2005 revival labelled Series 01 on the official site?

Rose — Rose is the 2005 revival’s first episode, with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor.

Which story carries Season 1, episode 1 for the numbered 2024 run?

Space Babies — Space Babies opens the numbered 2024 season with the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby.

Which 2023 Christmas special introduces the Doctor and Ruby before Space Babies?

The Church on Ruby Road — The Church on Ruby Road introduces this pairing before the 2024 numbered season.

The official An Unearthly Child record lists a whole serial. How many instalments belong together?

Four — The opening serial contains four instalments, ending with The Firemaker.

Who hires Mike Ross into the original Suits law firm?

Harvey Specter — Harvey Specter hires Mike despite knowing that Mike lacks the expected legal qualifications.

At the start of Suits, which role belongs to Donna Paulsen?

Harvey’s assistant — Donna is introduced as Harvey’s assistant in the original firm’s ensemble.

Pearson follows which original Suits character into a Chicago story?

Jessica Pearson — Pearson continues Jessica Pearson’s story in Chicago.

Which character is the central lawyer in Suits LA?

Ted Black — Suits LA follows Ted Black, a former New York federal prosecutor now representing Los Angeles clients.

The KBS Suits stars Choi Kang-Seok and Go Yeon-Woo. How does it relate to the American show?

It is a Korean adaptation — KBS identifies its Suits as an adaptation of the American series with a different central cast.

Which show-choir name belongs to the McKinley High group at the centre of Glee?

New Directions — New Directions is the McKinley group followed by the original scripted series.

How many seasons make up the original 2009–2015 Glee run?

Six — The original scripted Glee series runs for six seasons.

Glee: The Concert Movie takes you into which kind of performance?

The cast’s live summer concerts — The 2011 film records cast concert performances, forming a separate branch from the scripted episodes.

What were performers competing for on The Glee Project?

A guest-starring role on Glee — The Glee Project was a reality casting competition offering a role on the scripted show.

Returning for a tribute episode: Dance with Somebody, S3E17, celebrates whose music?

Whitney Houston — Dance with Somebody is Glee’s Whitney Houston tribute episode.

Which couple is at the centre of Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry novel?

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov — Heated Rivalry, Game Changers book two, centres Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.

Which later Game Changers novel returns to Shane and Ilya?

The Long Game — The Long Game is book six and the Shane-and-Ilya follow-up.

Game Changer, the singular title of book one, follows which couple?

Scott Hunter and Kip Grady — Game Changer begins the series with Scott Hunter and Kip Grady.

Ryan and Fabian’s central romance belongs to which Game Changers book?

Tough Guy — Tough Guy, book three, pairs hockey player Ryan with musician Fabian.

Which couple should you match with Role Model?

Troy Barrett and Harris Drover — Role Model, book five, centres Troy Barrett and Harris Drover.

For a seated conversation, where do you draw the action line used by the 180-degree rule?

Between the two people — The conversation axis connects the people; keeping cameras on one side helps preserve their screen relationship.

In our café comparison, both cameras are below the action line: which way do Ari and Bea look on screen?

Ari right, Bea left — The two lower-side views show Ari looking right and Bea looking left toward one another.

Ari keeps the lower-side camera, but only Bea’s camera crosses the line: what changes in our comparison?

Both portraits look screen-right — Bea’s screen direction reverses while Ari’s stays rightward, even though neither person changes seats.

Move both café cameras to the upper side of the line: which pair appears in our comparison?

Ari left, Bea right — Moving both views across the line reverses both screen directions, producing another internally consistent pair.

A reverse shot changes from one speaker to the other: must its camera cross the action line?

No, reverse angles can stay on the same side — Adobe’s conversation example keeps reverse-angle cameras on the same side to preserve spatial continuity.

1920 × 1080 and 3840 × 2160 differ in resolution: what happens to their aspect ratio?

Both remain 16:9 — ARRI lists both HD and UHD at approximately 1.78:1 because both dimensions double together.

Which delivery shape does ARRI identify as Scope?

2.39:1 — ARRI distinguishes Scope at 2.39:1 from Flat at 1.85:1.

Keep a 1920 × 1080 image’s height and make a centered 4:3 crop: how much disappears from each side?

240 pixels — The retained width is 1440 pixels, so the missing 480 pixels split into 240 on each side.

Our bench drawing starts at 2:1: what fraction of its width is removed by a same-height 4:3 crop?

One third — A 4:3 crop retains two thirds of the width of a same-height 2:1 original.

ISDCF describes a 1.33:1 film inside a 1.85:1 Flat package: where are the padding bars?

At the left and right — The narrower active picture is pillarboxed inside the wider Flat container.

Which picture source was scanned for the 2023 Peeping Tom restoration described by the BFI?

The original Eastmancolor negative — The team prepared and scanned the original Eastmancolor negative.

What scan-to-restoration sequence did the Peeping Tom team report?

A 6K scan downsampled to 4K — The account distinguishes its 6K scan from the 4K restoration work that followed.

What material did Helen Miles work from for Peeping Tom’s sound restoration?

Optical tracks held by the BFI and StudioCanal — Three surviving optical tracks were assembled and scanned for the sound work.

A scan reveals both film grain and a scratch from later handling: how does FIAF distinguish them?

Grain can belong to the original image; the handling scratch is later damage — FIAF separates original production characteristics such as grain from damage introduced by later handling.

Two restored editions have different colours: which evidence does FIAF identify as useful for historical decisions?

Historically reliable reference prints — FIAF recommends historical reference material rather than treating modern brightness or sharpness as proof of accuracy.

In our invented vase scene, the audience sees an unstable vase before someone reaches the door: what does that early view establish?

A danger to anticipate — Seeing the hazard first gives the audience a specific possible outcome to wait for.

In Cat People’s Central Park scare, what produces the sudden hiss?

A bus — The bus supplies the abrupt sound after the scene builds fear of a pursuing panther.

In Hitchcock’s account of Sabotage’s dinner scene, which object becomes the focus of the intercut hands, eyes and reactions?

A carving knife — Hitchcock describes the knife’s changing significance through a sequence of selected visual details.

Which contribution does AFI credit to Bernard Herrmann on The Birds?

Supervising the bird-sequence sound design — AFI distinguishes Herrmann’s bird-sequence sound work from providing a score.

A character quietly discovers that a trusted friend lied, without an abrupt sound or image: which description fits?

A narrative surprise that need not be a jump scare — A story revelation can surprise without the sudden sensory jolt associated with a jump scare.

Which Grammy category rewards the writing of new music and lyrics?

Song of the Year — Song of the Year is the Academy’s songwriting award.

A mastering engineer is among the recording-team roles recognized by which category?

Record of the Year — Record of the Year recognizes the artist and specified production and engineering contributors, including mastering.

Which award did Billie Eilish’s Everything I Wanted win at the 2021 Grammys?

Record of the Year — The Academy lists Everything I Wanted as its 2021 Record of the Year winner.

Who received the 2020 Song of the Year award for Bad Guy?

Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell as songwriters — The Academy’s 2020 Song of the Year record identifies both writers.

Everything I Wanted won the 2021 recording award: which different song won Song of the Year that year?

I Can’t Breathe — The Academy’s 2021 songwriting winner was I Can’t Breathe, showing that the categories need not select the same work.

Which writer does Columbia name as a co-writer of Glee’s Loser Like Me?

Max Martin — Columbia’s Volume 5 announcement identifies Max Martin as a co-writer of the original track.

Who is identified as the performer of Get It Right in Columbia’s announcement?

Lea Michele — Columbia names Lea Michele’s vocal performance on Get It Right.

The Television Academy’s 2015 entry credits Darren Criss with music and lyrics for which Glee song?

This Time — The Academy lists This Time from Dreams Come True as a nominee with Criss credited for music and lyrics.

Who are the composers on Hal Leonard’s Glee-linked Rolling in the Deep choral edition?

Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth — That score credits Adkins and Epworth for composition, separately from its arrangers and editor.

What roles does that same Rolling in the Deep edition assign to Peer Astrom and Adam Anders?

Arrangers — Hal Leonard identifies Astrom and Anders as arrangers of this published edition.

In our imagined station scene, which track can convey a meaningful bell sound as text alongside speech?

Captions — W3C defines captions as text for speech and the non-speech audio needed to understand the scene.

Someone silently hides an envelope in our station scene: which track can narrate that visual action?

Audio description — Audio description conveys important visual information that the dialogue and other sounds may not supply.

On an Apple TV title page, what does SDH stand for?

Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing — Apple uses SDH for subtitles serving a similar information purpose to closed captions.

On the Apple TV app’s Mac or web title page, where does Apple direct you to check available track languages?

The Languages section of the description page — Apple places the available languages for accessibility features in the description page’s Languages section.

A Netflix series offers audio description on one episode: what should you inspect before relying on it for a different episode?

That episode’s Audio & Subtitles options — Netflix notes that audio description can vary by season or episode, so inspect the episode you plan to play.

What does an MPA rating and its content descriptor assess?

The level and type of content — The MPA separates content information from judgments about a film’s quality or importance.

An alternate cut is labelled unrated while another cut has a CARA rating: what does unrated establish about the alternate?

It has no CARA rating — The label identifies that version’s rating status without establishing its length or specific content changes.

TV-MA belongs to which classification system?

The TV Parental Guidelines — TV-MA is a television category rather than another name for the MPA film rating R.

Under the TV Parental Guidelines, can two episodes of the same series carry different ratings?

Yes, ratings are applied episode by episode — The official guidelines allow episode-level differences and differences between edited versions.

Why does Consumer Protection BC caution against assuming that a category name has one meaning everywhere in Canada?

Definitions can vary between provinces — Similar provincial classification names can have different definitions, so a US label is not a Canada-wide conversion.

For the UK’s 2026 series 13, which island does ITV name as the villa setting?

Mallorca — ITV’s series-thirteen press pack places the UK’s 2026 villa in Mallorca.

Where is the villa for Love Island USA season 8 in Bell Media’s June 2026 introduction?

Fiji — The season-eight introduction places the USA cast in a Fijian villa.

Which title is the companion aftershow rather than another main villa season?

Love Island: Aftersun — Bell Media identifies Aftersun as the official aftershow accompanying the USA edition.

What identifies the original 2024 Love Island: All Stars cast?

They are returning Love Island contestants — ITV introduced All Stars with former Islanders returning for another villa experience.

What competition element does Peacock’s original Love Island Games description emphasize?

Team and couples challenges for returning Islanders — The original Games format brings past Islanders into team and couples challenges alongside dating and recoupling.

Which visit sets the story of Get Out in motion for Chris?

A weekend with his girlfriend’s family — Chris accompanies his girlfriend Rose on a visit to her parents in Get Out.

At the start of Alien (1979), what sort of vehicle is carrying the crew?

A commercial spacecraft carrying ore — The studio synopsis introduces a commercial space vehicle returning toward Earth with extraterrestrial ore.

In the premise of Cat People (1942), what transformation does the newly married heroine fear her passion could cause?

She could turn into a panther — The heroine fears that the cat-woman legend from her village could make her become a panther.

Which visual combination does the BFI identify in The Innocents (1961)?

Black-and-white CinemaScope photography — The BFI credits Freddie Francis’s black-and-white CinemaScope photography in The Innocents.

Who directed Get Out?

Jordan Peele — Universal’s Get Out record credits Jordan Peele as director.

In His Girl Friday, how is reporter Hildy Johnson connected to the editor seeking one more assignment?

He is her former husband — Hildy’s editor is also her ex-husband, tying the newsroom assignment to their personal history.

Which two public lives collide in Notting Hill?

A bookshop owner and a famous American actress — Working Title describes Notting Hill’s central pair as a bookshop owner and a famous American actress.

What does Ellie Chu agree to write for another teenager in The Half of It?

A love letter — Ellie agrees to write a love letter for a jock, creating the film’s borrowed-voice complication.

What are the two assistants trying to arrange in Set It Up?

A romance between their workaholic bosses — The assistants hope that pairing up their bosses will give them a break from work.

What purchase brings the pair together in Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife’s shop encounter?

The top and bottom of a pair of pajamas — One shopper wants only the pajama top, while the other offers to take the bottom.

What banner did Lucasfilm’s April 2014 announcement give earlier Expanded Universe stories?

Legends — Lucasfilm announced that the earlier Expanded Universe tales would remain in print under the Legends banner.

Which screen foundation did that 2014 announcement identify for the coordinated Star Wars continuity?

The six saga films and The Clone Wars — The announcement identifies the then-six saga films and The Clone Wars as the fixed screen foundation.

Which 1991 novel introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn?

Heir to the Empire — Lucasfilm traces Thrawn’s debut to Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire in 1991.

Which animated series brought Thrawn to the screen in 2016?

Star Wars Rebels — Thrawn entered the third season of Star Wars Rebels in 2016.

What timeline requirement did Lucasfilm set for the original Star Wars: Visions shorts?

Creators did not have to fit their stories into the larger chronology — The original Visions brief gave creators freedom to work without tying their stories to the larger chronology.

In the EBU’s programme vocabulary, what defines a serial?

A drama whose story continues across episodes — The EBU defines a serial through its continuing story told in episodes.

What connection can an anthology retain while changing its individual stories?

A shared main title and basic concepts — The EBU’s anthology definition centres on a shared title and concepts rather than one continuing plot.

Which group of concerns connects the Black Mirror tales in Netflix’s anthology introduction?

Technology, media and human nature — Netflix introduces Black Mirror through its varied stories about technology, media and human nature.

USS Callister: Into Infinity directly follows which earlier Black Mirror episode?

USS Callister — Netflix identifies Into Infinity as the follow-up to USS Callister.

How many tales make up the original Cabinet of Curiosities collection described by Netflix?

Eight — Netflix’s original Cabinet of Curiosities record describes a collection of eight horror tales.

Which production pattern best matches a bottle episode?

A story confined largely to one location with a limited cast — The BFI describes bottle episodes through their restricted location and limited cast.

Which confined setting does the BFI identify for Doctor Who’s Midnight?

A vehicle — The BFI cites the Doctor being trapped in a vehicle as Midnight’s bottle setting.

Who wrote Midnight?

Russell T Davies — The official Doctor Who story record credits Russell T Davies as Midnight’s writer.

What ordinary request appears at the restaurant opening of Inside No. 9’s The Bill?

A request for the meal’s bill — The BBC script opens with four men in a restaurant and Archie asking for the bill.

Which writing pair is credited in The Bill’s opening titles?

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith — The BBC post-production script credits Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith as writers.

Who does BMI identify as Stargate SG-1’s main composer?

Joel Goldsmith — BMI identifies Joel Goldsmith as the main composer of the SG-1 television series.

How were composers Joel Goldsmith and Jerry Goldsmith related?

Jerry was Joel’s father — BMI’s remembrance identifies Joel as Jerry Goldsmith’s son.

Whose original score is collected on Intrada’s Alien release?

Jerry Goldsmith’s — Intrada credits Jerry Goldsmith with the score for the 1979 Alien film.

Who composed and conducted the score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)?

Jerry Goldsmith — The licensed La-La Land release credits Jerry Goldsmith as composer and conductor.

Which other composer’s selected early SG-1 episodes appear on Intrada’s ISC 374 album?

Richard Band — ISC 374 collects Richard Band’s music from selected episodes in SG-1’s first two seasons.

Which Henry James novella is the source for The Innocents (1961)?

The Turn of the Screw — The BFI identifies The Innocents as an adaptation of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw.

Within the wizarding world, whose name is attached to the Fantastic Beasts creature textbook?

Newt Scamander — Rowling presents the fictional Hogwarts creature textbook as Newt Scamander’s work.

How many extra beasts did the March 2017 revision announcement add to the creature book?

Six — The 2017 announcement added six beasts and a new foreword to the creature guide.

Where and when does Newt arrive at the opening of The Original Screenplay?

New York in 1926 — Rowling’s screenplay record begins with Newt arriving in New York in 1926.

Which director provides the commentary announced for the first Potter film’s Magical Movie Mode?

Chris Columbus — Warner Bros.’ announcement includes Chris Columbus commentary alongside other viewing extras.