What do I need to do if I want to write some questions for a TV series?
Just pick one of your favorite episodes. The quiz should include at least 10 questions. You can also submit a single question from multiple episodes, as long as they're from the same season.
I think I have a pretty good idea of what you're looking for based on the questions I've seen. Is there anything else I should know?
Re-watch the movie again with closed-captioning.
You're going to have to take quite a few notes, so we suggest using a micro-cassette recorder.
Compile a list of 40-50 questions using the guidelines below.
The set must include at least one 100+ word scenario question and two multiple-choice questions.
E-mail your questions to
LIGHTSCAMERATRIVIA@YAHOO.COM
under the heading of SUBMISSIONS,
followed by the name of the movie you've chosen.
Example: SUBMISSIONS: OLD SCHOOL
Don't ask a question that can't be answered by the film.
ALL questions must be based on the story.
No questions like "Who played Roy Scheider's wife in JAWS?"
VERY IMPORTANT: A follow-up question can't answer a previous question.
Please phrase all questions in the PAST TENSE.
Make sure every question is specific. Most people will probably want to answer the questions from the first question to the last. But someone might want to ask a friend to pick a few random numbers from a few of their favorite films. So a question like, "Was he happy with them? Why or why not?" wouldn't work. The person would ask, "was who happy with what?"
Try to avoid ending a question with the words Who, What, Where, When or Why.
Don't begin every question with the words Who, What, Where, When or Why.
Single sentence questions are fine, as long as they're interesting. But we don't want to see 40 of them.
You can really have a lot of fun with the scenario and what if questions. Let your imagination run wild. Put characters in different settings, put the reader in a scene, etc. The only thing we ask is to make sure the answer relates to the story in some way. There's a number of examples on our website.
You don't have to include a scenario question with every set of questions you submit, but we'd like to see at least four of them.
Approach questions that involve numbers in a creative way to make them a bit easier to answer.
For example, instead of asking how many cabins were in the Bates Motel, do what we did and make it a multiple-choice question with a few answers that aren't out of the realm of possibility. The question becomes much more interesting when you do that.
The words "…in the film's opening (or closing) sequence" should be included in your first or last question, or you can use one of the standard questions we've come up with like "Where and when did the story begin?" or "What was the first (or last) question in the film, and to whom was it addressed?"
But try not to make it a habit. We don't want to see them in every set of questions you submit. The idea is for you to come up with a few of your own.
Don't throw the questions together randomly.
Try to keep them in chronological order.
Try to include at least one multiple choice question, but no more than three.
We want to see pieces of dialogue worked into some of your questions. You can paraphrase, but the quotes need to be WORD for WORD.
Try to come up with a few questions that really make the reader think. The wording of the question is key.
Include a few True or False questions
If you've ever thought about rewriting a scene, this is your chance to do it. But try to do it in a subtle way. Something that may have happened, but not quite like it did.
Again, the wording of the question is key. One example would be…
True or False: The liquid nitrogen that showered the T1000 in the steel mill was contained to an area that was evacuated just moments prior to the crash?
This is a tough one to answer based on the wording of the question.
The correct answer is false because while it's true that the area was evacuated immediately, it wasn't done prior to the crash. The only warning came from the
person who witnessed the spill.
If the answer is False, please give the correct answer.
Please, no questions that a five year old can answer.
This isn't Movie Trivia 101. The books are for the hardcore fans. Approach the obvious answers from a different angle.
NO STUPID QUESTIONS! Yes, there is such a thing. Injecting some humor and personality into the questions is certainly encouraged, but the rule of thumb should be, the more serious the film, the more serious the questions.
Check and RE-CHECK the spelling of all character and actor names.
Instead of pausing the film during the closing credits (some of the names might be difficult to read unless you have a big screen TV), go to The Internet Movie Database and print out the full cast list before you watch the movie. The site even gives you the names of actors who weren't credited in the film.
If you need some help, just ask. We want this to be a team effort.
