Films, TV shows and stories from behind the scenes.
About this quiz
This Movie & TV Quiz is mostly about how films and shows get made: improvised lines, mishaps on set, effects that changed cinema and the power of test screenings. It ranges from silent-era pioneers and Hollywood blockbusters to Japanese, Indian, Soviet and Swedish cinema.
Television gets its turn too, from prestige dramas to the talent show that grew into a worldwide franchise. Expect a few Oscar questions and plenty about the language and habits of the trade, like the clapperboard or why cinemas sell popcorn. A round is 10 questions, 20 seconds each, with a fact to round off every answer.
Try a few questions
Tap an answer to check it, or open the answer underneath.
Egyptian film star Omar Sharif, famous for 'Lawrence of Arabia', was also one of the world's best-known players of which game?
- Backgammon
- Bridge
- Draughts
- Chess
Answer: Bridge
Did you know? Sharif once ranked among the world's top contract bridge players and represented Egypt at bridge olympiads. In 1967 he formed the 'Omar Sharif Bridge Circus' to show off the game around the world, and he co-wrote a syndicated bridge column.
Elsa in Disney's 'Frozen' was originally written as what?
- The villain
- Anna's mother
- A talking snow spirit
- A human prince's bride
Answer: The villain
Did you know? Early drafts had Elsa as a cold-hearted snow queen with an army of snowmen. When the songwriters delivered 'Let It Go', the team realised it was not a villain's song and rewrote the whole story around her.
The clapperboard snapped shut at the start of a film take serves what crucial purpose?
- Scaring the actors alert
- Syncing the picture with the separately recorded sound
- Marking the film as expensive
- Timing the scene
Answer: Syncing the picture with the separately recorded sound
Did you know? The sharp clap gives editors a precise point where sound and image align, since the two are often recorded on separate devices. The board also displays the scene and take number for organisation.
The film industry term 'blockbuster', for a huge hit, is thought to originally come from what?
- A powerful WWII-era bomb
- A busy city block
- A type of cinema
- A record-breaking boxing match
Answer: A powerful WWII-era bomb
Did you know? 'Blockbuster' originally described a large aerial bomb capable of destroying a whole block. It later migrated to describe films with an explosive, must-see impact at the box office.
Which HBO series features dragons, the Iron Throne, and the phrase 'Winter is Coming'?
- Game of Thrones
- Outlander
- Vikings
- The Last Kingdom
Answer: Game of Thrones
Did you know? "Winter is Coming" is the motto of House Stark and functions as a philosophy of perpetual preparedness — a warning that no period of peace lasts forever.
The 'MacGuffin', a term popularised by Alfred Hitchcock, refers to what in a story?
- The film's title card
- A hidden camera trick
- An object that drives the plot but barely matters itself
- A surprise villain
Answer: An object that drives the plot but barely matters itself
Did you know? A MacGuffin is the briefcase, the secret formula, the treasure everyone chases — its only real job is to set the characters in motion. What it actually is often doesn't matter to the audience at all.