Test your basic knowledge |

Film Vocab

Subjects : performing-arts, film
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A scene transition wherein sound from one scene bleeds over into the ext scene - often resulting in a contrast between sound image






2. Creating images during post-production by joining together photographic or CGI material shot or created at different times and places






3. A term applied to film stock that is relatively insensitive to light. This stock will not yield acceptable images unless the amount of light can be carefully controlled






4. The non-chronological insertion of events from the past into the present day of the story world






5. A transparent sheet on which animation artists draw images.






6. A production crew responsible not for shooting the primary footage but - instead - for remote location shooting and B-roll. See also B-roll






7. Lighting design that provides an even illumination of the subject - with many facial details washed out. High-key lighting tends to create a hopeful mood - in contrast to low-key lighting






8. A brief chronological description of the basic events and characters in a film. It does not include interpretive or evaluative claims






9. Non-diegetic; any element in the film that is not part of the imagined story world






10. A vertical - up-and-down - motion of an otherwise stationary camera






11. Individuals who were prevented from working in the film industry because of their suspected involvement with Communist interests






12. A cinematography technique that produces an image with many planes of depth in focus. It can be accomplished by using a small aperture - a large distance between camera and subject - and/or a lens of short focal length






13. A form of shot transition - generally concluding a scene - where a circular mask constricts around the image until the entire frame is black






14. A glass element on a camera that focuses light rays so that the image of the object appears on the surface of the film






15. Wheeled platform with wheels that rotate - so the dolly can change direction






16. The first print made from a film negative






17. Optical illusions created during post-production






18. Exposed and developed film stock from which the master positive is struck. If projected - the negative would produce a reverse of the image - with dark areas appearing white and vice versa or - if color film - areas of color appearing as their comple






19. A crew member whose job is to maintain consistency in visual details from one shot to the next






20. Author; A term popularized by French film critics and refers to film directors with their own distinctive style






21. Fish-eye lens; With a focal length of 15mm or less - this lens presents an extremely distorted image - where objects in the center of the frame appear to bulge toward the camera






22. A statement that presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance






23. The building block of a scene; an uninterrupted sequence of frames that viewers experience as they watch a film - ending with a cut - fade - dissolve - etc. See also Take






24. Suspended particles of silver in the film's emulsion - Which may become visible in the final image as dots






25. A shot taken by a camera that is held manually rather than supported by a tripod - crane or Steadicam. Generally - such shots are shaky - owing to the motion of the camera operator






26. A digital technique developed by Industrial Light and Magic - which builds movement sequences from single frames of film






27. A post-studio era Hollywood film designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience by fusing a simple story line with major movie stars and mounting a lavish marketing campaign






28. A technique of recording very few images over a long period of time - say - one frame per minute or per day






29. Louis Althusser's term for the way in which a society creates its subjects/citizens through ideological (as opposed to repressive) state apparatuses - which include education - media - religion - and the family






30. Materials intentionally released by studios to attract public attention to films and their stars. Promotion differs from publicity - which is information that is not (or does not appear to be) intentionally disseminated by studios






31. A class or type of film - such as the Western or the horror movie. They share narrative - visual - and/or sound conventions






32. The falling or unraveling action after the climax of a narrative that leads to resolution






33. A shot taken from a vantage point so close that only a part of the subject is visible. On an actor - it might show only an eye or a portion of the face






34. A device that projects photographs or footage onto glass so that images can be traced by hand to create animated images






35. Wheeled platform with wheels that rotate - so the dolly can change direction






36. Smaller corporations that did not own distribution and/or exhibition companies in the studio era - including Universal - Columbia - and United Artists






37. A flexible celluloid strip that - along with the emulsion layer - comprises 35mm film stock






38. Exposed and developed film stock from which the master positive is struck. If projected - the negative would produce a reverse of the image - with dark areas appearing white and vice versa or - if color film - areas of color appearing as their comple






39. The first shot in a standard shot sequence. Its purpose is to provide a clear representation of the location of the action






40. An optical effect whereby the eye continues to register a visual stimulus in the brain for a brief period after that stimulus has been removed






41. Then Hollywood writers and directors cited for Contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities' attempts to root out Communists in the film industry






42. A system of constructing and arranging buildings and objects on the set so that they diminish in size dramatically from foreground to background - which creates the illusion of depth






43. A group of films within a given genre that share their own specific set of conventions that differentiate them from other films in the genre. For example - the slasher film is a subgenre of the horror genre






44. A statement that presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance






45. A single take that contains an entire scene






46. An action film cycle of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured bold - rebellious African American characters






47. A shot that depicts a human body from the feet up






48. A class or type of film - such as the Western or the horror movie. They share narrative - visual - and/or sound conventions






49. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






50. A shot that interrupts a scene's master shot and may include character reactions