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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. The camera should move at least 30 degrees any time there is a cut within a scene






2. A complete narrative unit within a film - with its own beginning - middle - and end. Often scenes are unified - and distinguished from one another - by time and setting






3. A part of the story world implied by visual or sound techniques rather than being revealed by the camera






4. 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






5. A filter that creates points of light that streak outward from a light source






6. A narrative approach that limits the audience's view of events to that of the main character(s) in the film. Occasional moments of omniscient narration may give viewers more information than the character shave at specific points in the narrative






7. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background






8. Glass filters whose surface is etched with spots that refract light - so they create the appearance of water droplets in the air






9. A measure of the visual and sound quality of a film. Low-budget films tend to have lower production values because they lack the resources to devote to expensive pre- and post-production activities






10. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






11. A fiction film (often a comedy) that uses documentary conventions on fictional rather than real-world subject matter






12. A shot taken when the camera is so close to a subject that it fills the frame. It is most commonly used for a shot that isolates and encompasses a single actor's face - to emphasize the expression of emotion






13. A crew member whose job is to measure the distance between the subject and the camera lens - marking the ring on the camera lens - and ensuring the ring is turned precisely so that the image is in focus






14. Lighting design in which the greater intensity of the key light makes it impossible for the fill to eliminate shadows - producing a high-contrast image (with many grades of light and dark) - a number of shadows - and a somber mood






15. A style of stage acting developed from the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky - which trains actors to get into character through the use of emotional memory






16. A part of the story world implied by visual or sound techniques rather than being revealed by the camera






17. The distance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens to the lane where the sharpest image is formed while focusing on a distant object






18. The conclusion of the film wraps up - all loose ends in a form of resolution - though not necessarily with a happy ending.






19. A shot depicting the human body from the waist up






20. A videotape system that records images onto magnetic tape - using electronic signals






21. A compositing method that allows cinematographers to combine live action and settings that are filmed or created separately. Actors are filmed against a green or blue background. During post-production - this background is filled in with an image thr






22. An effect created when more light is required to produce an image strakes the film stock - so that the resulting image exhibits high contrast - glaring light - and washed out shadows. This effect ma or may not be intentional on the filmmaker's part






23. The space between the camera and subject it is filming.






24. A chemical coating on film stock containing light-sensitive grains






25. A black masking device used to black out a portion of the frame - usually for the insertion of other images






26. The classical model of narrative form. The first act introduces characters and conflicts; the second act offers complication leading to a climax; the third act contains the danouement and resolution






27. The film medium's technological apparatus is inherently ideological






28. A person responsible for putting a film together from a mass of developed footage - making decisions regarding pace - shot transitions - and which scenes and shots will be used






29. A non-standard narrative organization that assumes 'day in the life' quality rather than the highly structured three-act or four part narrative - and that features loose or indirect cause-effect relationships






30. A widescreen process that uses three cameras - three projectors - and a wide - curved screen






31. A film style that - in contrast to the classical and formalist styles - focuses characters - place - and the spontaneity and digressiveness of life - rather than on highly structured stories or aesthetic abstraction






32. (Automatic dialogue replacement) recording synchronized dialogue in post-production - cutting several identical lengths of developed film and having actors record the dialogue repeatedly






33. A technique of shooting a scene at a very high speed (96 frames per second) - then adding and subtracting frames in post-production - 'fanning out' the action through the overlapping images






34. A computer-generated actor that some speculate will replace flesh and blood actors in the not so distant future






35. The length in minutes for a film to play in its entirety (for example - 120 minutes). Also referred to as 'screen time.'






36. Recording images at a slower speed than the speed of projection (24 frames per second). Before cameras were motorized - this was called undercranking. Fewer frames are exposed in one minute - so - when projected at 24 f.p.s. - that action takes less






37. 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






38. A small - variable opening on a camera lens that regulates the amount of light entering the camera and striking the surface of the film






39. 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






40. Live action is filmed in front of a blue screen and a matte. It's then joined with the background footage






41. The first print made from a film negative






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






43. A chemical embedded in the emulsion layer of film stock that - when developed after exposure - releases a particular color dye (red - green - or blue)






44. A camera shot taken at a large distance from the subject. Using the human body as the subject - a long shot captures the entire human form






45. A marketing strategy of screening a blockbuster prior to general release only in premier theaters






46. A technique of running the motion picture camera at a speed slower than projection speed (24 frames per second) - in order to produce at a fast motion sequence when projected at normal speed. The term derives from early film cameras - which were cran






47. A process of transferring film to video tapes or DVDs so that the original aspect ratio of the film is preserved






48. A contemporary modification of the standard three-act structure that identifies a critical turning point at the halfway mark of most narrative films






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






50. 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