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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. A type of film stock that is sensitive to (in other words - registers) all tones in the color spectrum






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






3. Drawing attention to the process of representation (including narrative and characterization) to break the theatrical illusion and elicit a distanced - intellectual response in the audience






4. Dense accumulation of detail conveyed in the opening moments of a film






5. A short segment of film used to promote an upcoming release






6. The period of time before principal photography during which actors are signed - sets and costumes designed - and locations scouted






7. A system for combining two separately filmed images in the same frame that involves create a matte (a black mask that covers a portion of the image) for a live action sequence and using it to block out a portion of the frame when filming the backgrou






8. A musical in which some or all musical numbers are not motivated by the narrative; for example - characters sing and dance throughout the film but at least some performances are not staged for an onscreen audience. Examples include Oklahoma - The umb






9. 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






10. The width of the film stock - measured across the frame. Typical sizes are 8mm - 16mm - 35mm - and 70mm






11. A picture element - a measure of image density. There are approximately 18 million pixels in a frame of 35mm film and 300000-400000 in a video image






12. Invisible editing; a system devised to minimize the audience's awareness of shot transitions - especially cuts - in order to improve the flow of the story and avoid interrupting the viewer's immersion it in






13. A term for film stock used in early cinema that was insensitive to red hues






14. 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






15. A technique of shifting the camera angle - height - or distance to take into account the motion of actors or objects within the frame






16. An efficient system developed for film lighting. In a standard lighting set-up - the key light illuminates the subject - the fill light eliminates shadows cast by the key light - and the back light separates the subject from the background






17. A shot taken from a camera position below the subject






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






19. A technique of overdeveloping exposed film stock (leaving it in the chemical bath longer than indicated) in order to increase density and contrast in the image






20. 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






21. The horizontal turning movement of an otherwise immobile camera across a scene from left to right or vice versa






22. The central cause(s) behind a character's actions






23. A technique of intentionally adding scratches in a film's emulsion layer for aesthetic purposes - such as to simulate home movie footage






24. A type of filter that absorbs certain wavelength but leave others unaffected. On black and white film - color filters lighten or darken tones. On color film - they can produce a range of effects






25. Muted - washed out color that contains more white than a saturated color






26. Any narrative - visual - or sound element that is repeated and thereby acquires and reflects its significance to the story - characters - or themes of the film.






27. Processes such as Cinemascope and Cinerama - developed during the 1950s to enhance film's size advantage over the smaller television image






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






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






30. Light emitted from a relatively small source positioned close to the subject. It tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections






31. A statement that asserts a judgment that a given film or group of films is good or bad - based on specific criteria - Which may or may not be stated






32. A device worn by a camera operator that holds the motion picture camera - allowing it glide smoothly through spaces unreachable by camera mounted on a crane or other apparatus






33. 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






34. Dense accumulation of detail conveyed in the opening moments of a film






35. A single take that contains an entire scene






36. Optical illusions created during production - including the use of matte paintings - glass shots - models - and prosthesis






37. A film that fuses the conventions of two or more genres






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






39. A term used for any narrative sound - or visual element not contained in the story world. Also called 'extradiegetic'






40. A system for recording images on magnetic tape using a digital signal - that is - an electronic signal comprised of 0s and 1s






41. Light striking the emulsion layer of the film - activating light-sensitive grains






42. A statement that asserts a judgment that a given film or group of films is good or bad - based on specific criteria - Which may or may not be stated






43. Dialogue that restates What is already obvious from images or action






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






45. A visual effect achieved through the use of photography and digital techniques that appears to stop time and allow the viewer to travel around the subject and view it from a multitude of vantage points






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






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






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






49. 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






50. The artful use of light and dark areas in the composition in black and white filmmaking