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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. Literary narration from a viewpoint beyond that of any one individual character






2. A story; a chain of events linked by cause-and-effect logic






3. A description of film stock that is highly sensitive to light






4. A type of documentary film whose purpose is to present the way of life of a culture or subculture






5. A short screen appearance by a celebrity - playing himself or herself






6. 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






7. Thin - flexible material comprised of base and emulsion layers - onto which light rays are focused and which is processed in chemicals to produce film images






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






9. An effect created when too little light strikes the film during shooting. As a result the image will contain dark areas that appear very dense and dark (including shadows) and the overall contrast will be less than with a properly exposed image






10. An alternative to classical and realist styles - formalism is a self-consciously interventionist approach that explores ideas - abstraction - and aesthetics rather than focusing on storytelling (as in classical films) or everyday life (as in realist






11. A sound editing technique that links several scenes through parallel and overlapping sounds. Each sound is associated with one scene - unlike a sound bridge - where a sound from one scene bleeds into that of another






12. A technique of manipulating focus to direct the viewer's attention






13. A crew member who works in post-production in a specially equipped studio to create the sounds of the story world - such as the shuffling of shoes on various surfaces for footsteps






14. A production term referring to coordinating actors' movements with lines of dialogue






15. An attribute of newer television monitors - where each frame is scanned by the electron beam as a single field. If slowed down - each frame would appear on the monitor in its entirety on the screen - rather than line by line - as is the case with int






16. A process of blending the three elements of the sound track (dialogue - music - and effects) in post-production






17. 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






18. An attribute of newer television monitors - where each frame is scanned by the electron beam as a single field. If slowed down - each frame would appear on the monitor in its entirety on the screen - rather than line by line - as is the case with int






19. The selection and ordering of narrative events presented in a film






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






21. 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






22. Thin - flexible material comprised of base and emulsion layers - onto which light rays are focused and which is processed in chemicals to produce film images






23. A lens with a variable focal length that allows changes of focal length while keeping the subject in focus






24. An abrupt shot transition that occurs when Shot A is instantaneously replaced by Shot B.






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






26. Film productions shot outside the U.S. for economic reasons






27. A technique of leaving empty space around the subject in the frame - in order to covey openness and continuity of visible space and to imply offscreen space






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






29. A shot in a sequence that is taken from the reverse angle of the shot previous to it






30. A system initially developed for marketing films by creating and promoting stars as objects of admiration. The promotion of stars has now become an end in itself






31. The period after principal photography during which editing and looping take place - and special visual effects are added to the film






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






33. A technique of exposing film frames - then rewinding the film and exposing it again - which results in an image that combines two shots in a single frame






34. A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites the audience to compare the two. It may involve visual - narrative - and/or sound elements






35. A shot taken from a level camera located approximately 5' to 6' from the ground - simulating the perspective of a person standing before the action presented






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






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






38. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






39. 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.






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






41. A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character's line of vision as motivation for a cut






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






43. A painting used on the set as a portion of the background






44. A technique of filming at a speed faster than projection - the projecting the footage at normal speed of 24 frames per second. Because fewer frames were recorded per second - the action appears to be speeded up






45. A term that refers to the organization of an industry wherein one type of corporation also owns corporations in allied industries - for example - film production and video games






46. A series of related scene joined through elliptical editing that indicates the passage of time






47. An animation technique that uses a computer program to interpolate frames to produce the effect of an object or creature changing gradually into something different. The program calculates the way the image must change in order for the first image to






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. 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






50. 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