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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 pan executed so quickly that it produces a blurred image - indicated rapid activity or - sometimes - the passage of time






2. 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






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






4. A format that uses a larger film stock than standard 35mm. IMAX - Omnimax - and Showscan are shot on 70mm film






5. Prefogging; a cinematographic technique that exposes raw film stock to light before - during - or after shooting - resulting in an image with reduced contrast. This effect can also be created using digital post-production techniques






6. Standard shot pattern: A sequence of shots designed to maintain spatial continuity. Scene begin with an establishing shot - then move to a series of individual shots depicting characters and action - before reestablishing shots re-orient viewers to t






7. 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






8. An abrupt - inexplicable shift in time and place of an action not signaled by an appropriate shot transition






9. A shot taken fro a position directly above the action - also called a 'birds' eye shot'






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






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






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






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






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






15. A visual effect created when the subject in the frame is restricted by the objects or the physical properties of the set






16. An agreement made between filmmakers and those who license the use of commercial products to feature those products in films - generally as props used by characters






17. Squeezes the image at a ratio of 2:1 horizontally onto a standard film frame. On the projector - it unsqueezes the image - creating a widescreen aspect ratio during presentation






18. 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






19. 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






20. These filters bend the light coming into lens - softening and blurring the image






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






22. Natural light; The process of suing sunlight rather than artificial studio lights when filming






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






24. A shot that appears during or near the end of a scene and reorients viewers to the setting






25. 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






26. The five vertically integrated corporations that exerted the greatest control over film production in the studio era: MGM - Warner Brothers - RKO - Twentieth Century Fox - and Paramount






27. A film's main characters - one whose conflicts and motives drive the story forward






28. A series of individual drawings that provides a blueprint for the shooting of a scene






29. A rule in continuity editing - which dictates that if a cut occurs while a character is in the midst of an action - the subsequent shot must begin so that audiences see the completion of that action






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






31. 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






32. 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






33. A technique of 'pushing' the film (overdeveloping it) to correct problems of underexposure (resulting from insufficient light during shooting) by increasing image contrast






34. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






35. The first step in the process of creating CGI. The wireframe is a three-dimensional computer model of an object - which is then rendered (producing the finished image) and animated (using simulated camera movement frame by frame)






36. Sound design that blends the speech of several characters talking simultaneously - used to create spontaneity - although it may also confuse the audience






37. 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






38. A shot that contains two characters within the frame






39. 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






40. A direct vocal address to the audience - Which may emanate from a character or from a narrative voice apparently unrelated to the diegesis






41. A technique of moving a zoom lens from a wide-angle position to a telephoto position - which results in a magnification of the subject within the frame - and keeps the subject in focus






42. 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






43. A technique of moving a zoom lens from a wide-angle position to a telephoto position - which results in a magnification of the subject within the frame - and keeps the subject in focus






44. A type of matte shot - created by positioning a pane of optically flawless glass with a painting on it between the camera and the scene to be photographed. This combines the painting on the glass with the set or location - seen through the glass - be






45. A technique of moving the camera - on a specially built track. Such shots often trace character movement laterally across the frame or in and out of the depth of the frame






46. A short documentary on current events - show in movie theaters along with cartoons and feature films beginning in the 1930s






47. A specialist who monitors the processing of color on the se and in the film lab






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






49. A musical film in which each song and dance number is narratively motivated by a plot that situates characters in performance contexts






50. A single take that contains an entire scene