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 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






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






3. A style of Japanese animation - distinguished primarily by the fact that it is not all geared for young audiences






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






5. Images that originate from computer graphics technology - rather than photography






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






7. The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen






8. A shot combining two kinds of movement: the camera tracks in toward the subject wile the lens zooms out






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






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






11. A change of focus from one plane of depth to another. As the in-focus subject goes out of focus - another object - which has been blurry - comes into focus in either the background or the foreground






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






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






14. Cinema verite; a documentary style in which the filmmaker attempts to remain as unobtrusive as possible - recording without obvious editorial comment






15. The chip in a video camera that converts the incoming light to an electronic signal






16. 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






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






18. An unstated meaning that underlies and is implied by spoken dialogue






19. An actor whose career rests on playing minor or secondary quirky characters rather than leading roles






20. Reels of film that are shipped to movie theaters for exhibition. Digital cinema - which can be distributed via satellite - broadband - or on media such as DVDs - may soon replace film prints because the latter are expensive to create - copy - and dis






21. An actor whose career rests on playing minor or secondary quirky characters rather than leading roles






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






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






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






25. 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






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






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






28. An optical technique that divides the screen into two or more frames






29. An optical effect whereby the human eye fills in gaps between closely spaced objects - so that two light bulbs flashing on and off are understood as one light moving back and forth






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






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






34. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






35. 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






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






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






38. An alternative to continuity editing - this style of editing was developed in silent Soviet cinema - based on the theory that editing should exploit the difference between shots to generate intellectual and emotional responses in the audience






39. 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






40. A neutral account of the basic plot and style of a film - a part of a film - or a group of films






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






42. A crew member responsible for logging the details of each take on the set so as to ensure continuity






43. 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






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






45. A technician responsible for splicing and assembling the film negative to the editor's specifications






46. Also called 'stop motion photography.' A technique of photographing a scene one frame at a time and moving the model between each shot






47. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






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






49. Optical illusions created during post-production






50. A shot that contains two characters within the frame