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. The imagined world of the story






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






3. A single take that contains an entire scene






4. Projecting a series of frames of film with the same image - which appears to stop the action






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






6. 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






7. The individual arrangement of lighting and camera placement used for each shot






8. A film process that uses 35mm film stock but changes the orientation of the film so that the film moves through the camera horizontally instead of vertically. The larger image is of higher quality than standard 35mm processes






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






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






11. A shot transition that emphasizes the visual similarities between two consecutive shots






12. 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






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






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






15. 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






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






17. The technique of telling the story from an all-knowing character. Films that use restricted narration limit the audience's perception to what one particular character knows - but may insert moments of omniscience






18. The narrative path of the main or supporting characters - also called a plotline. Complex films may have several lines of action






19. 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






20. The technique of telling the story from an all-knowing character. Films that use restricted narration limit the audience's perception to what one particular character knows - but may insert moments of omniscience






21. A device attached to the film camera that records videotape of what has been filmed - allowing the director immediate access to video footage






22. A technique used to join live action with pre-recorded background images. A projector is aimed at a half-silvered mirror that reflects the background - which the camera records as being located behind the actors






23. 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






24. A statement that presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance






25. 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






26. 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






27. 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






28. The person in charge of planning the style and look of the film with the production designer and director of photography - working with actors during principal photography - and collaborating with the editor on the final version






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






30. 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






31. 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






32. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






33. Filters that increase color saturation and contrast in outdoor shots






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






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






36. A shot transition that emphasizes the visual similarities between two consecutive shots






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






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






39. 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






40. 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






41. A film style that emerged in the 1910s in Germany. It was heavily indebted to the Expressionist art movement of the time and influenced subsequent horror films and film noir






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






43. A style associated with Hollywood filmmaking of the studio and post-studio era - in which efficient storytelling - rather than gritty realism or aesthetic innovation - is of paramount importance






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






45. The individual arrangement of lighting and camera placement used for each shot






46. A shot that includes a human figure from the shoulders up






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






48. The visual arrangement of objects - actors - and space within the frame






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






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