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






2. A lens with a focal length greater than 50 mm (usually between 80mm and 20mm) - which provides a larger image of the subject than a normal or wide-angle lens but which narrows the angle of vision and flattens the depth of the image relative to normal






3. The falling or unraveling action after the climax of a narrative that leads to resolution






4. 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






5. A machine used to create optical effects such as fades - dissolves - and superimpositions. Most are now created digitally






6. 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






7. The annotated script - containing information about set-ups used during shooting






8. Public identity created by marketing a film actor's performances - press coverage - and 'personal' information to fans as the star's personality






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






10. The camera should move at least 30 degrees any time there is a cut within a scene






11. A process of transferring film to video tapes or DVDs so that the original aspect ratio of the film is preserved






12. The way an actor delivers a line of dialogue - including pauses - inflection - and emotion






13. A technique of shooting a scene at a very high speed (96 frames per second) - then adding and subtracting frames in post-production - 'fanning out' the action through the overlapping images






14. 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






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






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






17. (Automatic dialogue replacement) recording synchronized dialogue in post-production - cutting several identical lengths of developed film and having actors record the dialogue repeatedly






18. Early films that documented everyday events - such as workers leaving a factory






19. A business model adopted by the major studios during the Hollywood studio era - in which studios controlled all aspects of the film business - from production to distribution and exhibition






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






21. 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






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






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






24. 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






25. 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






26. 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






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






28. A technique of running the motion picture camera at a speed slower than projection speed (24 frames per second) - in order to produce at a fast motion sequence when projected at normal speed. The term derives from early film cameras - which were cran






29. A scene filmed and processed but not selected to appear in the final version of the film






30. A camera device that opens and closes to regulate the length of time the film is exposed to light






31. A story narrated by one of the characters within the story - using the 'I' voice






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






33. A glass element on a camera that focuses light rays so that the image of the object appears on the surface of the film






34. Any lens with a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal of the frame. For 35mm filmmaking - a 35-50 mm lens does not distort the angle of vision or depth






35. A shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






36. A mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation






37. Because film stock is sensitive to the color of light - directors work with film labs in post-production to monitor the color scheme of each scene in a film - making adjustments for consistency and aesthetic effect






38. A term applied to film stock that is relatively insensitive to light. This stock will not yield acceptable images unless the amount of light can be carefully controlled






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






40. The arrangement of actors on screen as a compositional element that suggests themes - character development - emotional content - and visual motifs






41. Lighting design that provides an even illumination of the subject - with many facial details washed out. High-key lighting tends to create a hopeful mood - in contrast to low-key lighting






42. A flexible celluloid strip that - along with the emulsion layer - comprises 35mm film stock






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






44. The falling or unraveling action after the climax of a narrative that leads to resolution






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






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






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






48. 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






49. A device that projects photographs or footage onto glass so that images can be traced by hand to create animated images






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