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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 non-standard narrative organization that assumes 'day in the life' quality rather than the highly structured three-act or four part narrative - and that features loose or indirect cause-effect relationships






2. A camera shot taken at a large distance from the subject. Using the human body as the subject - a long shot captures the entire human form






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






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






5. 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






6. 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






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






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






9. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






10. A type of film stock that is sensitive to (in other words - registers) all tones in the color spectrum






11. The average length in seconds of a series of shots - covering a portion of a film or an entire film; a measure of pace within a scene or in the film as a whole.






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






13. The width of the film stock - measured across the frame. Typical sizes are 8mm - 16mm - 35mm - and 70mm






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






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






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






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






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






19. The measure of intensity or purity of a color. Saturated color is purer than desaturated color - which has more white in it and thus offers a washed-out - less intense version of a color






20. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






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






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






23. A shot taken from a camera mounted on a crane that moves three-dimensionally in a space






24. Drawing attention to the process of representation (including narrative and characterization) to break the theatrical illusion and elicit a distanced - intellectual response in the audience






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






26. 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






27. A cinematography technique that produces an image with many planes of depth in focus. It can be accomplished by using a small aperture - a large distance between camera and subject - and/or a lens of short focal length






28. 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






29. 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






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






31. Dialogue that restates What is already obvious from images or action






32. The horizontal turning movement of an otherwise immobile camera across a scene from left to right or vice versa






33. A shot transition where shot A slowly disappears as the screen becomes black before shot B appears. A fade-in is the reverse of this process






34. The conclusion of the film wraps up - all loose ends in a form of resolution - though not necessarily with a happy ending.






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. Suspended particles of silver in the film's emulsion - Which may become visible in the final image as dots






37. The rules of character - setting - and narrative that films that belong to a genre - such as Westerns - horror films - and screwball comedies - generally obey.






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






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






40. The term for a film's spoken dialogue - as opposed to the underlying meaning contained in the subtext






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






42. A shot taken when the camera is so close to a subject that it fills the frame. It is most commonly used for a shot that isolates and encompasses a single actor's face - to emphasize the expression of emotion






43. A crew member whose job is to measure the distance between the subject and the camera lens - marking the ring on the camera lens - and ensuring the ring is turned precisely so that the image is in focus






44. 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






45. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






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






47. A single take that contains an entire scene






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






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






50. The camera does not move across an imagined line drawn between two characters