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






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






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






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






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






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






7. Wheeled platform with wheels that rotate - so the dolly can change direction






8. 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






9. 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






10. 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






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






12. 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






13. The written blueprint for a film - composed of three elements: dialogue - sluglines (setting the place and time of each scene) - and description. Feature-length screenplays typically run 90-130 pages






14. 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






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






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






17. 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






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






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






20. A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character's line of vision as motivation for a cut






21. A crew member who reports to the Director of Photography (DP) and is in charge of tasks involving lighting and electrical needs






22. A type of documentary film whose purpose is to present the way of life of a culture or subculture






23. 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






24. 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






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






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






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






28. The practice of Hollywood studios contracting out post-production work to individuals or firms outside the U.S.






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






30. The distance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens to the lane where the sharpest image is formed while focusing on a distant object






31. Assists the editor with various tasks - including taking footage to the lab - checking the condition of the negative - cataloguing footage - and supervising optical effects - often produced by an outside company






32. A technique in which the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character or a group of characters. The camera points in the directions the character looks - simulating the character's field of vision






33. 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






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






35. 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






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






37. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






38. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






39. 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






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






41. Everything audiences hear when they watch a sound film. The soundtrack is the composite of all three elements of film sound: dialogue - music - and sound effects






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






43. 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.






44. A documentary or occasionally - a narrative film that presents only one side of an argument or one approach to a subject






45. 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






46. The length in minutes for a film to play in its entirety (for example - 120 minutes). Also referred to as 'screen time.'






47. A black masking device used to black out a portion of the frame - usually for the insertion of other images






48. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






49. 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






50. The plotline that surrounds an embedded tale. The frame narration may or may not be as fully developed as the embedded tale