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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. Devices that attach to actors' faces and/or bodies to change their appearance






2. A videotape system that records images onto magnetic tape - using electronic signals






3. A transparent sheet on which animation artists draw images.






4. Film productions shot outside the U.S. for economic reasons






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






6. Squeezes the image at a ratio of 2:1 horizontally onto a standard film frame. On the projector - it unsqueezes the image - creating a widescreen aspect ratio during presentation






7. 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






8. Light emitted from a larger source that is scattered over a bigger area or reflected off a surface before it strikes the subject. Soft light minimizes facial details - including wrinkles






9. Glass filters whose surface is etched with spots that refract light - so they create the appearance of water droplets in the air






10. 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






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






12. 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






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






14. A shot that makes the human subject very small in relation to his or her environment. The entire figure from head to toe is onscreen and dwarfed by the surroundings






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






16. 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






17. 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






18. 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






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






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






21. A digital technique developed by Industrial Light and Magic - which builds movement sequences from single frames of film






22. 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






23. 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






24. A narrative moment that signals an important shift of some kind in character or situation






25. 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






26. A chemical embedded in the emulsion layer of film stock that - when developed after exposure - releases a particular color dye (red - green - or blue)






27. A film's main characters - one whose conflicts and motives drive the story forward






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






29. Muted - washed out color that contains more white than a saturated color






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






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






34. The use of editing techniques - such as a fade or dissolve - to indicate the end of one scene and the beginning of another






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






36. A shot that appears during or near the end of a scene and reorients viewers to the setting






37. A technique of depicting two layered images simultaneously. Images from one frame or several frames of film are added to pre-existing images - using an optical printer - to produce the same effect as a double exposure






38. 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






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






40. Optical illusions created during post-production






41. A scene transition wherein sound from one scene bleeds over into the ext scene - often resulting in a contrast between sound image






42. 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






43. Secondary footage that is interspersed with master shots - sometimes in the form of footage shot for another production or archival footage






44. 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






45. A narrative - visual - or sound element that refers viewers to other films or works of art






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






47. A series of related scene joined through elliptical editing that indicates the passage of time






48. 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






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






50. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background