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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 crew member responsible for logging the details of each take on the set so as to ensure continuity






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






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






4. A compositing method that allows cinematographers to combine live action and settings that are filmed or created separately. Actors are filmed against a green or blue background. During post-production - this background is filled in with an image thr






5. 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






6. A technique of leaving empty space around the subject in the frame - in order to covey openness and continuity of visible space and to imply offscreen space






7. A property of older television monitors - where each frame was scanned as two fields: One consisting of all the odd numbered lines - the other all the even lines. If slowed down - the television image would appear to sweep down the screen one line at






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






9. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






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






11. A character who in some way opposes the protagonist - leading to protracted conflict






12. A shot that contains two characters within the frame






13. The chronological accounting of all events presented and suggested






14. 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






15. A computer-generated actor that some speculate will replace flesh and blood actors in the not so distant future






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






17. A genre film that radically modifies accepted genre conventions for dramatic effect






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






19. A musical in which some or all musical numbers are not motivated by the narrative; for example - characters sing and dance throughout the film but at least some performances are not staged for an onscreen audience. Examples include Oklahoma - The umb






20. A short documentary on current events - show in movie theaters along with cartoons and feature films beginning in the 1930s






21. Creating images during post-production by joining together photographic or CGI material shot or created at different times and places






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






23. A character who in some way opposes the protagonist - leading to protracted conflict






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






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






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






27. The first shot in a standard shot sequence. Its purpose is to provide a clear representation of the location of the action






28. 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






29. A film style that - in contrast to the classical and formalist styles - focuses characters - place - and the spontaneity and digressiveness of life - rather than on highly structured stories or aesthetic abstraction






30. A technique of underdeveloping exposed film stock (leaving it in a chemical batch a shorter amount of time than usual) in order to achieve the visual effect of reducing contrast






31. A shot taken from a camera position below the subject






32. Also called 'rushes.' Footage exposed and developed quickly so that the director can assess the day's work






33. 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






34. 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






35. A painting used on the set as a portion of the background






36. 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






37. A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites the audience to compare the two. It may involve visual - narrative - and/or sound elements






38. 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






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






40. 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






41. 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






42. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






43. 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






44. A technique of 'pushing' the film (overdeveloping it) to correct problems of underexposure (resulting from insufficient light during shooting) by increasing image contrast






45. Dutch angle; a shot resulting from a static camera that is tilted to the right or left - so that the subject in the frame appears at a diagonal






46. A film composed entirely of footage from other films.






47. A shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






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






49. The aspect ratio of 1.33:1 - standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences until the development of widescreen formats in the 1950s






50. The non-chronological insertion of scenes of events yet to happen into the present day of the story world