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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. Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews






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






3. A long shot in which the film frame resembles the proscenium arch of the stage - distancing the audience






4. An effect created when too little light strikes the film during shooting. As a result the image will contain dark areas that appear very dense and dark (including shadows) and the overall contrast will be less than with a properly exposed image






5. A story; a chain of events linked by cause-and-effect logic






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






7. A consistent style - theme - and subject matter developed over the course of a director's body of work






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






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






10. 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






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 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






13. The first step in the process of creating CGI. The wireframe is a three-dimensional computer model of an object - which is then rendered (producing the finished image) and animated (using simulated camera movement frame by frame)






14. The shape of the image onscreen as determined by the width of the frame relative to its height






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






16. A series of individual drawings that provides a blueprint for the shooting of a scene






17. 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






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






19. An abrupt - inexplicable shift in time and place of an action not signaled by an appropriate shot transition






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






21. Individuals who were prevented from working in the film industry because of their suspected involvement with Communist interests






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






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






24. 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






25. 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






26. A part of the story world implied by visual or sound techniques rather than being revealed by the camera






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






28. A crew member whose job is to maintain consistency in visual details from one shot to the next






29. A system for recording images on magnetic tape using a digital signal - that is - an electronic signal comprised of 0s and 1s






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






31. 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






32. Dense accumulation of detail conveyed in the opening moments of a film






33. An action film cycle of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured bold - rebellious African American characters






34. A shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






35. 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






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






37. Also called 'stop motion photography.' A technique of photographing a scene one frame at a time and moving the model between each shot






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






39. The five vertically integrated corporations that exerted the greatest control over film production in the studio era: MGM - Warner Brothers - RKO - Twentieth Century Fox - and Paramount






40. Optical illusions created during post-production






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






42. 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






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






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






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






46. A format that uses a larger film stock than standard 35mm. IMAX - Omnimax - and Showscan are shot on 70mm film






47. The practice or repeatedly casting actors in similar roles across different films






48. A rule in continuity editing - which dictates that if a cut occurs while a character is in the midst of an action - the subsequent shot must begin so that audiences see the completion of that action






49. 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






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