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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 widescreen process that uses three cameras - three projectors - and a wide - curved screen






2. A fiction film (often a comedy) that uses documentary conventions on fictional rather than real-world subject matter






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






4. A technique of overdeveloping exposed film stock (leaving it in the chemical bath longer than indicated) in order to increase density and contrast in the image






5. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






6. 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






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. Processes such as Cinemascope and Cinerama - developed during the 1950s to enhance film's size advantage over the smaller television image






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






10. Also called 'd-cinema.' Not to be confused with digital cinematography (shooting movies on digital video) - this term refers to using digital technologies for exhibition






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






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






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






14. A term for film stock used in early cinema that was insensitive to red hues






15. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






16. A measure of a film stock's sensitivity to light. 'Fast' refers to sensitive film stock - while slow film is relatively insensitive






17. 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






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






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






20. A type of matte shot - created by positioning a pane of optically flawless glass with a painting on it between the camera and the scene to be photographed. This combines the painting on the glass with the set or location - seen through the glass - be






21. 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






22. Using computer graphics to 'build' structures connected to the actual architecture on set or location






23. 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






24. 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






25. 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






26. A camera device that opens and closes to regulate the length of time the film is exposed to light






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






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






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






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






31. A widescreen process that uses three cameras - three projectors - and a wide - curved screen






32. 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






33. Non-diegetic; any element in the film that is not part of the imagined story world






34. A shot in a sequence that is taken from the reverse angle of the shot previous to it






35. 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






36. 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






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






38. A process of transferring film to video tapes or DVDs so that the original aspect ratio of the film is preserved






39. The chip in a video camera that converts the incoming light to an electronic signal






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






41. 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






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






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






44. 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






45. 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






46. 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






47. A screenplay written and submitted to a studio or production company without a prior contract or agreement






48. Optical illusions created during post-production






49. 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






50. A shot taken from a vantage point so close that only a part of the subject is visible. On an actor - it might show only an eye or a portion of the face