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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. The visual arrangement of objects - actors - and space within the frame






2. A visual effect achieved through the use of photography and digital techniques that appears to stop time and allow the viewer to travel around the subject and view it from a multitude of vantage points






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






4. Creating an image by combining several elements created separately using computer graphics rather than photographic means






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






6. 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






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






8. 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






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






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






12. 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






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






14. The period after principal photography during which editing and looping take place - and special visual effects are added to the film






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






16. Smaller corporations that did not own distribution and/or exhibition companies in the studio era - including Universal - Columbia - and United Artists






17. A technique used to join live action with pre-recorded background images. A projector is aimed at a half-silvered mirror that reflects the background - which the camera records as being located behind the actors






18. 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






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






20. The camera should move at least 30 degrees any time there is a cut within a scene






21. A shot taken when the camera is so close to a subject that it fills the frame. It is most commonly used for a shot that isolates and encompasses a single actor's face - to emphasize the expression of emotion






22. 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






23. A brief chronological description of the basic events and characters in a film. It does not include interpretive or evaluative claims






24. A musical film in which each song and dance number is narratively motivated by a plot that situates characters in performance contexts






25. The period after principal photography during which editing and looping take place - and special visual effects are added to the film






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






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






28. A lens with a variable focal length that allows changes of focal length while keeping the subject in focus






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






30. A shot transition that involves the gradual disappearance of the image at the same time that a new image gradually comes into view






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






32. 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






33. Sound design that blends the speech of several characters talking simultaneously - used to create spontaneity - although it may also confuse the audience






34. An outlawed studio era practice - where studios forced exhibitors to book groups of films at once - thus ensuring a market for their failures along with their successes






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






36. 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






37. 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






38. Lighting design where the key light is somewhat more intense than the fill light - so the fill does not eliminate every shadow. The effect is generally less cheerful than high-key lighting - but not as gloomy as low-key lighting






39. 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






40. Reels of film that are shipped to movie theaters for exhibition. Digital cinema - which can be distributed via satellite - broadband - or on media such as DVDs - may soon replace film prints because the latter are expensive to create - copy - and dis






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






42. 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.






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






44. 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






45. 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






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






47. 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






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






49. A technique of shifting the camera angle - height - or distance to take into account the motion of actors or objects within the frame






50. A platform on wheels - used for mobile camera shots







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