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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 short screen appearance by a celebrity - playing himself or herself






2. Sound recorded on a set - on location - or - for documentary film - at an actual real-world event - as opposed to dubbed in post-production through ADR or looping






3. A standard shot pattern that dictates that a shot of one character will be followed by a shot of another character - taken from the reverse angle of the first shot






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






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






6. A style of Japanese animation - distinguished primarily by the fact that it is not all geared for young audiences






7. A shot that interrupts a scene's master shot and may include character reactions






8. An early color process that replaced silver halide grains with colored salts






9. A flexible celluloid strip that - along with the emulsion layer - comprises 35mm film stock






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






11. A statement that presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance






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






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






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






15. Suspended particles of silver in the film's emulsion - Which may become visible in the final image as dots






16. A complete narrative unit within a film - with its own beginning - middle - and end. Often scenes are unified - and distinguished from one another - by time and setting






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






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






19. A production term denoting a single uninterrupted series of frames exposed by a motion picture or video camera between the time it is turned on and the time it is turned off. Filmmakers shoot several takes of any scene and the film editor selects the






20. The period of time before principal photography during which actors are signed - sets and costumes designed - and locations scouted






21. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






22. A direct vocal address to the audience - Which may emanate from a character or from a narrative voice apparently unrelated to the diegesis






23. 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






24. 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)






25. Images that originate from computer graphics technology - rather than photography






26. An effect created when more light is required to produce an image strakes the film stock - so that the resulting image exhibits high contrast - glaring light - and washed out shadows. This effect ma or may not be intentional on the filmmaker's part






27. 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






28. 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






29. 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






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






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






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






33. 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






34. 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






35. A shot that depicts a human body from the feet up






36. A scene filmed and processed but not selected to appear in the final version of the film






37. 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






38. 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






39. 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






40. 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






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






42. 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






43. 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






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






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






46. 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






47. 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.






48. A statement that presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance






49. The practice of Hollywood studios contracting out post-production work to individuals or firms outside the U.S.






50. The first print made from a film negative