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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 cinematography technique that produces an image with many planes of depth in focus. It can be accomplished by using a small aperture - a large distance between camera and subject - and/or a lens of short focal length






2. The rules of character - setting - and narrative that films that belong to a genre - such as Westerns - horror films - and screwball comedies - generally obey.






3. 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






4. 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






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






6. A documentary or occasionally - a narrative film that presents only one side of an argument or one approach to a subject






7. A method for producing a widescreen image without special lenses or equipment - using standard film stock and blocking out the top and bottom of the frame to achieve an aspect ration of 1.85:1






8. Creating the appearance of movement by drawing a series of frames that are projected sequentially - rather than photographing a series of still images






9. 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






10. A lens with a focal length greater than 50 mm (usually between 80mm and 20mm) - which provides a larger image of the subject than a normal or wide-angle lens but which narrows the angle of vision and flattens the depth of the image relative to normal






11. An abrupt shot transition that occurs when Shot A is instantaneously replaced by Shot B.






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






13. Any noticeable but unintended discrepancy from one shot to the next in costume - props - hairstyle - posture - etc.






14. Projecting a series of frames of film with the same image - which appears to stop the action






15. 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






16. A measure of the visual and sound quality of a film. Low-budget films tend to have lower production values because they lack the resources to devote to expensive pre- and post-production activities






17. An attribute of newer television monitors - where each frame is scanned by the electron beam as a single field. If slowed down - each frame would appear on the monitor in its entirety on the screen - rather than line by line - as is the case with int






18. A short segment of film used to promote an upcoming release






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






20. A scene transition in which the first frame of the incoming scene appears to push the last frame of the previous scene off the screen horizontally






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






22. 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






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






24. 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






25. 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






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






27. 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






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






29. The space between the camera and subject it is filming.






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






31. Glass filters whose surface is etched with spots that refract light - so they create the appearance of water droplets in the air






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






33. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






34. The central cause(s) behind a character's actions






35. 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






36. A film that fuses the conventions of two or more genres






37. 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






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






39. The distance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens to the lane where the sharpest image is formed while focusing on a distant object






40. 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






41. A production term referring to coordinating actors' movements with lines of dialogue






42. 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






43. The building block of a scene; an uninterrupted sequence of frames that viewers experience as they watch a film - ending with a cut - fade - dissolve - etc. See also Take






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






45. A person responsible for putting a film together from a mass of developed footage - making decisions regarding pace - shot transitions - and which scenes and shots will be used






46. The individual arrangement of lighting and camera placement used for each shot






47. A shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






48. A shot taken by a camera that is held manually rather than supported by a tripod - crane or Steadicam. Generally - such shots are shaky - owing to the motion of the camera operator






49. A device used to manipulate the amount and/or color of light entering the lens






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