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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 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






2. 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






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






4. 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






5. 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






6. 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






7. An alternative to continuity editing - this style of editing was developed in silent Soviet cinema - based on the theory that editing should exploit the difference between shots to generate intellectual and emotional responses in the audience






8. Wheeled platform with wheels that rotate - so the dolly can change direction






9. The imagined world of the story






10. 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






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






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






13. A technique of arranging the actors on the set to take advantage of deep focus cinematography - which allows for many planes of depth in the film frame to remain in focus






14. A pan executed so quickly that it produces a blurred image - indicated rapid activity or - sometimes - the passage of time






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






16. A glass element on a camera that focuses light rays so that the image of the object appears on the surface of the film






17. A crew member who works in post-production in a specially equipped studio to create the sounds of the story world - such as the shuffling of shoes on various surfaces for footsteps






18. A large-budget film whose strategy is to swamp the competition through market saturation






19. A type of documentary film whose purpose is to present the way of life of a culture or subculture






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






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






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






23. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






24. 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






25. A transparent sheet on which animation artists draw images.






26. An early color process - involving bathing lengths of processed film in dye one scene at a time






27. Filters that increase color saturation and contrast in outdoor shots






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






29. A process of blending the three elements of the sound track (dialogue - music - and effects) in post-production






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






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






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






35. A visual effect created when the subject in the frame is restricted by the objects or the physical properties of the set






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






37. 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






38. 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






39. A specialist who monitors the processing of color on the se and in the film lab






40. 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.






41. A model of industrial organization in the film industry from about 1915 to 1946 - characterized by the development of major and minor studios that produced - distributed - and exhibited films - and held film actors - directors - art directors - and o






42. 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






43. 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






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






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






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






48. 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






49. A shot that appears during or near the end of a scene and reorients viewers to the setting






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