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






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






3. Leaving the silver grains in the emulsion rather than bleaching them out - which produces desaturated color






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






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






6. 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






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






8. A style associated with Hollywood filmmaking of the studio and post-studio era - in which efficient storytelling - rather than gritty realism or aesthetic innovation - is of paramount importance






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






10. A rule in continuity editing - which dictates that if a cut occurs while a character is in the midst of an action - the subsequent shot must begin so that audiences see the completion of that action






11. A type of filter that absorbs certain wavelength but leave others unaffected. On black and white film - color filters lighten or darken tones. On color film - they can produce a range of effects






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






13. Dialogue that restates What is already obvious from images or action






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






15. A technique of manipulating focus to direct the viewer's attention






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






17. The film medium's technological apparatus is inherently ideological






18. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






19. Early films that documented everyday events - such as workers leaving a factory






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






21. The technique of telling the story from an all-knowing character. Films that use restricted narration limit the audience's perception to what one particular character knows - but may insert moments of omniscience






22. Invisible editing; a system devised to minimize the audience's awareness of shot transitions - especially cuts - in order to improve the flow of the story and avoid interrupting the viewer's immersion it in






23. Creating images during post-production by joining together photographic or CGI material shot or created at different times and places






24. A chemical embedded in the emulsion layer of film stock that - when developed after exposure - releases a particular color dye (red - green - or blue)






25. A picture element - a measure of image density. There are approximately 18 million pixels in a frame of 35mm film and 300000-400000 in a video image






26. A technique of depicting two layered images simultaneously. Images from one frame or several frames of film are added to pre-existing images - using an optical printer - to produce the same effect as a double exposure






27. 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






28. 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






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






30. An agreement made between filmmakers and those who license the use of commercial products to feature those products in films - generally as props used by characters






31. A film composed entirely of footage from other films.






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






33. A vertical - up-and-down - motion of an otherwise stationary camera






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






35. Secondary footage that is interspersed with master shots - sometimes in the form of footage shot for another production or archival footage






36. 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






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






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






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






40. An efficient system developed for film lighting. In a standard lighting set-up - the key light illuminates the subject - the fill light eliminates shadows cast by the key light - and the back light separates the subject from the background






41. A crew member who reports to the Director of Photography (DP) and is in charge of tasks involving lighting and electrical needs






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






43. 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






44. A shot that contains two characters within the frame






45. A technique of manipulating focus to direct the viewer's attention






46. The narrative path of the main or supporting characters - also called a plotline. Complex films may have several lines of action






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






48. Light emitted from a relatively small source positioned close to the subject. It tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections






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






50. A description of film stock that is highly sensitive to light