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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. An animation technique that uses a computer program to interpolate frames to produce the effect of an object or creature changing gradually into something different. The program calculates the way the image must change in order for the first image to






2. The artful use of light and dark areas in the composition in black and white filmmaking






3. Devices that attach to actors' faces and/or bodies to change their appearance






4. 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






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






6. A non-standard narrative organization that assumes 'day in the life' quality rather than the highly structured three-act or four part narrative - and that features loose or indirect cause-effect relationships






7. A shot taken from a camera mounted on a crane that moves three-dimensionally in a space






8. 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






9. A film style that - in contrast to the classical and formalist styles - focuses characters - place - and the spontaneity and digressiveness of life - rather than on highly structured stories or aesthetic abstraction






10. A post-studio era Hollywood film designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience by fusing a simple story line with major movie stars and mounting a lavish marketing campaign






11. Any lens with a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal of the frame. For 35mm filmmaking - a 35-50 mm lens does not distort the angle of vision or depth






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






13. A camera shot taken at a large distance from the subject. Using the human body as the subject - a long shot captures the entire human form






14. The imagined world of the story






15. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






16. A lens with a shorter focal length than a normal or telephoto lens (usually between 15-35mm). The subject appears smaller as a result - but the angle of vision is wider and an illusion is created of greater depth in the frame






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






18. Light striking the emulsion layer of the film - activating light-sensitive grains






19. A camera device that opens and closes to regulate the length of time the film is exposed to light






20. Also called 'full screen -' the technique of re-shooting a widescreen film in order to convert it to the original television aspect ration of 1.33 to 1. Rather than reproduce the original aspect ratio - as a letterboxed version does - a panned and sc






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






22. 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






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






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






25. 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






26. A shot transition that emphasizes the visual similarities between two consecutive shots






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






28. A single take that contains an entire scene






29. The person in charge of planning the style and look of the film with the production designer and director of photography - working with actors during principal photography - and collaborating with the editor on the final version






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






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






32. 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






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






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






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






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






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






38. A genre film that radically modifies accepted genre conventions for dramatic effect






39. A technique of 'pushing' the film (overdeveloping it) to correct problems of underexposure (resulting from insufficient light during shooting) by increasing image contrast






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






41. The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen






42. 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






43. 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






44. 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






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






46. 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






47. The measurement of how forgiving a film stock is. It determines whether an acceptable image will be produced when the film stock is exposed to too little or too much light






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






49. A crew member responsible for logging the details of each take on the set so as to ensure continuity






50. 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