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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 description of film stock that is highly sensitive to light






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






3. 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






4. 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






5. A filter that creates points of light that streak outward from a light source






6. Recording images at a slower speed than the speed of projection (24 frames per second). Before cameras were motorized - this was called undercranking. Fewer frames are exposed in one minute - so - when projected at 24 f.p.s. - that action takes less






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






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






9. Using computer graphics to 'build' structures connected to the actual architecture on set or location






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






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






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






13. 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






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






15. 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






16. A compositing method that allows cinematographers to combine live action and settings that are filmed or created separately. Actors are filmed against a green or blue background. During post-production - this background is filled in with an image thr






17. Cinema verite; a documentary style in which the filmmaker attempts to remain as unobtrusive as possible - recording without obvious editorial comment






18. A musical in which some or all musical numbers are not motivated by the narrative; for example - characters sing and dance throughout the film but at least some performances are not staged for an onscreen audience. Examples include Oklahoma - The umb






19. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






20. A consistent style - theme - and subject matter developed over the course of a director's body of work






21. A scene transition wherein sound from one scene bleeds over into the ext scene - often resulting in a contrast between sound image






22. 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






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






24. 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






25. 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






26. 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






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






28. 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






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






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






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






32. A shot that contains two characters within the frame






33. A mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation






34. The practice of shooting during the day but using filters and underexposure to create the illusion of nighttime






35. A part of the story world implied by visual or sound techniques rather than being revealed by the camera






36. Prefogging; a cinematographic technique that exposes raw film stock to light before - during - or after shooting - resulting in an image with reduced contrast. This effect can also be created using digital post-production techniques






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






38. 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






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






40. Thin - flexible material comprised of base and emulsion layers - onto which light rays are focused and which is processed in chemicals to produce film images






41. A type of film stock that is sensitive to (in other words - registers) all tones in the color spectrum






42. A neutral account of the basic plot and style of a film - a part of a film - or a group of films






43. 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






44. A technique of intentionally adding scratches in a film's emulsion layer for aesthetic purposes - such as to simulate home movie footage






45. 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






46. 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






47. 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






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






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






50. A technique of recording very few images over a long period of time - say - one frame per minute or per day