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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. The period after principal photography during which editing and looping take place - and special visual effects are added to the film






2. An abrupt - inexplicable shift in time and place of an action not signaled by an appropriate shot transition






3. 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






4. A type of short film that blends elements of documentary and avant-garde film to document and often to celebrate the wonder of the modern city






5. 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






6. Dense accumulation of detail conveyed in the opening moments of a film






7. Everything audiences hear when they watch a sound film. The soundtrack is the composite of all three elements of film sound: dialogue - music - and sound effects






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






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






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






11. 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






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






13. A measure of a film stock's sensitivity to light. 'Fast' refers to sensitive film stock - while slow film is relatively insensitive






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






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






16. 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






17. The use of editing techniques - such as a fade or dissolve - to indicate the end of one scene and the beginning of another






18. A production crew responsible not for shooting the primary footage but - instead - for remote location shooting and B-roll. See also B-roll






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 shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






21. 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






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






23. A widescreen process that uses three cameras - three projectors - and a wide - curved screen






24. 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






25. A narrative - visual - or sound element that refers viewers to other films or works of art






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






27. A process of transferring film to video tapes or DVDs so that the original aspect ratio of the film is preserved






28. A system for combining two separately filmed images in the same frame that involves create a matte (a black mask that covers a portion of the image) for a live action sequence and using it to block out a portion of the frame when filming the backgrou






29. 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






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






31. A shot transition where shot A slowly disappears as the screen becomes black before shot B appears. A fade-in is the reverse of this process






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






33. The falling or unraveling action after the climax of a narrative that leads to resolution






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






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






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






37. A digital technique developed by Industrial Light and Magic - which builds movement sequences from single frames of film






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






39. 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






40. 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






41. 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






42. A film style that emerged in the 1910s in Germany. It was heavily indebted to the Expressionist art movement of the time and influenced subsequent horror films and film noir






43. An alternative to classical and realist styles - formalism is a self-consciously interventionist approach that explores ideas - abstraction - and aesthetics rather than focusing on storytelling (as in classical films) or everyday life (as in realist






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






45. 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






46. A technique of exposing film frames - then rewinding the film and exposing it again - which results in an image that combines two shots in a single frame






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






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






49. 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






50. A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites the audience to compare the two. It may involve visual - narrative - and/or sound elements