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Film Vocab

Subjects : performing-arts, film
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • 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 technique of intentionally adding scratches in a film's emulsion layer for aesthetic purposes - such as to simulate home movie footage






2. A shot taken from a camera position above the subject - looking down at it






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






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






5. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background






6. A shot taken from a camera position above the subject - looking down at it






7. A production term referring to coordinating actors' movements with lines of dialogue






8. A machine used to create optical effects such as fades - dissolves - and superimpositions. Most are now created digitally






9. 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






10. 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






11. A technique of filming at a speed faster than projection - the projecting the footage at normal speed of 24 frames per second. Because fewer frames were recorded per second - the action appears to be speeded up






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






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






14. A computer-generated actor that some speculate will replace flesh and blood actors in the not so distant future






15. A technique in which the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character or a group of characters. The camera points in the directions the character looks - simulating the character's field of vision






16. The shape of the image onscreen as determined by the width of the frame relative to its height






17. A system initially developed for marketing films by creating and promoting stars as objects of admiration. The promotion of stars has now become an end in itself






18. The imagined world of the story






19. A style of Japanese animation - distinguished primarily by the fact that it is not all geared for young audiences






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






21. 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






22. An optical effect whereby the eye continues to register a visual stimulus in the brain for a brief period after that stimulus has been removed






23. A contemporary modification of the standard three-act structure that identifies a critical turning point at the halfway mark of most narrative films






24. A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character's line of vision as motivation for a cut






25. 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






26. An effect created when too little light strikes the film during shooting. As a result the image will contain dark areas that appear very dense and dark (including shadows) and the overall contrast will be less than with a properly exposed image






27. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background






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 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






30. A method for producing a widescreen image without special lenses or equipment - using standard film stock and blocking out the top and bottom of the frame to achieve an aspect ration of 1.85:1






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






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






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






36. 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






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






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






39. 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






40. A single take that contains an entire scene






41. A technique of moving a zoom lens from a wide-angle position to a telephoto position - which results in a magnification of the subject within the frame - and keeps the subject in focus






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






43. 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






44. 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






45. A term for film stock used in early cinema that was insensitive to red hues






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






47. A series of individual drawings that provides a blueprint for the shooting of a scene






48. A film process that uses 35mm film stock but changes the orientation of the film so that the film moves through the camera horizontally instead of vertically. The larger image is of higher quality than standard 35mm processes






49. 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






50. The width of the film stock - measured across the frame. Typical sizes are 8mm - 16mm - 35mm - and 70mm







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