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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 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






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






3. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






4. Any narrative - visual - or sound element that is repeated and thereby acquires and reflects its significance to the story - characters - or themes of the film.






5. 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






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






7. The length in minutes for a film to play in its entirety (for example - 120 minutes). Also referred to as 'screen time.'






8. A shot combining two kinds of movement: the camera tracks in toward the subject wile the lens zooms out






9. A shot that includes a human figure from the shoulders up






10. An unstated meaning that underlies and is implied by spoken dialogue






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






12. A short screen appearance by a celebrity - playing himself or herself






13. 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






14. 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






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






16. Individuals who were prevented from working in the film industry because of their suspected involvement with Communist interests






17. An alternative to continuity editing - this style of editing was developed in silent Soviet cinema - based on the theory that editing should exploit the difference between shots to generate intellectual and emotional responses in the audience






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






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






20. Materials intentionally released by studios to attract public attention to films and their stars. Promotion differs from publicity - which is information that is not (or does not appear to be) intentionally disseminated by studios






21. A short documentary on current events - show in movie theaters along with cartoons and feature films beginning in the 1930s






22. 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






23. 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






24. An optical effect whereby the human eye fills in gaps between closely spaced objects - so that two light bulbs flashing on and off are understood as one light moving back and forth






25. Lighting design in which the greater intensity of the key light makes it impossible for the fill to eliminate shadows - producing a high-contrast image (with many grades of light and dark) - a number of shadows - and a somber mood






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






27. A style of stage acting developed from the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky - which trains actors to get into character through the use of emotional memory






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






29. A series of related scene joined through elliptical editing that indicates the passage of time






30. A flexible celluloid strip that - along with the emulsion layer - comprises 35mm film stock






31. A small - variable opening on a camera lens that regulates the amount of light entering the camera and striking the surface of the film






32. A shot taken from a vantage point so close that only a part of the subject is visible. On an actor - it might show only an eye or a portion of the face






33. A type of matte shot - created by positioning a pane of optically flawless glass with a painting on it between the camera and the scene to be photographed. This combines the painting on the glass with the set or location - seen through the glass - be






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






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






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






37. 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






38. A single take that contains an entire scene






39. The measure of intensity or purity of a color. Saturated color is purer than desaturated color - which has more white in it and thus offers a washed-out - less intense version of a color






40. 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






41. The non-chronological insertion of scenes of events yet to happen into the present day of the story world






42. 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






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






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






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






46. Standard shot pattern: A sequence of shots designed to maintain spatial continuity. Scene begin with an establishing shot - then move to a series of individual shots depicting characters and action - before reestablishing shots re-orient viewers to t






47. 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






48. 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






49. The distance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens to the lane where the sharpest image is formed while focusing on a distant object






50. The central cause(s) behind a character's actions