Test your basic knowledge |

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 shot taken from a level camera located approximately 5' to 6' from the ground - simulating the perspective of a person standing before the action presented






2. Louis Althusser's term for the way in which a society creates its subjects/citizens through ideological (as opposed to repressive) state apparatuses - which include education - media - religion - and the family






3. A crew member whose job is to maintain consistency in visual details from one shot to the next






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






5. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






6. These filters bend the light coming into lens - softening and blurring the image






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






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






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






10. A change of focus from one plane of depth to another. As the in-focus subject goes out of focus - another object - which has been blurry - comes into focus in either the background or the foreground






11. Projecting a series of frames of film with the same image - which appears to stop the action






12. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






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






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






15. Muted - washed out color that contains more white than a saturated color






16. 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






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






18. Projecting a series of frames of film with the same image - which appears to stop the action






19. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






20. 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






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






22. 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






23. Smaller corporations that did not own distribution and/or exhibition companies in the studio era - including Universal - Columbia - and United Artists






24. 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






25. 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






26. 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






27. 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






28. 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






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






30. 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






31. A class or type of film - such as the Western or the horror movie. They share narrative - visual - and/or sound conventions






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






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






34. A story; a chain of events linked by cause-and-effect logic






35. Light emitted from a relatively small source positioned close to the subject. It tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections






36. A business model adopted by the major studios during the Hollywood studio era - in which studios controlled all aspects of the film business - from production to distribution and exhibition






37. Color. The strength of a hue is measured by its saturation or desaturation






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






39. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






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






41. A system of constructing and arranging buildings and objects on the set so that they diminish in size dramatically from foreground to background - which creates the illusion of depth






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






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






44. A format that uses a larger film stock than standard 35mm. IMAX - Omnimax - and Showscan are shot on 70mm film






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






46. Also called 'stop motion photography.' A technique of photographing a scene one frame at a time and moving the model between each shot






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






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






49. A description of film stock that is highly sensitive to light






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