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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. Light emitted from a larger source that is scattered over a bigger area or reflected off a surface before it strikes the subject. Soft light minimizes facial details - including wrinkles






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






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






4. 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






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






6. 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






7. A device used to manipulate the amount and/or color of light entering the lens






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






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






10. A term used for any narrative sound - or visual element not contained in the story world. Also called 'extradiegetic'






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






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






13. 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






14. Squeezes the image at a ratio of 2:1 horizontally onto a standard film frame. On the projector - it unsqueezes the image - creating a widescreen aspect ratio during presentation






15. Any noticeable but unintended discrepancy from one shot to the next in costume - props - hairstyle - posture - etc.






16. Processes such as Cinemascope and Cinerama - developed during the 1950s to enhance film's size advantage over the smaller television image






17. The classical model of narrative form. The first act introduces characters and conflicts; the second act offers complication leading to a climax; the third act contains the danouement and resolution






18. 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






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






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






21. Film productions shot outside the U.S. for economic reasons






22. The person in charge of planning the style and look of the film with the production designer and director of photography - working with actors during principal photography - and collaborating with the editor on the final version






23. The building block of a scene; an uninterrupted sequence of frames that viewers experience as they watch a film - ending with a cut - fade - dissolve - etc. See also Take






24. 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






25. A system for recording images on magnetic tape using a digital signal - that is - an electronic signal comprised of 0s and 1s






26. 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






27. A single take that contains an entire scene






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






29. 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






30. Secondary footage that is interspersed with master shots - sometimes in the form of footage shot for another production or archival footage






31. 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






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






33. Public identity created by marketing a film actor's performances - press coverage - and 'personal' information to fans as the star's personality






34. 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






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






36. A film style that - in contrast to the classical and formalist styles - focuses characters - place - and the spontaneity and digressiveness of life - rather than on highly structured stories or aesthetic abstraction






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






38. 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






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






40. 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






41. Non-diegetic; any element in the film that is not part of the imagined story world






42. 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






43. 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.






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






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






46. A term applied to film stock that is relatively insensitive to light. This stock will not yield acceptable images unless the amount of light can be carefully controlled






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






48. A musical film in which each song and dance number is narratively motivated by a plot that situates characters in performance contexts






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






50. A shot that interrupts a scene's master shot and may include character reactions