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






2. Creating an image by combining several elements created separately using computer graphics rather than photographic means






3. The space between the camera and subject it is filming.






4. An outlawed studio era practice - where studios forced exhibitors to book groups of films at once - thus ensuring a market for their failures along with their successes






5. An action film cycle of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured bold - rebellious African American characters






6. Filters that increase color saturation and contrast in outdoor shots






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






8. 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






9. 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






10. A fiction film (often a comedy) that uses documentary conventions on fictional rather than real-world subject matter






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






12. 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






13. A style associated with Hollywood filmmaking of the studio and post-studio era - in which efficient storytelling - rather than gritty realism or aesthetic innovation - is of paramount importance






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






15. 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






16. A statement that asserts a judgment that a given film or group of films is good or bad - based on specific criteria - Which may or may not be stated






17. 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






18. 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






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






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






21. An efficient system developed for film lighting. In a standard lighting set-up - the key light illuminates the subject - the fill light eliminates shadows cast by the key light - and the back light separates the subject from the background






22. 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






23. 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






24. Optical illusions created during post-production






25. Drawing attention to the process of representation (including narrative and characterization) to break the theatrical illusion and elicit a distanced - intellectual response in the audience






26. Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews






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






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






29. The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen






30. The way an actor delivers a line of dialogue - including pauses - inflection - and emotion






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






32. Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews






33. 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






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






35. A visual effect achieved through the use of photography and digital techniques that appears to stop time and allow the viewer to travel around the subject and view it from a multitude of vantage points






36. The period of time before principal photography during which actors are signed - sets and costumes designed - and locations scouted






37. 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






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






39. An early color process - involving bathing lengths of processed film in dye one scene at a time






40. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






41. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






42. The selection and ordering of narrative events presented in a film






43. Suspended particles of silver in the film's emulsion - Which may become visible in the final image as dots






44. Images that originate from computer graphics technology - rather than photography






45. The details of a character's past that emerge as the film unfolds - and which often play a role in character motivation






46. A short segment of film used to promote an upcoming release






47. A shot that depicts a human body from the feet up






48. A shot that appears during or near the end of a scene and reorients viewers to the setting






49. The practice of Hollywood studios contracting out post-production work to individuals or firms outside the U.S.






50. The horizontal turning movement of an otherwise immobile camera across a scene from left to right or vice versa