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






2. A crew member who reports to the Director of Photography (DP) and is in charge of tasks involving lighting and electrical needs






3. A technique of cutting back and forth between action occurring in two different locations - which often creates the illusion that they are happening simultaneously. Also called 'cross cutting.'






4. 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






5. 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






6. An abrupt - inexplicable shift in time and place of an action not signaled by an appropriate shot transition






7. A technique of moving the camera - on a specially built track. Such shots often trace character movement laterally across the frame or in and out of the depth of the frame






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






9. Everything audiences hear when they watch a sound film. The soundtrack is the composite of all three elements of film sound: dialogue - music - and sound effects






10. An early color process that replaced silver halide grains with colored salts






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






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






13. A technique of intentionally adding scratches in a film's emulsion layer for aesthetic purposes - such as to simulate home movie footage






14. A measure of a film stock's sensitivity to light. 'Fast' refers to sensitive film stock - while slow film is relatively insensitive






15. Creating the appearance of movement by drawing a series of frames that are projected sequentially - rather than photographing a series of still images






16. A picture element - a measure of image density. There are approximately 18 million pixels in a frame of 35mm film and 300000-400000 in a video image






17. The non-chronological insertion of events from the past into the present day of the story world






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






19. 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






20. A film's main characters - one whose conflicts and motives drive the story forward






21. 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






22. A compositing method that allows cinematographers to combine live action and settings that are filmed or created separately. Actors are filmed against a green or blue background. During post-production - this background is filled in with an image thr






23. A technique of arranging the actors on the set to take advantage of deep focus cinematography - which allows for many planes of depth in the film frame to remain in focus






24. 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






25. A statement that presents an argument about a film's meaning and significance






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






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






28. 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






29. 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






30. Sound recorded on a set - on location - or - for documentary film - at an actual real-world event - as opposed to dubbed in post-production through ADR or looping






31. A lens with a variable focal length that allows changes of focal length while keeping the subject in focus






32. A shot taken fro a position directly above the action - also called a 'birds' eye shot'






33. The aspect ratio of 1.33:1 - standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences until the development of widescreen formats in the 1950s






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






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






36. A filter that creates points of light that streak outward from a light source






37. The first shot in a standard shot sequence. Its purpose is to provide a clear representation of the location of the action






38. Reels of film that are shipped to movie theaters for exhibition. Digital cinema - which can be distributed via satellite - broadband - or on media such as DVDs - may soon replace film prints because the latter are expensive to create - copy - and dis






39. The narrative path of the main or supporting characters - also called a plotline. Complex films may have several lines of action






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. 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






48. 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






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






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