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






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






3. 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






4. 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






5. A long shot in which the film frame resembles the proscenium arch of the stage - distancing the audience






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






7. The written blueprint for a film - composed of three elements: dialogue - sluglines (setting the place and time of each scene) - and description. Feature-length screenplays typically run 90-130 pages






8. 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






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






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






11. The distance that appears in focus in front of and behind the subject. It is determined by the aperture - distance and focal length of lens






12. A complete narrative unit within a film - with its own beginning - middle - and end. Often scenes are unified - and distinguished from one another - by time and setting






13. A specialist who monitors the processing of color on the se and in the film lab






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






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






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






17. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






18. A camera shot taken at a large distance from the subject. Using the human body as the subject - a long shot captures the entire human form






19. Lighting design where the key light is somewhat more intense than the fill light - so the fill does not eliminate every shadow. The effect is generally less cheerful than high-key lighting - but not as gloomy as low-key lighting






20. 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






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






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






23. 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






24. A device worn by a camera operator that holds the motion picture camera - allowing it glide smoothly through spaces unreachable by camera mounted on a crane or other apparatus






25. 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






26. A long shot in which the film frame resembles the proscenium arch of the stage - distancing the audience






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






28. Lighting design that provides an even illumination of the subject - with many facial details washed out. High-key lighting tends to create a hopeful mood - in contrast to low-key lighting






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






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






31. 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






32. A type of film stock that is sensitive to (in other words - registers) all tones in the color spectrum






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






34. Dialogue that restates What is already obvious from images or action






35. 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






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






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






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






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






40. A technique of depicting two layered images simultaneously. Images from one frame or several frames of film are added to pre-existing images - using an optical printer - to produce the same effect as a double exposure






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






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






43. 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






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






45. The shape of the image onscreen as determined by the width of the frame relative to its height






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






47. A technique of running the motion picture camera at a speed slower than projection speed (24 frames per second) - in order to produce at a fast motion sequence when projected at normal speed. The term derives from early film cameras - which were cran






48. 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






49. A property of older television monitors - where each frame was scanned as two fields: One consisting of all the odd numbered lines - the other all the even lines. If slowed down - the television image would appear to sweep down the screen one line at






50. The camera does not move across an imagined line drawn between two characters







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