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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. 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






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






3. A term that refers to the organization of an industry wherein one type of corporation also owns corporations in allied industries - for example - film production and video games






4. 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






5. A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character's line of vision as motivation for a cut






6. 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.






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. The chip in a video camera that converts the incoming light to an electronic signal






9. Also called 'd-cinema.' Not to be confused with digital cinematography (shooting movies on digital video) - this term refers to using digital technologies for exhibition






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






11. Devices that attach to actors' faces and/or bodies to change their appearance






12. 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.'






13. 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






14. A shot that makes the human subject very small in relation to his or her environment. The entire figure from head to toe is onscreen and dwarfed by the surroundings






15. The chip in a video camera that converts the incoming light to an electronic signal






16. 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






17. A technique of moving a zoom lens from a wide-angle position to a telephoto position - which results in a magnification of the subject within the frame - and keeps the subject in focus






18. A direct vocal address to the audience - Which may emanate from a character or from a narrative voice apparently unrelated to the diegesis






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






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






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






22. Exposed and developed film stock from which the master positive is struck. If projected - the negative would produce a reverse of the image - with dark areas appearing white and vice versa or - if color film - areas of color appearing as their comple






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






24. 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






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






26. 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






27. The measure of intensity or purity of a color. Saturated color is purer than desaturated color - which has more white in it and thus offers a washed-out - less intense version of a color






28. Devices that attach to actors' faces and/or bodies to change their appearance






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






30. A shot transition that emphasizes the visual similarities between two consecutive shots






31. 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






32. A production crew responsible not for shooting the primary footage but - instead - for remote location shooting and B-roll. See also B-roll






33. The artful use of light and dark areas in the composition in black and white filmmaking






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






35. 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






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






37. 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






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






39. A large-budget film whose strategy is to swamp the competition through market saturation






40. A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites the audience to compare the two. It may involve visual - narrative - and/or sound elements






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






42. 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






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






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






45. 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






46. A marketing strategy of screening a blockbuster prior to general release only in premier theaters






47. A crew member whose job is to measure the distance between the subject and the camera lens - marking the ring on the camera lens - and ensuring the ring is turned precisely so that the image is in focus






48. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background






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






50. 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