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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. 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






2. A short screen appearance by a celebrity - playing himself or herself






3. A neutral account of the basic plot and style of a film - a part of a film - or a group of films






4. 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






5. A post-studio era Hollywood film designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience by fusing a simple story line with major movie stars and mounting a lavish marketing campaign






6. A technique of overdeveloping exposed film stock (leaving it in the chemical bath longer than indicated) in order to increase density and contrast in the image






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






8. Lighting design in which the greater intensity of the key light makes it impossible for the fill to eliminate shadows - producing a high-contrast image (with many grades of light and dark) - a number of shadows - and a somber mood






9. A lens with a shorter focal length than a normal or telephoto lens (usually between 15-35mm). The subject appears smaller as a result - but the angle of vision is wider and an illusion is created of greater depth in the frame






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






11. An actor whose career rests on playing minor or secondary quirky characters rather than leading roles






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






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






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






15. 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






16. A production term denoting a single uninterrupted series of frames exposed by a motion picture or video camera between the time it is turned on and the time it is turned off. Filmmakers shoot several takes of any scene and the film editor selects the






17. 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






18. A film that fuses the conventions of two or more genres






19. The arrangement of actors on screen as a compositional element that suggests themes - character development - emotional content - and visual motifs






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






21. Fish-eye lens; With a focal length of 15mm or less - this lens presents an extremely distorted image - where objects in the center of the frame appear to bulge toward the camera






22. A sound editing technique that links several scenes through parallel and overlapping sounds. Each sound is associated with one scene - unlike a sound bridge - where a sound from one scene bleeds into that of another






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






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






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






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






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






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






29. (Automatic dialogue replacement) recording synchronized dialogue in post-production - cutting several identical lengths of developed film and having actors record the dialogue repeatedly






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






31. An optical effect whereby the eye continues to register a visual stimulus in the brain for a brief period after that stimulus has been removed






32. 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






33. 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






34. 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






35. A technique of exposing film frames - then rewinding the film and exposing it again - which results in an image that combines two shots in a single frame






36. 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






37. Also called 'full screen -' the technique of re-shooting a widescreen film in order to convert it to the original television aspect ration of 1.33 to 1. Rather than reproduce the original aspect ratio - as a letterboxed version does - a panned and sc






38. An abrupt shot transition that occurs when Shot A is instantaneously replaced by Shot B.






39. Then Hollywood writers and directors cited for Contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities' attempts to root out Communists in the film industry






40. 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






41. 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






42. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






43. 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






44. 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






45. A chemical coating on film stock containing light-sensitive grains






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






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






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






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






50. An optical technique that divides the screen into two or more frames







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