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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. Also called 'rushes.' Footage exposed and developed quickly so that the director can assess the day's work






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






3. A film style that - in contrast to the classical and formalist styles - focuses characters - place - and the spontaneity and digressiveness of life - rather than on highly structured stories or aesthetic abstraction






4. 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






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






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






7. A style of stage acting developed from the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky - which trains actors to get into character through the use of emotional memory






8. A technique in which the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character or a group of characters. The camera points in the directions the character looks - simulating the character's field of vision






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






10. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






11. 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






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






13. 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






14. 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






15. Because film stock is sensitive to the color of light - directors work with film labs in post-production to monitor the color scheme of each scene in a film - making adjustments for consistency and aesthetic effect






16. The imagined world of the story






17. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






18. 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






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






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






21. The first step in the process of creating CGI. The wireframe is a three-dimensional computer model of an object - which is then rendered (producing the finished image) and animated (using simulated camera movement frame by frame)






22. 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






23. A shot taken by a camera that is held manually rather than supported by a tripod - crane or Steadicam. Generally - such shots are shaky - owing to the motion of the camera operator






24. 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






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






26. 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.






27. 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






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






29. The first step in the process of creating CGI. The wireframe is a three-dimensional computer model of an object - which is then rendered (producing the finished image) and animated (using simulated camera movement frame by frame)






30. Live action is filmed in front of a blue screen and a matte. It's then joined with the background footage






31. Author; A term popularized by French film critics and refers to film directors with their own distinctive style






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






33. Glass filters whose surface is etched with spots that refract light - so they create the appearance of water droplets in the air






34. 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






35. A system for combining two separately filmed images in the same frame that involves create a matte (a black mask that covers a portion of the image) for a live action sequence and using it to block out a portion of the frame when filming the backgrou






36. An attribute of newer television monitors - where each frame is scanned by the electron beam as a single field. If slowed down - each frame would appear on the monitor in its entirety on the screen - rather than line by line - as is the case with int






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






38. 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






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






40. The average length in seconds of a series of shots - covering a portion of a film or an entire film; a measure of pace within a scene or in the film as a whole.






41. Leaving the silver grains in the emulsion rather than bleaching them out - which produces desaturated color






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






43. Prefogging; a cinematographic technique that exposes raw film stock to light before - during - or after shooting - resulting in an image with reduced contrast. This effect can also be created using digital post-production techniques






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






45. A scene transition in which the first frame of the incoming scene appears to push the last frame of the previous scene off the screen horizontally






46. 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






47. The visual arrangement of objects - actors - and space within the frame






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






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






50. 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