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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 technique of shifting the camera angle - height - or distance to take into account the motion of actors or objects within the frame






2. The non-chronological insertion of scenes of events yet to happen into the present day of the story world






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






4. Using computer graphics to 'build' structures connected to the actual architecture on set or location






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






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






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






8. The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen






9. A style of Japanese animation - distinguished primarily by the fact that it is not all geared for young audiences






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






11. A relatively long - uninterrupted sot - generally of a minute or more






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






13. A method for producing a widescreen image without special lenses or equipment - using standard film stock and blocking out the top and bottom of the frame to achieve an aspect ration of 1.85:1






14. An alternative to classical and realist styles - formalism is a self-consciously interventionist approach that explores ideas - abstraction - and aesthetics rather than focusing on storytelling (as in classical films) or everyday life (as in realist






15. 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






16. A non-standard narrative organization that assumes 'day in the life' quality rather than the highly structured three-act or four part narrative - and that features loose or indirect cause-effect relationships






17. 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






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






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






20. 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






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






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






23. A relatively long - uninterrupted sot - generally of a minute or more






24. 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






25. A rule in continuity editing - which dictates that if a cut occurs while a character is in the midst of an action - the subsequent shot must begin so that audiences see the completion of that action






26. 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






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






28. A group of films within a given genre that share their own specific set of conventions that differentiate them from other films in the genre. For example - the slasher film is a subgenre of the horror genre






29. Color. The strength of a hue is measured by its saturation or desaturation






30. Wheeled platform with wheels that rotate - so the dolly can change direction






31. 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






32. Light striking the emulsion layer of the film - activating light-sensitive grains






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






34. 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






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






36. A technician responsible for splicing and assembling the film negative to the editor's specifications






37. 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






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






39. 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






40. Louis Althusser's term for the way in which a society creates its subjects/citizens through ideological (as opposed to repressive) state apparatuses - which include education - media - religion - and the family






41. The practice or repeatedly casting actors in similar roles across different films






42. A device attached to the film camera that records videotape of what has been filmed - allowing the director immediate access to video footage






43. 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






44. A series of related scene joined through elliptical editing that indicates the passage of time






45. 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






46. The five vertically integrated corporations that exerted the greatest control over film production in the studio era: MGM - Warner Brothers - RKO - Twentieth Century Fox - and Paramount






47. A shot taken from a level camera located approximately 5' to 6' from the ground - simulating the perspective of a person standing before the action presented






48. The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen






49. 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






50. Using computer graphics to 'build' structures connected to the actual architecture on set or location