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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 painting used on the set as a portion of the background






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






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






4. A type of filter that absorbs certain wavelength but leave others unaffected. On black and white film - color filters lighten or darken tones. On color film - they can produce a range of effects






5. 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






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






7. A computer-generated actor that some speculate will replace flesh and blood actors in the not so distant future






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






9. Individuals who were prevented from working in the film industry because of their suspected involvement with Communist interests






10. 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






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






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






13. 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






14. A chemical embedded in the emulsion layer of film stock that - when developed after exposure - releases a particular color dye (red - green - or blue)






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






16. 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






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






18. 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






19. A lens with a variable focal length that allows changes of focal length while keeping the subject in focus






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






21. A machine used to create optical effects such as fades - dissolves - and superimpositions. Most are now created digitally






22. A business model adopted by the major studios during the Hollywood studio era - in which studios controlled all aspects of the film business - from production to distribution and exhibition






23. 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






24. Public identity created by marketing a film actor's performances - press coverage - and 'personal' information to fans as the star's personality






25. 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






26. 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






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






28. Natural light; The process of suing sunlight rather than artificial studio lights when filming






29. 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






30. 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






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






32. 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






33. A process of blending the three elements of the sound track (dialogue - music - and effects) in post-production






34. A type of documentary film whose purpose is to present the way of life of a culture or subculture






35. 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






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






37. 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






38. A short segment of film used to promote an upcoming release






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






40. Individuals who were prevented from working in the film industry because of their suspected involvement with Communist interests






41. 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






42. A shot taken from a vantage point so close that only a part of the subject is visible. On an actor - it might show only an eye or a portion of the face






43. 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






44. A shot taken from a camera position below the subject






45. An animation technique that uses a computer program to interpolate frames to produce the effect of an object or creature changing gradually into something different. The program calculates the way the image must change in order for the first image to






46. The horizontal turning movement of an otherwise immobile camera across a scene from left to right or vice versa






47. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






48. A musical in which some or all musical numbers are not motivated by the narrative; for example - characters sing and dance throughout the film but at least some performances are not staged for an onscreen audience. Examples include Oklahoma - The umb






49. A shot taken fro a position directly above the action - also called a 'birds' eye shot'






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