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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 shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






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






3. 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






4. 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






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






6. 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






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






8. A shot in a sequence that is taken from the reverse angle of the shot previous to it






9. 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






10. 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






11. A black masking device used to black out a portion of the frame - usually for the insertion of other images






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






13. 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






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






15. A class or type of film - such as the Western or the horror movie. They share narrative - visual - and/or sound conventions






16. A term used for any narrative sound - or visual element not contained in the story world. Also called 'extradiegetic'






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






18. 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






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






20. A crew member whose job is to maintain consistency in visual details from one shot to the next






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






22. A format that uses a larger film stock than standard 35mm. IMAX - Omnimax - and Showscan are shot on 70mm film






23. A shot taken when the camera is so close to a subject that it fills the frame. It is most commonly used for a shot that isolates and encompasses a single actor's face - to emphasize the expression of emotion






24. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






25. A documentary or occasionally - a narrative film that presents only one side of an argument or one approach to a subject






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






27. A part of the story world implied by visual or sound techniques rather than being revealed by the camera






28. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






29. 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






30. A technique of shooting a scene at a very high speed (96 frames per second) - then adding and subtracting frames in post-production - 'fanning out' the action through the overlapping images






31. A type of matte shot - created by positioning a pane of optically flawless glass with a painting on it between the camera and the scene to be photographed. This combines the painting on the glass with the set or location - seen through the glass - be






32. 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






33. A documentary or occasionally - a narrative film that presents only one side of an argument or one approach to a subject






34. These filters bend the light coming into lens - softening and blurring the image






35. 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






36. 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






37. A shot taken when the camera is so close to a subject that it fills the frame. It is most commonly used for a shot that isolates and encompasses a single actor's face - to emphasize the expression of emotion






38. 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






39. 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






40. Creating images during post-production by joining together photographic or CGI material shot or created at different times and places






41. These filters bend the light coming into lens - softening and blurring the image






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






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






44. 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






45. Literary narration from a viewpoint beyond that of any one individual character






46. 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






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






48. 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






49. 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






50. 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