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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 intentionally adding scratches in a film's emulsion layer for aesthetic purposes - such as to simulate home movie footage






2. 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






3. A shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter






4. An action film cycle of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured bold - rebellious African American characters






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






6. 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






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






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






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






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






11. The period after principal photography during which editing and looping take place - and special visual effects are added to the film






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






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






15. 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






16. The building block of a scene; an uninterrupted sequence of frames that viewers experience as they watch a film - ending with a cut - fade - dissolve - etc. See also Take






17. A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film






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






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






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






21. Processes such as Cinemascope and Cinerama - developed during the 1950s to enhance film's size advantage over the smaller television image






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






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






24. A form of shot transition - generally concluding a scene - where a circular mask constricts around the image until the entire frame is black






25. The chronological accounting of all events presented and suggested






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






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






28. A person responsible for putting a film together from a mass of developed footage - making decisions regarding pace - shot transitions - and which scenes and shots will be used






29. Devices that attach to actors' faces and/or bodies to change their appearance






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






31. A technique used to join live action with pre-recorded background images. A projector is aimed at a half-silvered mirror that reflects the background - which the camera records as being located behind the actors






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






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






34. The conclusion of the film wraps up - all loose ends in a form of resolution - though not necessarily with a happy ending.






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






36. A shot that makes the human subject very small in relation to his or her environment. The entire figure from head to toe is onscreen and dwarfed by the surroundings






37. 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






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






39. 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






40. The details of a character's past that emerge as the film unfolds - and which often play a role in character motivation






41. A glass element on a camera that focuses light rays so that the image of the object appears on the surface of the film






42. A large-budget film whose strategy is to swamp the competition through market saturation






43. A shot that depicts a human body from the feet up






44. 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






45. Light emitted from a larger source that is scattered over a bigger area or reflected off a surface before it strikes the subject. Soft light minimizes facial details - including wrinkles






46. 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






47. 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






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






49. An early color process that replaced silver halide grains with colored salts






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







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