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






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






3. An early color process - involving bathing lengths of processed film in dye one scene at a time






4. 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






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






6. Dutch angle; a shot resulting from a static camera that is tilted to the right or left - so that the subject in the frame appears at a diagonal






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






8. A film process that uses 35mm film stock but changes the orientation of the film so that the film moves through the camera horizontally instead of vertically. The larger image is of higher quality than standard 35mm processes






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






10. The individual arrangement of lighting and camera placement used for each shot






11. Non-diegetic; any element in the film that is not part of the imagined story world






12. An uncredited actor - usually hired for crowd scenes






13. The classical model of narrative form. The first act introduces characters and conflicts; the second act offers complication leading to a climax; the third act contains the danouement and resolution






14. An abrupt shot transition that occurs when Shot A is instantaneously replaced by Shot B.






15. A standard shot pattern that dictates that a shot of one character will be followed by a shot of another character - taken from the reverse angle of the first shot






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






17. 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






18. A chemical coating on film stock containing light-sensitive grains






19. The individual arrangement of lighting and camera placement used for each shot






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






21. 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






22. A device that projects photographs or footage onto glass so that images can be traced by hand to create animated images






23. Smaller corporations that did not own distribution and/or exhibition companies in the studio era - including Universal - Columbia - and United Artists






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






25. A specialist who monitors the processing of color on the se and in the film lab






26. A shot that appears during or near the end of a scene and reorients viewers to the setting






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






28. A compositing method that allows cinematographers to combine live action and settings that are filmed or created separately. Actors are filmed against a green or blue background. During post-production - this background is filled in with an image thr






29. 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






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






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






32. The measurement of how forgiving a film stock is. It determines whether an acceptable image will be produced when the film stock is exposed to too little or too much light






33. 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.






34. 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






35. 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






36. The imagined world of the story






37. 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






38. 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






39. The term for a film's spoken dialogue - as opposed to the underlying meaning contained in the subtext






40. A crew member who works in post-production in a specially equipped studio to create the sounds of the story world - such as the shuffling of shoes on various surfaces for footsteps






41. Film productions shot outside the U.S. for economic reasons






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






43. The term for a film's spoken dialogue - as opposed to the underlying meaning contained in the subtext






44. A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens - without affecting the color characteristics






45. Thin - flexible material comprised of base and emulsion layers - onto which light rays are focused and which is processed in chemicals to produce film images






46. An agreement made between filmmakers and those who license the use of commercial products to feature those products in films - generally as props used by characters






47. A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character's line of vision as motivation for a cut






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






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






50. Everything audiences hear when they watch a sound film. The soundtrack is the composite of all three elements of film sound: dialogue - music - and sound effects