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






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






3. 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






4. A film that fuses the conventions of two or more genres






5. 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






6. The narrative path of the main or supporting characters - also called a plotline. Complex films may have several lines of action






7. Any noticeable but unintended discrepancy from one shot to the next in costume - props - hairstyle - posture - etc.






8. A model of industrial organization in the film industry from about 1915 to 1946 - characterized by the development of major and minor studios that produced - distributed - and exhibited films - and held film actors - directors - art directors - and o






9. The camera does not move across an imagined line drawn between two characters






10. 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






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






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






13. A technique of 'pushing' the film (overdeveloping it) to correct problems of underexposure (resulting from insufficient light during shooting) by increasing image contrast






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






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






16. Also called 'stop motion photography.' A technique of photographing a scene one frame at a time and moving the model between each shot






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






18. The period of time before principal photography during which actors are signed - sets and costumes designed - and locations scouted






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






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






21. A contemporary modification of the standard three-act structure that identifies a critical turning point at the halfway mark of most narrative films






22. A long shot in which the film frame resembles the proscenium arch of the stage - distancing the audience






23. A small - variable opening on a camera lens that regulates the amount of light entering the camera and striking the surface of the film






24. A picture element - a measure of image density. There are approximately 18 million pixels in a frame of 35mm film and 300000-400000 in a video image






25. Invisible editing; a system devised to minimize the audience's awareness of shot transitions - especially cuts - in order to improve the flow of the story and avoid interrupting the viewer's immersion it in






26. A technique of recording very few images over a long period of time - say - one frame per minute or per day






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






28. A contemporary modification of the standard three-act structure that identifies a critical turning point at the halfway mark of most narrative films






29. 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






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






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






32. 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






33. Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews






34. The written blueprint for a film - composed of three elements: dialogue - sluglines (setting the place and time of each scene) - and description. Feature-length screenplays typically run 90-130 pages






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






36. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






37. 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






38. 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






39. A technique in which the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character or a group of characters. The camera points in the directions the character looks - simulating the character's field of vision






40. The width of the film stock - measured across the frame. Typical sizes are 8mm - 16mm - 35mm - and 70mm






41. A camera shot taken at a large distance from the subject. Using the human body as the subject - a long shot captures the entire human form






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






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






44. A sound editing technique that links several scenes through parallel and overlapping sounds. Each sound is associated with one scene - unlike a sound bridge - where a sound from one scene bleeds into that of another






45. Sound design that blends the speech of several characters talking simultaneously - used to create spontaneity - although it may also confuse the audience






46. A shot transition that involves the gradual disappearance of the image at the same time that a new image gradually comes into view






47. 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






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






49. A property of older television monitors - where each frame was scanned as two fields: One consisting of all the odd numbered lines - the other all the even lines. If slowed down - the television image would appear to sweep down the screen one line at






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







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