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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 combining two kinds of movement: the camera tracks in toward the subject wile the lens zooms out






2. A mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation






3. The non-chronological insertion of events from the past into the present day of the story world






4. Squeezes the image at a ratio of 2:1 horizontally onto a standard film frame. On the projector - it unsqueezes the image - creating a widescreen aspect ratio during presentation






5. A cinematography technique that produces an image with many planes of depth in focus. It can be accomplished by using a small aperture - a large distance between camera and subject - and/or a lens of short focal length






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






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






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






9. 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.






10. 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






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






12. 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






13. Materials intentionally released by studios to attract public attention to films and their stars. Promotion differs from publicity - which is information that is not (or does not appear to be) intentionally disseminated by studios






14. A crew member responsible for logging the details of each take on the set so as to ensure continuity






15. An outlawed studio era practice - where studios forced exhibitors to book groups of films at once - thus ensuring a market for their failures along with their successes






16. Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews






17. 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






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






19. 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.






20. 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






21. A shot transition that emphasizes the visual similarities between two consecutive shots






22. 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






23. A platform on wheels - used for mobile camera shots






24. A shot that focuses audience attention on precise details that may or may not be the focus of characters






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






26. A fiction film (often a comedy) that uses documentary conventions on fictional rather than real-world subject matter






27. A vertical - up-and-down - motion of an otherwise stationary camera






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






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






30. Then Hollywood writers and directors cited for Contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities' attempts to root out Communists in the film industry






31. 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






32. 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






33. 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






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






35. 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






36. An abrupt - inexplicable shift in time and place of an action not signaled by an appropriate shot transition






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






38. A series of related scene joined through elliptical editing that indicates the passage of time






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






40. 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






41. The use of editing techniques - such as a fade or dissolve - to indicate the end of one scene and the beginning of another






42. A technique of filming at a speed faster than projection - the projecting the footage at normal speed of 24 frames per second. Because fewer frames were recorded per second - the action appears to be speeded up






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






44. The imagined world of the story






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






46. Prefogging; a cinematographic technique that exposes raw film stock to light before - during - or after shooting - resulting in an image with reduced contrast. This effect can also be created using digital post-production techniques






47. A style associated with Hollywood filmmaking of the studio and post-studio era - in which efficient storytelling - rather than gritty realism or aesthetic innovation - is of paramount importance






48. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






49. The falling or unraveling action after the climax of a narrative that leads to resolution






50. A screenplay written and submitted to a studio or production company without a prior contract or agreement