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






2. Lighting design in which the greater intensity of the key light makes it impossible for the fill to eliminate shadows - producing a high-contrast image (with many grades of light and dark) - a number of shadows - and a somber mood






3. A term applied to film stock that is relatively insensitive to light. This stock will not yield acceptable images unless the amount of light can be carefully controlled






4. 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






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






6. A shot taken from a vantage point so close that only a part of the subject is visible. On an actor - it might show only an eye or a portion of the face






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






8. 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






9. 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






10. 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






11. Projecting a series of frames of film with the same image - which appears to stop the action






12. 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






13. 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






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






15. 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






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






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






18. The selection and ordering of narrative events presented in a film






19. 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






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






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






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






23. 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






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






25. A musical in which some or all musical numbers are not motivated by the narrative; for example - characters sing and dance throughout the film but at least some performances are not staged for an onscreen audience. Examples include Oklahoma - The umb






26. 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






27. The first step in the process of creating CGI. The wireframe is a three-dimensional computer model of an object - which is then rendered (producing the finished image) and animated (using simulated camera movement frame by frame)






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






29. 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






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






31. A brief chronological description of the basic events and characters in a film. It does not include interpretive or evaluative claims






32. A visual effect created when the subject in the frame is restricted by the objects or the physical properties of the set






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






34. 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






35. 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






36. A technique of running the motion picture camera at a speed slower than projection speed (24 frames per second) - in order to produce at a fast motion sequence when projected at normal speed. The term derives from early film cameras - which were cran






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






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






39. 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






40. Light emitted from a relatively small source positioned close to the subject. It tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections






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






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






43. A short documentary on current events - show in movie theaters along with cartoons and feature films beginning in the 1930s






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






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






46. 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






47. 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






48. 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






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






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