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






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






3. A narrative moment that signals an important shift of some kind in character or situation






4. 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






5. 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






6. The technique of telling the story from an all-knowing character. Films that use restricted narration limit the audience's perception to what one particular character knows - but may insert moments of omniscience






7. 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






8. A machine used to create optical effects such as fades - dissolves - and superimpositions. Most are now created digitally






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






10. 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






11. The distance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens to the lane where the sharpest image is formed while focusing on a distant object






12. 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






13. Glass filters whose surface is etched with spots that refract light - so they create the appearance of water droplets in the air






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






15. 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






16. A process of blending the three elements of the sound track (dialogue - music - and effects) in post-production






17. A shot taken from a camera position below the subject






18. A character who in some way opposes the protagonist - leading to protracted conflict






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






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






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






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. Live action is filmed in front of a blue screen and a matte. It's then joined with the background footage






24. A genre film that radically modifies accepted genre conventions for dramatic effect






25. 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






26. 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






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






28. A system for recording images on magnetic tape using a digital signal - that is - an electronic signal comprised of 0s and 1s






29. A system for combining two separately filmed images in the same frame that involves create a matte (a black mask that covers a portion of the image) for a live action sequence and using it to block out a portion of the frame when filming the backgrou






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






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






32. A production term referring to coordinating actors' movements with lines of dialogue






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






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






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






36. Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews






37. A shot that includes a human figure from the shoulders up






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 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






40. Creating images during post-production by joining together photographic or CGI material shot or created at different times and places






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






42. Assists the editor with various tasks - including taking footage to the lab - checking the condition of the negative - cataloguing footage - and supervising optical effects - often produced by an outside company






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






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






45. 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






46. Author; A term popularized by French film critics and refers to film directors with their own distinctive style






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






48. An efficient system developed for film lighting. In a standard lighting set-up - the key light illuminates the subject - the fill light eliminates shadows cast by the key light - and the back light separates the subject from the background






49. A shot taken from a camera position above the subject - looking down at it






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







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