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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. 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






2. 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






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






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






5. 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






6. A device worn by a camera operator that holds the motion picture camera - allowing it glide smoothly through spaces unreachable by camera mounted on a crane or other apparatus






7. The practice of shooting during the day but using filters and underexposure to create the illusion of nighttime






8. A narrative approach that limits the audience's view of events to that of the main character(s) in the film. Occasional moments of omniscient narration may give viewers more information than the character shave at specific points in the narrative






9. The artful use of light and dark areas in the composition in black and white filmmaking






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






11. 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






12. 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






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






14. A group of films within a given genre that share their own specific set of conventions that differentiate them from other films in the genre. For example - the slasher film is a subgenre of the horror genre






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






16. A scene transition wherein sound from one scene bleeds over into the ext scene - often resulting in a contrast between sound image






17. A style of stage acting developed from the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky - which trains actors to get into character through the use of emotional memory






18. A non-standard narrative organization that assumes 'day in the life' quality rather than the highly structured three-act or four part narrative - and that features loose or indirect cause-effect relationships






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






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






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






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






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






24. Also called 'rushes.' Footage exposed and developed quickly so that the director can assess the day's work






25. 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






26. An animation technique that uses a computer program to interpolate frames to produce the effect of an object or creature changing gradually into something different. The program calculates the way the image must change in order for the first image to






27. 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






28. The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen






29. Muted - washed out color that contains more white than a saturated color






30. A painting used on the set as a portion of the background






31. 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






32. A digital technique developed by Industrial Light and Magic - which builds movement sequences from single frames of film






33. Filters that increase color saturation and contrast in outdoor shots






34. 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






35. A narrative - visual - or sound element that refers viewers to other films or works of art






36. An unstated meaning that underlies and is implied by spoken dialogue






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






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






39. Leaving the silver grains in the emulsion rather than bleaching them out - which produces desaturated color






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






41. The details of a character's past that emerge as the film unfolds - and which often play a role in character motivation






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






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






44. 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






45. 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






46. A scene filmed and processed but not selected to appear in the final version of the film






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






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






49. 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






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