Test your basic knowledge |

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 chemical coating on film stock containing light-sensitive grains






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






3. The person in charge of planning the style and look of the film with the production designer and director of photography - working with actors during principal photography - and collaborating with the editor on the final version






4. 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






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






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






7. Dense accumulation of detail conveyed in the opening moments of a film






8. 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






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






10. A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites the audience to compare the two. It may involve visual - narrative - and/or sound elements






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






12. An attribute of newer television monitors - where each frame is scanned by the electron beam as a single field. If slowed down - each frame would appear on the monitor in its entirety on the screen - rather than line by line - as is the case with int






13. A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character's line of vision as motivation for a cut






14. The rules of character - setting - and narrative that films that belong to a genre - such as Westerns - horror films - and screwball comedies - generally obey.






15. Secondary footage that is interspersed with master shots - sometimes in the form of footage shot for another production or archival footage






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






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






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






19. A shot that contains two characters within the frame






20. An effect created when too little light strikes the film during shooting. As a result the image will contain dark areas that appear very dense and dark (including shadows) and the overall contrast will be less than with a properly exposed image






21. 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






22. A lens with a focal length greater than 50 mm (usually between 80mm and 20mm) - which provides a larger image of the subject than a normal or wide-angle lens but which narrows the angle of vision and flattens the depth of the image relative to normal






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 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






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






26. A form of shot transition - generally concluding a scene - where a circular mask constricts around the image until the entire frame is black






27. A technique of arranging the actors on the set to take advantage of deep focus cinematography - which allows for many planes of depth in the film frame to remain in focus






28. 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






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






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






31. 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






32. The arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline






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






34. Standard shot pattern: A sequence of shots designed to maintain spatial continuity. Scene begin with an establishing shot - then move to a series of individual shots depicting characters and action - before reestablishing shots re-orient viewers to t






35. Recording images at a slower speed than the speed of projection (24 frames per second). Before cameras were motorized - this was called undercranking. Fewer frames are exposed in one minute - so - when projected at 24 f.p.s. - that action takes less






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






37. The practice or repeatedly casting actors in similar roles across different films






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






39. A direct vocal address to the audience - Which may emanate from a character or from a narrative voice apparently unrelated to the diegesis






40. Sound recorded on a set - on location - or - for documentary film - at an actual real-world event - as opposed to dubbed in post-production through ADR or looping






41. 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






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






43. A change of focus from one plane of depth to another. As the in-focus subject goes out of focus - another object - which has been blurry - comes into focus in either the background or the foreground






44. 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






45. A production term denoting a single uninterrupted series of frames exposed by a motion picture or video camera between the time it is turned on and the time it is turned off. Filmmakers shoot several takes of any scene and the film editor selects the






46. A class or type of film - such as the Western or the horror movie. They share narrative - visual - and/or sound conventions






47. A glass element on a camera that focuses light rays so that the image of the object appears on the surface of the film






48. A lens with a shorter focal length than a normal or telephoto lens (usually between 15-35mm). The subject appears smaller as a result - but the angle of vision is wider and an illusion is created of greater depth in the frame






49. 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






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