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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 flexible celluloid strip that - along with the emulsion layer - comprises 35mm film stock






2. A technique of cutting back and forth between action occurring in two different locations - which often creates the illusion that they are happening simultaneously. Also called 'cross cutting.'






3. 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






4. 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






5. A pan executed so quickly that it produces a blurred image - indicated rapid activity or - sometimes - the passage of time






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






7. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background






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






9. An alternative to continuity editing - this style of editing was developed in silent Soviet cinema - based on the theory that editing should exploit the difference between shots to generate intellectual and emotional responses in the audience






10. Also called 'd-cinema.' Not to be confused with digital cinematography (shooting movies on digital video) - this term refers to using digital technologies for exhibition






11. 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






12. Devices that attach to actors' faces and/or bodies to change their appearance






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






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






15. A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background






16. 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






17. A chemical embedded in the emulsion layer of film stock that - when developed after exposure - releases a particular color dye (red - green - or blue)






18. The measure of intensity or purity of a color. Saturated color is purer than desaturated color - which has more white in it and thus offers a washed-out - less intense version of a color






19. 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






20. 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






21. 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






22. 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






23. 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






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






25. A technique in which the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character or a group of characters. The camera points in the directions the character looks - simulating the character's field of vision






26. A lens with a variable focal length that allows changes of focal length while keeping the subject in focus






27. 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






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






29. Experimental film; Underground cinema;






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






31. An action film cycle of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured bold - rebellious African American characters






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






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






34. An alternative to classical and realist styles - formalism is a self-consciously interventionist approach that explores ideas - abstraction - and aesthetics rather than focusing on storytelling (as in classical films) or everyday life (as in realist






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






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






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






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






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






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






41. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






42. 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






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






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






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






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






47. A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens - which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame - while remaining in focus






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






49. A shot taken by a camera that is held manually rather than supported by a tripod - crane or Steadicam. Generally - such shots are shaky - owing to the motion of the camera operator






50. A filter that creates points of light that streak outward from a light source