Cinema

Question 1

film

Answer 1

A highly collaborative art form that is an aesthetic expression through the manipulation of 3 dimensional space, time, light, movement, and sound that is recorded on a 2 dimensional photographic celluloid medium.

Question 2

narrative film

Answer 2

Films that tell stories – with characters, places and events – conceived in the minds of the films creators. The stories may be wholly imaginary or based on true occurrences, realistic or unrealistic or both.

Question 3

documentary film

Answer 3

Nonfiction films, originally created to address social injustice, that uses ‘actuality’ footage, which may include the live recording of events and relevant research material. This type of film is usually informed from a particular point of view, and seeks to address a particular social issue which is related to and potentially affects the audience.

Question 4

absolute film

Answer 4

Film that exists for its own sake, for its record of movement or form. It does not tell a story and is created piece by piece through editing, special effects or through multiple printing techniques. It is rarely longer than 12 minutes and is not created for commercial intent but for artistic experience.

Question 5

film genres

Answer 5

The categorization of narrative films by form, content or both. Genres include musical, comedy, biography, western, film noir, etc.

Question 6

frame

Answer 6

The smallest building block in the creation of a film. It is a recorded image, a photograph, that is roughly four fifths on an inch wide by three fifths of an inch high. It is run through a projector at 24 frames per second.

Question 7

persistence of vision

Answer 7

An optical phenomenon, which according to legend was discovered by Ptolemy sometime around the second century, that theorizes that the eye takes a fraction of a second to record an impression of an image and send it to the brain. Once the impression is received, the eye retains it on the retina for about one-tenth of a second after the actual image has disappeared. This phenomenon, in conjunction with the stop and go shutter mechanism on a film projector, allows the retained images to blend into each other and give the viewer the impression of movement.

Question 8

shot

Answer 8

What the camera records over a particular period of time, and is the basic unit of filmmaking.

Question 9

establishing shot

Answer 9

A long shot introduced at the top of a scene to establish the interrelationship of details, a time, or a place which will be elaborated on in subsequent shots.

Question 10

master shot

Answer 10

A single shot of the entire action of a scene. It becomes the foundation to which additional component shots are edited into in the creation of the final composition of a scene.

Question 11

long shot

Answer 11

A shot taken from a considerable distance from the camera. Generally, the main characters or objects fill up less than half the screen.

Question 12

medium shot

Answer 12

A shot that is taken closer to the subject and much of the time contains two characters. Generally, the main characters or objects fill up about half the screen.

Question 13

close up

Answer 13

A shot that focuses on the face of a character and informs the viewer of their current emotional state. Generally, the main characters or objects fill up more than half the screen.

Question 14

camera viewpoint

Answer 14

The position and angle of the camera while shooting.

Question 15

subjective viewpoint

Answer 15

This is where the camera’s viewpoint creates the illusion of being inside of the action of the story, as if seen through the eyes of one of the films characters.

Question 16

objective viewpoint

Answer 16

This is where the camera’s viewpoint is from outside the action of the story, giving the viewer an omniscient frame of understanding.

Question 17

dissolves

Answer 17

Transitional devices used between shots.

Question 18

fade in/fade out

Answer 18

A transition that allows for a second of darkness between shots.

Question 19

lap dissolve

Answer 19

A transition where a Fade in and Fade out happen simultaneously.

Question 20

iris in/iris out

Answer 20

A transition that closes the shot down to a circular point or opens out from a circular point.

Question 21

wipe

Answer 21

A device that uses a line to shift from one shot into another. It also can allow two scenes to happen at the same time.

Question 22

mise en scene

Answer 22

(MEEZ on sen) Composition of the individual frame – the overall style and arrangement of the visual whole that includes the settings, costumes, the relationship of objects, people and masses; the interplay of light and shadow and the pattern of color.

Question 23

focus

Answer 23

The manner in which the lens is adjusted can add meaning to a scene.

Question 24

depth of focus

Answer 24

This is when the lens clearly shows both near and distant objects at the same time.

Question 25

rack or differential focus

Answer 25

This occurs when the lens focuses on the main object of interest clearly and the remainder of the scene is blurred or out of focus.

Question 26

movement

Answer 26

There are 3 types of movement that can be manipulated for a variety of meanings in a sceneprimary, secondary and tertiary.

Question 27

primary movement

Answer 27

Movement of objects, people and masses within the frame of the camera.

Question 28

secondary movement

Answer 28

Movement of the camera while shooting.

Question 29

pan

Answer 29

Horizontal movement of the camera while keeping it fixed vertically.

Question 30

tilt

Answer 30

Vertical or diagonal movement of the camera.

Question 31

dolly shot

Answer 31

Physically moving the camera towards or away from the subject on a wheeled cart.

Question 32

track shot

Answer 32

a shot taken as the camera is moving in the same direction, speed and in the same place as the object being photographed.

Question 33

cinemavVerite/hand held

Answer 33

The term means “camera truth” in French. It is when the camera is carried by the camera operator and used to give the illusion of immediacy, being right within the action.

Question 34

tertiary movement

Answer 34

Movement created by the splicing together (editing) of shots or frames that give a feeling of movement. A cartoon is an example of this movement.

Question 35

plasticity

Answer 35

The quality of the medium of film to be cut, spliced and ordered accordingly to the needs of the film and the desires of the filmmaker.

Question 36

editing

Answer 36

The composition of a film through the means of splicing together various shots and sound tracks in an order that creates meaning.

Question 37

jump cut

Answer 37

A cut that breaks the continuity of time by jumping forward from one part of the action to another part that obviously is separated from the first by an interval of time, location or camera position.

Question 38

form or match cut

Answer 38

A cut from an image in a shot to a different object that has a similar shape or contour; it is used primarily to make a smoother transition from one shot to another.

Question 39

montage

Answer 39

A rapid sequence of shots that bring together associated ideas or images; maybe used to as an indication of the compression or elongation of time. Musical underscore is usually incorporated in a montage sequence.

Question 40

crosscut/parallel editing

Answer 40

Alternating between two independent lines of action that are related by plot or thematically, through editing to give the impression of simultaneous occurrence.

Question 41

flashback

Answer 41

An editing device for presenting or reawakening the memory of the camera, a character, the audience or all three; a cut from the narrative present to a past event.

Question 42

flash forward

Answer 42

An editing device for presenting the anticipation of the camera, a character, the audience or all three; a cut from the narrative present to a future time.

Question 43

film sound

Answer 43

All aural effects to create meaning and affect emotional impact of the visual elements of film.

Question 44

extrinsic music

Answer 44

Music that comes from outside of the action of the film and underscores the emotional impact of a scene.

Question 45

intrinsic music

Answer 45

Music that comes from within a scene. It can either be qualified, where the viewer sees a source, or implied based on the circumstances of the plot.

Question 46

pure dramatic music

Answer 46

Music specifically composed for the film.

Question 47

adapted music

Answer 47

Music adapted and rerecorded from already existing written music.

Question 48

Foley sounds

Answer 48

Sounds that are added to the film after shooting to fill out the natural sounds recorded during a scene, such as gunshots, natural environmental sounds and footsteps. Named for Jack Foley (1891-1967), who developed the technique.

Question 49

director

Answer 49

The chief collaborator or author of a film. Their job is to unify the overall compositional elements of filmmaking into a finished form or final cut. An “auteur” is a film director, who through years of experience, has created a unique style and controlling vision for their films and how they are put together.

Question 50

cinematographer/director of photography

Answer 50

This person is responsible for the cinematographic properties of the shot (film, light and lenses), framing the shot in an aesthetic manner, speed and length of shot and special effects. They unify the mise en scene of a film.

Question 51

production designer

Answer 51

This person is responsible for all visual environments and objects within an environment of a film shot; whether the settings are found or created on a sound stage.

Question 52

costume designer

Answer 52

This person is responsible for all clothing worn by the actors in a film.

Question 53

editor

Answer 53

This person works with the director to create meaning and structure through the editing of a film.

Question 54

screen writer

Answer 54

the person who creates the script.

Question 55

composer

Answer 55

the person who writes the music for the sound track