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Intro To Film Exam
Vocab Terms
59
Film, Theatre & Television
Undergraduate 3
12/10/2011

Additional Film, Theatre & Television Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Film Narrative
Definition
A film that is a string of accounts occurring in space and time, not just a cluster of random items but events connected by the logic of cause and effect.
Term
Diegesis
Definition
The implied world of the story, including settings, characters, sounds and events.
Term
Non-diegetic devices
Definition
Elements that exist outside the diegesis.
Term
Fabula
Definition
The chronological narrative, in its entirety, that implicitly stands behind the events depicted.
Term
Syuzhet
Definition
The selection and ordering of the actions explicitly presented on screen.
Term
Three-act Structure
Definition
The standard patterns that shapes narrative films. Act One: Exposition leads to turning point. Act Two: Complications lead to climax. Act Three: Action leading to resolution.
Term
Two-Part Structure
Definition
A structure that is reinforced by a change in setting and a parallel.
Term
Point-Of-View Shot
Definition
Occurs when the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character of a group of characters.
Term
Mise en Scene
Definition
Staging a scene through the artful arrangement of actors, scenery, lighting, and props -- everything that the audience sees. In a narrative film, mise en scene creates the look of the world of the story.
Term
freeze-frame
Definition
also called stop motion. an optical effect or technique in which a single frame of film is reprinted in a continuous series, which when shown gives the effect of a still photograph.
Term
typecasting
Definition
repeatedly casting an actor in the same kind of role. It can offer benefits to stars and studios.
Term
method-acting
Definition
Actors that inhabit the psychological reality of their characters. They immerse themselves in the feelings of the character and then connect those emotions to their own experiences to realize the performance.
Term
prostheses
Definition
three-dimensional makeup that is attached to actors' faces and bodies which can alter an actor's appearance.
Term
hard light
Definition
Light produced by a relatively small light source positioned close to the subject, tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections.
Term
soft light
Definition
Light that comes from a larger source that is diffused (scattered) over a bigger area or reflected off a surface before it strikes the subject, minimizes facial details, including wrinkles.
Term
available light
Definition
Natural light. Light that comes from the sun.
Term
three point lighting
Definition
A standard for Hollywood lighting effects designed to ensure the appropriate level of illumination and to eliminate shadows.
Term
key light
Definition
(Three-point lighting) The primary source of light -- the frontal lighting source aimed at the subject from a range of positions.
Term
fill light
Definition
(Three-point lighting) Light positioned on the opposite side of the subject from the key light.
Term
back light
Definition
(Three-point lighting) Light that visually separates subject from background.
Term
loose framing
Definition
Shots in which figures have a great deal of open space around them -- this may suggest freedom or isolation.
Term
tight framing
Definition
An image in which the lack of space around the subject contributes to a sense of constriction.
Term
chiaroscuro
Definition
using contrasting areas of lightness and darkness to create compositional effects.
Term
German expressionism
Definition
A series of visually distinctive German films, following World War I that dealt with German interests in mysticism and omens. Also called Caligarisme.
Term
scene
Definition
The production of several shots put together.
Term
long take
Definition
Uninterrupted shots of more than one minute.
Term
slow motion photography
Definition
The camera records images at a speed faster than that at which it is projected. When the film is projected at a standard rate the action appears to be slowed down.
Term
shot variables
Definition
Important variables for a shot: camera height, angle on the action and distance from the action.
Term
high angle shots
Definition
Shots where the camera is positioned above the character or action and aimed downward tend to minimize the subject.
Term
low angle shots
Definition
Shots which position the camera below the subject, aiming upward, often exaggerate the size and volume of the subject, including the human body.
Term
bird's eye shot
Definition
Also called an overhead shot, gives a unique perspective on the action from above.
Term
extreme long shots
Definition
A shot in which the human subject is very small in relation to the surrounding environment
Term
long shot
Definition
a shot that typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings.
Term
medium shots
Definition
a shot that situates the human body in the frame from the waist up.
Term
close up shots
Definition
A shot that closes in on a section of the body.
Term
pan shot
Definition
A shot that shows the horizontal turning motion of a camera fixed to a tripod.
Term
tracking shot
Definition
A shot that is accomplished by moving the camera, on a dolly, along a specially built track; traces movement laterally.
Term
Steadicam
Definition
A stabilizing device worn by the camera operator, which permits fluid camera movement and allows greater mobility than tracking shots and minimizes shakiness.
Term
normal lens
Definition
A lens that approximates the vision and perspective of the human eye.
Term
wide-angle lens
Definition
A lens that produces a wider angle of view than the human eye and exaggerates the frame's depth.
Term
telephoto lens
Definition
A lens that compresses the distance between objects at different distance from the lens; that is, the distance between foreground and background appears to be less than it actually is.
Term
zoom lens
Definition
A lens with a variable focal length. Zooming changes the size of the filmed subject without changing the distance between the subject and the camera.
Term
deep-focus cinematography
Definition
Cinematography in which objects remain in focus from positions very near the camera to points at some distance from it.
Term
matte paintings
Definition
Painted backdrops, typically used in establishing shots to convey a location.
Term
Kuleshov effect
Definition
The general principle that the meaning of a shot was determined not only by the material content of the shot, but also by its association with the preceding and succeeding shots.
Term
average shot length
Definition
The average length of a shot. The average shot in contemporary films is shorter than older films.
Term
shot/reverse shot
Definition
An editing technique that uses a standard shot pattern that directors use to film conversations between two characters.
Term
continuity editing
Definition
Editing in which cutting is so seamless from one shot to the next that audiences in the movie theater are not even aware that they are seeing an assembled sequence of images.
Term
establishing shot
Definition
a long shot designed to clarify when and where the scene is taking place in relation to the previous scene and to provide an overview of the entire setting.
Term
Soviet montage
Definition
A style of editing built around the theory that editing should exploit the differences between shots to produce meaning.
Term
soundtrack
Definition
A recording of the musical accompaniment to a movie.
Term
Three components of film sound
Definition
words, music, and environment sounds.
Term
Lumiere brothers
Definition
The creators of actualities: films that document everyday acts.
Term
ciema verite
Definition
Known as "direct cinema" and "observational documentaries", present events without any evidence of the director's perspective or judgments.
Term
mockumentaries
Definition
Fiction films (usually comical parody) that pose as documentaries by using familiar conventions.
Term
star persona
Definition
The personal image that is constructed across media outlets to finesse public perception.
Term
promotion
Definition
Materials intentionally released by a studio in order to market a particular film, but which often construct a star's image in the process.
Term
stars and subcultures
Definition
"When a subculture appropriates a star's image, it often goes "against the grain," drawing a significance from that image that may be overlooked by mainstream, and some star images come to embody this value system.
Term
diagonal lines, horizontal, vertical lines
Definition
Graphic elements that the human eye tends to responds to in decreasing degree of emphasis.
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