Midterm Flashcards
(91 cards)
1
Q
movie
A
short for motion pictures
2
Q
film
A
more of an academic or professional reference to a movie
3
Q
cinematic language
A
the visual vocab of a film
4
Q
kinesis
A
greek word meaning movement
5
Q
shot
A
an unbroken span of action captured uninterrupted.
6
Q
cut
A
direct change of a shot from one to another
7
Q
narrative
A
all feature length films share this basic element because it tells a story
8
Q
editing
A
joining together of discrete shots
9
Q
analysis
A
taking something apart to figure out how it fits together and out what it is made of
10
Q
formal analysis
A
analytical approach primarily concerned with film form or the means which the subject is expressed
11
Q
low angle shot
A
shows strength, power, nobility, a threat, dominance
12
Q
high angle shot
A
shows inferiority, dominated by someone or something
13
Q
fade-in, fade-out
A
signifies a beginning or end.
14
Q
cutting on action
A
common editing technique designed to hide the instantaneous and potentially jarring shift from one camera viewpoint to another
15
Q
implicit
A
lies below the surface in a film
16
Q
explicit
A
available on the surface of a film
17
Q
form
A
means by which a subject is expressed
18
Q
Motif
A
a recurring cinematic element that in some ways defines the story
19
Q
Dolly
A
the physical movement of the camera either “in” or towards an object or “out” or away.
20
Q
Duration
A
length of screen time of a shot
21
Q
Point of view (POV)
A
the perspective (personal or psychological) suggested by the shot
22
Q
Depth of Field
A
the slice of the depth in front of the camera that is in focus
23
Q
Cinematic language
A
the tools and techniques filmmakers use to convey meaning and mood
24
Q
Mise-en-scène
A
visual design elements of a movie
25
Sound
dialogue, music, ambience, sound effects in a film
26
Sequences
a series of shots unified by theme or purpose
27
Scenes
complete units of plot action
28
Content
subject of an artwork (what it is about)
29
Narrative Form
arrangement of events that make up a story in a film. (fiction in film)
30
MacGuffin
an object, document, or secret within a story that is of vital importance to the characters, and motivates actions, but in the end turns out to be less significant to the to the overall narrative that first expected.
31
Light
essential ingredient in film when a camera lens focuses light onto the film stock and without it a film could not be made
32
Parallel editing
two things are shown happening in a film at the same time. (locations)
33
Persistence of Vision
process by which the human brain retains images for a fraction of a second longer than the eye records it – gives us the impression of movement
34
Phi phenomenon
the illusion of movement created by events that succeed each other rapildy
35
Critical Flicker Fusion
occurs when a single light flickers on and off with such speed the individual pulses of light fuse together for an illusion of continuous light
36
Realism
tendency to view or represent things as they really are
37
Anti-realism
an interest in or concern for the abstract, speculative or fantastic
38
Verisimilitude
convincing appearance of truth
39
Andy and Lana Wachowski
The Matrix uses serial photography which was used early on in the development of film
40
Lumière brothers
made early films based on realism
41
George Méliès
made anti-realism films or fantasy films in the early 1900s
42
Narrative structure
exposition of rising action until the crisis peaks, then descends to climax and falling action.
43
Genre
categorization of narrative films by the stories they tell
44
Types of films
narrative, documentary, experimental
45
American dominant genres
- Gangster - Film Noir (dark film) - Science Fiction - Horror - The Western - The Musical
46
Documentary approaches:
factual, instructive, persuasive, propaganda
47
Leni Riefenstahl
propaganda filmmaker for Hitler
48
Experimental movies (Avant-garde) types are
formal, self-reflexive, satirical, sexual
49
Hybrid film
fusion of two types of films (like narrative and documentary mixed)
50
Animation
hand-drawn, stop-motion, cel animation, digital
51
Narrative
cinematic structure in which filmmakers have selected and arranged events n a cause-and-effect sequence occurring over time
52
Narration
act of telling the story
53
Narrator
who or what tells the story
54
Possible narrators
first-person, third-person, omniscient, restricted
55
Round characters
more lifelike, complex personalities that may change as story progresses
56
Flat characters
few distinct traits and do not change as story progresse
57
Protagonist
primary character pursuing a goal
58
Antagonist
person, creature, force responsible for obstructing protagonist
59
Anti-hero
unsympathetic protagonist chasing a less than noble goal (thief)
60
Narrative structure of a film
is usually in three acts: Beginning (Act I), Middle (Act II), End (Act III
61
Story
contains explicit, implicit events in a film
62
Plot
contains explicit, non-diegetic material in a film
63
Plot duration
elapsed time of events within a story that the film explicitly presents
64
Setting
consists of time and place in which a story occurs
65
Diegetic
what is seen and heard on the screen from inside the world of the story of a film
66
Non-diegetic
what is seen and heard on the screen from outside the world of a story of a film
67
Mise-en-scène
French term for the staging or putting on an action or scene; overall look and feel of a movie
68
Design
process by which the look of settings, props, lighting, actors is determined
69
Functions of Design: -
Expresses movie’s vision - Sense of time, space and moods - Character’s state of mind - Relates to developing themes
70
Composition
organization, distribution, balance, general relationship of actors, objects within the space of each shot
71
Frame
combination of lighting, color, movement of actors and other visual elements
72
CGI
computer-generated special effects which has changed how movies are now made
73
Props
any item or object placed in a scene or handled by a character
74
Director of photography
also the cinematographer, who controls the light, framing of a film
75
Chiaroscuro
lighting technique that uses deep gradations, subtle variations of light and dark to emphasize the struggle between good and evil
76
Production Designer
responsible for overall design concept of a film creating continuity, balance and dramatic emphasis
77
Elements of Design
setting, décor, properties, lighting, costume, make-up, and hairstyle
78
setting
spatial and temporal environment where narrative takes place
79
Décor
color and textures of the interior decoration, furniture, draperies and curtains
80
Properties (Props)
objects that help us understand characters by showing preferences
81
Soundstage
windowless, soundproof, professional shooting environment
82
Two fundamental styles of design:
realistic, fantastic
83
Soviet filmmakers (1920s – 1930s) –
used documentary style with dynamic editing. Two contradictory forces that created a new impact in films
84
Italian Neorealism
used nonprofessional actors, natural lighting and shooting on location to tell stories of the poor getting poorer, and the rich getting away with illegal acts
85
German Expressionism
objective expression to subjective human feelings and emotions through design elements
86
Composition
framing and kinesis (movement)
87
Offscreen space
outside the frame
88
Onscreen space
inside the frame
89
Blocking
planning the positions and movements of actors and cameras during shooting
90
Open frames
frame becomes a “window” with characters moving freely in the environment. Used in realistic films
91
Closed frames
frame limits the world, providing only one view. Limits characters movement and generally used in anti-realistic films
