Film Vocab Test #1

Terms in this set (29)

Cinematic Language

Composed not of words, but of myriad integrated techniques and concepts

joining together of discrete shots

an unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of a motion-picture camera

Fade-out/Fade-in

transition meant to convey a passage of time between scenes, the last shot of a scene grows gradually darker until the screen is rendered black for a moment/the first shot of the next scene comes out of the darkness

Cutting on action

ending the first shot in the middle of a continuing action and start the connecting shot at some point further along in the same action

Implicit meaning

meaning that lies below the surface of a movie's story and presentation

Explicit meaning

meaning available on the surface of a movie

Formal analysis

analytical approach primarily concerned with film form

means by which a subject is expressed

camera moves slowly towards the subject

an elemental system of film that composes design elements such as lighting, setting, film, props, costumes, and makeup within individual shots

an elemental system of film organized into a series of dialogue, music, ambience, and effect tracks

acts that establish, develop, and resolve character conflict

Editing (film form)

individual shots ordered into sequences, sequences into scenes, and scenes into movies

subject of an artwork

means by which the subject is expressed

Persistance of vision

process by which the human brain retains an image for a fraction of second longer than the eye records it

illusion of movement created by two events that succeed each other rapidly

Critical flicker fusion

occurs when a single light flickers on and off with such speed that the individual pulses of light fuse together to give the illusion of continuous light

the process by which an agent, structure, or other formal element, whether human or technological, transfers something from one place to another

an interest or concern for the actual or real, a tendency to view or represent things as they really are

an interest in or concern for the abstract, speculative, or fantastic

usually present people, places, or processes in straightforward ways meant to entertain and instruct without unduly influencing the audience

Instructional films

seek to educate viewers about common interests, rather than persuading them to accept particular ideas

Persuasive films

originally called documentary films until the term evolved to refer to all nonfiction films; the founding purpose of persuasive documentaries was to address social injustice, but today any documentary concerned with presenting a particular perspective on social issues or with corporate and governmental injustice of any kind could be considered persuasive

Propaganda films

systematically disseminates deceptive or distorted information

nonfiction filmmaking style that eschews interviews and even limits the use of narrators

Stream of consciousness

attempt to capture the unedited flow of experience through the mind

categorization of narrative films by the stories they tell and the ways they tell them

;