Film Practice Test

a hypothetical line drawn between two or more actors to keep the camera on a single side of the action so that if several shots with different distances or angles are edited together, the viewer's perspective remains consistent.

The camera remains in one spot but pivots horizontally across a scene; creates a sense of movement within the scene and often accentuates the speed of movement

screen is filled with some background and the full figures of any people involved; gives a sense of action within the scene

a cut in which the two shots are linked by visual, metaphysical, or verbal parallelism

A cut from one shot to another in which the two shots are connected logically by a character's eyeline. For example, a character looks in a specific direction with a specific angle of view and the next shot is some object that is placed exactly where we think he or she would be looking

to change focus from one subject to another during shot, guiding the audience's attention to a new point of interest while the previous one blurs

the instantaneous change from one shot to another by means of splicing the two shots together; the viewer must quickly react and readjust. They cause one shot to be noticeably mismatched to the next

a shot when the camera moves vertically (up/down)

A technique of cutting in which the camera switches between two interacting individuals. This typically involves one looking off screen to what we assume is the location of the second individual

the subject and the background (or foreground) are in clear focus; when used the director feels it is important that we should be aware of other action in the scene; often the subject is unaware of what we become aware of in the background action

A transition between two scenes when the first gradually fades out and the second gradually fades in with some overlap between the two; a gradual melting of one into the next.

placing the dominant object/person outside the exact middle of the screen

cutting between two or more actions to show their relationship to one another; frequently (though not always), such actions are happening at the same time.

the head of a person, a small object or part of an object, or a portion of an action fills the screen; stresses emotion or the importance of an action

shows a character from the waist up or the full figure of a seated character; used during dialogue to let viewer get close enough to the people to concentrate on what they are saying and their emotions and not be concerned with where they are

any voice, music, or sound effect presented as originating from a source within the film's world

leaving space in front of an object/character to show where it/he/she is headed

Normally used to set a scene and give the audience a sense of where the action takes place; it is generally the opening shot of a sequence; establishes location, mood or gives the viewer information about time and general situation

The practice of putting moving characters in the back third of the screen so the audience can see what they confront.

Using bright and dark colors to show contrast; using those contrasting colors to showcase an object.

One shot pushes or wipes the preceding shot off the screen

Sound such as mood music or a narrator's commentary represented as coming from a source outside the space of the narrative