film and literature terms (yes, you will need to take notes)
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Film and Literature Terms
(Yes, you will need to take notes)
General Terms
• Shot• Scene• Montage• Storyboard
Shot
• A basic unit of film• An unbroken strip of film that is unedited
Kinds of Shots
• Long shot• Medium (Mid) shot• Close Up• Reverse Shot• Subjective Shot/Point of View Shot• Low angle• High angle
Long Shot
• Usually but not always, the starting shot of a film
• An overall view of the entire scene– Think of it as watching a play
• Sets the scene• When looking at a person you will see their
entire body
Examples of Long Shots
Long Shot from Eyes Wide Shut
Long Shot from Men in Black
Long Shot from Titanic
Medium (Mid) Shot
• A shot from a middle distance (fairly close)• Focuses on the subject but also can give
background information• On a person this will show the individual from
the knees or waist up
Medium (Mid) Shot
Mid Shot from The Wizard of Oz
Mid Shot from 30 Rock
Mid shot from The Pursuit of Happiness
Close Up
• Focuses on the individuals face• Meant to show expressions or reactions• Provides a detailed view• On a person this shot shows a persons head or
head and shoulders
Close Ups
Close up from Harry Potter
Close up from Avatar
Close up from The Color of Paradise
Reverse shot
• Two or more shots edited together• Used to alternate between characters– May be used for conversations
Monster's Inc. Reverse Shot
Subjective or POV (point of view) Shot
• Created to allow the audience to see the scene from a characters view point
• Places the camera where the characters eyes would be
• Allows the audience to see what the character sees
Subjective POV Shot
Subjective POV
Peking Opera Blues
Montage
• A type of editing in which several, discontinuous or unrelated clips are brought together
• This is used to compress time (bring everything together)
• Linked through similar sound or music• Used to show the relationship between shots• Created by Soviet film makers
Types of Camera Angles
• Low Angle• High Angle• Birds-eye View
Low Angle
• Filmed from below• The camera is low and shoots in an upward
direction• Used to make the audience feel like they are
below the object of focus (smaller in size)
Low Angle Shot from Alice in Wonderland
High Angle• Filmed from above• The camera shoots from a high point facing
downward• Used to make the audience feel as though
they are above the object in focus (larger than)
High Angle camera shot from The Godfather
High Angle and Low Angle
Example of High and Low Angle shots in Scrubs
Bird’s-Eye View
• A shot done from an overhead view point• This shot puts the audience in an “all-
knowing”, “all-seeing” position• Has the ability to make objects look
insignificant
Bird’s-Eye View
Bird’s-Eye View of the Bellagio Hotel
Camera Movements
• Pan• Tilt• Tracking/Dolly
Pan
• A fixed camera moves horizontally from left to right or right to left
• The camera is stationary (DOES NOT MOVE)• Used to illustrate the need for a quick decision
due to a character’s lack of time• Mimics a moving head
Pan
Traffic
Tilt
• Taken from a stationary camera set at an angle or “tilt”
• Focuses on vertical movement (up and down or down and up)
• Camera DOES NOT MOVE
Tilt
Besieged
Tracking/Dolly
• A moving camera that is mounted on a tracker• Used to follow a characters actions or
movements• Creates a sense of relationship with the
character because the audience moves WITH them
Tracking/Dolly
Editing
• Cut• Fade• Dissolve• Iris• Freeze Frame• Superimposition
Cut
• To edit a shot• A simple break where two shots are joined
together
Dancer in the Dark
Types of Cuts
• Jump Cut• Cross cut
Jump Cut
• An abrupt transition between shots• This cut is used to illustrate breaks in
continuity• Used to illustrate the difficulty of telling a
complex story in film• This type of film cut is mostly associated with
music videos and alternative film making (Indy Films)
Jump Clip
Dancer in the Dark
Cross Cut
• Cutting back and forth between two or more separate scenes
• This suggests that the events occur at the same time
• Used to heighten tension and suspense
Cross Cut
Yi Yi
Fade
• Gradual darkening of the image until it becomes black (Fade Out)
• Gradual brightening of darkness until it becomes visible (Fade In)
Dissolve
• Fading out on one shot while fading in on another shot at the same time
• The first shot will gradually disappear as the second shot gradually appears
• For a few seconds, the two clips will be superimposed
Dissolve
The Stendhal Syndrome
Iris
• Rarely used in contemporary film (current day)• Often used in silent films• The camera lens gradually opens or closes
over the scene• Meant to mimic when the iris of the eye opens
and closes to widen or narrow an image• This will be signified by blackness around the
edges of the scene
Iris
Neighbors
Freeze Frame
• Single frame that is reprinted a number of times
• This gives the illusion of a still photo rather than a moving film clip
• Mimics a stop or freeze in time
Superimposition
• Does not signify a transition in film• Used to allow an actor to appear
simultaneously as two characters in a scene
Sound
• Soundtrack• Score• Sound Effects• Voice-Over
Soundtrack
• The dialogue and sound effects of a scene• Should indicate something that the images
don’t (usually emotion or feelings)
Score
• The musical soundtrack of a film
Sound Effects
• Sounds added to provide realism• All sounds that are neither dialogue (talking)
or soundtrack (music)
Voice-Over
• Spoken word placed over the film and dialogue
• Is not filmed at the same time as the clip it is used over
• Often used to convey a character’s thoughts or memories
• This is often used in biography or film noire films
Voice-Over
Ice Storm
Storyboard• A graphic organizer for film• Resembles a comic book• A series of sketches that lays out the set-ups of
the shots• Helps the film-maker visualize a film before it is
made• Each sketch identifies:– Kind of shot– Angle– Description of the shot– How long the shot will be
Storyboard