Film Terminology

The buzz words that make movie buffs true movie buffs.

Scene vs. Shot

Shot:what is recorded by a

single, uninterrupted operation of the camera

when a camera starts to where it stops

Scene:section of film of

continuous action taking place in continuous time and space

usually contains multiple shots

Cut: 1. action of stopping the film (“Cut!”)

2. a strip of film

3. joining separate shots together. 4. a version of a movie (“director’s cu

t”)

Take: a version of a shot

Frame: (3 definitions)

1. a single picture from a strip of film 2. borders of the projected film on a

screen 3. to position the camera in such a way

that the subject is kept within the borders of the image

Collin Farrel in Phone Booth (2002)

Widescreen/Letterbox:a VHS or DVD version that is shown with

the same dimensions and ratios as the original (or close to it) theater version

Return of the King (2004)

Intertitles/ title cards:

printed material that appears periodically on the screen, most often used in silent films to give exposition, dialogue, thoughts, descriptions not shown.

D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Mise-en-scène::

French for “staging”; the composition and arrangement of a shot

The Graduate (1967) The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The Searchers (1956)

Rain Man (1988)

Open Space

Open space on screen that symbolizes isolation

Vanilla Sky 2001

Montage:

type of editing in which brief shots are used to present a condensation of time and events

Types of Types of Shots…Shots…

Close Up (CU):Close Up (CU):

shot of the headshot of the head

Close Shot (CS):Close Shot (CS):

shot of the head shot of the head and shouldersand shoulders

Braveheart (1995)

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

Establishing Shot (ES):Establishing Shot (ES):

a shot which defines and area or a shot which defines and area or settingsetting

The Searchers (1956)

Long Shot (LS)Long Shot (LS)

Aka: the Aka: the Full Shot Full Shot (FS)(FS): :

a shot of the entire a shot of the entire person and much of person and much of the backgroundthe background

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

Medium Shot (MS): Medium Shot (MS):

a shot between a a shot between a close shot and a close shot and a long shotlong shot

Bourne Identity (2002)

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Extreme Close Extreme Close Up (ECU):Up (ECU):

close up of a close up of a specific body specific body part: eye, part: eye, mouth, etc mouth, etc

Extreme Long Extreme Long Shot (ELS):Shot (ELS):

broad, broad, panoramic viewpanoramic view

Fellowship of the Rings (2001)

War of the Worlds (2005)

Objective Shot: Represents what

the camera sees

Subjective Shot: Represents what a

character sees

Memento (2000)

Point of View

Shot-reverse-Shot-reverse-

shotshot::alternating shots of characters in a alternating shots of characters in a

conversation so that the first person conversation so that the first person is seen, then the otheris seen, then the other

Notice how the camera is over this fellow’s shoulder.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Camera AnglesCamera Angles

1. The Bird's-Eye view

This shows a scene from directly This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. position, looking down on the action.

AKA- Angle of DestinyAKA- Angle of Destiny

2. High Angle

Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a their setting - they become part of a wider picture. wider picture.

3. Flat Angle

A fairly neutral shot; the camera is A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that eg actually observing a scene, so that eg actors' heads are on a level with the actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the approximately five to six feet from the ground at eye level.ground at eye level.

4. Low Angle

These increase height and give a These increase height and give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The added height of action of a scene. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen. figure on the screen.

5. Oblique/Canted Angle

Sometimes the camera is tilted, to Sometimes the camera is tilted, to suggest imbalance, transition and suggest imbalance, transition and instability. This technique is used to instability. This technique is used to suggest POINT-OF-View shots.suggest POINT-OF-View shots.

Camera MovementCamera Movement

Camera MovementCamera Movement

Pan: Pan: The camera moves horizontally The camera moves horizontally on a fixed base.on a fixed base.

Tilt: Tilt: The camera points up or down The camera points up or down from a fixed basefrom a fixed base

Tracking:Tracking: The camera moves The camera moves through space on a wheeled truck (or through space on a wheeled truck (or dolly), but stays in the same planedolly), but stays in the same plane

Camera MovementCamera Movement

Boom: The camera moves up or Boom: The camera moves up or down through space.down through space.

Zoom: Not a camera movement, but Zoom: Not a camera movement, but a shift in the focal length of the a shift in the focal length of the camera lens to give the impression camera lens to give the impression that the camera is getting closer to that the camera is getting closer to or farther from an objector farther from an object

Camera Transitions

Cut: One scene ends and the other

immediately begins. Fade: Fade-out (FO) when the light decreases to (usually) blackness. Fade-in (FI) when darkness gradually becomes lighter.

Camera Transitions

Dissolve: outgoing and incoming images merge—

one disappears to be replaced by another.

Form dissolve is when similar frames fade (bodies in the same location)

Camera Transitions

Wipe: One shot is pushed off the frame

by another shot replacing it. Jump Cut:

Is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject

are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly.

Sound in FilmDiagetic Sound:

Sound that has a source in the world of the story in the film, such as dialogue

spoken by characters, sounds made by objects, or music coming from a source in the story.

Non-Diagetic Sound: Sound coming from a source outside the

world of the story in the film. Usually part of the score or soundtrack and voice-overs.

Duration of ShotsDuration of Shots

SubliminalSubliminal: : a short but powerful a short but powerful shot of a character.shot of a character.

Long take: Long take: a a long takelong take or or oneroner is is an uninterrupted shot in a film which an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes.usually lasting several minutes.

Special EffectsSpecial Effects

Blue Screen:Blue Screen:

When you take a picture with a When you take a picture with a green green screenscreen or a or a blue screenblue screen background, background, some photo editors have some photo editors have a feature a feature called called "chroma key""chroma key" to to allow you to allow you to replace the green or blue replace the green or blue color with color with any background picture any background picture of your choice.of your choice.

Wayne’s World 1991

Matting:a masking/matting shot in which everything is blacked out except

for one portion. Ex: Iris shotSounds Effects:

Sound from a source other than the tracks bearing synchronized dialogue, narration, or music.

“James Bond” title montage

Special Effects

Internal Framing:Where a character is framed by,

for example, a doorway or window; this creates a frame within a frame and tends to emphasize the character,

drawing our attention particularly to him or her.

“The Shining” 1980