Film%20Terminology

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Film Terminology

• Shots and Framing

Camera Angles
Camera Movements
Lighting
Editing Techniques
Sound
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Part 1
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Shots and Framing

• The following 7 words describe the ways in which
  a film director can frame the picture we see when
  we watch his or her film.

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Shot

• A single piece of film uninterrupted by editing
  cuts.

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Establishing Shot

• Often a long shot or a series of shots that set
  the scene. It is used to establish setting.

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Long Shot

• A shot from some distance. If filming a person ,
  the full body of that person is shown. This shot
  may show or reveal isolation or vulnerability of
  a character.

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Medium Shot

• The most common shot. The camera seems to be a
  medium distance from the character or object
  being filmed. A medium shot shows a person from
  the waist up and may ground the story.

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Close Up

• The image being shot takes up at least 80 of the
  frame.

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Extreme Close Up

• The image being shot is part of a whole. Instead
  of filming the whole face, This shot focuses on
  an eye, or a hand.

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Two Shot

• A scene between two people is shot exclusively
  from an angle that includes both characters
  equally. It is used in love scenes where the
  interaction between the characters is important.

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Camera Angles

• The following 3 words describe the ways in which
  a film director uses camera angles to reflect
  mood, tone, and character traits.

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Eye Level

• A shot taken from normal height the characters
  eye level. 90-95 of shots in a film are eye
  level shots because it is the most natural angle.

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High Angle

• The camera is above the subject. This usually has
  the effect of making the subject look smaller
  than normal, giving him or her the appearance of
  being weak, powerless and trapped.

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Low Angle

• The camera films the subject from below. This
  usually has the effect of making the subject look
  larger then normal, and therefore strong,
  powerful, and threatening.

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Camera Movement

• The following 5 words describe the ways in which
  a film director can move the camera in order to
  follow a moving scene and create action.

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Pan

• A Stationary camera moves from side to side on a
  horizontal axis.

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Tilt

• A stationary camera moves up or down along a
  vertical axis.

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Zoom

• A stationary camera where the lens moves to make
  an object seem to move closer or further away
  from the camera. With this technique, moving into
  a character is often personal or revealing, while
  moving away distances or separates the audience
  from the character.

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Dolly/Tracking

• The camera is on a track that allows it to move
  with the action. The term also refers to any
  camera mounted on a car, truck, or helicopter.

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Boom/Crane

• The camera is on a crane over the action. This is
  used to create overhead shots.

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Part 2
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Lighting

• The following 4 words describe the ways in which
  a film director uses lighting to create mood,
  drama, and suspense.

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High Key

• The scene is flooded with light, creating a
  bright and open-looking scene.

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Low Key

• The scene is flooded with shadows and darkness,
  creating suspense or suspicion.

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Bottom/Side Lighting

• Direct lighting from below or the side, which
  often makes the subject appear dangerous or evil.

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Front/Back Lighting

• Soft lighting on the actors face or from behind
  gives the appearance of innocence or goodness, or
  a halo effect.

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Editing Techniques

• The following 8 words describe the ways in which
  a film director can edit the film in order to
  better tell a story sequentially. These are cues
  for the audience.

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Cut

• Most common editing technique. Two pieces of film
  are spliced together to cut to another image.

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Fade

• Can be to or from black or white. A fade can
  begin in darkness and gradually assume full
  brightness (fade-in) or the image may gradually
  get darker (fade-out). A fade often implies that
  time has passed or may signify the end of a scene.

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Dissolve

• a kind of fade in which one image is slowly
  replaced by another. It can create a connection
  between images.

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Wipe

• A new image wipes off the previous image. A wipe
  is more fluid than a cut and quicker than a
  dissolve.

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Flashback

• Cut or dissolve to action that happened in the
  past.

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Shot-Reverse-Shot

• A shot of one subject, then another, then back to
  the first. It is often used for conversation or
  reaction shots.

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Cross Cutting

• Cut into action that is happening simultaneously.
  This technique is also called parallel editing.
  It can create tension or suspense and can form a
  connection between scenes.

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Eye-Line Match

• Cut to an object, then to a person. This
  technique shows what a person seems to be looking
  at and can reveal a characters thoughts.

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Sound

• The following 2 words describe the ways in which
  a film director can use sound to enhance specific
  scenes and /or create suspense, action, and
  drama.

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Diegetic

• Sound that could logically be heard by the
  characters in the film.

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Non-Diegetic

• Sound that cannot be heard by the characters but
  is designed for audience reaction only. An
  example might be ominous music for foreshadowing.