Film Study - Terms
Top lighting
light source above the subject, leaving shadows below, creating a shimmery effect
Under lighting
light source below the subject leaving shadow above
Back lighting
light source opposite the camera and behind the subject which appears as a silhouette
Front lighting
light source pointed directly at the subject, flattening the surface without shadows
Side lighting
light source to one side of the subject, leaving shadow on one side.
Lighting
most categorized element of mise-en-scene. Illumination of an image/frame by direction and source. (Divided in 5 direction, 3 source + 3 main combinations)
Lighting Combinations
Many combinations of light direction and source, three most common are: three point lighting, high-key lighting and low-key lighting
Jump cut
A break or jump in a shot's continuity of time, caused by removing a section of a shot then splicing together what remains of it. On screen, its often abrupt and jerky
Deep focus
A focus in which all objects from close foreground to distant background are seen in sharp definition
Match on action
A juxtaposition of shots that carries a movement across the break between two shots
Zoom Lens
A lens optically designed to permit the continuous varying of focal length
Wide-angle lens (or short-focus lens)
A lens which gives a wide field of view and exaggerates depth. Provides greatest depth of field.
Angel Light
A light which rounds off a composition, creating a slight shimmer
Normal Lens
A medium-focal length lens which minimizes perspective distortion
Follow focus
A moving shot in which a person or object is kept in focus by continually adjusting the focus of the lens
180' rule
A principle of spatial continuity designed to assure a smooth flow between two shots in a single scene. The axis of action is formed along an imaginary line and, according to the rule, the camera position must be kept on a single side of that line
Rack focus
A shot in which focus changes, bring certain objects into focus and making others blur
Long take
A shot lasting considerably longer than an average shot, to the extent that the lack of editing becomes noticeable
Fade-in
A shot that begins in darkness and gradually assumes full brightness
Fade-out
A shot that gradually assumes darkness
Iris-in
A shot that opens from darkness in an expanding circle of light
Sequence shot
A single shot that lasts for the duration of an entire scene or sequence. (All sequence shots are also long takes, but not all long takes are sequence shots)
Close-up
Traditionally, the shot that stresses facial expression, details of gesture or important objects
Glance-object cut
A transition from a character looking off screen to a shot of what the character sees
Fill Light
A weak light, used to fill in, soften, or eliminate shadows cast by the key light
Eye-line match
An editing technique whereby characters separated into different shots appear to look at each other because of the direction of their glances
Camera LENS
An optical system which concentrates, disperses, or changes the the direction of light rays to form an image. Chief variable: FOCAL LENGTH. Distinguished on the basis of their effects on perspective.
Graphic match
Any juxtaposition of graphically similar images
Rhythmic match
Any juxtaposition of images with actions moving at similar rates of speed
Telephoto Lens (or long-focus lens)
Any lens of greater than normal length. Generally the space of the shot is flattened: depth is reduced and the planes seem foreshortened, squashed together.
EDITING
Any means used to connect shots. Editing may be used to create graphic, rhythmic, spatial, and temporal relationships among shots
Tracking (or dolly) shot
Camera as a whole changes position, travelling in any direction along the ground. Variation: trucking shot = traveling at high speed
Tilt
Camera moves up and down from a fixed position along a vertical plane
Extreme long shot
Figures barely visible. Usually an establishing shot of landscape, cities etc.
Long shot
Figures more prominent, but backgrounf still dominates. Usually establishing shot of interiors.
Medium shot
Framed the human body from the waist up
Medium long shot (or plan americain)
Frames the human body from the knees up
REFUSAL of editing
In certain instances, filmmakers will refrain from editing, choosing to sustain a shot without any interruption. Two relevant terms are long take and sequence shot
Mise-en-scene
In film signifies all elements that appear in front of the camera. Either the elements themselves (props, costumes, sets etc.) or their effects (lighting) are visible in the frame.
Slow motion
Objects are filmed at high camera speeds but projected at regular speed
Fast motion
Objects are filmed at slow camera speeds but projected at regular speed. Time-lapse cinematography which can show a flower opening in a few secs, is an extreme form of fast motion cinematography
Reverse angle
Shot taken from the opposite point of view to the preceding one; often, a reaction shot in a dialogue sequence
Extreme close-up
Singles out portion of the face (eyes or lips), isolates a detail
Soft focus
The blurred or hazy effect achieved by shooting slightly out of focus or through gauze, vaseline, or a similar medium.
Straight-on or eye-level
The camera is located at normal eye level in relation to the subject
High Angle
The camera is positioned above the subject and shoots down at it
Low Angle
The camera is positioned below the subject
Crane
The camera leaves the ground and can travel forward and backward, in and out and up and down
Pan (or panorama shot)
The camera rotates from a fixed position along a horizontal plane. With a swish (flash, blur) pan, the action is blurred
Dissolve
The end of one shot merges slowly into the next. As the second shot becomes distinct, the first slowly disappears
Dutch Angle
The frame is canted so that the frame is not parallel to the horizon
Level framing
The horizontal edges of the frame are parallel to the horizon
Cut
The most immediate transition from shot to shot. It is effected by splicing one shot onto another
Iris-out
The opposite of Iris-in
Superimposition
The printing of two different shots on the same strip of film. On screen one shot becomes visible through the other
Depth of Field
The range of distances before the lens within which objects can be photographed in sharp focus. Thus, a lens with a depth of field of ten feet to infinity will render any object in that range clearly, but sharpness will decrease when the object moves closer to the lens. (wide-angle lens has a greater depth of field than a telephoto lens)
Camera SPEED
The rate at which a film travels through a camera. Standard SOUND SPEED is 24 frames/sec. SILENT SPEED, the standard rate in 8,16 and 35mm is 18 frames/sec
Camera LEVEL
The relationship between the horizontal frame of the camera and the plane of the mise-en-scene
Key Light
The strong, primary light source which casts dominant shadows
CONTINUITY editing (or INVISIBLE editing)
The use of various editing techniques to conceal the disruptive nature of cuts, thereby creating an apparently seamless procession of images. Eg. eye-line match, glance-object cut, match on action, 180' rule, reverse angle
Camera ANGLES
The viewpoints or angles from which the camera films the subject
Wipe
Transition from one shot to another in which the second shot peels off the first one, an effect comparable to that of windshield wiper.
Focal Length
technically, the distance from the centre of the lens to the point where the light rays converge to a point of focus. Affects perspective by altering perceived magnification, depth and scale of things in an image
Lighting direction
the path of light from its source to an object