Midterm Film Terms

• Rembrandt lighting

Chiaroscuro on the face; lighting achieved with one key light that illuminates one side of the face and creates shadow on the other side

• Tinted film

a black and white film to which color has been added by hand, dye solution, or laboratory processing

• Auteur

a director who "authors" a film with a driving personality and individual artistic control

• Color

a film in which the emulsion layer has been chemically developed to produced color images

• Three-dimensional film

a motion picture produced to allow a stereoscopic effect; two pictures of a scene are taken simultaneously from points slightly apart from one another

• Foley artist

a person who creates or recreates sound for a film

• Over the shoulder shot

a shot taken over the shoulder looking at another character

• Three point lighting

a standard method of lighting that uses a key light, fill light, and back light

• Sequence

a unit of film composed of a number of interrelated shots or scenes

• Scene

a unit of motion picture usually composed of a number of interrelated shots

• Swish pan

achieved by rapidly panning the camera across a scene; speed of movement blurs the image and wipes out the preceding scene

• Screen-direction continuity

achieving continuity by establishing patterns of movement within the frame

• Ambiguity

an approach where the meaning of dramatic and character action is intentionally left unclear

• Cliché

an overworked dramatic concept, technique, or plotting element

• Transition

any one of a number devices which a film editor uses to move from one scene sequence to another

• Motif

any recurring element that has symbolic significance

• Music

appears as a soundtrack for a film; may be realistic, functional, or both

• Composition in depth

arrangement of items to give a sense of depth; affected

• Shot

basic unit of film construction; continuous recording of a scene from the time the camera starts to the time it stop

• Masking

blocking of frame edges that give emphasis to remaining image

• Handheld camera

camera is noticeably detached from a stationery or mechanical securing device

• Tracking/dolly shot

camera moves to follow the action of take us through a scene

• Zoom shot

changes the angle of view from a longer to closer shot and vice versa

• Reflexive Cinema

cinema that reflects the process of filmmaking by depicting or referring to it, or otherwise reminds us that we are watching a staged movie by engaging the audience; sometimes includes characters talking or looking into the camera

o Narrow-angle of view

close-up

• Technicolor

color film process that uses either a two-color or three-color process in which separate negatives are combined

• Aspect ratio

comparative ratio of width to height

• Framing

composing the desired image through the viewfinder

• Deep-focus photography

composition with great depth of field

• Jump cut

cutting together of two non-continuous shots within a scene seems to skip ahead or back in time

• Frames per second

designates camera shooting/projector speed

• Continuity

developing and structuring of film segments and ideas so that intended meaning is clear and fluid; refers to matching scenic elements from shot to shot

• Cinematographer

director of photography; responsible for the artistic and technical quality of screen images; controls exposure, lighting, color, camera movement and place, framing, and lens choice

• Actualite

documentary-like film; associated with the Lumiere brothers and their work; often uninterrupted recordings of events in motion; characterized by camera placed in a single recording location at eye level

• Chiaroscuro lighting

dramatic effect of contrasting areas of dark and light

• Matched Cut

editing cut made to that continuous action is achieved in the screen

• Slow motion

effect that occurs through overcranking—captured at more than 24 fps and played back at normal speed

• Acting

effective behaving in film

• Freeze frame

effects that stops motion on a single frame and allows chosen image to continue as if it were a still photograph

• Black and white film

film produced and released on an emulsion that produces shades of gray

• Animated film

film type in which individual drawings photographed frame by frame

• Creative Geography

form of narrative editing where shots taken in different locations suggest spatial unity within a film

• Dissolve

gradual transition in which one scene fades out as the other fades in

• Back light

illumination from behind

• Fade

image on the screen dissolves to black at the end

• Mise en scene

includes all of the visual elements of a shot, including actors, properties, and pictorial values; Encompasses composition: how the items in a frame are arranged

• Director

individual in filmmaking who develops the film story into an engaging experience that is artfully constructed with the use of motion picture techniques, development of consistent film style, and control of dramatic elements of acting, pace, and blocking; coordinates the various other technicians

• Fill light

lets you see what was in the shadow of the key light

• Available lighting

light that comes from existing sources like daylight or room lighting vs. light that needs to be supplied by studio lights or transportable lighting instruments

• Flat lighting

lighting that is so evenly diffused that there is little sense of depth or visual relief

• Steadicam

lightweight, portable camera mount that permits smooth follow shots

o Wide-angle of view

long shot

• Key light

main source of light

• Invisible Cutting

method of film editing that does not draw much attention to itself

• Fast Motion

motion picture that occurs when less film is captured in less than 24 fps and projected at normal speed

• Pan

movement of a camera across a scene horizontally while mounted on a base; frequently used to scan a scene and follow character movement

• Camera movement

movement of camera for the purpose of following action or changing view; can be used to suggest a subjective point of view

• Ambient sound

natural background sound that is considered an essential element of the sound track

• Sound effects

noises and sounds that have been added that have been added to supply realism, atmosphere and dramatic emphasis

• Track vs. zoom

one has the camera move through the scene to follow action, while the other simply magnifies the image using focal length

• American studio years

period of American filmmaking roughly between 1925 and 1960 when the studio system dominated production and exhibition; production was highly compartmentalized in an assembly-line fashion

• Single frame/stop-motion

photographing a scene for trick effect through a stop and start procedure

• Depth of field

range of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that are sharp; Affected by aperture, light level, subject-camera distance, and focal length

• Offscreen space

refers to images and space that are not on-screen, but are implied to be in the on-screen world

• Onscreen space

refers to the images and space that are on-screen

• Angle of view

refers to the scope of a shot as determined by lens and camera distance

• Digital cinema

refers to the use of digital technology to distribute or project motion pictures vs. using film

• Cinematic time and space

relationship between time and space in the motion picture

• Rack focus

shifting of focus from one area of shot to another

• Two-shot

shot composition with two characters

• Aerial shot

shot from above; as if you were flying

• Bird's eye shot

shot from overhead; rare angle for humans to experience

• Dutch angle

shot in which camera is tilted

• High angle shot

shot in which the camera is pointed downward

• Low angle shot

shot in which the camera is pointed upwards

• Extreme close-up

shot of a detail smaller than a human head; little to no background

• Crane shot

shot taken while camera is mounted on a mechanical arm that can move side to side, but also up and down

• Long shot

shot that corresponds roughly to the space of the stage

• Establishing shot

shot that establishes the location of a film story or scene

• Medium shot

shot that is knees to waist up

• Close-up

shot that provides a limited, magnified view; usually of a face

• Non-diagetic

sound whose source is not the on-screen world; music, voiceover narration

• Diagetic

sound whose source is visible on screen or implied to be in the on-screen world

• Camera speed

speed through which film rolls through a camera; measured in fps

• Cut

splicing together two pieces of film to maintain continuity, to transition, or to insert other relevant material; most direct and immediate transition

• Realist Cinema

style of filmmaking that creates a semblance of actuality; avoids technique that imposes subjective attitudes

• Extreme long shot

taken from a great distance; human figure looks insignificant; almost always outdoors; usually begin or end the film

• Diagesis

telling of a story that presents an interior view of the world through narrative

• Cinematic

term expressing awareness of the unique and peculiar qualities of film; encompasses the range of techniques available in motion picture art; indicates filmmaker has employed editing and visual devices, themes, or structural approaches

• Lighting

the control of light in a motion picture for purposes of exposure and artistic expression; may come from available light sources or artificially produced sources

• Credits

the list of production personnel, including actors, who have made contributions to a motion picture

• Tilt

the vertical up or down movement of a camera rested on a fixed base

• Wipe

transitional device where one shot moves across the screen and appears to push away the preceding shot

• Iris

transitional effect in which an image moves into a circle that rapidly decreases in size until it disappears

• Reverse motion

trick visual effect achieved by reversing head and tail of shot

• Voice-over

use of film narration, commentary, subjective thought, or dialogue in which the speaker(s) remain unseen

• Dialogue

verbal exchange between two or more characters; can be presented in voice-over

• High key lighting

when a scene has a bright general illumination

• Low key lighting

when a scene has a dim general illumination