film terms quiz

Backlighting

The effect created when the strongest light in the shot is placed behind the subject. example: A subject standing in the doorway between a dark room and a brightly lit outside is often backlit if shot from inside the room. application/implication: This kind of shot tends to create a kind of "halo" around the subject and often indicates that he or she is "special."

Continuity Editing

The illusion that different shots are really part of a continuous whole. example: Characters on a long journey, for instance, may be shot always walking in the same direction. application/implication: Shooting and editing for continuity are some of the most basic concepts in the classical Hollywood style.

*Fill Light

The light on the apparently unlit surfaces of a subject. example: In a shot where the apparent light source is a candle on the left of a subject, the right side of the subject might be slightly lit by a fill light. See a clip. application/implication: Fill lighting preserves the appearance of reality, while providing enough light to allow "dark" areas of the screen to be visible.

Editing

The process of combining separate shots to create scenes and entire films. example: Edits, also called "cuts," can include simple cuts, fades, cross fades, sweeps, match cuts, etc. Some cuts simply move the action or narrative of the film along, others create new meanings by placing one image against another. application/implication: In the classical Hollywood style editing was typically seen primarily as a matter of building the film while creating and maintaining continuity. Editing, however, can dramatically change the meaning of shots, scenes, or films. This is why some directors demand the right to edit the "final cut" of their films.

Close Up/cut

A shot in which an object is filmed from a short or extremely short distance, so that it tends to fill up much of the screen. example: This kind of shot might allow an actor to express a subtle emotion or help the director focus the viewer's attention on a particular aspect of the set. application/implication: Directors often use close ups to create a more intimate feel for a scene.

Bridge (cf. sound bridge)

A short shot or scene that serves as a transition between two longer scenes. example: A shot of pages being torn from a calendar, for instance, can serve as a transition between two scenes set months apart. application/implication: This technique is often used in films that have been classically edited.

*Dolly Shot (tracking shot)

As far as we are concerned, dolly shots occur any time the camera actually changes location, whether it is hand carried, placed on a vehicle, or lifted on a crane. example: This may include, but is not limited to: a "dolly in" where the camera moves closer to the subject; a "dolly out," where the camera moves away from the subject; and a "tracking shot" where the camera moves parallel to a moving subject. See a clip. application/implication: Dolly shots are indispensable when a director wishes to follow the action of moving subjects.

Cross Cutting (vs. parallel editing)

Cutting together shots or sequences of action occurring simultaneously in two or more locations. example: In a scene where two characters are preparing for a date, for instance, the editor may intercut shots of each getting dressed and brushing their teeth. application/implication: This technique usually indicates that two (or more) things are happening at the same time and sometimes implies that the subjects at different locations are moving toward a meeting.

Masking

Part of the viewing area is covered to create an effect. example: A shot of a character peering through a set of binoculars, for instance, might be matched to a mask shot using a binocular-shaped cutout. application/implication: Masking shots are usually used to indicate some kind of point of view shot.

*Master Shot

A "general" shot of an entire scene. See also "Classical Editing." example: In a scene where a couple talk in a crowded restaurant, for instance, a master shot may include everything in the scene, including the couple, the surrounding tables, and the background. The director may also choose to shoot close-ups of the couple, as well as reaction shots of the other people in the restaurant. See a clip. application/implication: Master shots are especially useful in creating a sense of continuity. When editing the film an editor may use parts of the master shot together with individual close-ups to create the finished scene.

Motif

A film element (music, sound, image, etc.) which gains a new meaning from repetition. The meaning of a motif is not dependent upon outside reference, as are symbols, but on internal reference(s). example: A shot of baseball, for instance might always be associated with a particular character in the early scenes of a film. In later scenes a filmmaker can invoke thoughts of the character simply by showing a baseball. application/implication: Motifs are used to create richer, more interesting films.

Scene

A set of related shots. Usually these shots are linked by location as well as by time and theme. example: So for example, a film may include a "restaurant scene" or a "classroom scene" made up of shots all linked to these particular locations at a moment in time. Scenes may vary greatly in length application/implication: If shots are the basic building blocks of films, then scenes are the next organizational step up the ladder. It should be noted here that shots may be created on the set, but scenes are usually crafted in the editing room.

Voice Over

A narrative voice, apparently not being spoken by one of the characters on the screen, dubbed or added to the scene. example: Shots of a child fishing might be accompanied by a narration in an adult voice describing a particular fishing trip taken when the narrator was a child. application/implication: A voice over can be used to supply information or feelings not apparent in the other elements of the scene.

*High Contrast Lighting

A shot in which some surfaces are well lit, while others are completely, or almost completely dark. example: A shot in which a flashlight is the only apparent light source likely uses high contrast lighting to create bright areas and dark areas in the same frame. See a clip. application/implication: This kind of lighting tends to create a more "dramatic" feel for a scene as shadows often fill much of the frame.

anticipatory setup

A shot that implies by its gaming or subject matter that something is about to happen example: a shot of an empty chair, for instance, implies that someone is about the sit down. implication/application: This shot is often used in "thrillers" when directors leave an open space in the frame to imply the imminent appearance of the monster. Directors may also create an anticipatory setup, but leave it unfulfilled

Storyboard

A shot-by-shot picture or cartoon version of a film with each drawing or frame of the cartoon representing a new shot. example: Storyboards are typically drawn before shooting begins and allow directors, producers, cinematographers to plan shooting schedules and prearrange shots. application/implication: Storyboards are used by some directors, particularly on complex films, to imagine a film in fine detail. This is especially useful when shooting a complex film out of chronological order.

Plot (and story)

A simplified narrative abstraction based on a longer or more complex work. example: A plot might be created in many different contexts for many different reasons. A producer, for instance, might create a plot in order to "pitch" a film to a studio or an investor. A reviewer will usually define the basic narrative or plot of a film being reviewed. And a friend will often create some kind of plot as he or she explains a recently viewed film. application/implication: We must recognize that all plots are abstractions or models of more complex works, and that they are created by the teller, not harvested from the film. Plots do not capture the "essence" of a film any more than a final score captures the "essence" of a football game. There are many different ways a plot may be structured. These include chronological order, spatial order, order of importance, etc. A plot, like other kinds of narrative, usually emphasizes some kind of cause and effect relationship.

Formalism

A style of filmmaking, also known as "experimental" in which the "form" of the film is considered more important than its content or narrative. In some ways formalism may be opposed to "Realism" or narrative filmmaking. example: In the extreme, formalist films have no objective content, only nonobjective images and colors. Even narrative films, however, may employ formalist elements. A film about war, for instance, may contain a non-narrative sequence of shots of colors and flashing lights accompanied by loud noises to simulate the "feeling" of battle. application/implication: Because of their more or less abstract nature, formalist films tend to be short and designed to achieve a certain effect, rather than tell a story.

MPAA Rating System

A trademarked scale used to allow audiences to judge the maturity level of a film. Current ratings are G—General Audiences; PG—Parental Guidance Suggested; PG 13—Parents Strongly Cautioned; R—Restricted (viewers under 17 years of age are required to have a parent or guardian accompany them); and NC 17—No Children 17 or Younger Admitted. example: US Films receive ratings based on language, violence, sexual content, and drug use. application/implication: Filmmakers will often work to get a rating that matches their target audience. A film marketed to young teenagers, for instance, will likely suffer at the box office if it has an "R" rating.

Filters

A transparent cover placed over the lens of a camera to create a colored tint or a specific visual effect. example:There are many different kinds of filters. Colored filters, for instance, may give the exposed film a certain tint, Polarizing filters allow the camera to "see" into water, star filters give emphasis to light sources, and dark filters can make a daytime shot look like night. Some filter effects are now produced with CGI technology. application/implication: Filters may be used to create hundred of different effects.

*Dubbing

Adding sound to a scene in the studio. example: Sound effects and voiceovers are usually dubbed, but so are some seemingly "natural" sounds like footfalls and raindrops. See a clip. application/implication: Dubbing is one of the least recognized tools of the filmmaker. A particular dubbed sound can serve as a motif or be made to draw attention to different aspects of the shot.

Mise-en-scène

All of the visual elements in a given scene. example: These may include color, set elements, props, costumes, etc. application/implication: The mise-en-scène is the work of the director and actors, but also includes the efforts of the camera operator, the set decorators, painters, carpenters, artists, designers, etc.

*Oblique Angle Shot

Also called a "Dutch Angle," in this kind of shot the camera is tipped so that the horizon is not square to the viewing area. example: Oblique angles are often used in point of view shots. See a clip. application/implication: Because they tend to be uncomfortable for viewers, they usually indicate that "something is wrong."

Long Shot

An object is filmed from a relatively long distance. Usually the subject matter of a long shot is noticeably smaller than the other elements in the frame. example: A cowboy riding his horse across a vast prairie is a likely subject for a long shot. application/implication: This kind of shot tends to emphasize distance or isolation.

Jump Cut

An edit in which continuity has been purposefully ignored. example: A jump cut can be quite simple. In a shot of a man walking down the street, for instance, several feet of his progress could be edited out of the finished film making it appear that he suddenly "jumps" forward. They can also be more complex. In one shot a man could reach for the doorknob of his house, but in the next shot open the door of his office. application/implication: Jump cuts often create a sense of discontinuity and confusion, as well as a feeling that something may be missing.

Wipe

An editing effect in which the original image is followed by a new shot or a black screen that appears to slide across the frame, replacing the old image as it goes. example: A death scene could be ended by a wipe that looks like a black curtain being pulled across the screen. application/implication: Used more in earlier eras of filmmaking, the contemporary use of wipes often indicates an attempt to create a nostalgic feeling in a film.

Fade

An editing technique in which a shot ends as the image slowly disappears. example: Most fades end with a black screen, but white screens, colored screens, and cross-fades are also available. application/implication: This technique often suggest the passage of time. (See also "Cross-Fade")

Cross-Fade (dissolve)

An editing technique in which a shot slowly turns to black at the same time that the following shot is superimposed over it. example: A shot of a small child, for example, may be cross- faded to a shot of an adult to imply the passage of time. application/implication: This technique is sometimes used to imply some sort of connection between the subject matter of the two shots.

Match Cut

An editing technique in which an image at the end of one shot is visually similar in pattern or shape to an image at the beginning of the next shot. See also "Classical Editing." example: The basically triangular image of a church building, for instance, might be followed by a shot of a mountain. application/implication: This technique is sometimes used only as a transitional element, but it may also be used to suggest an otherwise unknown relationship.

Freeze Frame

An editing technique in which an individual still frame or still image is made to appear on screen for several seconds or longer, as if time had "frozen" at that moment. example: Freeze frames are often used in sports films to prolong the moment of victory. Sometimes the credits actually roll over a freeze frame. application/implication: This technique may be used to force viewers to consider a particular image carefully. It may also be used to prolong a particular moment.

Montage

An editing technique in which otherwise unrelated shots are juxtaposed in more or less rapid succession in order to create new meanings. example: A sense of a character's childhood, for instance, may be created by a series of quick images of toys, playgrounds, and schoolrooms. application/implication: Some montages are used to compress time and create a bridge to another scene, but others are more "artistic," and are meant to challenge a viewer's assumptions.

*Overhead Angle Shot (birds-eye shot)

An extreme high angle shot. example: A character lost on an island may be shot from directly overhead to emphasize his or her isolation and "smallness." See a clip. application/implication: This shot is often intended to disorient the viewer in order to make the action look strange or unnatural.

*Classical Editing

Editing designed to create a great deal of continuity or linear chronological "smoothness" in a scene. See also "Master Shot." example: A drive in a car, for instance, which might take an hour in reality may be edited down to several shots of a car moving from left to right across the screen in different locations. application/implication: This style of editing makes films easy to watch and understand from a narrative point of view, but rarely creates new meanings or innovative juxtapositions.

Genre

In film, genre refers to a particular "kind" of film, usually defined both by style and by subject matter. example: There are, for instance, many recognizable American film genres including westerns, screwball comedies, and horror films. "Film Noir" is a good example of a genre. This term, from the French for "black," refers to lighting, but has also come to designate films known for their dark scenes. The subject matter, too, is usually dark, both literally and figuratively, since it is often full of criminals and violence. application/implication: Contemporary filmmakers may adopt and maintain genre conventions, or parody and satirize them. Horror parodies that make light of the superhuman monster or other conventions of horror films (screaming teens, knife wielding maniacs) are a good example of this.

*Distortion

In general terms, any time a sound, image, or time frame has been changed from the way it may be found in reality. example: Slow motion, for instance, is one common form of distortion. See a clip. application/implication: Any kind of distortion implies a more "formalistic" approach to filmmaking. Arguably, the "art" of a film may be dependent upon the manner in which it distorts reality.

*Low Angle Shot

In this type of shot, the camera is placed below the subject, looking up. example: Monsters in horror films are often shot from a low angle. See a clip. application/implication: This shot often places the object viewed in a position of superiority. This may indicate a threat, or a particular honor.

Mickeymousing

Making music fit a scene in a pointedly rhythmic manner. example: In a comedy, for instance, a descending piano scale might accompany the image of a character tumbling down some stairs (in a funny way). application/implication: Mickeymousing is typically used in comedies and animations.

*Low Contrast Lighting

Most surfaces in a shot are equally and evenly lighted. example: Shots meant to simulate outdoor daylight are usually low contrast. See a clip. application/implication: The lighting in these shots may not create a dramatic effect, as does high contrast lighting, but it does light all of the elements in the scene equally and fully.

Shot

One unedited take. example: Typically several shots are used to create a scene. In some cases, however, a single shot can be used for an entire scene (or even an entire film). application/implication: After individual frames, shots are the basic building blocks of films. An individual shot, however, has about the same relationship to a finished film as an individual toy building block has to the finished model.

Lighting

Simply defined, lighting is the way a particular shot or scene is illuminated. example: A character giving a patriotic speech, for example, may be understood one way if filmed with a strong light from the front and above, and in an entirely different way if the light is weak and seems to emanate from below his or her face. application/implication: Lighting is an aspect of film making that most casual viewers rarely notice. It can, however, make a dramatic difference to the way we understand an image.

*Asynchronous Sound

Sound that does not match temporally with what occurring in frame. example: When dialogue is out of sync with lip movements. Or when from a previous scene persist into a new scene. application/implication: Directors sometimes use asynchronous sound as a transitional element, or to create new meanings by the juxtaposition of sound and image.

Symbols

Symbols are concrete items which represent something else. As opposed to a motif, a symbol's meaning is often based on an outside reference-something the audience is expected to bring with them to the film. example: Religious images like the cross or the Star of David have an established set of meanings separate from the film in which they appear. application/implication: Film makers may include a shot of a cross to create a religious feeling in a scene, but they may also use a religious symbol ironically or in parody.

Film Stock

The actual "film" used to create a shot. Filmmakers use the term "stock" to avoid confusion. Exposed negative "stock" is called "footage," and a positive copy of the footage is called a "print." This term is used less as more productions move to the use of digital cameras. example: Most film stock is either 16, 35, or 70 millimeters and, generally, either slow stock (designed to be exposed in bright light) or fast stock, also called "rough stock" (designed to be exposed in low light). Some filmmakers also use the term "stock" to refer to blank videotape. application/implication: Since fast film stock is often used by documentary filmmakers to capture images in low light situations, some feature film directors use fast stock to create a heightened impression of reality. Good directors, cinematographers, and camera operators are careful to choose the correct stock for any given situation.

Frame

The actual viewing area of the screen. See also "Aspect Ratio." example: What a director chooses to include or exclude in a frame is often very important. A noise that apparently originates outside of the frame, for instance, is often more frightening than one that comes from an obvious source inside the frame. application/implication: Pay attention to how directors arrange the subject matter of their shots. Is a particular character always centered in shots, or is he or she usually pushed to the edges of the frame? Does the director keep the camera level, or tilt it? Is the frame "balanced" or "unbalanced?"

*High Angle Shot

The camera is placed in a high position, looking down on the subject. Also called a "boom shot" or an "aerial shot" depending upon how the camera is lifted. See also "dolly shot," and "overhead angle." example: A sheriff in a western, for instance might be filmed from a high angle as he prepares to face his enemy in a final shootout. See a clip. application/implication: This kind of shot often places the object in a position of inferiority. He or she may look particularly small, weak, or alone.

Establishing Shot

The combination of two shots. A look of outward regard is followed by a shot apparently from the point of view of a character on the screen. example: An eyeline match might include a close up shot of a character looking out of a window, followed by a shot from the window looking out into the yard. application/implication: Eyeline matches are a quick way to create a point of view or subjective angle shot.

Focus

The relative sharpness and clarity of the image on the screen. Different focal effects may be achieved with different lenses. example: For example, a deep focus lens, often wide angle, allows objects at different distances from the camera to all remain in focus at the same time. A shallow focus lens, on the other hand, will bring some objects into sharp focus while other objects in the foreground or background will be blurry. application/implication: Focus is often taken for granted in a film, but some filmmakers use focus for more artistic purposes. See also "Rack Focus."

Realism

The representation of actuality in film. example: When, for example, a director chooses to use vernacular language, everyday settings, or "plain" costumes this may be understood as an attempt to represent actuality. application/implication: This is an important and not well-understood concept in film. Most directors feel that in order to be "artistically effective" material must be dramatized with tact and honesty. That is, audiences rarely like to be preached to. They would rather see the facts and make up their own minds. Film has a distinct advantage here over other media since it can create the illusion of reality so well. The concept of realism also includes the idea of "dramatic possibility." That is, that the things people say are the things they might really say. William Dean Howells, one of the architects of American literary realism suggested that a realist author must write not about things that are simply "possible," but about that which is "probable." The same may be true of realism in film.

Point of View (POV) Shot, (also known as a "Subjective Angle")

The suggestion that what is on the screen is what a particular character sees. As opposed to an objective or third person shot, a point of view shot suggests that the viewer is seeing, hearing, etc. what a character in the film or a participant in the action would see. example: Often this kind of shot is created with an eyeline match. application/implication: If used properly this kind of shot makes the viewer feel that he or she is a part of the action, rather than an observer. Point of view shots also help create contexts in which the action of a film may be understood. A character loudly professing his love in a library, for instance, may be understood differently from the point of view of the stuffy librarian than from the pov of his fiancée.

Visual Parallelism

This concept suggests that when objects look similar, viewers tend to perceive them (perhaps subconsciously) as related. example: A close-up shot of a pen, for instance, might be followed in a match cut by a shot of a sword in a similar position in the frame. The two shots together may be understood as a visual representation of the old saw, the pen is mightier than the sword. application/implication: Match cuts are not necessary to establish visual parallelism. Visually parallel shots may be separated by hours of film.

Wide Angle Shot (fish-eye shot)

This kind of shot is created by increasing the field of vision by the use of a wide angle lens, or a lens with a short focal length. The "fish-eye" lens creates a more distorted, more extreme version of this effect. example: In a shot where a filmmaker wants to keep objects in focus which are different distances from the camera he or she will likely choose a wide angle lens. Some filmmakers also use wide angle lenses to create point of view shots that are distorted. application/implication: These lenses tend to distort objects, making them slightly rounded. Faces in particular tend to look strange as they move closer to a wide angle lens. Moreover, because they focus on the foreground and background more or less equally these lenses tend to de-emphasize distance.

*Zoom

Through the use of a telephoto or "long lens" objects are made to appear larger and closer by magnifying and narrowing the field of vision. Example: Zooms can be used to focus viewer attention on a particular aspect of a set. See a clip. application/implication: Long lenses also tend to blur the foreground and background, thus emphasizing distance.

Reaction Shot

Usually a quick shot to show a character's response to a given event. example: After a character hits a home run the director may include reaction shots of members of the crowd cheering and jumping to their feet. application/implication: Reaction shot are often used to tell the viewer how to feel about a particular bit of action or a given situation.

Treatment

Usually written before production, a treatment is a prose account of a film's narrative, designed to give readers a sense or "feel" for the proposed film. example: A treatment of a classic fairytale, for instance, may suggest a particular approach the filmmaker expects to take. application/implication: A feminist reading of Cinderella would be quite different from the familiar Disney version, and these kinds of differences would be evident in the treatment.

*Swish Pan

When the camera pans fast enough to blur the images. example: In a car chase scene a filmmaker may include a swish pan to give the scene a feeling of speed and movement. See a clip. application/implication: These shots are often included to suggest a change of location or, when used as a POV shot, to suggest disorientation or confusion.

*Tilt

When the camera pivots to "look" up or down. example: A point of view shot of a golfer might include a tilt as he or she looks down to the ball. See a clip. application/implication: See "High Angle" and "Low Angle" shots for implications.

*Pan

When the camera turns to the right or the left. See also "Swish Pan." (The term "Pan" is also the term used to describe a very poor review.) example: While remaining in one location, the camera framing a child in the street pivots right or pans to frame a truck quickly approaching. See a clip. application/implication: The pan shot mimics the way a person turns his or her head from left to right, and thus it sometimes implies a particular point of view.

*Rack Focus

When the camera's focus is shifted forward or backward from one object in the frame to another. Typically the frame does not move in a rack focus. example: In a high angle shot of a bird in a tree, for instance, the focus might shift to a cat on the ground staring up at the bird. The camera has not moved, but the viewer's attention has clearly shifted from the bird to the cat. See a clip. application/implication: A rack focus can move the viewer's attention to different aspects of the same frame.

Visual Symmetry

When the images in a given frame are symmetrical or balanced. example: In a love scene, a filmmaker might arrange to shoot a couple as they stand centered in the frame, between two equally spaced trees. application/implication: This kind of symmetry often indicates perfection, restfulness, goodness, a sense of completion, etc.

Aspect Ratio

elative frame size expressed as a ratio with the first number indicating the horizontal and the second indicating the vertical. example: Common aspect ratios are 1.33:1 (broadcast television), 1.85:1 (standard cinema screen), and 2.35:1 (wide screen). application/implication: A film's aspect ratio often presents a problem when the film is released on video or DVD. When a wide screen film is released on video in "standard" or "full screen" format, for instance, almost half of the original frame has been deleted. This is often derogatorily termed "pan and scan." A "letterbox" or "widescreen" version attempts to preserve the original aspect ratio of the film.

180 degree rule/axis of action

element of continuity editing. Establishes a line that divides the space of action from the viewing position, and therefore divides the scene into left and right; the camera doesn't cross the axis for purposes of clear action and spatial relations example: in a scene of two people have a conversation at a table, for instance, the camera will usually stay on one side of the table. implication/application: when directors purposefully break this rule they usually do so to disorient, confuse, or make their viewers uneasy. A shot from the "wrong" side of the 180 line if often called a "revenge angle" But some film traditions and filmmakers simply don't adhere to the 180 rule.