Camera shots
Establishing shot
sets up/establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects.
Master shot
film recording of a dramatised scene from start to finish from an angle that keeps all the players in view.
Close-up
Where the camera tightly frames a person or objects features
mid-shot
A shot taken at a medium distance
long shot
shows the entire object or human figure
wide shot
Camera is positioned to observe the most action in the performance
two-shot
two people can be seen together
aerial shot
shot taken from a height such as a plane,helicopter or a person on top of a building
point of view shot
Shows what the character can see
over the shoulder shot
shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person.
Angle
high angle
When the camera looks down on the subject
low angle
camera is positioned low on the vertical axis, a low angle is anywhere below eye line looking up.
canted angleA camera angle that is deliberately slanted to one side.
Movement
Crane- A Camera shot that rotates vertically around a subject or character. It is often used to mark the end of a film.
Depth of Field- The distance between the nearest and furthest objects in a scene that appear focused in the image.
Dolly- A tool used to create a Tracking Shot. It is a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails to follow a subject.
Hand-Held- A technique used in film production where the cameraman holds the camera in his hand. It is useful for creating Point of View Shots, as it captures the movement of a character running away from danger, for example.
Pan- A rotational camera movement around one point. It gives the effect of a person turning their head horizontally.
Reverse Zoom- Opposite of a Zoom. The camera moves away from the subject, allowing the audience to see more of the background.
Rule of Thirds- A technique used in photography that splits the shot up into nine pieces. Some believe that it creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition.
Steadicam- A brand of Camera Stabiliser Mounts. It mechanically isolates itself from the cameraman's movement, making it useful for creating a steady shot.
Tilt- A camera movement that rotates vertically around one point. Can give the effect of a person nodding.
Track- A camera shot that follows a character or subject through movement.
Zoom- A technique used in film editing to get closer in on the subject. However, it creates a distortion in the proportion of the shot.
Editing
(Includes transition of image and sound - continuity and non-continuity systems)
Shot/Reverse Shot:
Shot/Reverse Shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.
Eyeline Match:
An eyeline match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system, it is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on screen is seeing.
Graphic Match:
A graphic match is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different space or two different compositions in which objects in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically.
Action Match:
An action match (match on action) refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action.
Jump Cut:
A cut in movie editing that represents a momentary omission in a continuous shot, creating and effect of discontinuity or acceleration.
Crosscutting:
Crosscutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations. In a crosscut the camera will cut away from one action to another action which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is no always the case.
Parallel Editing:
Parallel editing is a technique whereby cutting occurs between two or more related actions occurring at the same time i two separate locations or different points in time.
Cutaway:
A cutaway shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut.
Insert:
An insert shot is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot. Inserts core action already covered from the master shot but emphasise a different aspect of that action due to the different framing.
Transition
Dissolve - an act or instance of moving gradually from one image or scene in a film to another.
Fade-in - an image is made to appear gradually.
Fade-out - an image is made to disappear gradually.
Wipe - which an existing picture seems to be wiped out by a new one.
Superimposition - to put one image on top of another so that both can be seen
Long take - an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace, usually lasting several minutes
Short take - In filmmaking, a short take or oner is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much shorter than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting a few seconds.
Slow motion - the action of showing film or playing back video more slowly than it was made or recording, so that the action appears much slower than in real life.
Ellipsis and expansion of time - is the narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the read to fill in the narrative gaps and you are making the duration of the video sequence longer than real-time.
Post-production - post-production is part of filmmaking, video production and photography process. it occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography and digital art. It is a term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting and/or recording the completed work.
Visual effect - In filmmaking, visual effects are the processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shot. Visual effects involve the integration of live action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, expensive, impractical, or simply impossible to capture on film. Visual effects using computer generated imagery has recently become accessible to the independent filmmaker with the introduction of affordable and easy-to-use animation and composition software.computer generated imagery.
Sound
Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound- Diegetic is the sound that is heard in the scene and non-diegetic is the opposite.
Synchronous/asynchronous sound- Synchronous is occurring or existing at the same time and asynchronous is the opposite.
Sound effects-a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a play, film, or other broadcast production.
Sound Motif- Is a short musical idea.
Sound Bridge- Sound bridges are one of the most common transitions in the continuity editing style, one that stresses the connection between both scenes since their mood (suggested by the music) is still the same.
Dialogue- The words that are being said from the people in the scene
Voiceover- A voice that tells you what is going on in the scene.
Mode of address/ direct address- Modes of address can be defined as the ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text.
Sound Mixing- In sound recording and reproduction, audio mixing or mixdown is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, for instance 2-channel stereo.
Sound perspective- Sound perspective refers to the apparent distance of a sound. Clues to the distance of the source include the volume of the sound and the balance with other sounds, the frequency range (high frequencies may be lost at a distance), and the amount of echo and reverberation.
Soundtrack- The music accompanies a film.
Score- Notation used by musicians.
Incidental Music- Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical.
Themes and Stings- A sting is a short musical phrase, primarily used in broadcasting and films as a form of punctuation. Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the intro, during title sequence and/or ending credits.
Ambient Sound- Ambient music is a genre of music and includes forms of music that put an emphasis on tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm.
Mise-en-Scene
Product Design: overall look of a filmed event and it is one of the key creative roles in the creation if motion pictures and television.
Location: In media, the locations are the areas in which filming goes on and film sets are shot.
Studio: The studio is an alternative name for a film or television production company.
Set costume Design: The setting of a scene and the objects (props) visible in a scene. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood, which has physical, social, psychological, emotional, economic and cultural significance in film.
Costume and Make up: Costume simply refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs, costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions between characters. And the Make up establishes the time period, reveal character traits and signal changes in character.
Properties:
Lighting: The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence an audience’s understanding of characters, actions, themes and mood.
Colour Design: Early films were shot in black and white but the cinema soon included color images. These images were initially painted or stencilled onto the film but by the 1930s filmmakers were able to include colour sequences in their films. Apart from the added realism or glamor that a color image could provide, colour is also used to create aesthetic patterns and to establish character or emotion in narrative cinema.
