Camera Terminology Flashcards
Shot:
Establishing shot
Used to set the scene telling the audience where the action is set
Shot:
Extreme close up (ECU)
shows extreme detail
Shot:
Close-up (CU)
A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame
Shot:
Mid-shot (MS)
Shows some part of the subject in detail whilst giving an impression of the whole subject
Shot:
Long shot (LS)
shows all or most of a fairly large subject and most of the surroundings
Shot:
Wide shot
A shot of a broad field of action
Shot:
Two shot
A shot of two people together, framed similarly to a mid-shot
Shot:
Point of view shot (POV)
Shows a view from the subject’s perspective.
Shot:
Over the shoulder shot (OSS)
Looking from behind a person at the subject (used in conversation)
Shot:
CA (Cutaway)
A shot of something other than the main subject
Angle:
High
Camera looks down at character or subject showing vulnerability
Angle:
Low
Camera looks up at character or subject exaggerating importance or showing power
Angle:
Eye level
the camera is placed at the subject’s height, common because they are neutral
Angle:
Bird’s eye
A shot looking directly down on the subject, as though observer were a bird
Angle:
Worm’s eye
A view of an object from below, as though the observer were a worm
Angle:
Canted angle
The camera is tilted to suggest imbalance, transition and instability
Movement:
Pan
Camera moves left and right about a central axis, i.e. mounted in a fixed location on a tripod or shoulder
Movement:
Tilt
Camera moves up or down from a stationary location i.e. tripod or shoulder
Movement:
Tracking/dolly
The camera is travels along tracks and moves along parallel to the action
Movement:
Hand held
The camera is held in the camera operator’s hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod, often shaky
Movement:
Zoom/reverse zoom
Technically not a camera move as it does not require the camera itself to move, but means altering the focal length of the lens to give the illusion of moving closer to or further away from the action
Framing and composition:
Framing
The process of creating composition.
Framing and composition:
Depth of field
The front-to-back range of focus in an image, how much of it appears sharp and clear
Framing and composition:
Deep focus
The foreground, middle-ground and background are all in focus
Framing and composition:
Shallow focus
One plane of the image is in sharp focus while the rest is out of focus
Framing and composition:
Focus pull
The camera changes focus during a shot. Usually this means adjusting the focus from one subject to another
