Chapter 3 Flashcards
Mise-en-scene
All the elements of a movie scene that are organized, often by the director, to be filmed and that are later visible onscreen; including actors, lighting, sets, costumes, make-up, and other features of the image that exist independently of the camera and the processes of filming and editing.
Soundstage
A large soundproofed building designed to house the construction and movement of sets and props and effectively capture sound and dialogue during filming.
Setting
A fictional or real place where the action and events of the film occur.
Set
A constructed setting, often on a studio soundstage, on which filming takes place; can combine natural and constructed elements.
Realism
An artwork’s quality of conveying a truthful picture of a society, person, or some other dimension of everyday life.
Scenic Realism
The physical, cultural, and historical accuracy of the background, objects, and other figures in a film.
Prop
An object that functions as a part of the set or as a tool used by the actors.
Prosthetics
Artificial facial features or body parts used to alter actors’ appearances.
Lighting
Sources of illumination - both natural light and electrical lamps - used to present, shade, and accentuate figures, objects, and spaces in the mise-en-scene. Lighting is primarily the responsibility of the director of photography and the lighting crew.
Natural Lighting
Light derived from a natural source in a scene or setting, such as the illuminations of the sun or firelight.
Set Lighting
The distribution of an evenly diffused illumination through a scene as a kind of lighting base.
Directional Lighting
Lighting coming from a single direction.
Three-Point Lighting
A lighting technique common in Hollywood that combines key lighting, backlighting, and fill lighting to bled the distribution of light in the scene.
Key Light
The main source of non natural lighting in a scene
High-Key Lighting
Lighting where the main source of light creates little contrast between light and dark.
Low-Key Lighting
Lighting where the main source of light creates a stark contrast between light and dark.
Fill Lighting
A lighting technique using secondary fill lights to balance the key lighting by removing shadows or to emphasize other spaces and objects in the scene.
Highlighting
The use of different lighting sources to emphasize certain characters or objects.
Backlighting
A highlighting technique that illuminates the person of object from behind, tending to silhouette the subject.
Frontal Lighting
Techniques used to illuminate the subject from the front.
Side lighting
Used to illuminate the subject from the side.
Underlighting
Used to illuminate the subject from below.
Top Lighting
Used to illuminate the subject from above.
Soft Lighting
Diffused, low-contrast lighting that reduces or eliminates hard edges and shadows and can be more flattering when filming people.
Hard Lighting
A high-contrast lighting style that creates hard edges, distinctive shadows, and a harsh effect, especially when filming people.
Chiaroscuro Lighting
Dramatic, high-contrast lighting that emphasizes shadows and the contrast between light and dark; frequently used in German expressionist cinema and film noir.
Actor
An individual who embodies and performs a film character through speech, gestures, and movements.
Performance
An actor’s use of language, physical expression, and gesture to bring a character to life and to communicate important dimensions of that character to the audience.
Leading Actor
The two or three actors, often stars, who represent the central characters in a narrative.
Character Actor
A recognizable actor associated with particular character types, often humorous or sinister, and often cast in minor parts.
Supporting Actor
Actors who play secondary characters in a film, serving as foils or companions to the central characters.
Extra
An actor without speaking parts who appears in the background and in crowd scenes.
Character Type
A conventional character typically portrayed by actors cast because of their physical features, their acting style, or the history of other roles they have played.
Blocking
The arrangement and movement of actors in relation to one another within the physical space of the mise-en-scene.
