Cinema Flashcards
film
A highly collaborative art form that is an aesthetic expression through the manipulation of 3 dimensional space, time, light, movement, and sound that is recorded on a 2 dimensional photographic celluloid medium.
narrative film
Films that tell stories – with characters, places and events – conceived in the minds of the films creators. The stories may be wholly imaginary or based on true occurrences, realistic or unrealistic or both.
documentary film
Nonfiction films, originally created to address social injustice, that uses ‘actuality’ footage, which may include the live recording of events and relevant research material. This type of film is usually informed from a particular point of view, and seeks to address a particular social issue which is related to and potentially affects the audience.
absolute film
Film that exists for its own sake, for its record of movement or form. It does not tell a story and is created piece by piece through editing, special effects or through multiple printing techniques. It is rarely longer than 12 minutes and is not created for commercial intent but for artistic experience.
film genres
The categorization of narrative films by form, content or both. Genres include musical, comedy, biography, western, film noir, etc.
frame
The smallest building block in the creation of a film. It is a recorded image, a photograph, that is roughly four fifths on an inch wide by three fifths of an inch high. It is run through a projector at 24 frames per second.
persistence of vision
An optical phenomenon, which according to legend was discovered by Ptolemy sometime around the second century, that theorizes that the eye takes a fraction of a second to record an impression of an image and send it to the brain. Once the impression is received, the eye retains it on the retina for about one-tenth of a second after the actual image has disappeared. This phenomenon, in conjunction with the stop and go shutter mechanism on a film projector, allows the retained images to blend into each other and give the viewer the impression of movement.
shot
What the camera records over a particular period of time, and is the basic unit of filmmaking.
establishing shot
A long shot introduced at the top of a scene to establish the interrelationship of details, a time, or a place which will be elaborated on in subsequent shots.
master shot
A single shot of the entire action of a scene. It becomes the foundation to which additional component shots are edited into in the creation of the final composition of a scene.
long shot
A shot taken from a considerable distance from the camera. Generally, the main characters or objects fill up less than half the screen.
medium shot
A shot that is taken closer to the subject and much of the time contains two characters. Generally, the main characters or objects fill up about half the screen.
close up
A shot that focuses on the face of a character and informs the viewer of their current emotional state. Generally, the main characters or objects fill up more than half the screen.
camera viewpoint
The position and angle of the camera while shooting.
subjective viewpoint
This is where the camera’s viewpoint creates the illusion of being inside of the action of the story, as if seen through the eyes of one of the films characters.
objective viewpoint
This is where the camera’s viewpoint is from outside the action of the story, giving the viewer an omniscient frame of understanding.
dissolves
Transitional devices used between shots.
fade in/fade out
A transition that allows for a second of darkness between shots.
lap dissolve
A transition where a Fade in and Fade out happen simultaneously.
iris in/iris out
A transition that closes the shot down to a circular point or opens out from a circular point.
wipe
A device that uses a line to shift from one shot into another. It also can allow two scenes to happen at the same time.
mise en scene
(MEEZ on sen) Composition of the individual frame – the overall style and arrangement of the visual whole that includes the settings, costumes, the relationship of objects, people and masses; the interplay of light and shadow and the pattern of color.
focus
The manner in which the lens is adjusted can add meaning to a scene.
depth of focus
This is when the lens clearly shows both near and distant objects at the same time.
rack or differential focus
This occurs when the lens focuses on the main object of interest clearly and the remainder of the scene is blurred or out of focus.
movement
There are 3 types of movement that can be manipulated for a variety of meanings in a sceneprimary, secondary and tertiary.
primary movement
Movement of objects, people and masses within the frame of the camera.
secondary movement
Movement of the camera while shooting.
pan
Horizontal movement of the camera while keeping it fixed vertically.
tilt
Vertical or diagonal movement of the camera.
dolly shot
Physically moving the camera towards or away from the subject on a wheeled cart.
track shot
a shot taken as the camera is moving in the same direction, speed and in the same place as the object being photographed.
cinemavVerite/hand held
The term means “camera truth” in French. It is when the camera is carried by the camera operator and used to give the illusion of immediacy, being right within the action.
tertiary movement
Movement created by the splicing together (editing) of shots or frames that give a feeling of movement. A cartoon is an example of this movement.
plasticity
The quality of the medium of film to be cut, spliced and ordered accordingly to the needs of the film and the desires of the filmmaker.
editing
The composition of a film through the means of splicing together various shots and sound tracks in an order that creates meaning.
jump cut
A cut that breaks the continuity of time by jumping forward from one part of the action to another part that obviously is separated from the first by an interval of time, location or camera position.
form or match cut
A cut from an image in a shot to a different object that has a similar shape or contour; it is used primarily to make a smoother transition from one shot to another.
montage
A rapid sequence of shots that bring together associated ideas or images; maybe used to as an indication of the compression or elongation of time. Musical underscore is usually incorporated in a montage sequence.
crosscut/parallel editing
Alternating between two independent lines of action that are related by plot or thematically, through editing to give the impression of simultaneous occurrence.
flashback
An editing device for presenting or reawakening the memory of the camera, a character, the audience or all three; a cut from the narrative present to a past event.
flash forward
An editing device for presenting the anticipation of the camera, a character, the audience or all three; a cut from the narrative present to a future time.
film sound
All aural effects to create meaning and affect emotional impact of the visual elements of film.
extrinsic music
Music that comes from outside of the action of the film and underscores the emotional impact of a scene.
intrinsic music
Music that comes from within a scene. It can either be qualified, where the viewer sees a source, or implied based on the circumstances of the plot.
pure dramatic music
Music specifically composed for the film.
adapted music
Music adapted and rerecorded from already existing written music.
Foley sounds
Sounds that are added to the film after shooting to fill out the natural sounds recorded during a scene, such as gunshots, natural environmental sounds and footsteps. Named for Jack Foley (1891-1967), who developed the technique.
director
The chief collaborator or author of a film. Their job is to unify the overall compositional elements of filmmaking into a finished form or final cut. An “auteur” is a film director, who through years of experience, has created a unique style and controlling vision for their films and how they are put together.
cinematographer/director of photography
This person is responsible for the cinematographic properties of the shot (film, light and lenses), framing the shot in an aesthetic manner, speed and length of shot and special effects. They unify the mise en scene of a film.
production designer
This person is responsible for all visual environments and objects within an environment of a film shot; whether the settings are found or created on a sound stage.
costume designer
This person is responsible for all clothing worn by the actors in a film.
editor
This person works with the director to create meaning and structure through the editing of a film.
screen writer
the person who creates the script.
composer
the person who writes the music for the sound track
