Cinematography Flashcards
What is a Bird’s-Eye view?
Shows a scene from directly overhead
What is a High Angle?
The camera is elevated above the scene using a crane to give a general overview of the scene
What is Eye Level?
The camera is positioned as though it is the audience as the main character
What is a Low Angle?
These increase height, low angles help give a sense of powerlessness within the action of a scene
What is an Oblique/Canted Angle?
Sometimes the camera is tilted to suggest instability
What is an Extreme long shot?
It is normally used as a scene-setting, establishing a shot. It normally shows an exterior and is often used to show scenes of action
What is a Long Shot?
This shot is one which shows the image as approximately “life” size. This includes the full shot which shows the entire human body
What is a Medium Shot?
This is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some action. This includes the over the shoulder shot, which positions the camera over a characters shoulder
What is a Close-Up?
This concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scene. This shot enhances the object and shows the importance of object of screen
What is an Extreme Close-Up?
An extreme version of the close up. An extreme close up of a face would only show the mouth or eyes, with no background and can be used for dramatic effect.
What is a Pan?
A movement which scans a scene horizontally
What is a Tilt?
A movement which scans a scene vertically
What is meant by Tracking?
The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, following a moving figure or object
What is a Crane Shot?
A camera is placed on a crane and it can move up, down, left and right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it
What is an Aerial Shot?
This is usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish the setting
What is Key lighting?
This aims directly at the main character or object in the shot and is the brightest light source for the shot
What is Fill lighting?
This is a softer light, and is usually placed opposite the key light; the fill light cuts down on shadows created by the bright key light
What is Back lighting?
This shines behind the subject or object, separating them from the background and enhancing the sense of depth in the shot.
What is High key lighting?
High key lighting is both brighter and more even than key lighting. Bright high key lighting is often used in dramatic scenes in dramas to emphasise the intensity of the situation.
What is Low key lighting?
Low key lighting gives the scene a shadowy effect. The shadows created by low key lighting work well in mysteries and horror films
What is Top lighting?
Top lighting is when the upper areas of a subject are outlined by a source generating from above it.
What is Under lighting?
Under lighting is the lighting of a subject from a point below the subjects in the scene
What is a Circular pan?
A shot in which the camera rotates 360 degrees around a fixed axis
