Cinematography

Question 1

What is a Bird’s-Eye view?

Answer 1

Shows a scene from directly overhead

Question 2

What is a High Angle?

Answer 2

The camera is elevated above the scene using a crane to give a general overview of the scene

Question 3

What is Eye Level?

Answer 3

The camera is positioned as though it is the audience as the main character

Question 4

What is a Low Angle?

Answer 4

These increase height, low angles help give a sense of powerlessness within the action of a scene

Question 5

What is an Oblique/Canted Angle?

Answer 5

Sometimes the camera is tilted to suggest instability

Question 6

What is an Extreme long shot?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What is a Long Shot?

Answer 7

This shot is one which shows the image as approximately “life” size. This includes the full shot which shows the entire human body

Question 8

What is a Medium Shot?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What is a Close-Up?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What is an Extreme Close-Up?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

What is a Pan?

Answer 11

A movement which scans a scene horizontally

Question 12

What is a Tilt?

Answer 12

A movement which scans a scene vertically

Question 13

What is meant by Tracking?

Answer 13

The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, following a moving figure or object

Question 14

What is a Crane Shot?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What is an Aerial Shot?

Answer 15

This is usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish the setting

Question 16

What is Key lighting?

Answer 16

This aims directly at the main character or object in the shot and is the brightest light source for the shot

Question 17

What is Fill lighting?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What is Back lighting?

Answer 18

This shines behind the subject or object, separating them from the background and enhancing the sense of depth in the shot.

Question 19

What is High key lighting?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

What is Low key lighting?

Answer 20

Low key lighting gives the scene a shadowy effect. The shadows created by low key lighting work well in mysteries and horror films

Question 21

What is Top lighting?

Answer 21

Top lighting is when the upper areas of a subject are outlined by a source generating from above it.

Question 22

What is Under lighting?

Answer 22

Under lighting is the lighting of a subject from a point below the subjects in the scene

Question 23

What is a Circular pan?

Answer 23

A shot in which the camera rotates 360 degrees around a fixed axis