CODES Flashcards
List the media codes.
- Colour
- Camera
- Acting
- Mise en scene
- Editing
- Lighting
- Sound
- Setting
- Special effects
Explain colour.
Colour can be discussed in relation to mise en scene, but it is also a technical/symbolic code in its own right.
- Colour hue
- Colour saturation/de-saturation
- Colour palette
- Colour symbolism (subjective, but there are conventions)
- Black and white
Explain camera.
FOCUS
- Deep focus
- Shallow focus
- Ranking focus
- Depth of Field
DISTANCE / SHOT SIZE
- Establishing shot
- Close up
- Extreme close up
- Medium shot
- Long shot
- Extreme long shot
ANGLE
- Tilt up/tilt down
- High angle shot
- Low angle shot
- POV shot
- Eye level
- Bird’s-eye view
- Worm’s-eye view
MOVEMENT
- Zoom in and out
- Crane shot
- Hand held
- Pan
- Tilt
- Dolly
- Tracking
FILM STOCK
- Aspect ratio
- Academy 1.375: 1
- Widescreen 1.85: 1
- Cinemascope 2.39: 1
- Techniscope
- Anamorphic
- Widescreen
- Black and White
- Colour
- Digital vs Film
Explain acting.
NB/ Refers to the actor’s depiction of the character, not the character itself
- Vocal inflection
- Tone of voice
- Facial expressions
- Body movement
- Gestures
- Posture
- Casting
Explain mise en scene.
Everything that can be seen within a frame or scene. You must talk about the scene Holistically (the whole thing)
To do this successfully, you must talk about at least three of aspects listed below
- Colour
- Costumes, makeup and hair styling
- Props
- Location and set design
- Special effects
- Visual effects
- Composition
- Placement of camera, lighting, actor etc
Explain editing.
Editing refers to the selection and joining together of vision, and sound.
Editing organises a film into a cohesive whole by uniting footage rhythmically and aesthetically to create meaning.
TRANSITIONS
- Cut
- Dissolve
- Fade
- Smash cut
- Jump cut
- Match cut
RHYTHM AND PACE
- Montage
- Cut away
- Long take
- Rhythmic editing
- Jump cut
- B-Roll
PLACEMENT
- Shot reverse shot
- Cross cutting/special editing
- J cuts & L cuts
POST PRODUCTION
- Text
- CGI
- Titles
- Sound editing
- Colour correction
(These can also be discussed in terms of special/sound effects)
Explain lighting.
Lighting can be expressive in order to
convey a mood.
In describing the lighting techniques in a
film you need to pay attention to:
- The quality of light
- The direction of light
- The style of light.
Quality of light is referred to as Colour Temperature (measured in degrees Kelvin)
- Warm eg Tungsten (Lower Kelvin value)
- Cool eg Daylight(Higher Kelvin value)/Fluorescent
- Natural lighting
- Low key lighting
- High key lighting
- Back lighting
- Chiaroscuro style lighting
- Slash lighting
- Diffused lighting
- Feathered lighting
- Reflected/refracted light
- Expressive coloured lighting
Explain sound.
Sound can communicate story information, character development, mood and emotion. Sound may be discussed using one or more of the following terms…
DIEGETIC SOUND
(from the world of the narrative)
- Dialogue
- Location sound effects/foley
- Silence
NON-DIEGETIC SOUND
(from a source outside of the narrative)
- Music
- Voice over
- Sound design
EDITING OF SOUND
- Absence of sound
- Manipulated sound (faster/slower/broken/repeated)
- Adjusted levels (louder/quieter)
- Displaced sound
- Sound bridge (to link two scenes together)
Explain setting.
The location where the story unfolds/happens
- Most films have multiple settings
- Settings can become characters in the film
- Settings can motivate the characters and drive the action
- Settings can be symbolic
Explain special effects.
POST PRODUCTION
- Text
- CGI
- Titles
- Sound editing/design
- Colour correction
(These can also be discussed in terms of special/sound effects)
