Directing Flashcards
smallest unit of film language
shot
everything visible in the frame of the shot; the subject, actions, objects, setting, lighting, and graphic qualities
mis-en-scene
expressive unit made up of editing together multiple shots to define a unified action or event, or passage of time and place
sequence
a continuous run of images unbroken by an edit
shot
a dramatic unit in which action ostensibly happens in continuous time and within a single location
scene
a series of scenes that create a larger dramatic unit
dramatic sequence
organizing images to create a coherent sense of space, time, and movement in a way that is recognized and understood by nearly everyone
continuity style
each individual still image captured on film or video
physical frame
two-dimensional space defined by its horizontal and vertical dimensions
compositional frame
screen left, screen right, top, and bottom
four edges of frame
what the audience doesn’t see
off screen
the relationship between the width and height of the frame
aspect ratio
all of the essential information in the shot is neatly contained within the parameters of the frame
closed frame
the composition leads the audience to be aware of the area beyond the edges of the visible shot
open frame
a composition rule that divides the screen into thirds along the horizontal and vertical axes and then placing significant objects, focal points, and elements of interest along these lines
rule of thirds
extra vertical space to one side or the other; walking space
looking room
a shot that shows a large view of the location, setting, or landscape; emphasis is on surroundings or relationship to surroundings
extreme long shot/wide shot (ELS)
a shot that contains the whole human figure; good for larger physical movements and activity
long shot
frames subject from the knees up; cowboy shot because of cowboy’s gun belt
medium long shot
frames subject from waist up; good for smaller physical actions and facial expressions while keeping some connection with surroundings
medium shot
shot from the rest or shoulders up; emphasis is facial expression, but some connection to physical attitude of body is kept
medium close-up
places primary emphasis on the face or other part of the body; emphasizes features, movements, and expressions
close-up
stylistically potent shot that isolates a very small detail or feature of the subject
extreme close-up
shot with two subjects
two shot
shot with three subject
three shot
shot with more than three people
group shot
shot where lens of camera is positioned at eye level of subjects
eye-level shot
shot where lens of camera is above eye level
high-angle shot
shot where lens of camera is below eye level
low angle
a shot in which the subject looks directly at the camera
direct address
shots in which the camera looks directly at the face of a subject but the subject’s sightline is just off the edge of the frame
frontal shots
relationship with frontal shot and three-quarter frontal shot
intimate perspective; can elicit strong engagement
relationship with profile shot
neutral point of view
relationship with shot from behind
creates a sense of distance, remoteness, and mystery
relationship with three-quarter back shot
encourages audience to identify with a character by aligning their visual point of view with that of the subject
dutch angle; tilting camera laterally so that the horizon of your composition is oblique
canted angle
relationship with canted angle
creates a feeling ranging from slight imbalance. to extreme spacial disorientation; can infuse tension, imbalance, or disorientation into a scene
scans space horizontally by pivoting camera left or right
pan
shifts camera perspective vertically with the lens facing up or down
tilt
pivoting the camera horizontally or vertically from a stationary spot while camera is running
stationary camera move
moving the entire camera in space horizontally, closer or farther, or vertically
dynamic camera move
when you move the camera in order to follow or track with a subject
tracking shot
moving shots in which the camera moves closer or farther away from the subject
dolly shot
a shot in which the camera is raised very high in the air above a human subject’s head
crane shot
a system that assures us that individual shots, when cut together, will give us the illusion of smooth and continuous time, movement, and space, regardless of the order those shots were taken in
continuity
sounds that exist naturally in a given location
ambient sound
means that we must shoot all of the shots in a continuity sequence from only one side of the action so that shots will cut together seamlessly
180 degree princ
the direction to which a character is looking
sight line
the direction a character travels in a frame
screen direction
axis of action/ director’s line
180 degree line
placing camera on opposite side of 180 degree line
jumping the line
changing the size of a shot by at least 20mm or moving camera by at least 30 degrees so that shots cut together seamlessly
20mm/30 degree rule
cutting together two shots of the same subject when the frames are very similar
jump cut
dividing a single movement between two shots in order to bridge the edit; makes shots come together in a seamless way
match action edit/ cutting on action
six basic principles of continuity
- continuity of mis-en-scene (shared shot content)
- continuity of sound
- continuity of performance
- continuity of spacial orientation (axis of action)
- 20mm/30 degree rule
- cutting on action (match action edits)
master shot
clearly shows both subjects in the scene and defines the spatial relationship of the two to each other and the space around them
clearly shows both subjects in the scene and defines the spatial relationship of the two to each other and the space around them
reverse shots (singles)
a reverse shot that is from a n angle that includes a portion of the other person’s shoulder or head
over-the-shoulder shot (OTS) / dirty single
alternating between to reverse shot angles
shot/reverse shot technique
a reverse shot of a character reacting to a moment
reaction shot
accurately following a person’s sightline from shot to shot, especially in an interaction
eyeline much
interruption of a continuous filmed action by inserting a shot of a detail within your scene other than the characters’ faces
cutaway shot
shooting a scene from various angles
coverage
shows your subject turning their gaze toward a person or object
looking shot
shows what a character is looking at
POV shot
removing extraneous time and territory in the edit
elliptical editing
allows the actions and relationships of an entire scene to develop within a single shot in real time
long take
annotated script that shows you what shots are used to cover a scene and how they connect together as an edited scene
shooting script
drawings of shots, arranged on paper in the order they appear in a sequence
storyboards
a list of all the shots that make up the film in the order in which they will be shot
shot list
copy of the screenplay that contains a record of what parts of the script have been successfully shot and from what angle
lined script
drawings of each scene from a bird’s-eye perspective
overheads
the movement of your characters in space
blocking
essential story elements
- central character
- dramatic situation (premise)
- actions and stakes
- resolution and what it all means
determines the degree of magnification or de-magnification of the scene being shot
focal length
how much of the scene the lens takes in horizontally and vertically
angle view
medium lenses; approximates the same perspective and image size that the human eye would see if one were to stand in the same spot as the camera not including peripheral
normal (lens and definition)
normal lens focal length for 16mm film format
25 mm
normal lens focal length for 35mm film format
50 mm
normal lens focal length for 2/3in CCD
20 mm
normal lens focal length for 1/2in CCD
15 mm
normal lens focal length for 1/3 CCD
11 mm
normal lens focal length for 1/4in CCD
8 mm
relationship between area of imaging device and focal length for normal lens
larger the area of the imaging divide, the longer the focal length for a normal lens
lenses that reduce the size of the image and broaden the angle of view compared to the human eye
short lenses;
wide-angle lens focal length for 16mm film (slight)
15 mm
wide-angle lens focal length for 16mm film (normal wide)
10 mm
wide-angle lens focal length for 16mm film (very wide)
8 mm
lens with an angle of view greater than 180 degrees; fisheye lens
extreme wide-angle lens
long lenses; lenses that enlarge the size of the image and narrow the angle of view
telephoto
telephoto lens focal length for 16mm film (slight)
75 mm lense
telephoto lens focal length for 16mm film (normal telephoto)
120 mm
telephoto lens focal length for 16mm film (very telephoto
250 mm
lenses that have one fixed focal length
prime lenses
variable focal length lenses; have a continuous range of focal lengths in one lens housing
zoom lenses
when a point of light reflecting off the subject is registered as a point of light on the focal plane
focus
makes your subject stand out from the environment and gain prominence in the frame
shallow depth of field
increases the amount of information we see along the z-axis and therefore you gain environmental detail that can inflect the mood of the scene and the narrative content
deep depth of field
a stabilizing system for a camera that incorporates a complex system of counterweights and springs to minimize gravitational forces and absorb any shock
stedicam
standardized routine for every sync sound take on a double-system film production
calling the shot
calling the shot
- A.D. (or director) : is anyone not ready?
- if no one responds, A.D. (or director) : roll sound
- sound recorder starts recorder and after 5 second pre-roll says: speed
- A.D. (or director): roll camera
- camera op starts camera and calls: rolling
- A.C. (or slate person) claps slate after saying scene and take numbers
- after a pause, director says: action
- scene happens
- director calls cut
- camera and sound recorder are turned off
- camera report and sound logs are updated as slate is reloaded
a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length than the master shot
insert
a style of filmmaking characterized by realistic, typically documentary motion pictures that avoid artificiality and artistic effect and are generally made with simple equipment
cinema Bertie
has apparent breaks in natural time continuity as it is implied in the film’s story
elliptical style shooting
cuts that leave an impression of continuity and do not distract from the story
invisible cuts
has little to no psychological effect on the viewer; camera is in a neutral position; there is no dramatic power
eye level shot
makes characters look dominant, aggressive, or ominous
low-angle shot effect
makes characters look weak, submissive, or frightened
high angle shot effect
author’s draft; first complete version of the narrative in proper screenplay format
first draft
another draft of a screenplay where things have been fixed and changed to make the story better
revised draft
speculative screenplay; a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay that a writer hopes will get picked up
spec script
