Film Form Flashcards
Contextualise
To provide information about the situation in which something happens -
or why it has happened or to show its relationship with other parts of the film
Innovation
The creation of something new or development of a new method of doing something or new technology
e.g. : CGI
Film
A story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images
Close-up
A shot that focuses in on the head and shoulders, drawing attention to the character’s emotions
Can also be a close-up of an object that is significant to the plot
Long shots
Enable us to view a character, or group of characters, within a setting,
so we gain clues as to the coming action within the narrative / show what’s happening from a distance to a group of characters
Panning
The camera moves slowly from one area of the setting to another
If done quickly, this is known as a whip pan
Low Angle Shot
The camera is placed below the subject, making it look bigger and dominant
High Angle Shot
Owen Grady, Jurassic World (2015)
The camera is positioned above the subject to make it look smaller and therefore weaker
Mid-Shot
Frames the character from the waist up or down
High key lighting
When bright colour is created through the use of lots of filler lights
Low Key Lighting
When less filler lights are used to create pools of shadow
Colour Palette
The ‘look’ of the film as created by the choice of colours
Deep Focus Vs. Shallow Focus
Deep focus shows all the background and foreground details, compared to Shallow focus which only focuses on the subject in the foreground
Bird’s-eye view Vs. Eye-level shot
Bird’s-eye view is placed directly above a subject, looking straight down, when the eye-level shot is placed at the same eye level as a character
Panning
Horizontal move of the camera so it sweeps across the scene
Tilt
When the Camera moves up or down
Zoom
The camera shot moves closer or further away from the subject
Canted Angle
When the image is on an angle rather that on a straight line
Tracking Shot
The camera moves alongside the subject it is filming
Hand-held camera
When the shot does not remain still, but is shaky
Found Footage
Fictional, filmed material presented as if it is a documentary or factual footage
Artistic Merit
A term used by critics (not nice people) to judge appreciate, or evaluate a cultural product as a work of art
Critics and academics frequently view a film’s artistic merit as more important that its entertainment value
Non-diegetic sound
Sound that is not part of the film’s world
e.g. : Musical score or voice-over narration
Diegetic sound
Sound that is part of the film’s world
e.g. : Birds singing, traffic passing
