Film Study Terms

Question 1

Extreme close up

Answer 1

An extreme close-up is a very tight shot on a specific detail, to emphasize it.

Question 2

Close up

Answer 2

An extreme close-up is a detailed shot showing just the head or a small, significant object, used to isolate a character and focus the audience’s attention on them.

Question 3

Medium close up

Answer 3

the figure is framed from the chest up

Question 4

Medium shot

Answer 4

The figure is framed from the waist up

Question 5

Medium long shot

Answer 5

a balance between figure and background; the figure is usually framed from about the knees up

Question 6

Long shot

Answer 6

A long shot captures a subject from a distance, showing the full body and some of the surrounding environment.

Question 7

Extreme long shot

Answer 7

An extreme long shot shows a vast area from a great distance, emphasizing the setting over the subject.

Question 8

High angle

Answer 8

Looks down on the subject

Question 9

The angle of destiny

Answer 9

a decidedly high angle shot that suggests an moment of great contemplation of decision–often held for an extended period of time
omniscience, a moment of great contemplation of decision often held for an extended period of time

Question 10

Low angle

Answer 10

the camera “looks” up at the subject
-often used to give the figure a dominate and powerful presence; the audience is made to feel
submissive

Question 11

Flat angle

Answer 11

-the camera is at eye level and on the same plane as the subject

Question 12

The Canted Camera Shot (also known as Dutch Angle)

Answer 12

-the central frame seems unbalanced in relation to the space and action
-often used to suggest a subjective viewpoint, such as that of a person who is drunk, or to suggest a
symbolic unbalance, such as a world that lacks harmony and balance

Question 13

Reaction Shot

Answer 13

This shot is usually employed to show the effect that someone’s words or actions
have on another individual, or to show how a character reacts generally to a particular scene. A
reaction shot may be a close-up to catch a look of surprise or fear, or a medium shot to show a
person’s body language.

Question 14

Point of View Shot (POV)

Answer 14

Any shot that is taken from the
perspective of a character in a film

Question 15

Shot/Reverse Shot

Answer 15

Two shots, commonly linked, each aimed nearly 180 degrees opposite the
other, usually used to show two people talking and listening to each other

Question 16

The Hand-Held Shot:

Answer 16

The camera is carried, approximating the actual jerky movement of
human progression, by the camera operator; the shot may be, in some ways, more intimate and
realistic, suggesting the subjective perspective of the individual.

Question 17

The push in

Answer 17

The camera, either slowly or swiftly, tracks up to the subject’s face; it is usually used to build tension leading to a sudden epiphany

Question 18

The spiral shot

Answer 18

The camera “circles” around an individual or a group of people (usually
gathered around a table)–it may be a quick spiraling motion to suggest disorientation or panic, or a
slow circular motion to suggest languidity or encourage close listening

Question 19

Cut

Answer 19

An instantaneous change from one shot to another.

Question 20

Dissolve

Answer 20

A visual effect created by the gradual disappearance of one shot while another
shot gradually appears and comes into clear focus; for a brief time the images blend in

Question 21

Superim position

Answer 21

(exposure of more than one image on the same film strip), which may be
used to symbolic effect. Dissolves are used to suggest a change of setting or a longer lapse of time than in a cut, so it is often used to begin or end flashbacks.

Question 22

Fade out/in

Answer 22

Ending a scene by underexposing to black or overexposing to white;
beginning a scene in the same manner, moving from black or white to clear focus. The fade
out/in is usually used to indicate the passage of time or a change of location in narrative.

Question 23

Freeze frame

Answer 23

As a way of ending a scene, the film appears to stop and the image is
“frozen” or held for a few seconds. Used for dramatic effect, usually to suggest a lack of closure

Question 24

Jump cut

Answer 24

An abrupt transition between shots, usually made to disorient the audience
because there is a sudden or illogical transition; the usual “laws” of space and time are violated.

Question 25

Swish Pan (a.k.a. Flash Pan or Zip Pan or Whip Pan

Answer 25

A horizontal camera movement
where the speed of the camera is so fast that only blurred images are recorded; often used to connect events in different places that are actually connected.

Question 26

Wipe

Answer 26

A transition between shots in which a line passes across the screen, eliminating the first shot as it goes and replacing it with the next one; the images do not blend, as in a
dissolve.

Question 27

Iris in iris out

Answer 27

The new image appears as an expanding circle in the middle of the old
image or the old image becomes a contracting circle that disappears into the new image.

Question 28

Diegetic sound

Answer 28

sound that has a source in the world of the story, such as dialogue spoken by
characters, sounds made by objects, or music coming from a source grounded in the narrative

Question 29

Nondiegetic sound

Answer 29

sound coming from a source outside the world of the story, usually part of the
score or soundtrack

Question 30

Onscreen sound

Answer 30

the source of the sound is in the story—diegetic—and visible onscreen within a shot

Question 31

Offscreen sound

Answer 31

the sounds some from within the story—diegetic—but are in a space outside the limits of the frame. For example, we hear gunshots, but do not see the action of firing onscreen

Question 32

Voice-over

Answer 32

usually the voice of a non-visible narrator laid over the scene to comment on the story. The voice-over narrator may also be a character within the film, but when he narrates as a voice-over, he positions himself in a space superior in knowledge to the space occupied by the other characters in the story. Often the voice-over narrator is a more mature version of a character in the film, looking back on the events of the story

Question 33

Internal Sound

Answer 33

sound that comes from “inside” the mind of a character; it is subjective (nondiegetic and internal diegetic sounds are often called sound overs because they do not come from the “real”
space of the scene)

Question 34

Synchronous sound

Answer 34

sound that is synchronized with the image, at the same time as we see the source producing the sound

Question 35

Asynchronous sound

Answer 35

sound that is out of synchronization with the visual track
Ex: character as they walk alone down a dark hallway, and you can hear their footsteps as dogs bark — but you can’t see any dogs

Question 36

Simultaneous sound

Answer 36

sound that takes place at the same time as the image in terms of story events

Question 37

Non-simultaneous sound

Answer 37

the sound we hear occurs earlier or later in the story than the events we see
in the image, usually referred to as a sonic flashback. For example, we may see a character onscreen in the present, but hear another character’s voice-over from an earlier scene

Question 38

Parallel sound

Answer 38

sound that complements the image, for instance romantic music during a love scene

Question 39

Counterpoint sound

Answer 39

sound which is incongruous with the image, for instance a happy song played
over a graphic act of violence; the sound creates an ironic commentary

Question 40

Sound bridge

Answer 40

a bridge between scenes or sequences created through the use of similar or identical sounds in both