Quiz 6 Flashcards
cinematography
The process of capturing moving images on film or some other medium. (page 226)
take
An indication of the number of times a particular shot is taken (e.g., shot 14, take 7).
setup
One camera position and everything associated with it. Whereas the shot is the basic building block of the film, the setup is the basic component of the film’s production.
camera crew
Technicians that make up two separate groups – one concerned with the camera, the other concerned with electricity and lighting.
camera operator
The member of the camera crew who does the actual shooting.
assistant camera person (AC)
Member of the camera crew who assists the camera operator. The first AC oversees everything having to do with the camera, lenses, supporting equipment, and the material on which the movie is being shot. The second AC prepares the slate that is used to identify each scene as it is being filmed, files camera reports,
and feeds film stock into magazines to be loaded into the camera.
first AC or assistant camera person
Member of the camera crew who assists the camera operator. The first AC The first AC oversees everything having to do with the camera and lenses, including adjusting focus before and during each shot.
Second AC or assistant camera person
Member of the camera crew who assists the camera operator. The second AC prepares the slate that is used to identify each shot and take as the camera rolls, notes the lens, exposure, and other information for each shot, and is responsible for moving the camera to each new setup.
slate
The board or other device that is used to identify each scene
during shooting.
gaffer
The chief electrician on a movie production set.
best boy
First assistant electrician to the gaffer on a movie production
set.
Grip
All-around handyperson on a movie production set, most
often working with the camera crews and electrical crews.
Film stock
Celluloid used to record movies. There are two types: one for
black-and-white films, the other for color. Each type is
manufactured in several standard formats.
Gauge or format
The dimensions of a film stock and its perforations, and the
size and shape of the image frame as seen on the screen.
Formats extend from Super 8mm through 70mm (and beyond
into such specialized formats as IMAX), but they are generally
limited to three standard gauges: Super 8mm, 16mm, and
35mm.
Speed or film stock
Celluloid used to record movies. There are two types: one for
black-and-white films, the other for color. Each type is
manufactured in several standard formats.
colorization
The use of digital technology, in a process similar to
hand-tinting, to ‘paint’ colors on movies meant to be seen in
black and white.
Additive color systems
In early film-making, techniques used to add color to
black-and-white images, including hand-coloring, stenciling,
tinting, and toning.
subtractive color systems
Adopted in the 1930s, this technique involved shooting three
separate black-and-white negatives through three light filters,
each representing a primary color (red, green, blue). Certain
color components were subtracted (or removed) from each
of the three emulsion layers, creating a positive image in
natural color.
Widescreen
Any aspect ratio wider than 1.33:1, the standard ratio until the
early 1950s.
Focusable spotlight
A lamp that produces hard, mirrorlike light that can be directed to precise locations.
Floodlight
A lamp that produces soft (diffuse) light.
Reflector board
A piece of lighting equipment, but not really a lighting
instrument, because it does not rely on bulbs to produce
illumination. Essentially, a reflector board is a double-sided
board that pivots in a U-shaped holder. One side is a hard,
smooth surface that reflects hard light; the other is a soft,
textured surface that reflects softer fill light.
three-point system
Perhaps the best-known lighting convention in feature
filmmaking, a system that employs three sources of light –
key light, fill light, and backlight – each aimed from
a different direction and position in relation to the subject.
key light
Also known as main light or source light. The brightest light
falling on a subject.
fill light
Lighting, positioned at the opposite side of the camera from
the key light, that can fill in the shadows created by the
brighter key light. Fill light may also come from a reflector
board.
lighting ratio
The relationship and balance between illumination and
shadow – the balance between key light and fill light. If the
ratio is high, shadows are deep; the result is called low-key
lighting; if the ratio is low, shadows are faint or non-existent
and illumination is even; the result is called high-key lighting.
low-key lighting
Lighting that creates strong contrasts; sharp, dark shadows;
and an overall gloomy atmosphere. Its contrasts between
light and dark often imply ethical judgments.
high-key lighting
Lighting that produces an image with very little contrast
between darks and lights. Its even, flat illumination expresses
virtually no opinions about the subject being photographed.
backlight
Lighting, usually positioned behind and in line with the
subject and the camera, used to create highlights on the
subject as a means of separating it from the background and
increasing its appearance of three-dimensionality.
production value
The amount of human and physical resources devoted to
the image, including the style of its lighting. Production
value helps determine the overall style of a film.
lens
The piece of transparent material in a camera that focuses the
image on the film being exposed. The four major types of
lenses are the short-focal-length lens, the middle-focal-length
lens, the long-focal-length lens, and the zoom lens.
Aperture
Also known as gate. The camera opening that defines the
area of each frame of film exposed.
iris
- A circular cutout made with a mask that creates a frame within a frame. 2. An adjustable diaphragm that limits the amount of light
passing through the lens of a camera.
focal length
The distance from the optical center of a lens to the focal
point (the film plane that the cameraperson wants to keep in
focus) when the lens is focused at infinity.
short-focal length lens
Also known as wide-angle lens. A lens that creates the illusion
of depth within a frame, albeit with some distortion at the
edges of the frame.
long-focal length lens
Also known as telephoto lens. A lens that flattens the space
and depth of an image and thus distorts perspectival
relations.
middle-focal length lens
Also known as normal lens. A lens that does not distort
perspectival relations.
Zoom lens
Also known as variable-focal-length lens. A lens that is moved
toward and away from the subject being photographed, has
a continuously variable focal length, and helps reframe a shot
within the take. A zoom lens permits the camera operator
during shooting to shift between wide-angle and telephoto
lenses without changing the focus or aperture settings.
Prime lens
A lens that has a fixed focal length. The short-focal-length, middle-focal-length, and long-focal-length lenses are all prime lenses; the zoom lens is in its own category.
Depth of field
The distance in front of a camera and its lens in which objects are in apparent sharp focus.
Plane
Any of three theoretical areas – foreground, middle ground, and background – within the frame.
Rack focus
Also known as select focus, shift focus, or pull focus. A change of the point of focus from one subject to another within the same shot. Rack focus guides our attention to a new clearly focused point of interest while blurring the previous subject in the shot.
