Terminology Flashcards
Memorize
Auteur
From the French ‘author’. A director who has control over the style of the film
Cinematography
Camerawork in film-making
composition and framing, focus, depth of field, camera angles and movement, shots and duration
Genre Conventions
Methods, ingredients, things necessary for the style/category of film.
Diegetic Sound
Sound that is part of the film world
Non-diegetic Sound
Added sound to create a certain atmosphere (sound
FX, soundtrack)
Iconography
The images or symbols associated with a certain subject
Key lighting
Lighting design to create different light/dark ratios. High-key lighting is bright and produces little shadow, whereas low-key lighting is used to specifically create shadow and contrast.
Mise-en-scène
‘what is in the frame’: setting, costume & props,
lighting & colour, body language, positioning/performance
Rule of Three
‘Imaginary lines’ sectioning the screen into portions
Cut
A transition between one shot to another
Continuity Editing
Visual editing where shots are cut together in a clear and linear flow of uninterrupted action
Discontinuity/Non-continuity
Shots are mismatched to disrupt the impression of time and space.
Cross-cutting
Technique used to give the illusion that two story lines of action are happening at the same time by rapidly cutting back and forth between them
Montage
A sequence of shots assembled to condense a story/convey an idea
Jump-cut
an abrupt transition from one scene to another
Composition
how the shot is framed/what’s inside and where it’s placed
Depth of field
the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects giving a focused image
Long/wide shot
can see actors whole body
Medium shot
see actor from waist up
Close-up
only see actors face
Extreme close-up
only see part of the face e.g. eyes
Establishing shot
wide shot portraying the setting/spatial relationship between objects and actors
Pan
the movement of a stationary camera on a horizontal axis
Tilt
the movement of a stationary camera on a vertical axis
Tracking/dolly shot
the movement of the shot when the camera is no longer stationary. (The term refers to the tracks that cameras were
once rolled on when creating one of these shots)
Handheld shot
camera held by operator; tends to be shaky
Crane/birds eye view shot
Taken from a crane. Shot from above. May be used for establishing shot
POV shot
Look ‘through’ the eyes of the character
High angle/Low angle shot
camera placement; placed low = high angle (pointing up) placed high = low angle (pointing down)
Transition
how one shot turns into another (cut, dissolve etc)
Over the shoulder shot
takes a shot of a character placing the shoulder of another in the shot; usually during conversation
Ambient sound
background diegetic sounds
Medium Close-up
the camera frame cuts figures at chest level
Cut in
a shift from distant framing to a close view for details in the same space
e.g. see full wide shot, then zoom in to a face
Cut-away
A cut to a different shot but within the same location/sphere of action
Post-production effects
Image or sound manipulations that are added after it’s been filmed
Fade/dissolve
A shot gradually fades to black or into another image
Freeze-frame
Cut into a still image which could be both continuous or discontinuous
Video effect
A choice of many effects which can alter the quality of the image and create juxtaposition/alternative meaning
Overlapping editing
Cuts that repeat part or all of an action, expanding it’s receiving time and plot duration
Describe Genre
- Made up of codes and conventions e.g. locations (horror = isolate abandoned house/forest) techniques (e.g. lowlighting) characters (e.g. final girl) narrative/plot
- ‘The same but different’
- Success is copied
- Leads to audience expectations: different expectations for a horror than a romance
Subgenre
Further organisation
e.g. horror = slasher, supernatural, zombie
Hybrid genres
Combination of genres
e.g. Star Wars = Sci-Fi Fantasy
Scary Movie = Comedy Horror
Linear narrative
Chronological.
Majority of films.
Non-Linear Narrative
Jumps around
Can be more interesting, experimental
e.g. Pulp Fiction
