Unit 2:Cinematogaphy: The Shot Flashcards
review Cinematogaphy: The Shot terms and conepts Film: Walkabout
What is cinamatography
a general term for all the manipulations of the film strip by the camera in the
shooting phase and by the laboratory in the developing phase.
what is a shot
- In shooting, one uninterrupted run of the camera to expose a series of frames. Also called a
take. - In a finished film, one uninterrupted image with a single static or mobile framing.
what is a long take
a shot of unusually long duration
the textbook says a minimum 1 minute
what is a scene
- a unit of dramatic action that takes place in one location during a single time period.
- a coherent unit: one that has its own beginning, middle and end.
what is a sequence
-a component of film narrative that maintains a unity of time, place or dramatic action but
introduces a discontinuity
ex.pretty woman shopping scene
what is a sequence shot
-A single shot or long take that covers an entire sequence or scene from beginning to end.
Three important variables of the shot:
Camera height
Angle on the action
Distance from the action
Camera height
The height at which the camera is placed.
Eye-level shot
A shot taken from a level camera located approximately 5’ to 6’ from the ground, simulating the
perspective of a person standing before the action presented.
Camera Angles
High Angle Shots
Low-Angle Shots
Canted or Dutch Angle
Overhead shot (bird’s eye shot)
High Angle shot
Where the camera is positioned above the character or action and aimed downward.
low angle shot
position the camera below the subject.
canted or dutch angle
leans to one side. The frame is not parallel with the horizon.
birds eye arial shot
depicts the action or subject from above sometimes looking down on it.
Camera Distance
refers to the space between the camera and its subject.
Extreme Long Shot (XLS)
A framing in which the scale of the object is very small; a human subject is very small in relation
to the surrounding environment
Long Shot (LS)
The camera captures the figure of the subject in its entirety.
It is more prominent because it occupies relatively more space in the frame, but is still entirely
within the frame
Medium Long Shot (MLS)
A three quarter length view of a character (from approximately the knees up).
Medium Shot (MS)
A framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size; a human figure seen from
the waist up would film most of the screen.
Medium Close Up (MCU)
A framing in which the scale of the object shown is fairly large; a human figure seen from the
chest up would fill most of the screen.
Close Up (CU)
A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large; most commonly a person’s
head seen from the neck up, or an object of comparable size fills most of the screen
Extreme Close Up (XCU)
A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large; most commonly, a small object
or a part of the body.
Wide Angle Lens 21- 35 mm
produces wide angle views
makes subjects appear farther apart than they actually are.
near complete depth of field (almost all objects in frame in focus)
Normal lens 35mm-70mm
produces images that correspond to our day-to-day experience of depth and perspective
keeps all subjects in a normal sense of focus
