Visual Literacy Theory Flashcards
What is a extreme long shot?
Shows landscape or the view of the whole world, town, or a city: purpose- may be used as an establishing shot, emphasizes the vulnerability of a subject, establish the “awe-inspiring” mood
What is a long shot?
The whole body will be shown of the subject along with the entire area of action: purpose- establish setting, introduce main characters, indicate emotional separation
What is a full shot?
Showing the full subject with the feet at the bottom of the frames and the head at the top
What is a mid shot?
Shows subject from the mid-shin or the mid-thigh up: purpose- emphasize the relationship between two or more characters, separates characters from the background
What is a close up?
focuses on the subjects face. shows either head or head and shoulders may also focus on a small objects: purpose- for emphasis
What is a close shot?
The view is close to the action, subject is shown from the waist up
What is a extreme close up?
Singles out a portion of the face or isolates a detail, may magnify the image to the point of distortion: purpose- call attention to key elements often for symbolic significance, may intensify an emotion, create a horrific impression
What is a tracking/dolly shot?
Single continuous shot made with a camera moving along the ground usually on a dolly
What is a POV shot?
Framed from a particular character’s point of view, audience sees what the character sees
What is a aerial shot?
Filmed from a helicopter, plane, balloon, kite, or blimp
What is a crane shot?
Usually pan or tilt shot in which a crane is used to lift the camera above the action
What is a arc shot?
Subject is filmed by am encircling or moving camera
What is a boom shot?
Continuous single shot made from a plot which has a camera suspended from it
What is a establishing/master shot?
Shows the overall view of a location or all the actors in the scene: purpose- establish the relationship of details which will be emphasized in later shots
What is a hand held shot?
Camera is held by hand: purpose- create an sense if anxiety and confusion, to involve the audience directly in the scene with the character, add realism to the scene
What is a reaction shot?
A medium shot which shows reaction to an event
What is a shot/reverse shot?
Two shots commonly linked, frequently used to show two people talking and listening to each other
What is a birds eye view?
Camera is placed virtually on top of the subject looking down towards the subject and the ground
What is a high angle?
Camera shoots down at the subjects: purpose- used to increase vulnerability, shows powerlessness or decrease size
What is a low angle?
Camera shoots up at the subject: purpose- used to increase size, power, or status or subject, used to inspire awe
What is a flat/straight angle?
Camera is at eye-level and on the same plane as the object: purpose- communicates as sense of equality, sincerity and honestly between the character and the audience
What is a wide angle?
Offers a greater panorama without having to pan or move the camera
What is a dutch angle?
Tilting the camera frame off of its normal vertical axis and making subjects look askew: purpose- creates a sense of disorientation, emphasizes a strange mood, suggests a subjective viewpoint, could suggests a symbolic unbalance
What is a fisheye angle?
It is like looking into a mirrored glass ball, creates an exaggerated linear distortion
What is defocus?
To deliberately take a shot out of focus
What is shallow focus?
Focus is clear in only one place the rest is blurred
What is deep focus?
All areas from foreground to background are in focus
What is soft focus?
A slightly blurred shot to make the subject seem more attractive, romantic, nostalgic, or dreamlike
What is rack focus?
An on screen focus change from a object in the foreground to an object in the background or vice versa to direct, shift, and steer the attention of the viewer
What is high-key lighting?
Most shots in the film are brightly lit, few shadows
What is high-contrast lighting?
The arrangements of harsh lines of light and dark elements may be used for symbolic intent or to establish an easy mood
What is low-key lighting?
Uses shadows and directed pools of light to create atmosphere and suspense/mystery
What is back lighting?
Illumination coming from behind the subject to increase its presence in a dramatic way
What is side lighting?
Illumination coming from the side of the subject making the point of focus half-lit: purpose- to suggest ambiguity, suggest a psychological self-division
What is top lighting?
Lighting a subject from above: purpose- to create a “halo” effect
What is under lighting?
Lighting a subject from below: purpose- to make the subject sinister and threatening
What is unmotivated lighting?
Intense, bright light from an unseen, impossible source illuminating the point of focus
What is motivated lighting?
Light is from an explained source
What is diffused lighting?
The light source is reflected rather than direct providing a softer lower contrast image
What is ambient lighting?
The natural light or surrounding light around a subject in a scene
What is a candlelight?
Using candles to light the scene: purpose- achieving intimacy, romance, and harmony
What is diegetic sound?
Any sound that could logically be heard by a character in the movie
What is internal diegetic sound?
Sounds that only one character can hear
What is nondiegetic sound?
Sounds from a source outside the storyline
What is ambient sound?
Refers to any sounds that are used to establish location
What is asynchronous sound?
Audio-track sounds are mismatched with images shown
What does the colour red mean?
Urgency, excitement, love, passion, heat, sexual attraction, blood, strength, speed, danger, warning
What does the colour blue mean?
Calmness, wholesomeness, truth, dignity, power, coolness, trust, reliability, belonging, melancholy
What does the colour yellow mean?
Welcoming, friendliness, happiness, warmth, cowardice
What does the colour green mean?
Youthfulness, freshness, nature, growth, relaxation, health, cheerfulness, environment, money, abundance, envy
What does the colour purple mean?
Power, royalty, dignity, enchantment, wealth, sophistication, intelligence, spirituality, mourning
What does the colour orange mean?
Nature, homeliness, warmth, playfulness, vibrant
What does the colour brown mean?
Natural comfort, homeliness, warmth, decay, destruction, lack of growth
What does the colour white mean?
Purity, innocence, freshness, cleanliness, lightness, youthful, mild, emptiness
What does the colour black mean?
Sophistication, elegance, mysterious, seductive, strength, threatening, mourning, evil, rebellion
What does the colour pink mean?
Soft, sweet, nurturing, security
What does the colour gold mean?
Prestige, expensive
What does the colour silver mean?
Prestige, cold, scientific
What does the colour grey mean?
Sadness, lack of growth, decay, death, confusion
What does the colour pastels means?
soft pinks and blues are associated with innocence and babies, soothing
What does curved shapes mean?
Soft, feminine, nurturing, gentle, invites viewer to touch and feel
What does straight lines mean?
Masculine, strength, authority, lack of emotion
What does jagged lines mean?
Makes viewer feel tense and uneasy
What does horizontal lines mean?
soothing, peaceful, relaxing
What does vertical lines mean?
draws the eye upward, gives a feeling of power, inspire awe in viewer
What does diagonal lines mean?
Speed, action, movement
What is the vanishing point?
Converging parallel lines that move away from the viewer appear to converge at the horizon in the classic “vanishing point” phenomenon
What is composition?
Refers to the arrangement of different elements within a frame or scene
What is storyboarding?
Determines the composition of each shot in a film, decisions are made about what to include and what to leave out of frame
What is juxtaposition?
When contrasting images are placed together, can create irony, tension, and critical thinking
What is cropping?
Selects portions of the photograph are deleted in order to create an effective composition
What is balance?
Refers to the arrangements of the figures. the lighting, the sound, the movement
What is perspective?
Captures the essence of what you experience when viewing a scene
What is the foreground?
Refers to what is closest to the viewer
What is the middleground?
Located in the middle of the frame
What is the background?
Refers to what is located furthest from the viewer
What is the focal point?
Where the viewer’s eye is immediately drawn to in the visual image
What is the subsidiary details?
Where the viewer’s eye is drawn after the focal point
What is the internal framing?
A frame within a frame of the visual such as a window or a doorway limits the point of focus: purpose- suggests imprisonment, protecting, or isolation
What is positive space?
The subject in the image
What is negative space?
Parts of the image within the frame which are not the subject: purpose- the subject usually appears vulnerable or isolated, may cause anxiety
