aerial perspectivea cue for suggesting represented depth in the image by presenting

objects in the distance less distinctly than those in the foreground

axis of actionIn the continuity editing system, the imaginary line that

passes from side to side through a main actors, defining the spatial relations of all the elements of the scene as being to the right or the left. It is also called the 180-

degree line. When the camera crosses this axis at a cut, those spatial relations are reversed thereby confusing the

audience. It is one of cardinal rules of continuity editing not to cross this axis during a sequence.

backlightinglighting cast onto the figures from the side

opposite the camera. It creates a thin outline of light on the figures' edge.

camera anglethe position of the frame in relation to the subject it shows. A high angle is when camera is looking down, low angle when looking up. camera movement onscreen impression that the framing is changing with respect to the scene being photographed. This is usually achieved by actual movement of camera but also by a zoom lens or special effects.

canted framinga view in which the frame is not level.

Either right or left side is lower, causing objects in the scene to

appear tipped.

cinematographya general term for all the manipulations

of the film strip by the camera in the shooting phase and by the laboratory in

the development phase.

Cinéma véritéa cinema that utilized lightweight equipment, two-person crews (camera and sound), and

interview techniques. It is also now often used loosely to refer to any kind of documentary

technique. See direct cinema.

close-upa 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 a comparable size that fills most of the screen.

contrastin the cinematography, the difference

between the brightest and the darkest areas within the frame

crane shota shot with a change in framing

accomplished by having the camera on the crane and moving through the

air in any direction.

deep focusa use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps both the close and distant planes being photographed in sharp

focus.

deep spacean arrangement of mise-en-scene

element so that there is a considerable distance between the plane closest to the camera and the

one farthest away. Any or all of these planes may be in focus.

depth of fieldthe measurements of the closest and farthest planes in front of camera lens

between which everything will be in sharp focus. For example,a depth of field from 5 to 16 feet would mean everything closer than 5 feet and farther than 16 ft would be out of

focus.

distance of framingthe apparent distance of

the frame from the mise-en-scene

elements. Also called "camera distance" and "shot scale". Close-up and medium long shot are examples of terms referring to distance of

framing.

dollya camera support with wheels, used

in making tracking shots.

establishing shota shot, usually involving a distant

framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects,

and setting in a scene.

exposurea measure of the amount of light striking the surface of the film. Overexposed film

gives a very light, washed out, dreamy quality to the print image while

underexposed makes the image darker, muddy, and foreboding.

extreme close-upa framing in which the scale of object is

very large; most commonly, a small object or a part of the body. Also called

detail shot

extreme long shota framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a panoramic view

of an exterior location photographed from a considerable distance, often as far

as a quarter-mile away.

eyeline matcha cut obeying the axis of action principle, in

which the first shot shows a person looking off in one direction and the following shot shows a nearby space containing what he or she sees. If the person looks left, the following shot should

imply that the looker is off screen right.

fast motionThe film is shot at less than 24 frames per

second so that when it is projected at normal speed, action appears to move much faster. (A

slow motion is achieved when film is shot faster than 24 frames and projected at normal speed.)

Also called accelerated motion.

fill lightlighting from a source less bright than the key

light, used to soften deep shadows and illuminate areas not covered by key light. Also

called filler light. See three-point lighting.

film stockor simply film, the strip of material upon

which a series of still photographs is registered; it consists of a clear base coated on one side with light-sensitive emulsion.

filtera piece of glass or geltain placed in front of

camera or printer lens to alter the quality(color) or quantity of light strking the

film in aperture.

focal lengththe distance from the center of lens to the point at which the light rays meet in sharp

focus. The focal length determines the perspective relations of the space represented

on the flat screen.

focusthe degree to which light rays coming from the same part of an object through different parts of the lens re-converge at the same point on the film frame, creating

sharp outlines and distinct textures. focus in, out a punctuation device in which the image gradually

comes into focus or goes out of the

forelengtheningthe linear distortion caused by wide-angle lens; the perception of depth is

exaggerated.foreshortening

the distortion caused by a telephoto lens; the illusion of depth is compressed.

frame0. a single image on the strip of film.

When a series of frames are projected onto a screen in quick succession (currently 24

frames per second), an illusion of movement is created.

0. the size and shape of the image on the screen when projected.

0. the compositional unit fo film design.

framingthe use of edges of the film to select and to

compose what will be visible onscreen.freeze frame

a freeze shot, which is achieved by printing a single frame many times in succession to give the

illusion of a still photograph when projected.

frontal lightinglighting directed into the scene from a

position near the camera.

full shota shot of a subject that includes the entire

body and not much else.

gauge

The width of the film strip, measured in

millimeters. 35mm is most commonly used filmstock, 65mm and 70mm are used

for major epic productions.

hard lightinglighting that creates sharp-edged shadows.

hard-key lightinglighting that creates comparatively little

contrast between the light and dark areas of the shot. Shadows are fairly transparent and

brightened by fill light.

height of framingthe height of the camera above the ground, regardless of camera angle

irisa round, moving mask that contracts to close down to end an scene (iris-out) or emphasize a detail, or opens to begin a scene (iris-in) or to reveal more space

around a detail.

key lightin the three-

point lighting system, the

brightest light coming into the scene. See also

backlighting and fill light

long shota framing in which the scale of the object shown is small; a standing human figure

would appear nearly the height of the screen.

low-key lightinglighting tht creates strong contrast

between light and dark areas of the shot, with deep shadows and little fill light

matte shota type of process shot in which different areas of the image (usually actors and

setting) are photographed separately and combined in laboratory work.

medium close-upa framing in which the scale of the object shown is fairly large; a human figure seen from the chest up

fill most of the screen.

medium long shota framing at a distance which makes an object about 4 or 5 feet high appear to fill most of the

screen vertically. See plan americain, the special term for a medium long shot depicting

human figures.

medium shota framing in which the sclae of the object is of

moderate size; a human figure seen from the waist up would fill most of the screen.

mise-en-sceneall the elements placed in front of the camera to be

photographed, that is, part of the cinematic process that take place on the set, as opposed to montage, which takes place

afterward. It includes the settings and props, lighting, costumes and make-up, and figure behavior.

Mise-en-scene tends to be very important to realists, montage to expressionists.mise-en-shot the design of an entire shot, in time as well as space.

mobile framethe effect on the screen of moving

camera, a zoom lens, or special effects shifting the frame in relation to the scene

being photographed.

monochromatic color designcolor design which emphasizes a narrow set

of shades of a single color.

multiple exposurea number of images printed over each other.

multiple imagea number of images printed beside each other within

the same frame, often showing different camera angles of same action, or separate actions. Also called split

screen

180-degree systemthe continuity approach to editing which

dictates that the camera should stay on one side of the action to ensure consistent spatial relations between objects to the right and left

of the frame. The 180-degree line is also called axis of action.

offscreen spacethe six areas blocked from being visible on the screen but still part of the space of the

scene: to four sides of the frame, behind the set, and the behind the camera.

overlapa cue for suggesting depth in the film image by placing closer

objects partly in front of more distant ones.

panmovement of camera from left to right or vice versa on a

stationary tripod. On the screen, it produces a mobile framing which scans the space horizontally. Not to be confused with

tracking shot

pixillationa form of single-frame animation in

which three-dimentional objects, often people, are made to move in staccato bursts through the use of stop-action cinematography thereby breaking the illlusion of the continuous movement.

plan americana framing in which the scale of the object shown is moderately small; the human figure seen from the shins to the head would fill the most of screen; so

named by the French critics who found this the most frequent framing in American movies. This is also referred to as a medium long shot, especially when

human figures are not shown.

plan-sequenceFrench term for a scene handled in a single shot, usually a long take; often referring to

complex shot including complicated camera movements and actions. Also called

sequence shot.

point-of-view(POV) shota shot taken with the camera placed

approximately where the character's eyes would be, representing what the character

sees; usually cut in before or after a shot of the character looking.

process shotany shot involving re-photography to combine

two or more images into one, or to create a special effects; also called composite shot.

pull-back shota tracking shot or zoom that moves back from the subject to reveal the context of the scene

rack focusshifts the area of sharp focus from one plane to another during a shot thereby directing the

attention of the viewer forcibly from one subject to another.

ratein shooting, the number of frames exposed per

second; in projection, the number of frames thrown on the screen per second. If the two are same, the speed of action appears normal while a disparity

will create slow or fast motion. The standard rate in sound cinema is 24 frames per second for both

shooting and projection (for silent film, it used to be between 16 and 18 frames per second

reaction shota shot that cuts away from the main scene or

speaker in order to show a character's reaction

reestablishing shota return to a view of an entire space

after a series of closer shots following the establishing shot.

reframingshort panning or tilting movements

to adjust for the figures' movements,keeping them onscreen or centered.

rollthe rotation of camera around the the

axis that runs from the lens to the subject. This is not common because its

effect usually disorients the viwer.

rotoscopea machine that projects live-action motion

picture film frames 1 by 1 onto a drawing pad so that an animator can trace the figures in

each frame. The aim is to achieve more realistic movement in an animated cartoon.

rushes

screen directionthe right-left relationship in a scene, set up in

an establishing shot and determined by the position of characters and objects in the

frame, by the directions of movement, and by the character's eyelines. Continuity

editiong will attempt to keep screen direction consistent between shots. See axis of action,

eyeline match, 180-degree system.

shallow focusa restricted depth of field, whic keeps only those planes close to the camera in sharp

focus; the opposite of deep focus.shallow space

staging the action in relatively few planes of depth; the opposite of deep space.

size diminutiona cue for suggesting represented depth in

the image by showing objects that are further away as smaller than foreground

objects.

soft lightinglighting that avoids harsh bright and dark areas, creating a gradual transition from

highlights to shadows.space

spaceAt minimum, any film displays a two-

dimensional graphic space, the flat composition of the image. In films which

depict recognizable objects, a three-dimensional space is represented as well,

which may be directly depicted as onscreen space, or suggested as offscreen space. In

narrative film, one can also distinguish between story space, the locale of the totality of the action (whether shown or not) and plot

space, the locales visibly and audibly represented in the scenes.

telephoto lensa lens of long focal length that affects a scene's perspective by enlarging distant

places and making them seem closer to the foreground planes. In 35mm filming, a lens of 75mm length or more. Normal lens for

35mm filming would be a lens of 35mm to 50mm.

three-point lightinga common arrangement using three directions of

light on a scene: from behind the subject(backlighting), from one bright

source(key light), and from a less bright source balancing the key light (fill light).

tilta camera movement by swiveling upward or

downward on a stationary support. It produces a mobile framing that scans the space vertically.

top lightinglighting coming from above a person or

object, usually in order to outline the upper areas of the figure or to separate it

more clearly from the background.

tracking shota mobile framing that travels through space

forward, backward, or laterally. It could move on tracks or dolly, or hand-held. Also called

"traveling shot."

underlightinglighting from a point below the figures in the

scene.

whip panan extremely fast movement of camera from

side to side, which causes the image to blur into a set of indistinct horizontal lines briefly. Often imperceptible cut joins two whip pans to creat a

trick transition between scenes.

wide-angle lensa lens of short focal length that affects the

scene's perspective by distorting straight lines near the edges of the frame and by exaggerating

the distance between foreground and background planes. In 35mm filming, a wide-

angle lens is 30mm or less. Produces the opposite effect of telephoto lens

zoom lensa lens with a focal length that can be

changed during a shot. A shift toward the telephoto range enlarges the images and

flattens its planes together, giving an impression of moving into the scene's space, while a shift toward wide-angle

range does the opposite.