Film Language-The Fundamentals of Film Analysis

LITERARY TERMS

These terms ORIGINATE in literature (book/text stories) but they are also are a part of dramas (stage productions) and films (cinematic productions).

DRAMATIC TERMS

These terms DO NOT apply to literature (book/text stories) because they ORIGINATE in drama (stage productions), but they are also are a part of films (cinematic productions).

CINEMATIC TERMS

These terms DO NOT apply to literature or drama because they ORIGINATE in film and thus ONLY apply to film (cinematic productions).

PLOT

LITERARY

The actions and events that make up a story

SATIRE

LITERARY

a work that pokes fun at a social institution, person, ideology in hopes of changing it or at the least exposing its flaws-these can be fun and lighthearted or sarcastic, dark, disturbing, and bitter.

PROTAGONIST

LITERARY

the (or one of many major) main character(s) in a story

CLIMAX

LITERARY

The highest point of tension/turning point in a story

JUXTAPOSITION

LITERARY

An intentional placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

SYMBOL

LITERARY

a tangible thing that represents an intangible one.  Pay attention to how people treat these objects-it reveals how they feel about what is represents.

CONFLICT

LITERARY

an incompatibility or clashing between two or more forces, opinions, principles, wishes, needs, or interests. This can in external or internal.

ANTAGONIST

LITERARY

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or to something

RESOLUTION

LITERARY

the conclusion of the story’s plot

MOOD

LITERARY

the feeling or atmosphere of a work (or a scene)

CHARACTER

LITERARY

a person in a book, play, or movie.

FORESHADOW

LITERARY

To hint at future events

ARCHETYPE

LITERARY

Narratives, designs, patterns, or character types often found in literature.

THEME

LITERARY

A universal idea or truth that a creative work supports.

TONE

LITERARY

author/creator’s attitude towards the subject matter

POINT OF VIEW

LITERARY

the position from which a story is told

First Person-a main character tells the story

Second Person-the reader's opinion is included (this is very uncommon)

Third Person-the narrator is an outsider to the events on the story

SETTING

LITERARY

Where and when a story takes place

GENRE

LITERARY

A term that describes the creative form that a story takes or is presented as

IRONY

LITERARY

Dramatic-when the audience/readers know something the character doesn’t 

Verbal/Literal-when the literal meaning is the opposite of the implied

Situational-when a scene or story ends that opposite way one would expect

MOTIF

LITERARY

A specific element, event, things that reoccurs through a specific work for added meaning.

COSTUMES

DRAMATIC

what the characters are wearing-these are designed to help characterize the characters

SCENARY

DRAMATIC

the natural outdoor environment as well as the indoor surroundings

PROPS

DRAMATIC

formally known as a theatrical property, these are objects actors use on stage or on screen during a performance; these are considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or set (but do not include actors, scenery, costumes, and electrical equipment).

LIGHTING

DRAMATIC

refers to the source, intensity, focal points, color/shading, localized or flooded aspects of brightness on a stage or screen

DIALOGUE (spoken/auditory dialogue)

DRAMATIC

speeches exchanged between characters

ACTING

DRAMATIC

the quality, believability, style, and approach of a professional to his/her dramatic role

DIRECTING

DRAMATIC

creative choices which influence every aspect of the dramatic process and coordinate all elements to a cohesive effect

Staging/Blocking

DRAMATIC

the placement and movement of performers in relation to each other & audience

SCORE

DRAMATIC

instrumental music created specifically for a production

SOUNDTRACK

DRAMATIC

songs (w/lyrics) which can be sung by actors or added in addition to the story. These can
also be created specifically for a production or use already known songs (with permission)

WIDE SHOT

CINEMATIC

shot taken from a sufficient distance to show a landscape, building, crowd, or something
large (Many establishing shots are wide shots)

LONG SHOT

CINEMATIC

a shot that shows the full body in its environment but has more of a narrow focus

MEDIUM SHOT

CINEMATIC

the most common shot -shows one or more people from the waist up

CLOSE-UP

CINEMATIC

a shot of one face or object that fills the screen

EXTREME CLOSE-UP

CINEMATIC

a shot of a small object or part of a face that fills the screen

HIGH ANGLE

CINEMATIC

when the camera is placed above the action so that it looks down on what is being filmed

EYE-LEVEL

CINEMATIC

an angle that approximates human vision, so the camera is parallel to the ground and to the object being filmed

LOW ANGLE

CINEMATIC

when the camera is placed below the action and looks up at what is being filmed

PAN

CINEMATIC

when the camera moves horizontally on a fixed based

TILT

CINEMATIC

when the camera points up or down through space on a fixed axis

TRACKING-DOLLY

CINEMATIC

a kind of camera movement in which the camera moves through space on a wheeled truck or track but stays on the same plane (on the ground)

TRACKING-HANDHELD

CINEMATIC

a kind of camera movement in which the camera is held by the operator, which creates a jolting movement to approximate human interaction between subject being filmed. This can convey a sense of immediacy or improvisation or even panic.

TRACKING-STEADICAM

CINEMATIC

a type of camera movement in which the camera is harnessed to the operator’s torso, spring-

loaded rigging allows for fluid motion while gaining proximity to subject being filmed

TRACKING-HELICOPTER OR AERIAL

CINEMATIC

a shot from the sky that is sweeping, long, and moves through space (not from a fixed point)

TRACKING-BOOM or CRANE

CINEMATIC

a type of camera movement in which a camera moves up or down in space/air from a fixed point

ZOOM (in our out)

CINEMATIC

Contrary to wat people think, this is NOT a camera movement but rather a magnification or demagnification-a shift in focal length of the lens to gain proximity (go in) or to increase distance (go out)

SHOT DURATION

CINEMATIC

variations in the amount of time a shot stays on screen without transitioning to another  angle, shot, or scene; this can shape how a scene is viewed

TRANSITION-CUT

CINEMATIC

the most common type of transition; one shot ends and another immediately begins

TRANSITION-FADE

CINEMATIC
when a scene gradually goes dark and the new one emerges from the darkness

TRANSITION-DISSOLVE

CINEMATIC

a gradual transition in which the end of one scene is superimposed over the beginning of the new scene

TRANSITION-WIPE

CINEMATIC

an optical effect in which one shot pushes another scene out of the way

VOICE-OVER

CINEMATIC

narration from a source outside of the frame of the story

SOUND EFFECTS

CINEMATIC
sounds engineered to match actions in the story OR to develop mood outside the boundaries of the story

DIEGETIC SOUND

CINEMATIC

sound whose source is visible on the screen or is part of the action in the film, including the voices of characters, sounds made by objects in the story, music from instruments in the story scene-these sounds exist in the character’s world

NON-DIEGETIC SOUND

CINEMATIC

sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied in the action of the story (narrator’s commentary, mood music, some sound effects-these sounds are outside of the character’s world)