Film Appreciation Midterm Review

THE-107

Academy ratio

The standardized shape of the film frame established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1.85:1).

Aspect ratio

The relationship/ratio of the frames width to its height (ex: an image that is twice as wide as it is high is said to be in a 2:1 ratio).

Contrast

The difference between the brightest and the darkest areas within the frame.

High contrast

Bright whites, deep blacks, fewer shades → dramatic look.

Low contrast

Lots of grays/colors, softer look → muted emotions.

Exposure

The adjustment of the camera mechanism in order to control how much light strikes each frame of film passing through the aperture.

Filters

Slices of glass or gelatin put in front of the lens of the camera or printer to reduce certain frequencies of light reaching the film.

Tonality manipulation

Can be manipulated after filming through tinting (dipping the already developed film into a bath of dye) and toning (dye is added during the developing of the print).

Speed of motion

Depends on two factors: the rate at which the film was shot and the rate of projection.

Rates

The number of frames exposed per second.

Fast motion effect

If a film is exposed at fewer fps than the projection rate, the screen action will look sped up.

Slow motion effect

The more fps, the slower the screen action will appear.

Ramping

Varying the frame rate during shooting.

Focal length

The distance from the center of the lens to the point at which the light rays meet in sharp focus.

Short-focal-length lens

Lens that takes a relatively wide field of view - tends to distort straight lines lying near the edges of the frame.

Middle-focal-length lens

Lens that seeks to avoid noticeable perspective distortion - horizontal and vertical lines are straight and perpendicular.

Long-focal-length lens

Lens that flattens the space along the camera axis - planes seem squashed, and they take in a narrower angle of vision.

Zoom lens

A lens with a focal length that can be changed during a shot.

Fixed focal-length lens

Lenses that cannot be changed during a shot.

Quality of lighting

The relative intensity of the illumination.

Hard lighting

Creates clearly defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges.

Soft lighting

Creates a diffused illumination.

Frontal lighting

Illumination directed into the scene from a position near the camera - known for its tendency to eliminate shadows.

Sidelight

Lighting coming from one side of a person or an object, usually to create a sense of volume.

Backlighting

Illumination cast onto the figures in the scene from the side opposite the camera.

Underlighting

Illumination from a point below the figures in the scene.

Top lighting

Lighting coming from above a person or an object, usually in order to outline the upper areas of the figure.

key light

In the three-point lighting system, the brightest illumination coming into the scene.

fill light

Illumination from a source less bright than the key light, used to soften deep shadows in a scene.

three-point lighting

A common arrangement using three directions of light on a scene: from behind the subjects (backlighting), from one bright source (key light), and from a less bright source balancing the key light (fill light).

high-key lighting

Illumination that creates comparatively little contrast between the light and dark areas of the shot. Shadows are fairly transparent and brightened by fill light. Usually used to suggest the time of day.

low-key lighting

Illumination that creates strong contrast between light and dark areas of the shot, with deep shadows and little fill light. Usually applied to somber, threatening, or mysterious scenes.

color

Filmmakers typically work with as purely white a light as they can and they use filters in front of the light source in order to color the onscreen illumination in any fashion. Can be realistic or unrealistic.

auteur

(Aka author) - A word young French critics applied to Hollywood directors who they felt had created a distinctive approach to filmmaking while working within the Hollywood studio system.

axis of action

(180° line): An imaginary line through the main actors or action in a scene. It shows what is to the left and right. To avoid confusing the audience, the camera should stay on one side of this line when cutting between shots.

establishing shot

A shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects, and setting in a scene.

shot/reverse shot

Two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation. In continuity editing, characters in one framing usually look left; in the other framing, right. Over-the-shoulder framings are common in shot/reverse-shot editing.

reestablishing shot

A return to a view of an entire space after a series of closer shots following the establishing shot.

match-on action

A continuity cut that splices two different views of the same action together at the same moment in the movement, making it seem to continue uninterrupted.

cheat cut

In the continuity editing system, a cut that presents continuous time from shot to shot but that mismatches the positions of figures or objects.

camera angles/framing

The use of the edges of the film frame to select and to compose what will be visible onscreen.

clapperboard

A board that has a hinged arm at the top that makes a sharp clack, allowing the recordist to synchronize the soundtrack with the footage in the assembly phase.

conventions

Artworks relate to other works and two aspects of the world, which is a tradition, a dominant style and a popular form. (Basically the usual ways things are done in art, based on past works and what's common in society.)

depth of field

A range of distances within which objects can be photographed in sharp focus, given a certain exposure setting - depends on the camera, with the lens determining what layers of deep-stage spacing are in focus.

selective focus

Choosing to focus only on one plane and letting the other planes blur.

deep focus

A use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps objects in both close and distant planes in sharp focus.

racking focus

Shifting the area of sharp focus from one plane to another during a shot.

duration

In a narrative film, the aspect of temporal manipulation that involves the time span presented in the plot and assumed to operate in the story.

elements of film

The key components that make up a movie and shape how its story and meaning are communicated. Narrative, Mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound.

film editing and film editing techniques

The piecing together of individual shots. (Special effects, digital manipulation, sound editing, etc.)

Graphic relations

Graphics may be edited to achieve smooth continuity or abrupt contrast.

Graphic match

Two successive shots joined so as to create a strong similarity of compositional elements (e.g., color, shape).

Rhythmic relations

Every shot is of a certain length, with its series of frames consuming a certain amount of time onscreen.

Shot length

Shot can be as short as a single frame, or it may be thousands of frames long, running for many minutes when projected.

Flash-frames

Shortening the shot length shot by shot can help increase intensity and suspense.

Filmmaker control

The filmmaker controls the amount of time we have to grasp and reflect on what we see.

Spatial relations

Spatial manipulation and space altering.

Intra-frame editing

Different shots are combined into a single shot.

Constructive editing

Editing that suggests a scene's space by providing only portions of it, without an establishing shot.

Temporal relations

The order of presentation of events (flashbacks, chronological order, flashforwards, etc.).

Elliptical editing

Shot transitions that omit parts of an event, causing an ellipsis in plot duration.

Overlapping editing

Cuts that repeat part or all of an action, thus expanding its viewing time and plot duration.

Continuity editing

A system of cutting to maintain continuous and clear narrative action.

Film form

The overall patterning of a film, the ways its parts work together to create specific effects - engages the audiences emotions and expectations in a dynamic way.

Function

Any element, major or minor, has a role and serves many purposes.

Motivation

Points to functions.

Similarity and repetition

Regular pattern of repeated elements.

Use of motifs

Elements that are repeated to create a theme.

Difference and variation

Filmmakers are unlikely to rely only on repetitions; there should be some changes or variation that makes it unique.

Development

Notice how similarity and difference operate.

ABACA

Progression moving from beginning through middle to end.

Segmentation

Created to notice similarities/differences, as well as plot the overall development - beginning is compared with the ending to understand the overall pattern of the film.

Unity and disunity

Concepts that explore how elements of a film come together or diverge.

Classic Hollywood Cinema Structure

Four parts: the main character always wants something, there is an emphasis on conflict, the character goes on an emotional journey, and the ending always resolves the initial situation.

Gaffer

The head electrician who supervises the placement and rigging of the lights.

Georges Méliès

The first master of mise-en-scene — began by filming unstaged street scenes and moments of passing life and unexpectedly realized the magical powers of mise-en-scene.

Highlight

A patch of relative brightness on a surface -- provides important cues to the texture of a surface; tells us if it's smooth or rough.

In media res

In the middle of things (Latin phrase).

Iris

A round, moving mask that can close down to end a scene (iris-out) or emphasize a detail, or that can open to begin a scene (iris-in) or to reveal more space around a detail.

Line producer

In charge of the day-to-day elements of a film production.

Meaning

Refers to what a film as a whole is trying to say and what its significance is.

Referential

Film refers to things or places already invested with significance in the real world.

Explicit meaning

Something that is fully and clearly expressed/stated.

Implicit meaning

Suggests and implies, doesn't state it explicitly. Meaning is interpreted.

Symptomatic meaning

The hidden significance a film reveals about the time and society it was made in—even if the filmmaker didn't mean to show it.

Mise-en-scene

The arrangement of people, places, and objects to be filmed. Used by film scholars to signify the directors control over what appears in the film frame.

Setting

Plays a more active role in cinema than it usually does in the theater.

Digital special effects

Can be used to enhance the visual experience of the film.

Props

Used to manipulate a shot's setting (ex: balloons, beds, bowl, etc.).

Costumes

Can play causal roles in film plots.

Makeup

Can be used for special effects (sfx makeup) and to accentuate the features of the actors.

Lighting

Shapes objects by creating highlights and shadows.

Staging

Mise-en-scene allows all entities of figures to be expressed through feelings and thoughts; also dynamizes them to create kinetic patterns.

Modes of production

Large scale production involves studios owning equipment and extensive physical plants, retaining most of their workers on long-term contracts.

Small scale production

A single filmmaker assumes all or many of the roles; planning the film, financing it, performing in it, running the camera, recording the sound, and putting it all together.

16mm and less costly digital video formats

Customary for production of this sort.

Collective production

A type of production where several film workers participate and help out equally, without hierarchy.

Theatrical market and festival circuit

Have room for works made by single filmmakers or small production units.

Script writing and funding phase

The phase where the producer and screenwriter are central, obtaining financial support and hiring personnel.

Preproduction

The phase of filmmaking that prepares for production based on a screenplay, design, and financing.