Key Concepts in Film Analysis and Cinematic Techniques

Suspension of Disbelief

Allowing oneself to temporarily invest in the world of the film with the knowledge that it isn't real.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

When the subject / character directly addresses the audience / camera.

2-Shot

When 2 people are featured in a shot.

3-Shot

When 3 people are featured in a shot.

Group Shot

When 4 or more people are featured in a shot.

Sound Diegetic

Sound that exists within the world of the film (i.e. the characters can 'hear' it).

Sound Non-Diegetic

Sound that exists outside the world of the film (i.e. the audience can only 'hear' it).

Voiceover

aka 'narration', where someone speaks (typically non-diegetic) to recap information for the audience or within their own minds (i.e. thoughts).

Offscreen

Sound which takes place in the world of the filmed scene but isn't seen (i.e. someone walks into an adjacent room and continues talking...we know where they are but can't physically see them).

Foley

Sound recorded after filming to match with the visuals onscreen (aggressive ex: kung fu movies where they smash heads of lettuce + break celery to match kicks + punches).

Framing

The amount of screen space subjects occupy onscreen (all approximate).

Extreme Long Shot

Subject occupies 5% or less of screen space (i.e. if you can multiply them x20 and there's still screen space, it's an ELS).

Long Shot

Subject occupies ~1/2 the vertical space of the screen head-to-toe.

Full Shot

Subject occupies ~100% the vertical screen space head-to-toe.

Medium Shot

~1/2 the subject occupies the screen space (i.e. head-to-waist...a little lower for Westerns to keep guns omnipresent).

Close-Up

Part of subject occupies screen space (i.e. head, hand).

Extreme Close-Up

Part of a part of a subject occupies screen space (i.e. eye, fingernail).

Proxemic Patterns

Space between subjects in a frame (Note: doesn't matter what they're doing, only the objective distance between).

Public

~12 to 25 feet.

Social

3 to 12 feet.

Personal

18 inches to 3 feet.

Intimate

Contact to 18 inches.

Focus

Portion of frame in / out-of-focus, considered from closest to furthest from camera.

Deep Focus

Entire shot is in focus from closest to furthest from camera.

Shallow Focus

Portion of shot is in or out-of-focus (more out-of-focus, regardless of how close / far from camera).

Rack Focus

When the focal point shifts (aka 'racks') from one part of the frame closer to or further from the camera within a single take; purpose is usually to connect to things together (requires shallow focus to achieve).

Pan

Horizontal movement of the camera (R to L or L to R).

Tilt

Vertical movement of the camera (Up to Down or vice versa).

Swish Pan

Rapid horizontal movement of the camera.

Dolly / Tracking

Synonymous terms; (Google to see examples of both).

Pull-Back / Push Forward Dolly

In reference to dolly grip who literally pulls / pushes the dolly from point A to B.

Handheld

Literal term (vs on a tripod / other device).

Crane

Large device which allows the camera to lift and move (similar to a telephone boom truck); Smaller version = Jib.

Zoom

Optical effect which magnifies a portion of the image or reveals more by zooming in / out respectively without the camera physically traveling from one location to another.

Snap Zoom

A rapid zoom (for same effects as above).

Steadicam

Smaller version = Gimbal.

Aerial

Any shot captured disconnected from the ground (i.e. helicopter, plane, hot air balloon, drone).

High Angle

Camera is higher than the subject.

Low Angle

Camera is lower than the subject.

Oblique/Dutch

Camera is tilted at ~45º angle (i.e. tilting your head to the side / ear closer to your shoulder).

Eye Level

Camera + subject are equal height.

Bird's-Eye-View

Camera faces directly down (perpendicular to ground).

Worm's-Eye-View

Camera faces directly up (perpendicular to sky).

Over-the-Shoulder

Literal term; often used to connect 2 people interacting in a scene, can be high or low angle depending on relative heights.

Establishing Shot

Establishes 1) Physical Environment (where the film takes.

Establishing Shot

Establishes 1) Physical Environment (where the film takes place (period / culture / season / day or night / etc.) and 2) Cinematic Environment (how the film is told with sound + visuals)

Jump Cuts

Where a single continuous take is broken up into 2 or more parts that play side-by-side, creating a jarring effect.

Cutting to Continuity

(Cutting = Editing) together 2 or more separate shots to create the illusion of a single continuous action (films are often filmed out of order and in separate locations so this is used to make them feel part of the same whole).

Master Shot

(like a master audio track which controls everything) This is a shot which features all the visual info in a scene (i.e. the 'widest' frame in a sitcom before moving into closer frames).

Motif

(similar to themes / symbolism in other mediums) A set of recurring audio / visual elements with symbolic meaning (exs: Star Wars character music / colors to represent their allegiances).

Reaction Shot

Literal term when someone is reacting to something unseen on camera (i.e. someone in conversation or their face glowing from an explosion offscreen).

Flash Forward

A jump forward in time (whether a few months or millennia; scripts are always written in present-tense).

Flashback

A jump backward in time (whether a few months or millennia; scripts are always written in present-tense).

Parallel Editing / Cross-Cutting

Synonymous terms; where 2 or more separate scenes are playing out in real-time and are edited / 'cut' back & forth between.

Slow Motion

Where footage plays slower than in reality (because more frames are captured).

Fast Motion

Where footage plays faster than in reality (because less frames are captured).

Frames Per Second

(aka "fps") 24fps standard with film projectors...under 24fps = fast-motion, over 24fps = slow-motion.

Over-Crank / Under-Crank

Because cameras were literally cranking unexposed film past the lens onto an empty spool, over-cranking = over 24fps & slow-motion / under-cranking = under 24fps & fast-motion.

High Key Lighting

Bright, even lighting with easily readable visual information (aka you can see everything clearly).

Low Key Lighting

Dark, uneven lighting with difficult-to-read visual information (aka some or all of the image is difficult to discern).

High Contrast

Large degree of difference between the darkest & lightest parts of the frame.

Low Contrast

Small degree of difference between the darkest & lightest parts of the frame (both very dark and very bright all-around).

Film Noir

(a sub-genre of dramatic film, here because of lighting...key points listed below) Typically takes place at night, Usually set in an urban (city) environment, Main character typically male / detective / someone traversing 'seedier' parts of society, 'Femme fatale' = female character who main male character trusts vs his better judgment & ends up double-crossing him, Rarely children present, Pessimistic worldview, Symbolic use of lighting (= hope / despair, good / evil, right / wrong / etc.).

Mise en Scene

1) All cinematic elements within a scene (aka all the terms listed above) and 2) their combined effect {Think of it this way: a scene makes you feel a certain way...when you break down how it was filmed, this combination should equal / help explain why you feel that way}.

Aspect Ratios

(listed horizontal by vertical, regardless of size; reasons for different can be where shown and space between / surrounding subjects; many more options exist beyond the numbers below, they're simply common examples) Fullscreen - 4:3 / 4x3, Widescreen - 16:9 / 16:9, Anamorphic - 2.35:1 / 2.35x1.

Realism

A mode of cinematic storytelling focusing on Story + Content (where you fall into the world of the story & what the characters / subjects are going through more than considering how the film was put together).

Formalism

A mode of cinematic storytelling focusing on Form + Structure (where you notice / focus on the technical elements of how the film was put together more so than the story itself).

With a _________, the camera physically travels from one location to another

tracking/dolly shot

With a _________, the camera adjusts how close or far away something is in the frame without physically traveling or moving

zoom

A ___________ is when the camera moves left to right or right to left

pan

A __________ is when the camera moves up to down or down to up

tilt