Film Exam FMS 100

Cinematographer

Responsible for lighting, framing & capturing images for film

Cinematography

Movement + Writing

Cinematographer

Responsible for lighting, framing & capturing images for film

Properties of a Shot

Framing, depth, movement

Short-Focal-Length

Stretches Depth, Creates Distance

Wide angle lens

Stretches Depth, Creates Distance

Long-Focal-Length

Compresses Depth, Creates Closeness

Telephoto

Compresses Depth, Creates Closeness

Middle-Focal-Length

Approximates Human Eye/Perception

Aspect Ratio

The relationship of width to height in a picture

1.375:1

Academy ratio

1.85:1

Modern ratio

4:3

Classic TV

16:9

Modern TV

Masking

Blocking certain parts of the image in frame

Extreme Long Shot

an entire environment with the character/s very small

Long Shot

full body shot and some of environment

Medium Long Shot

Roughly ¾ view of body

Medium Shot

waist up

Medium Close Up

Head & Shoulders

Close Up

face

Extreme Close Up

one feature, detail, or object fills the screen

Eye Level

shows the subject as seen in real life through human eyes

High Angle

camera is above the subject

Low angle

Camera looks up at subject

Birds eye

An aerial view of a shot

Dutch angle

Tilted sideways

Depth

how far back you can see

Deep focus

when the foreground and background are equally in focus

Pan

camera moves side to side horizontally

tilt

camera moves up or down

Dolly Tracking

The camera is on a track that allows it to move with the action

Dolly Zoom/Zolly

dollying in the opposite direction of a zoom

Rack Focus

Changing focus from one object to another

Slow Motion

Recorded at higher frame rate then slowed down

Long Take

a shot of long duration

Open Framing

World where characters can move freely beyond the frame

Closed framing

Characters cannot move freely, trapped by frame

Denotation

A formal (technical/stylistic) choice.

Connotation

The idea that a particular choice communicates

Production Design

setting, props, costumes, etc.

Production Designer:

Responsible for overall look of film

Mise en scene

Arrangement of elements before the camera

Setting

the environment that the characters inhabit

On location

filming in a real life place

On set

shot in production studios where everything is built/fake

Decor

interior decoration, wallpaper, furniture

Props

items that the characters manipulate

Costume

clothing worn by an actor

Makeup

prosthetic and other products used to change/enhance actors' appearances

Hairstyle

the way actors' hair is cut and arranged

4 Elements of Mise-en-scène

1. Production Design (setting, props, costumes, etc.)

2. Lighting

3. Shot Composition

4. Movement

Key Lighting

Generally illuminates object

Back Lighting

Helps bring out object from background

Fill Lighting

Helps minimize shadow

High key lighting

Bright & even lighting

Low key lighting

Deep shadows & uneven lighting

Hard lighting

High contrast, hard edges, distinctive shadow

Soft lighting

Diffused, low-contrast, reduces shadows

Backlighting

subject is thrown into silhouette

Halloween lighting

Lighting from underneath a character

Top lighting

light cast on a character from above

frontal lighting

light is aimed from the same angle as the camera, eliminating shadows

Composition

Organization, distribution, balance in shot

Rule of Thirds

divides the frame into 9 sections

Compositional Stress/Tensio

Breaking the rule of 3rds

Lead room

space for moving character on opposite side of frame

Eye room

character looks toward something, leads audience's eye

Negative Space

space without much to look at

Depth

how deep and how sharp the background is

Deep space composition

emphasizes depth by placing important info on two or more planes of depth

Body Positions

ways that actors are posed to convey relationships and emotions

Full Front View

character connected w/ viewer

Quarter Turn

most comfortable

Profile

character viewed from side

Three-Quarter Turn

somewhat disconnected from audience

Back View

disconnected from viewer

Actor Blocking

Arrangement & movement of actors in relation to one another

Social Blocking

Accentuates relationships between characters

Graphic Blocking

Accentuates visual patterns/atmosphere

Open form

realistic, Natural depth, light, scale, design elements secondary to character

Closed form

Highly stylized, Unnatural/exaggerated, design elements call attention

Realism

Naturalistic performances/dialogue, More modest sets/settings

Formalism

Stylized performances/dialog, Elaborate & stylized sets/settings, jarring composition

Classical

Less showy and stylized than formalism, eye-level & comfortable medium shots, high key/even lighting

Narrative

arranges events in a cause and effect sequence which unfolds over time

Narration

Act of telling the story

Narrator

Who or what tells the story

First-Person Narrator

In the story

Voice-Over Narration

describing the story; characters can't hear

Direct-Address Narration

speaking directly to the audience (4th wall break)

Third-Person Narration

Outside the story

Omniscient

knows everything

Restricted

limited to one character's POV/knowledge

Flat characters

Less complex traits, don't change over the story

Round characters

More complex traits, change over the story

Protagonist

the focus of the story, the one who wants to achieve a goal