Film Terminology

mise-en-scène

Everything in the frame of the film, including lighting, set, props, and the staging and movement of actors.

auteur

The prime author of a film, usually the director, responsible for the film's artistic direction and personal worldview.

composition

The aesthetic arrangement of all graphic elements within the frame of the screen.

frame

A single frame of a shot; some publicity stills are blowups of frames.

shot

The smallest unit of unbroken film; a transition to another shot ends the previous shot.

long shot

A shot where the entire body of the actor is visible.

medium shot

A shot where the actor is visible from the waist up.

close-up

A shot that shows only the actor’s face.

extreme close-up

A shot that shows only part of the actor’s face, such as just the eyes.

Diegesis

The world of the film’s story, including characters, places, and events, both shown and implied.

Diegetic sound

Sound that has its source in the narrative world of the film, which the characters can hear.

Nondiegetic sound

Sound such as a musical score that does not have a source in the characters’ world.

shallow/soft focus

Focus that allows only the actor’s face to be in focus, blurring the background.

deep focus

A shot in which everything, including the background, is in focus.

rack focus

Shifting the focus from one object to another within a single shot.

pan

The horizontal movement of a stationary camera.

tilt

The vertical movement of a stationary camera.

Zoom-in

The movement of the camera closer to a subject.

Zoom-out

The movement of the camera pulling back from a subject.

soundtrack

All the audio elements we hear, including sound effects, dialogue, and music.

Verisimilitude

The quality of fictional representation that allows audiences to accept a constructed world as plausible.

voiceover

A voice not visible in the frame or implied to be off-screen, typically narrating the film's images.

lighting

Sources of illumination used to present and accent