Cinematography: Lens Formats, Framing, and Camera Movement

Practice vocabulary flashcards defining key cinematographic terms, including lens characteristics, shot framings, camera angles, and camera movements.

Letterboxing

The technique of capturing an image at a standard aspect ratio and using a plate or black bars to conceal the top and bottom of the frame.

Anamorphic Format

A widescreen format that captures a wider image by squeezing it horizontally using a concave lens, which is later projected with a convex lens to reverse the compression.

Objective Shot

A shot that offers general information about a scene without suggesting camera identification with any character's point of view, often filmed as a wide or medium shot.

Subjective Shot

A shot that suggests identification of the camera with a specific character's point of view, often filmed as a close-up.

Establishing Shot

A shot that communicates the setting of a scene and often indicates what is currently happening.

Clean Single

A shot framing that isolates and focuses on only one person.

Two-shot

A camera shot that frames two actors simultaneously within the frame.

Over-the-shoulder Shot

A shot captured from behind the back or shoulder of one character facing toward another subject.

Over-the-hip Shot

A shot captured from behind a character positioned specifically at hip level looking toward the subject.

Rack Focus

The technique of shifting the plane of focus from one subject to another while the camera remains stationary.

Cowboy Shot

A framing shot size that frames an actor from roughly mid-thigh up, positioned between a medium shot and a medium full shot.

Full Shot

A framing shot size that captures the subject's entire body from head to feet within the frame.

Extreme Closeup

A shot framed extremely tight on a subject to highlight a precise detail, such as an eye.

Pan

The horizontal rotational movement of a fixed, stationary camera scanning side-to-side.

Whip Pan

A very fast, rapid horizontal pan that produces a distinct visual blur across the frame.

Tilt

The vertical rotational movement of a fixed, stationary camera moving up and down.

Camera Roll

A camera rotation with respect to the horizon line, causing what is perceived as 'up' and 'down' in the frame to change.

Boom Shot

A shot achieved by moving the entire camera up or down vertically through physical space using a mechanical arm.

Tracking Shot

Any physical camera movement that follows a moving subject through a scene.

Arc Shot

A moving camera shot in which the camera travels in a circle around the subject.