GER10150: German History on Screen

Frame

A single image on a strip of film.

Shot

One uninterrupted run of the camera capturing a series of frames.

Scene

A film segment occurring in a single time and place.

Mise-en-scène

‘‘Setting the stage’’; it refers to all elements being placed in front of the camera, including setting, lighting, costumes, and the figure’s behaviour.

Shot scale

The distance between the camera and the subject. Ex: close-up, medium shot and long shot.

Continuity Editing

A system that maintains spatial and temporal continuity in film. Ex: ‘‘A shot of a woman looking off-screen to her left might be followed by a cut to a painting that she's looking at.’’ (BBC Bitesize)

Jump Cut

A sudden, jarring cut that disrupts continuity.

Montage Editing

Rapid cuts that rely on ellipsis and contrast between shots.

Diegetic Sound

A sound that originates from within the story world. Ex: radio (if it is in frame) or a slap.

Cultural Memory

The collective ways societies remember and interpret history through texts, films and other media.

Communicative Memory

Memory shared within families or small groups, typically lasting 3-4 generations.

Collective Memory

A larger group’s (ex: a nation’s) political or cultural memory of historical events.

Postmemory

Second-hand memory of events not personally experienced but inherited through media and narratives.

Historical Film

A film that portrays historical events, figures or periods.

Experiential History

A film technique that makes viewers feel like witnesses to historical events.

Diegesis

The fictional world of a narrative film.

Inter-Generational Memory

Memory that is passed down within families but may differ from broader historical narratives. Ex: ‘‘My grandfather wasn’t a Nazi’’

Vergangenheitsbewältigung

A german term for the concept of coming to terms with the past, especially in regard to WWII and Nazi Germany.

NS Regime

National Socialist Regime, in power from 1933 to 1945, under Hitler.

East Germany (GDR) vs. West Germany (FRG)

East Germany = socialist, Soviet controlled part of Germany.

West Germany = capitalist, formerly controlled by allies

Red Army Faction (RAF

Left-wing terrorist in West Germany, active between 1960s - 1990s