Film Criticism Vocab Part 1

cu

close-up (showing only the character’s head, for example)

xcu

extreme close-up (perhaps showing a detail of that head such as the eyes)

ms

medium shot (somewhere between a close-up and a full shot, showing most but not all of a figure)

fs

full or long shot (revealing the character’s entire body in the frame)

3/4s

three-quarter shot (showing only about three-quarters of the characters’ bodies)

ps

pan shot (the point of view pivots from left to right or vice versa but without changing its vertical axis)

s/rs

shot/reverse shot pattern (the point of view shots, for example, a person looking at someone and then show the individual being looked at)

ct

cut (when the film changes from one image to another)

lt

long take (the film changes from one image to another)

crs

crane shot (the point of view films an outdoor scene from high above)

trs

tracking shot (the entire point of view moves, on tracks or on a dolly, following, for instance, a walking figure)

la

low angle (the point of view is low, tilted upward)

ha

high angle (the point of view is above, tilted downward); the exact angle can be made clearer by using arrows

Structuralism (semiology)

The study of film as a constructed artifact; film as art and reflection of the mind; symbols, and conventions

narratology and narrative discourse; the language of film (film text); how films convey meaning through the use of codes, signs,