CCA 151 Test (Chapter 3)

narrative

a work of fiction, fictional story

documentary

work of non-fiction

plot

all aspects of narrative that is seen on screen

story

all aspects of narrative that isn’t seen on screen. Includes events before, during, or after the plot of the film

diegesis

narrative seen on screen. What characters in the film can perceive.

mise-en-scene

everything in the frame of the film, including lighting, set, props, and actors.

setting

refers to the time and place of the film

set

place where the actors are filmed. Usually build specifically for a film

prop

any object on set, especially objects characters touch

costumes

what the characters are wearing

lighting (types of lights)

way in which lights are used in the film.

• key light - main light used

• back light - secondary source placed behind actors

• fill - light on side of actors

• three point lighting - the above three lights together

• low-key lighting - only using key light at very low setting

Shot

smallest unit of a film. Camera can move within shot, but the second a transition is used it is another shot. Also refers to distance from camera to subject (long shot vs medium shot)

pan

movement of stationary camera on a horizontal axis

tilt

movement of stationary camera on vertical axis

tracking shot

moving camera following subject

handheld shot

camera is held by the camera operator. Associated with shaky shots and documentary realism.

crane shot

shot taken from a crane. often used as establishing shots

POV shots

point of view shot. Looking through the eyes of character, binoculars, gun scope, etc.

take

time a shot begun to the time it stops.

frame

physical frame - smallest unit of film possible. individual still image captured on video Film is shown at 24 frames per second.

compositional frame - two-dimensional space defined by x-axis and y-axis that audiences can see.

aspect ratio

relationship between width and height of the frame. Divide the width by the height

closed frame vs open frame

• Closed frame - all essential information in the shot is contained within the parameters of the frame

• open frame - composition leads audience to be aware of the area beyond the edges of the visible shot

deep frame vs flat frame

• deep frame - accentuates the element of depth (z-axis)

• flat frame - emphasizes the two-dimensionality of the image

screen

refers to what can be seen in the frame. On-screen, something that can be seen, while off-screen is something that can’t be seen

shallow/soft focus

can only see actor’s face in focus and the background appears blurry

deep focus

shot in which everything, including background is in focus

rack focus

shifting focus from one object to another within a single shot

editing

refers to the way individual shots are connected to one another to make the film

montage

series of shots edited together to show a longer activity happening in a short amount of time. (training montage, makeover)

types of transitions

• cut - splicing one shot to the next. Most common

• dissolve - one shot bleeds into another. show smaller amount of time passing than a fade

• fade in - going from black to a shot. larger amount of time

• fade out - going from a shot to black. larger amount of time or end

• wipe - one shop wipes across the screen to replace another. Not often used

• iris-in/iris-out - rarely used now. Circle going in or out (loony toons)

scene

a series of shots that forms a cohesive unit of narrative. Action happens in continuous time withing a single location

shot/reverse shot

used in close-ups when two characters are in a conversation

match-on-action

connects two shots cut together by having a character finish an action in the second shot begun in the first show.

eyeline match

If a character looks to the left of the camera, it shows they are talking to the person in that direction.

180 degree rule

once a spatial relationship has been confirmed, close ups can’t cross the imaginary line drawn between two actors until a new line is established through another establishing shot

diegetic sound vs nondiegetic sound

• diegetic - sound other characters would be able to hear (sound on radio)

• nondiegetic - sound characters cannot hear (voiceovers, music)

ambient sound

sound used to establish location. Birds chirping, children laughing, dog barking.

juxtaposition

placing two or more shots next to each other to highlight a link or contrast between the content in each shot

sequence

made up of a series of scenes that create a larger dramatic unit

diminishing perspective

objects appear smaller the further away they are and bigger the closer they are

rule of thirds

two horizontal and two vertical lines that divide shot into 3 × 3 boxes. place subject along line intersections to create a balanced image

looking room/walking room

extra vertical space to one side due to the rule of thirds.

cinematographer is also called

director of photography

blocking

telling actors/camera where to go

Coverage

covering a scene with multiple shot sizes and angles. Stimulates audience and gives emphasis to different parts of action

establishing shot

establishes geography, time of day, or scale of subject related to environment. Usually Wide shot.

Master Shot

confirms geography/location of scene and clarifies which characters are in scene and where they are

Wide Shot (WS)

Subjects are far from camera and it represents there relationship to environment. Can be used to show subjects are lost, lonely, or overwhelmed.

Full Shot (FS)

subjects entire body reaches top to bottom of frame. Can make statements about subject’s physicality

Cowboy (Medium Full Shot)

shows top of head to just below waist. Often used in Western films. Subject is confident/dangerous/confrontational

Medium Shot (MS)

Just above waist to just above head. Most popular shot that digs into eyes without losing environment.

Medium Close UP (MCU)

Mid-chest to just above their head. Reduces distraction and prioritizes story and character details.

Close Up (CU)

arranged at eye level and highlights change in emotion

Extreme Close Up (ECU)

Isolate specific area of a subject (eye, lips, ears, nose). Startling and dramatic.

Single Shot (Clean vs Dirty)

• Clean Single - no part of any other character is visible

• Dirty Single - Limited presense of other character

Over the Shoulder (OTS)

Only focused on one character at a time but get perspectives from both sides. Used for conversations.

Insert Shot

Focused on a detail/object

Low Angle (LA)

Below subject’s eyeline, looking up at them. Makes subject look more powerful

High Angle (HA)

Above subject’s eye level, looking down. Makes subject look smaller, weak, or vulnerable

Overhead Shot

90 degrees above subject, shooting straight down.

Dutch Angle

skews horizontal axis for off-kilter image. Shows unease, mania, terror, bewilderment

Eye Level

Most common shot. Can be used to break the 4th wall

Shoulder Level

Slightly low angle. Used in conversations and becomes OTS. Can show hight difference.

Hip Level

Often in western genre to show gun holster.

Knee Level

Double as low angles often. Track through environment to follow character. Can show character details on legs

Ground level

can double as a low angle and tracks characters movements

Static

No camera movement. Camera is in fixed position. Good for dialouge or trapping character

Pan

Rotates camera horizontally, left to right. Can reveal information or follow character’s movements. Whip pan is a quick pan that heightens energy.

Push In

Camera moves closer toward subject. Emphasizes a moment.

Push Out

Camera gets further away from subject. Can reveal the context of scenes or other characters. Can show isolation or abandonment.

Zoom

Zooms in or out without moving camera. Draws attention to detail. Often used in horror.

Dolly Zoom

Dolly in one direction and zoom in the other direction. Can create conflict or highlight relationships

Slow motion vs fast motion

• slow motion - overcranking. faster frame rate

• fast motion - undercranking. slower frame rate

components of film

film → sequences → scenes → shots → frames