Film Techniques Glossary

MISE-EN-SCENE

The entire scene composition within the frame - everything in it and its arrangement

FRAME

The rectangular area in which the film image is composed; the smallest unit of a motion picture

SHOT

The size of a subject in frame

Close-Up

Shot where subject fills the screen; focuses on expression

Extreme Close-Up

Cropped version of close-up, focus on one feature, perhaps on intensity of emotion

Long Shot

Shows subject's entire body and location; good for action

Extreme Long

Taken from a distance, establishes a space; places the subject relative to a place / the frame

Medium

Shows about half of the subject; person usually holding something; usually no mobility in the shot

Full

Shows the entire subject with a little bit of background

Point of View Shot

Camera points to whatever the subject is looking at so the audience sees through the subject's eyes

ANGLE

The perspective from which the camera shoots its subject

Eye-Level

Straightforward views of subjects; objective

Low Angle

Points up; looking up at a subject; exaggerating their scale or dominance

High Angle

Points down; subject looks diminutive or weak

Birdseye View

Shows topography of scene

Dutch/Tilted/Oblique

Camera is not level; creates tension by suggesting something is off-kilter or not balanced

Over-the-Shoulder

Confrontational; shows characters facing off

MOTION

The way the camera moves through space and connects viewers to characters

Pan

the camera stays in one place and turns left or right; spectator watches objectively from a distance

Tilt

Camera stays in one place and tilts up or down; spectator watches objectively from a distance

Tracking

Camera moves SIDEWAYS with the subject; follows action or subject so the audience is more involved with the space or location

Crane

Camera moves UP OR DOWN with the subject; follows action or subject so the audience is more involved with the space or location

Dolly

Camera moves FRONT OR BACK with the subject; follows action or subject so the audience is more involved with the space or location

Zoom

Camera moves in or out, but doesn't leave the subject

Random

Shakes around a point, providing motion or energy

360-Degree

Camera moves around a subject, showcasing subject

A Single Take

Offers a combination of angles, shot sizes, and motions all in one scene

EDITING TECHNIQUES

How the director chooses to move from shot to shot or scene to scene

Montage

A series of short shots edited into a sequence (usually to compress passage of time and the development of a character, relationship, or situation - compresses change over time)

Cutting on Action

Cutting from one shot to another while the subject is in motion

Cut Away

Cutting to an insert and cutting back; the insert can be part of the same space the subject is occupying or can reflect the subject's state of mind

Cross-cutting

Cutting between two different scenes happening simultaneously; telephone conversations; highlighting events happening at the same time; can build tension

Jump cut

An abrupt, disorienting transitional device in the middle of a continuous shot of the SAME SCENE in which the action is noticeably advanced in time and/or cut between two similar scenes, usually done purposefully to create discontinuity for artistic effect, to show the passage of time, or to show change

Match cut

A transitional cut between two shots that match in gesture, action, composition, or sound to make a scene transition from one place or time period to another, but to establish some kind of connection or continuity between the two

L Cut

Cut in which you are still hearing audio from the previous shot even though visually you have moved into the new shot; Audience is looking at clip B but still hearing audio of clip A

J Cut

Cut in which the audio from the new shot begins, but you are still seeing the visual of the old shot. In other words, the audience is listening to clip B but still looking at clip A.

Fast-cutting

Two shots of a short duration, often to show dialogue

Fade out

Gradual change in intensity of image from normal lighting to darkness (usually at the end of a scene)

Fade in

Gradual change in intensity of image from darkness to lit (usually at the start of a scene)

Dissolve

Transition from one scene to another via an overlapping effect; usually shows the passage of time

Freeze frame

An optical printing effect in which a single frame image is identically repeated, reprinted or replicated over several frames; when projected, a freeze frame gives the illusion of a still photograph in which the action has ceased; often used at the end of a film to indicate death or ambiguity, and to provide an iconic lasting image (i.e. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid; Thelma & Louise final scenes)

DIEGETIC SOUND/MUSIC

Music or sound that can be heard by the characters, such as music from a radio, a noisy crowd outside the courthouse, thunder, etc.

NON-DIEGETIC SOUND/MUSIC

Music or sound that cannot be heard by the characters, like a film score or a voice over

COSTUMING & PROPS

The use of clothing and objects to define characters, create contrasts, establish connections, and set tone

COLOR

The use of color in costumes, room colors, exteriors, and props to create tension and distinguish places/things from one another

High Key Lighting

Lots of bright lighting, few shadows

Low Key Lighting

Lots of shadowed lighting, dark sections

High Contrast Lighting

Harsh bright spots and dark spots in the same frame

VISUAL MOTIF

A repeated visual object, gesture, image that recurs throughout a story to create continuity and encourage comparison between the scenes or moments in which it occurs

Mood

The general atmosphere, state of mind, or feelings a work of art generates

Contrast

The arrangement of opposing elements and effects to create visual interest

Rule of Thirds

A general guideline for composition, saying that any frame can be broken into a grid with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, creating nine equally proportioned boxes; important elements should be placed on the lines or at their intersection to balance the composition; deliberately violating it calls attention to the composition for some reason