ENGLISH FILM BASIC TERM 1 EXAMS

Extreme wide shot (Establishing shot)

A camera shot used at the start of a scene to map out spatial geometry and orient the audience to the location.

Wide shot

A camera angle used to give a broad, expansive view of everything occurring in a scene.

Mid shot

A camera framing that captures a subject from the waist to the top of the head.

Medium close-up

A camera framing where subtle facial expressions and key details begin directing the audience's focus.

Close-up

A tightly framed shot focused primarily on a character's face or an object of high importance.

Extreme close-up

A tightly focused shot, commonly on a person's eyes, used to intimately convey intense emotion.

Rule of thirds

A compositional grid technique where a subject's eyeline is placed along the top horizontal line while looking into open space.

High angle shot

A camera position above the subject, making them appear small, vulnerable, and powerless.

Low angle shot (Hero angle)

A camera position below the subject, making them appear large, dominant, and powerful.

Over the shoulder shot

A framing looking past one character's shoulder at another, commonly used during dialogue.

180-degree rule

A cinematography guideline stating that an imaginary axis between characters must not be crossed when editing dialogue, maintaining consistent spatial orientation.

Lens compression

An optical effect caused by extreme focal lengths where telephoto lenses squeeze perceived distance while wide lenses exaggerate spatial separation.

Pan shot

A horizontal camera swivel on a fixed axis used to track movement or reveal off-screen elements.

Tilt shot

A vertical camera swivel up or down on a fixed axis to reveal off-screen elements.

Crab shot

A horizontal tracking movement that moves sideways parallel to a walking subject.

Tracking shot

A physical camera movement backward or forward to follow an important subject.

Focus pull

Manually adjusting the focal distance on a lens during a shot to shift visual clarity from one depth plane to another.

Jump cut

An abrupt edit in continuous footage that creates a jarring skip in time, often used to startle the audience.

Match on action

An editing technique where a cut occurs mid-movement while maintaining physical continuity across frames.

Pacing

The frequency and rhythm of cuts in an edit that shapes tension, mystery, and overall mood.

Color grading

The post-production process of adjusting contrast, saturation, vignetting, and color tones to establish visual mood.

Transitions

Editing techniques (such as cuts, dissolves, or fades) used to join adjacent shots together.

Omnidirectional microphone

An audio capture device that picks up sound equally from all surrounding directions, including unwanted background noise.

Shotgun microphone

A highly directional microphone typically mounted on a boom pole that isolates frontal audio while rejecting side and rear noise.

Condenser microphone

A studio recording tool providing rich bass and detail, requiring close proximity for voiceovers and music.

Lavalier microphone

A small, discreet clip-on audio device attached to clothing, ideal for hands-free dialogue during interviews.

High-key lighting

A bright illumination setup featuring minimal shadows and multiple balanced light sources.

Three-point lighting

A standard lighting setup combining a primary key light, a fill light to soften shadows, and a rim light to separate the subject from the background.

Low-key lighting

A visual style characterized by high contrast, deep shadows, and low overall illumination.

Reflector

A white or metallic panel used to bounce light back onto a subject to soften harsh shadows.

Gels and diffusion

Materials placed over light sources to shift color hue or soften harsh shadow edges.