Film Language

Cinematography

The art of making motion pictures, focusing on the visual aspects of a film's language.

Establishing Shot

A technique that sets the context for a scene, establishing time/place and relationships between characters and objects.

Close-up

A shot that highlights changes in emotion by taking up the bulk of the frame, isolating important elements in the story.

Medium Shot

A shot that shows the character from the top of the head to just above the waist, commonly used in film.

Full (Long) Shot

A shot that captures the subject's entire body from top to bottom of the frame.

Wide Shot

A shot that shows the subject within their surrounding environment, often used for establishing shots.

Low-angle Shot

A shot where the camera looks up from below, creating a sense of power or dominance.

High-angle Shot

A shot where the camera looks down from above, often conveying vulnerability.

Bird's Eye View

An extreme high-angle shot looking down directly from above, frequently used for establishing shots.

Pan

A camera movement that moves horizontally back and forth (side to side).

Tilt

A camera movement that moves the camera up or down.

Zoom

A camera movement that brings the subject closer from a distance.

Canted Angle

Also known as Dutch Angle or Dutch Tilt, it creates a tilted perspective.

Crane Shot

A camera movement where the camera moves on a crane.

Tracking Shot

A camera movement that follows the subject.

Aerial Shot

A shot that provides a view from above, often taken with a drone or helicopter.

Soft Focus

A type of focus that softens the subject, often associated with romance or glamor.

Sharp Focus

A type of focus that provides clear, crisp details.

Rack Focus

A technique that changes the focus within a shot.

Deep Focus

A technique where the entire field (foreground, middle ground, background) is in focus.

Editing

The process that changes the pace of the narrative in a film.

Standard Cut

The most basic type of edit in film.

Jump Cut

An edit that jumps the scene in time.

Montage

A series of shots often underscored with music to convey a theme or passage of time.

Fade Out/In

An editing technique that shows the passage of time.

Cutaway

An edit that takes viewers away from the main characters or action.

Parallel/Cross Cut

An editing technique that cuts between two scenes happening simultaneously.

High Key Lighting

A lighting technique that is bright and evenly lit.

Low Key Lighting

A lighting technique that is dim and creates shadows.

Neutral Lighting

A balanced lighting technique that is neither too bright nor too dim.

Diegetic Sound

Sound that would logically be heard by the characters within the film's world.

Non-diegetic Sound

Sound that is not recognized as part of the film's world, such as voice-over, narration, sound effects, and background music.