Film Studies Vocab

Frame

The single still image that makes up film

camera angle

The position of the camera in relation to the subject

camera movement

How the camera physically moves (pan, tilt, dolly, handheld)

close-up

a shot that tightly frames a subject

long shot

a shot that shows the full subject and surrounding

establishing shot

a shot that sets up location and context

editing

the process of selecting, arranging, and joining shots

continuity editing

editing that creates a seamless flow of time and space

montage

a sequence of shots edited together to condense time, space, or ideas

soundtrack

all audio in a film (dialogue, sound effects, music)

diegetic sound

sound that exists within the world of the film

non-diegetic sound

sound added for the audience (musical score)

genre

a category of film defines by conventions ( horror, comedy, western)

Narrative

the story structure and the way events are organized

shot

one uninterrupted run of the camera

scene

a series of shots that form a continuous action

sequence

a group of scenes forming a larger narrative unit

mise-en-scene

everything places in front of the camera (sets, props, actors, costumes, lighting)

composition

The arrangement of visual elements within the frame

cinematography

the art of camera work and lighting in film