Cinematic Techniques & Film Analysis

Vocabulary flashcards covering key cinematic techniques, camera movement, editing, framing, lighting, sound, and film analysis concepts.

Camera angle

Where the camera is placed compared with the subject.

High-angle shot

A shot where the camera looks down at the subject; can make the subject look smaller or weaker.

Low-angle shot

A shot where the camera looks up at the subject; can make the subject look stronger or more powerful.

Close-up

A shot showing a face or object closely; focuses attention on emotion or detail.

Extreme close-up

A shot showing only part of a face or object; creates very strong focus on one detail.

Medium close-up

A shot showing a person from about the chest up; shows facial expression clearly.

Medium shot

A shot showing a person from about the waist up; shows expression and some body language.

Long shot

A shot showing the person with a lot of the surroundings; shows the character in the setting.

Extreme long shot

A shot showing a very wide view where people look very small; shows location, distance, or scale.

Two shot

A shot where two people are shown in the same frame; shows their interaction or relationship.

Establishing shot

A wide shot that shows where the scene takes place; helps the audience understand the location.

Master shot

A shot showing most or all of the important action in a scene; gives the full view of the scene.

Pan

Camera turns left or right from one position; follows or reveals action horizontally.

Tilt

Camera moves up or down from one position; reveals something vertically.

Tracking / travelling shot

Camera moves alongside or follows the subject; makes us move with the action.

Dolly shot

Camera physically moves closer, farther away, or sideways; changes distance smoothly.

Arc shot

Camera moves around the subject in a curve; shows the subject from changing angles.

Zoom

Lens makes the subject look closer or farther away while the camera stays still; draws attention in or out.

Dolly zoom

Camera moves while the lens zooms the opposite way; creates a strange dramatic effect.

Whip pan

Very fast pan that creates blur; creates speed or sudden movement.

Whip zoom

Very fast zoom in or out; creates sudden emphasis.

Airborne shot

Shot taken from the air, usually while moving; shows a large area from above.

Focus

How sharp or clear the image is; shows what we should notice.

Deep focus

Foreground and background are both clear; lets us see several areas clearly at once.

Racking focus

Focus changes from one subject to another; moves our attention within the shot.

Framing

How people and objects are placed inside the image; controls what we notice and how the shot feels.

Static frame

Camera stays completely still while the action continues; can make a scene feel calm or controlled.

Hand-held shot

Camera is carried by the operator and may look shaky; can make a scene feel urgent or unstable.

Point-of-view shot (POV)

Shows what a character sees; puts us in the character's position.

Over-the-shoulder shot

Camera looks past one character's shoulder toward another; common in conversations.

Reverse angle

Shows the opposite side/other person in a conversation; helps show both speakers.

Eyeline match

Character looks off-screen, then we see what they are looking at; makes the action easy to follow.

180-degree rule

Camera stays on one side of an imaginary line between characters; keeps screen positions clear and consistent.

Cut

One shot immediately changes to another; the most basic edit.

Cross-cutting

Cuts between events happening at the same time in different places; builds suspense or connects actions.

Continuity editing

Editing that makes time and space feel smooth and natural; helps the audience follow the action.

Jump cut

A cut that makes time seem to jump suddenly; creates a clear break in continuity.

Match cut

A cut that links two shots smoothly or by a matching idea/image; connects the shots.

Dissolve

One image slowly disappears while another appears; often suggests time passing.

Fade in / fade out

Image slowly appears from black or disappears to black; often marks a beginning, ending, or change.

Wipe

One image pushes another off the screen; a visible scene transition.

Bridging shot

A shot used to cover a jump in time or place; connects two moments smoothly.

Ellipsis

Part of the story time is left out; skips unneeded time.

Flashback

A scene showing something from the past; gives earlier information.

Flash forward

A scene showing something from the future; shows what may happen later.

Backlighting

Main light comes from behind the subject; can create a silhouette.

Key light

Main light on the subject; provides most of the important lighting.

Fill light

Extra light that softens shadows; makes dark areas easier to see.

Mise-en-scene

Everything placed in front of the camera in the shot (or everything you can see in the frame), including lighting, setting, props, costume/makeup, and actor movement.

Scene

A group of shots about one main action, usually in one place; a larger part of the story.

Shot

One continuous piece of film between edits; the basic unit of filming.

Storyboard

Drawings that plan the shots and camera movements; used before filming.

Inter-title

Text inserted into the film, especially in silent films; gives dialogue or information.

Iris in / out

Circular opening closes or opens around the image; old-style transition or focus effect.

Editing

Choosing and arranging shots into a sequence / how shots are put together; creates the final flow of the film.

Cinematography

The camera choices used to film the scene, including angles, shot types, movement, and focus.

Diegetic sound

Sound that characters in the film can hear, such as dialogue, an explosion, or music playing in the scene.

Non-diegetic sound

Sound that characters cannot hear, such as background score added for the audience.

Formalist film analysis

A type of film analysis that looks at technical choices like camera, editing, and sound.

Narrative film analysis

A type of film analysis that looks at story, characters, and themes.

Ideological film analysis

A type of film analysis that looks at social, political, or cultural ideas.

Psychoanalytic film analysis

A type of film analysis that looks at unconscious ideas, desires, or symbolism.

Cultural / Historical film analysis

A type of film analysis that looks at the film in its historical and cultural context.