Language of Cinema Exam 1

form

patterning of a film; how all of its parts work together to create effects

style

how a film uses cinematic techniques (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound)

production

stage at which film is planned, shot, and edited (can also refer to the managing of financing and planning by a producer)

storyboard

series of comic strip-like sketches of shots in each scene, with notes about costume, lighting, and camera work

distribution

marketing of a film and organization of delivery to theaters and other outlets such as DVD/Blu-ray, streaming services, and television

shot

basic building block of every film; continuous action on screen from (what appears to be) a single run of the camera

scene

a unified action that carries the plot forward

motif

repeated image, sound/music, action, dialogue, object, character trait, etc. that draws our attention to character personalities, create expectations as to how they will act, what will happen next, and so forth

ideology

system of values, beliefs, ideas shared by a social group and taken for granted as natural/inherently true

unity

all relationships we perceive are clear and interwoven (tight); or disunity (“loose ends” or continuity errors)

narrative form

type of filmic organization in which the parts relate to one another through series of causally related events taking place in time and space

story

the chain of events in chronological order

plot

all of the events that are presented to us (and their causal relations, order, duration, frequency, and location)

narration

the plot’s way of distributing story information to achieve specific effects

Point-Of-View (POV) shot

a shot taken with the camera placed approximately where the character’s eyes would be, showing what the character would see; usually cut in before or after a shot of the character looking

mise-en-scene

all elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed, including settings and props, lighting, costumes and makeup, and staging (where/how people & objects are placed; includes acting and movement)

setting

carefully chosen location (real existing place) or a carefully constructed set (imaginary space or recreation of real space); helps us understand location in time and space and/or symbolic meaning

frontal lighting

light directed into the scene from a position near camera

sidelight

light coming from one side of person or object

backlighting

light cast onto scene from the side opposite the camera

underlighting

light from below figure/object

top lighting

light coming from above figure/object

three-point lighting

arrangement using three directions of light on a scene

key light

brightest light coming into the scene

fill light

less bright source to balance key light; “fills in” shadows created by key light

high-key lighting

use of fill light and backlight to create low contrast between light and dark

low-key lighting

lesser (or no) use of fill light to create high contrast between high and dark

staging

where/how people & objects are placed; includes acting and movement an actor’s movements and overall performance style-what they do with their faces and bodies

cinematography

the manipulations made to the film strip by the camera during shooting and by the laboratory in the developing phase; includes tonal range, speed of motion, perspective, framing the shot/camera movement, and the duration of the shot

contrast

comparative difference between the darkest and lightest areas of the frame

exposure

how much light passes through the camera lens

filters

slices of glass or gelatin placed in front of the camera lens or printer to reduce certain color frequencies

rate

frames per second (fps); the standard rate for shooting is 24 fps

ramping

changing the speed of photographed motion within a single shot

focal length

the distance from the center of the lens to the point at which the light rays meet in sharp focus; determines the perspective relations of the space represented on the flat screen

zoom lens

lens with focal length that can be changed during the shot; resizes and changes perspective of what’s being shot

focus

degree to which light rays coming from the same part of an object through different parts of the lens re-converge at the same point on the film frame, creating sharp outlines/distinct textures

depth of field

a range of distances within which objects can be photographed in sharp focus given a certain exposure setting

deep focus

a use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps objects in both close and distant planes in sharp focus

racking focus

shifting the area of sharp focus from one plane to another during a shot

superimposition

special effect in which images are laid over one another, creating multiple perspectives within the frame

rear projection

a technique for combing a foreground action with a background action filmed earlier (foreground is filmed in studio, against a screen; background is projected from behind the screen)

matte work

type of process shot in which different areas of the image (usually actors and setting) are photographed separately and combined in laboratory work

framing

the use of the edges of the film frame to select and to compose what will be visible onscreen

aspect ratio

ratio of frame width to height

masking

at production stage, placing opaque screen in camera or printer to block part of frame off and change the shape of the photographed image (leaving black bar at top and bottom of screen); at exhibition stage, placing stretches of black fabric that frame the theater screen

Anamorphic Lens

a lens for making widescreen films using regular Academy ratio frame size; camera takes in a wide field of view and squeezes it onto the frame, and a similar projector lens unsqueezes

canted framing

a view in which the frame is not level; either right or left side is lower than other; slanted view

Extreme Long Shot

framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people will fill the screen

long shot

framing in which the scale of the object show is small; background is still dominates

medium long shot

framing at a distance that makes an object about 4 or 5 feet high appear to fill most of the screen vertically (ex: human figures from knees up)

Medium Shot

framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size (ex: waist up)

medium close-up

framing in which the scale of the object shown is fairly large (ex: chest up)

close-up

framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large (ex: neck up)

extreme close-up

framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large (ex: just part of body)

mobile framing

changing camera angle, level, height, or distance during the shot

pan

camera movement with the camera body turning to the right or left; scans space horizontally

tilt

camera movement with the camera body swiveling upward or downward on a stationary support; scans space vertically

tracking shot

aka dolly shot; mobile framing that travels through space forward, backward, or laterally

crane shot

a shot with a change in framing accomplished by placing the camera above the subject and moving through the air in any direction

handheld camera

use of the camera operator’s body as a camera support, either holding it by hand or using a harness