Film Terms for English

Close-up

A shot that tightly frames a person’s face or an object to show detail or emotion.

Cold open

A scene that starts a film or show before the title or credits, often to grab attention right away.

Crosscutting

Editing that switches back and forth between two or more scenes happening at the same time.

Cut

A quick change from one shot to another in editing.

Establishing shot

A wide shot at the beginning of a scene that shows the setting or location.

Film editing

The process of selecting and arranging shots to tell a story.

Long shot

A shot taken from a distance that shows the full body of a person and the surrounding environment.

Medium shot

A shot that shows a person from the waist up, balancing background and detail.

Point of view (POV) shot

A shot that shows what a character is seeing, as if through their eyes.

Scene

A part of a film where the action happens in one place and time.

Sequence

A series of related scenes that form a section of the story.

Shot

A single continuous view taken by a camera without cuts.

Shot/reverse shot

A technique where two characters are shown looking at each other, often used in conversations.

Title sequence

The part of a film that shows the title, cast, and crew, usually at the beginning.

Two shot

A shot that includes two people in the same frame, often used in conversations.