Film Studies General Terms

Year 1 Buzzwords

Denotation

The actual literal reading - what it is

Connotation

Your own response to the denotation - what it suggests.

Diegesis

The world of the film

Verisimilitude

A sense of believability in the world of the film.

Aesthetics

The look and style of the film.

Auteur Theory

Where director (or DP) creates their own recognisable signature style.

Motif

A recurring element, theme, or idea that has symbolic meaning.

Symbol

Things that represent ideas or concepts.

Diurnal

Daytime, the light, safety, good, etc.

Nocturnal

Nighttime, darkness, shadows, evil, danger, etc.

Archetype

A typical example of a character or thing.

MacGruffin

An object that motivates the character and starts the story.

Diegetic Sound

Sound that comes from the world of the film - both character and audience can hear it.

Non-Diegetic Sound

Sound that does not come from the world of the film - characters can’t hear it.

Contrapuntal Sound

Sound that deliberately contrasts with what is on-screen.

Leitmotif

A recurring musical theme that can be associated with a character, idea, or situation.

Montage

When shots are placed next to each other, making it look like they are connected.

Kuleshov Effect

When two or more shots are placed next to each other to create a new meaning we wouldn't get otherwise. A + B = C (new meaning)

Subjective Camera

Creates the illusion of seeing through a characters POV - makes you feel as if you are there.

Juxtaposition

Two things being placed next to each other to create contrast.

Anachronic

Out of chronological order.

Anti-hero

A protagonist who lacks traditional qualities of a hero.

Aural Bridge

Audio that overlaps into the next scene to create a smooth transition.

Chiaroscuro

Dramatic lighting that uses strong contrasts between light and dark.

Shallow depth of field

Only a small portion of the shot is in sharp focus, and the background/foreground is blurred.

Deep Focus

Both the foreground and background in sharp focus.

Denouement

The last part of the film where the last strands of the plot comes together.

Ellipsis

Cutting out portions of the timeline that are part of the story but not shown on-screen.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues are given early about what will happen later.

‘Oner’

A single, continuous shot that shows a scene without any cuts.

Match-cut

Two shots that matches visually or aurally to create a smooth transition.

Omniscient Narrator

Access to all characters thoughts, feelings and events, giving it a ‘god-like’ view.

Restricted Narrator

restricted to a single characters thoughts, feelings or perspectives.

Classical Realist Narration

prioritises realism and authenticity in depicting characters and events.

Pull Focus/Rack Focus

Changing the point of focus in a continuous shot.

Shot-reverse-shot

Cutting between two characters usually in medium or close up shot during a conversation to create a sense of fluid conversation.

Jump Cut

An edited cut that abruptly changes time or space.

Unreliable Narrator

A character through whose perspectives we see the plot unfold, but whose credibility is compromised at some point.

Zietgeist

‘Spirit of the time’ period it was set in. Their reading on that time and how they’ve presented it.