Visual language features

shot

what is seen from when a camera starts filming until it stops

wide shot (WS) or long shot (LS)

A shot that takes in most or all of the space of the scene in view, whether a room or an open space, often filmed with a wide-angle lens.

establishing shot

usually the first shot of a scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place

medium shot

a shot that captures a subject from the top of the head to a line just above or below the belt or waistline. This lets you see some of the setting

close up

a shot that captures a subject from the top of the head to just below the shoulders. Lets you see the emotions of the character clearly.

extreme close up

focus on one part of the body or similar to draw attention to it (eg an eye widening or a finger twitching). Can create mystery by only showing a part of an object making it difficult to identify

subjective shot

from a particular character's point of view. Used to make the audience see through that character's eyes.

high angle

camera looks down on the subject, making them look alone and vulnerable

low angle

camera looks up at the subject, making it look more imposing, powerful and important.

panning

camera pivots or swivels from one position to show the range of a scene or action

tracking

camera moves along with a subject on a 'track' or 'dolly' so it is as if you are travelling along with the person or chasing them

handheld

camera shoots from the shoulder of the camera person without a tripod. The effect can be uneven and bumpy but reflects a real view of the action; often used in crowd scenes.

key lighting

putting light directly on the subject - this can make the subject look a little flat, but lets us see lots of detail and eliminates unwanted shadows.

under lighting or low lighting

lighting from underneath the subject can create strong and dramatic shadows, making the subject look sinister or monstrous.

side lighting

lighting from one side only can give a character an evil, angular appearance.

over exposure

deliberate use of too much light can make the scene or object seem unreal or dreamy

under exposure

deliberate use of not enough light can create sinister, confusing and menacing scenes and characters

dialogue

the words spoken by the actors to each other - not only the words are important but also how they are said

sound effects

these are added sounds, important for the audience to hear eg gunshots, sirens, breaking glass, thunder...

voice over

sometimes, the director has a character speak over the action, either from off-screen, or as if the character was thinking

diegetic sound

sounds that you would expect to hear in the scene you see on screen because they could occur naturally in or near the scene eg traffic noise in a city shot

music

deliberately used to indicate changes in mood, increased suspense and reflect the characters' emotions.

silence

usually, there is some sound coming out of every shot and scene; when there is none, it can be very surprising and act as a tool to sharply focus your attention on what you are looking at, as well as raising suspense and tension.

costume

the clothes and accessories a character wears tells us about aspects of character

make-up

best used when you don't notice it, but can also be used to emphasise key features and show changes in appearance

mise en scene

means 'what is in the shot' - the director usually controls all the props that are in the frame; can be used to build up character background or can provide clues to what has happened or is about to happen

special effects (SFX)

animation, CGI (computer generated images), explosions, crashes, stunts, anything that can't be filmed live such as sharks, light sabres... many are put in post production.