Film Language The Basics

Cinematography 

• Art of making motion pictures.

• Refers to the visual aspects of a film’s language. 

• Camera shots and movement can give us clear indications of the character's emotion or motive and give audiences clues as to things that may be about to happen. 

Camera Shots:

Establishing Shot

• A technique that uses the shot to set the context for the scene - establishes time/place, relationship between characters and objects, gives viewers the big picture. 

• Appears at the beginning of a film or scene. 

Close-up (Extreme close-up)

• When the image takes up the bulk of the frame - often used to highlight changes in emotion. 

• A close-up is a tool for emphasis to isolate a specific area or something important in the story. 

Medium Shot

• Shows the character from the top of the head to just above the waist. 

• One of the most common shots used in film. 

Full (Long) Shot

• The subject’s entire body reaches from top to bottom of the frame. 

Wide Shot

• Shows the subject within their surrounding environment. 

• Establishing shots usually use wide shots. 

Low-angle and high-angle shots

• In low-angle shots, the camera looks up from below. 

• In high-angle shots, the camera looks down from above. 

Bird's Eye View

• An extreme version of a high-angle shot looking down directly from above. 

• Often used for establishing shots. 

Camera Movement

• Pan- moves horizontally back and forth (side to side)

• Tilt- moves up or down

• Zoom- moves in close from afar

• Canted angle aka Dutch Angle or Dutch Tilt 

• Crane shot- camera moves on a crane. 

• Tracking shot- Camera moves with subject. 

• Aerial shot- gives a view from above. (Drone or helicopter)

Camera Focus

Directors use different types of focus throughout a film in order to communicate with the audience. 

• Soft focus - softens the subject; associated with romance or glamor. 

• Sharp focus- Clear, crisp details. 

• Rack Focus- Changes the focus within the shot. 

• Depe Focus- The entire field is in focus. (Foreground, middle ground, and background) 

Editing 

Changes the pace of the narrative. 

• Standard cut- The most basic edit.

• Jump cut- jumps the scene in time. 

• Montage- Often underscored with music. 

• Fade out/in- Shows the passage of time

• Cutaway- takes viewers away from the main characters or action. 

• Parallel / Cross Cut- Cuts between two scenes happening at the same time. 

Lighting 

• Creates mood and atmosphere. Creates different effects. 

• High Key Lighting- Bright

• Low Key Lighting- Dim

• Neutral Lighting 

Sound 

• Diegetic Sound- Would be logically heard by the characters. 

• Non-diegetic sound- Sound that is not recognized as part of the world of the film. Voice-over, Narration, Sound effects, Background Music.