Film Language

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. 

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