English Language Arts 10

Personal response: How did I react and why

Visual Techniques

Still Images

General techniques

The Frame - The boundaries of the image

Composition - What the image is composed of

Mise-en-scene - The place on the stage ; the arrangement of the objects relative to each other

Internal framing: when we use objects to frame a subject; entrapment

Rule of thirds - Draws our attention in an image ; splits the image into thirds

Fourth wall - A boundary between the characters of a play and the audience

Angles

The Subject

High angle - looks down on a subject ; makes subject feel more vulnerable/smaller

Low angle - looks up on a subject ; makes subject feel more imposing

Flat angle - creates a purposeful connection between the subject and the audience

The Audience

Bird’s eye view - looks straight down on a subject ; disconnects us from the scene

God’s eye view- same as bird but give a judgment

Worm’s eye view - not looking straight up but very close to the ground ; makes us feel small

Canted/tilted Angle - creates an uneasy feeling

Angle of destiny - offset and high ; character is going to go through a irreversible change

Proxemics/shots

The relationship between the camera and the subject ; how far or close they are to each other

Long shot - We are so far we can see the entire character but can’t see specific details ; we can see more of the background ; makes subject small compared to the setting ; the setting is more imposing

Medium shot - We see the character waist up and can see more features like facial expressions, clothing details, etc ; background and subject are balanced

Close shot - Shoulder up and can see all the details of a character ; subject takes up majority of the photo ; background can still be important

Extreme close up - focuses on a specific body part ; little to no background

Movement

Implied movement - something that tell the audience that the subject is moving

Directional movement - we are trained to be taught left to right, top down ; our brain is more comfortable with that movement

Color

Color values: when we attribute a certain color to a value

Contrast

Focus

Depth of field:

  • Everything in front is the foreground

  • Everything behind is the background

Far focus: The things further back are focused

Near focus: The things closer are focused

Reflection

External reflection often represents internal reflection

Space

Open: Empty around or between a subject; isolation; separation

Negative space: Impression that something is missing

Film

Sound/Audio

Digetic: Sounds that can be heard from the character

Non-Diegetic: Sound added for the purpose of the audience, the character cannot hear it. Ex. Jaws

Frame rate

Faster: more details

n

Camera movement

Pan: Side to side, same base

Tilt: Up and down, same base

Dolly: Camera moving on a dolly, wheels

Tracking: Camera moving on a track

Push: Move towards character; realization

Reveal: Opposite of a push; reveals something to the audience

Zolly: When you use the dolly and zoom function at the same time

Spiral: goes around a character; a decision is being made

Transitions

Kuleshov Effect: The context of the pieces of film around and within a scene can completely change its meaning

Cuts: A “invisible” transition; should not be noticeable

Tricut: When you use 3 cuts in a row that are related to each other: visual equivalent of “DUN DUN DUNN”

Jump Cut: A lot of cuts in a row but a the camera’s perspective changes a little each time

Flash Cut: The cut is accompanied by a flash; a change in time; Flashbacks, etc

Match Cut: The cut between the 2 scene are matched together through something that is in each: motions, sounds, concepts

Dissolves: One scene fades into another; To demonstrate the passing of time

Fade:fade to white or black.

White: Passing on, death

Black: the end of something

Superimposition: when you put one scene on top of another

Match Dissolved: the ends of the scenes are matched together; uses space or mise-en scene

Iris: the borders close in on a circle; generally in and out

Wipe: when one scenes slides on top of another; hidden