Film Terminology

Forms of Fiction English 12 Camera SHOTS camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of a film's setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are very important in shaping meaning in a film. Extreme long shot

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people would fill the screen. Extreme long shot/Establishing shot

This shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects, and setting in a scene. Long Shot

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small

A standing human figure would appear nearly half the height of the screen.

It is often used to show scenes of action or to establish setting - Sometimes called an establishing shot Medium long shot

A framing at a distance that makes an object about four or five feet high appear to fill most of the screen vertically Medium Shot

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size

A human figure seen from the waist up would fill most of the screen Over the shoulder

This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject

This shot helps to establish the position of each person and get the feel of looking at one person from the other’s point of view

It is common to cut between these shots during conversation Medium close up

A framing in which the scale of the object is fairly large

a human figure seen from the chest up would fill most the screen Close-up Shot

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large; most commonly a person’s head seen from the neck up, or an object of a comparable size that fills most of the screen.

Adds importance to the object being shown; shows very little background. Extreme Close-up

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large.

Most commonly, a small object or a part of the body (magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality) Crane Shot

A shot with a change in framing accomplished by placing the camera above and moving through the air in any direction.

Crane Shot Example Dolly shot

The camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails – like a railroad track. The camera is then pushed along the track while the image is being filmed.

Dolly shot example Following shot

A shot with framing that shifts to keep a moving figure on screen.

Also known as a tracking shot. Point of View Shot

A shot taken with the camera placed approximately where the character’s eyes would be, showing what the character would see

Usually cut in before or after a shot of the character looking Camera Angles

The angle of the camera relative to the subject.

Director’s often use angles to appeal to the viewer's experience and emotions High Angle

The camera looks down on the subject.

This takes away power from a subject and makes the subject appear insignificant. Low Angle

An angle is shot from a camera angle positioned low; anywhere below the eyeline, looking up

This increases the height and power of the subject Canted Angle

A view in which the angle is not level; either the right or left side is lower than the other, causing objects in the scene to appear slanted out of an upright position.

Deliberately slanted to one side, sometimes used for dramatic effect to help portray unease, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc.

Canted Framing Example Straight-on

Camera head is at eye level

** What type of shot is this? Bird’s Eye

Is an elevated view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird; this makes the viewer seem God-like Tilt

A camera movement with the camera swiveling upward or downward on a stationary support

It produces a mobile framing that scans the space vertically

***When the camera is tilted but remains still is when it is referred to as a dutch angle Editing Techniques film editing is the art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence. A Cut a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. Crosscutting

Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously.

Crosscutting Cut-in

An instantaneous shift from a distant framing to a closer view of some portion of the same space.

Cut-in Deep Focus

A use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps objects in both close and distant planes in sharp focus.

Deep Focus example Jump Cut

A cut where either the figures seem to change instantly against a constant background, or the background changes instantly while the figures remain constant

Usually gives the effect of jumping forwards in time Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information. Overlapping Editing a transitional editing technique between two sequences, shots or scenes, in which the visible image of one shot or scene is gradually replaced, superimposed or blended Split Edit

split edit, is an edit transition from one shot to another in film or video, where the picture and sound are synchronized but the transitions in each are not coincident.