SELECTED FILM GLOSSARY The following concise definitions are meant as either quick introductions or brief reminders. For further information, consult the index, which will refer you to the pages that give a fuller discussion. Whenever possible, we have used the definitions (or parts of definitions) published by the University Film Association (Monograph No. 2) as Glossary of Film Terms (University Film Association, 1978). Compiled by John Mercer, this thorough glossary draws upon a previous work published in 1955 by the University Film Producers Association. When our definitions are derived from the Glossary of Film Terms, they are followed by the letters UFA; when that Glossary uses the 1955 definitions, it appends the letters UFPA. Because the Glossary is much more extensive than ours and also more technical in some respects, occasionally we decided to simplify or to write new definitions more appropriate to this book. For more complete terminology, we urge the reader to write to the editor of the Journal of Film and Video for information about obtaining a copy of the Glossary of Film Terms. As the editorship changes hands regularly, check a recent copy of the Journal for the name and address of the current editor. A abstract film A film that uses mass, line, and color to create shifting and changing patterns. Also, loosely, any nonrepresentational film. Academy ratio The size of the frame mask in 35mm cameras and projectors as standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1 to 1.3). Used from the 1930s to the 1950s. adaptation The movement to the screen of a story, novel, play, or other work suitably treated so as to be realizable through the motion picture medium. 473 474 SELECTED FILM GLOSSARY ambiguous time Time on the screen that is either inadvertently or intentionally unclear. Dissolves, fades, and other transitional devices are not precise in their indication of the extent of the passage of time. Superimpositions also reveal time passing, but do not indicate how much. Often, ambiguous time is used in montage sequences whose purpose is to create mood and atmosphere, or to convey general rather than specific narrative information, for example, the lovers have spent time together and their love has deepened. analytic documentary A form of nonfiction film that attempts to analyze its subject matter rather than simply to record it. That analysis involves the filmmaker's own interaction with the subject, within the film, or his or her purposeful juxtaposition of footage to make a point. Unlike the persuasive documentary, which is a sort of propaganda film, the analytic documentary tries to show many facets of the subject matter although it makes no claim to objectivity. anamorphic lens A lens that squeezes the material it perceives so that its wider than normal scope can be recorded on a normal size film frame. During projection the image will be widened and appear as normal in size on a wider-than-normal screen (2.5 or 2.85 to 1). angle See camera angle. aperture 1) Lens aperture: The opening, usually an adjustable iris, which limits the amount of light passing through a lens. 2) Camera aperture: The mask opening, (in 16mm motion picture cameras, 0.410 x 0.294 inches), which defines the area of each frame exposed. 3) Projector aperture: The mask opening, (in 16mm projectors, 0.380 x 0.284 inches), which defines the area of each frame projected. art director The person who assesses the staging requirements for a production and arranges for and supervises the work of set design and preparation. UFA aspect ratio The width-to-height ratio of a motion picture frame as photographed. Also, the ratio of the frame dimensions as projected on a screen. associational editing, relational editing, associative editing The juxtaposition of shots in order to present contrast, comparison, similarities, or ideas. UFA asynchronous sound Sound derived from a source not in the image on the screen at the time it is heard, that is, sound not in synchronization with corresponding lip movement or object movement in the film. auteur theory A theory that says there is a person primarily responsible for the entire style and treatment of the content of the film. Generally used in reference to a director with a recognizable style and thematic preoccupation, the theory also covers other production personnel (writers, performers, cinematographers, editors) who are seen as the major force behind a given film. More particularly, film auteurs function within the boundaries of studio 474 SELECTED FILM GLOSSARY 475 production systems and are distinguishable from film artists, who have nearly total control over all aspects of production. avant-garde, avant-garde film (French, literally "advance guard") 1) A movement toward innovation in the arts in the 1920s, encompassing such approaches as cubism, surrealism, and dadaism, and including experimentation in filmmaking. 2) Any current innovative movement in the arts. UFA B background music Nonindigenous music that accompanies a film, usually on the sound track, but may be from a live performance of one or more instrumentalists, or from records or tapes. Most background music in nontheatrical films is not scored to fit the action; in theatrical films the music is usually written to reinforce and emphasize the action. UFA backlighting Light coming from behind objects or performers being photographed. UFA blimp A camera housing that, because it is soundproof, prevents the noise of the camera's operation from being recorded on the sound track. Once immobile or awkward and bulky, blimps are now light and portable. boom, camera boom A sturdy vehicular support providing vertical, horizontal, pivotal, and translational movement for camera and operator, enabling them to assume, rapidly and conveniently, almost any desired angle in relation to the scene to be photographed. UFA (UFPA) C camera angle, angle The physical relationship between camera and subject. If the camera is low, tilted up toward the subject, the result is a low-angle shot. If the camera is high, tilted down toward the subject, the result is a high-angle shot. If the camera is tilted neither up nor down, the result is a normal-angle shot. If the camera is not tilted but is placed at the eye-level of a person standing or seated, the angle is called an eye-level shot. If the camera is tilted off its horizontal and vertical axes, the result is a tilt angle or dutch-tilt angle. UFA camera movement Any motion of a camera during a shot, such as panning, tilting, dolhzng, craning, rolling, or wobbling. UFA camera speed The rate at which film is run through a camera in frames per second (fps) or feet or meters per minute. The normal speed for sound film today is 24 fps, for silent 18 fps. cel A transparent sheet of cellulose acetate or similar plastic serving as a support for drawings, lettering, and so on, in animation and title work. Usually, it is punched, outside the limits of the camera field, with holes that fit pegs similarly arranged to facilitate registration of successive eels during preparation and photography. UFA 475 476 SELECTED FILM GLOSSARY characters, characterizations The fictional people within a narrative film, not to be confused with the actors who play them. CinemaScope, Scope Trade name (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) for wide-screen films made and projected by the use of anamorphic lenses on camera and projector. UFA cinema verité (French, literally "film truth") A style of filmmaking begun in Europe in the 1950s involving the use of portable sound cameras and recorders, and the cinematography of interviews and events on location. Commentary, sometimes obtained from interviews and hidden recorders, was used as well as lip-synchronous sound. Cinema verité films usually sought strong, sometimes radical, opinion. Often one of the filmmakers asked questions. UFA Cinerama A wide-screen process that originally used three cameras, three corresponding projectors, and stereophonic sound. UFA city symphony A type of nonfiction film that uses images of cities both lyrically and socially. Often structured around a dawn-to-dusk movement and edited rhythmically. close-up shot, close-up, CU, close-shot, CS A shot in which the image of the subject or its most important part fills most of the frame. A close-up shot of a person usually includes the head and part of the shoulders. UFA code The rules or forms that can be observed to allow a message to be understood, to signify. Codes are the rules operating on the means of expression (and thus are distinct from the means of expression). UFA collage film A type of experimental or avant-garde film that uses singleframe cinematography to control the speed with which images of various objects, cutouts, and drawings are overlaid, animated, and presented to the viewer. color film Color film carries one or more emulsions in which, after processing, brightness values of a scene are reproduced in terms of color scales. UFA color saturation The measure applied to how vividly a color appears on the film, that is, whether it seems washed out or dense. comedy Generally, a work of literature, drama, or film that has a nontragic ending and creates a climate considered humorous by a majority of viewers. There are many different types of comedy (slapstick, parody, screwball comedy), and comedy may be created around any subject matter. compilation film A film made by editing together large amounts of footage shot for other purposes, that is, old movie clips, home movies, newsreels, and so forth. composition The distribution, balance, and general relationship of masses and degrees of light and shade, line, and color within a picture area. UFA (UFPA) contextual criticism A form of criticism that sees film in relation to the con 476 SELECTED FILM GLOSSARY 477 text in which it was created and in which it is shown.