Film Study Vocab

1.
Dominate- The place in the screen where your eyes first rests
2. Lighting Key- the main source of light for the subjects that illuminates key features
3. Shot and angle proxemics- the type of camera shot and th distance between the camera and the
action
4. Angle- dictated by where the camera is placed in relation to the character or subject
5. Color values- a colors lightness or darkness
6. Lens/filter/stock- fish-eye lens, selective focus lens, realism filter, formalism filter, fast stock,
slow stock
7. Subsidiary contrasts- competing or contrasting with the dominant image
8. Density- density of texture refers to the amount of visual detail in a picture
9. Composition- refers to the organization of content and how this content in the shot fills the
available space.
10. Form- the system of relationships between all the elements we see on the screen
11. Framing- tight: usually in close shots. Carefully balanced and harmonized that the people
photographed have little to no freedom of movement. Loose: usually in longer shots. Spaciously
distributed within the confine of the framed image that the people photographed have
considerable freedom of movement
12. Depth planes- foreground, midground, background
13. Character placement- The way the characters are placed in the shot.
14. Staging positions- full front, quarter turn, profile, three quarter turn, back to camera.
15. Character proxemics- the space between characters. Intimate, personal, social, public.
General terms
1. Angle- dictated by where the camera is positioned in relation to the character or subject
2. Frame- one of the many still images which compose the complete moving picture
3. Shot- the moment that the camera starts rolling until the movement stops
4. Realism- concern for the fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary
5. Genre- categories that define films based on narrative or stylistic elements
Types of camera shots and movement
1. Long shot-a view of a scene that is shot from a considerable distance.

2. Medium shot- a film shot that stretches from around the waist of a subject up to their head
3. Close-up- a shot taken of a person or object at a close range, in order to capture the minute detail
of the subject.
4. Extreme close-up- more intense version of a close up shot. Sometimes showing only the subjects
eyes
5. Establishing shots- wide or extreme wide shots of buildings or landscapes.
6. Over-the-shoulder shot- camera angle that offers a medium close up on one actor while showing
part of another actor’s shoulder
7. Pan- horizontal movement in which the camera moves right to left from a central axis
8. Tilt- a cinematic technique in which the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates up/down in a
vertical plane
9. Crane shot- achieved by a camera mounted on a platform, which is connected to a mechanical
arm that can lift the platform up, bring it down, or move it laterally across space.
10. Dolly (tracking) shot- the camera movement when a camera is mounted on a dolly. The camera
moves towards, away from, or alongside your subject.
11. Zoom shot- when the focal length of a camera lens is adjusted to give the illusion of moving
closer or further away from the subject.
12. Hand held shots- filmmaking technique in which a camera is held in the operator's hands as
opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base.
13. Aerial shot- a shot that’s taken from an elevated vantage point than what is framed in the shot.
.
Camera angles
1. Birds eye view- a shot looking down on the subject

2. High angle- angle shot at less than 90 degrees can be considered a high angle
3. Eye level- the camera is positioned directly at eye level of the character.
4. Low angle- a film shot taken from a camera angle positioned below the average eye line and
pointing up
5. Oblique angle- setting the camera at an angle and tilting the entire scene.
Editing
1. Cut- an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another.
2. Match cut- a film editing technique where two different shots are joined together based on visual
similarities, creating a seamless transition between scenes.
3. Jump cut- an edit to a single, sequential shot that makes the action appear to lead forward in time.
4. Fade- a subtype of dissolve transition that gradually moves to or from an image to or from black.
5. Dissolve- a gradual transition from one image to another, with the first image beginning to
disappear as the second image gradually appears.
6. Wipe- a type of film transition where one shot replaces another by traveling from one side of the
frame to another with a special shape.

Film Study Vocab

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Film Study Vocab

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Film Study Vocab

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1.

Types of camera shots and movement

1. Long shot-a view of a scene that is shot from a considerable distance.

1. Birds eye view- a shot looking down on the subject

You might also like