Camera:
Establishing shot: The opening shot in a dramatic scene that
establishes the disposition of people and objects in the mise-en-scène. As such
it is usually a wide shot, and is likely to be followed by a succession of
closer shots.
Two-shot: A shot in which two figures appear in the frame
Over the shoulder shot: A camera shot in which the subject of the shot is filmed from behind a person’s head and shoulders, which are framed to one side in the foreground.
High angle shot: A
camera shot taken from a higher level than the subject, and angled down towards
them. This shot can have the effect of diminishing the authority of the
subject, making them look weak.
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Low angle shot: A camera shot taken from a lower level than the subject,
and angled up at them. This shot can have the effect of enhancing the authority
of the subject, making them look powerful.
Pan: A horizontal camera movement left-to-right or right-to-left on a fixed axis. The word is short for ‘panoramic movement’. A pan following a moving object suggests that we are viewing it from the point of view of an observer.
Tilt: A camera movement up or down on a horizontal axis.
Tracking shot: A camera movement achieved by mounting the camera on a dolly
and moving it along a track. Typically, tracking shots are used to follow
characters or other objects in motion.
Sound:
Diegetic sound: Sound that can be heard by the characters in
the world of the film.
Non-diegetic sound: Sound that cannot be heard by the
characters in the world of the film.
Synchronous sound: Sound that is directly matched with what
is being viewed.
Sound bridge: Editing technique in which visual cuts are
deliberately not matched with audio cuts. For example, the editor may cut to a
completely new scene, but allow sound from the preceding scene to run on for a
short time. Alternatively, we may hear the sound of the next scene before we
see it.
Dialogue: The conversation that happens between characters
in a work of fiction, or the lines spoken by actors.
voiceover: A type of non-diegetic, asynchronous sound in
which the audience hear a voice that does not have a source either within the
frame or within hearing distance and which is not heard by the people on
screen.Incidental music: Music used in a film or play as a background to create or enhance a particular atmosphere.
Ambient sound: Sound which is natural to a setting.
Mise en scène:
Mise-en-scène: The look of a film, derived from its use of sets and settings, lighting, colour, costumes hair and make-up, props, actor movement, and the overall placement and visual composition of these elements by the director.
Location: A ‘real’ place, as opposed to a studio, in which
something is filmed or otherwise recorded. A location might be a New York City
street or a desert.
Set: An interior that has been constructed to look like a
real place when filmed; the set helps to identify the time and place in which a
narrative will unfold.
Costume: The clothes worn by characters in a fictional text.
The costumes are part of the mise en scène and as such are an important part of
signification (for example, as a generic or period identifier).
Make-up: Cosmetics used to change the appearance of a
performer.
Prop: Short for ‘property’. A small item used in a film or
TV production to add realism, assist with the narrative or act as a motif.
High-key lighting: Lighting which eliminates most of the
shadows.
Low-key lighting: Lighting which emphasises shadows.
Editiing:
Cut: The commonest form of edit in moving image texts, this
is the instantaneous change from one shot to another in an edit.
Shot/reverse shot: A convention for showing a dialogue
sequence. We cut between the two speakers, showing each person’s point of view.
Eye-line match: A visual code used to make it clear what the
subject is looking at.
Graphic match: A compositional device onscreen, whereby
objects of common characteristics of shape or colour are used in successive
shots.
Match on action: Two shots in which an action begun in the
first is completed in the second, thus disguising the fact that there has been
a cut.
Dissolve: In editing, a cross-fade between two shots: one
fades out as another fades in.
Wipe: A shot transition in which the new image wipes over
the previous one.
Superimposition: is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something.
Long take: Not to be confused with a long shot, a long take
is a shot of comparatively long duration.
Montage: The production of a rapid succession of images in a
motion picture, usually accompanied by music, to illustrate an association of
ideas or a passing of time.
Post-production: The various processes that take place after
filming in order to create the final cut of a film.
