Wednesday 7 September 2016

Technical Terms

CAMERA SHOTS
Establishing Shot - Establishes a scene, often giving the viewer information about where the scene is set. Can be a close up shot but is often a wide/long shot and usually appears at the beginning of a scene.
Extreme Long Shot - Used to show the subject from a distance, or establish the setting of a scene. This type of shot is particularly useful for establishing a scene in terms of time and place, as well as a character's physical or emotional relationship to the environment and elements within it. The character doesn't necessarily have to be viewable in this shot. 
Long Shot - This type of shot typically frames the whole figure of your subject from the head to the toes. 
Medium Long Shot - Frames the whole subject from the head to the knees. 
Medium Shot - Frames the subject from the head to the waist. Used to show body language/movement of the upper body of a character.
Close Up - A head and shoulders shot often used to show emotions of a character. Also can be a shot of an object, filmed from close to the object or zoomed in to it, that reveals detail.
Extreme Close Up - Part of a face or body of a character fills the whole frame/dominates the frame. Also can be shot of an object where only a small part of it dominates the frame.
Point-Of-View Shot - Shows a view from the subject's perspective. This shot is usually edited that the viewer is aware who's point of view it is.
Over The Shoulder Shot - Looking from behind a character's shoulder at a subject. The character facing the subject usually occupies 1/3 of the frame but it depends on what meaning the director wants to create.
Overhead Shot - The camera is positioned above the character, action or object being framed.
Reaction Shot - Shows the reaction of a character either to another or to an event within the sequence. 
Aerial Shot - Taken from an overhead position/bird's eye view. Often used as an establishing shot.
Two Shot - Of two characters, possibly engaging in a conversation. Usually to signify/establish some sort of relationship.

CAMERA TECHNIQUES
Shallow Field of Focus - A camera technique in which one part of the shot is in focus while the rest is out of focus. 
Deep Field of Focus - A camera technique which allows all distance planes to remain clearly in focus.
Focus Pull - A camera technique where you change focus during a shot. This means adjusting the focus from one subject/object that is further behind to another subject/object that is further in front.
Focus Push A camera technique where you change focus during a shot. This means adjusting the focus from one subject/object that is further in front to another subject/object that is further behind.

CAMERA ANGLES
Low Angle - Looks up on an object or subject. Often used to make the subject or object appear powerful/dominant.
High Angle - Looks down upon an object or subject. Often used to make the subject or object appear small or vulnerable.
Dutch Angle -
Canted Framing - Makes what is shot appear to be skewed or tilted.

CAMERA MOVEMENTS
Pan - The camera pivots horizontally, either from right to left or left to right to reveal a set or setting. This can be used to give the viewer a panoramic view. Sometimes used to establish a scene. 
Track - The camera follows an object/subject. The tracking shot can include smooth movements forward, backward, along side of the subject, or on a curve but cannot include complex movement around a subject. 'Track' refers to rails in which a wheeled platform (which has a camera on it) sits on in order to carry out smooth movement. 
Crane - Sometimes used to signify the end of a scene. The effect is achieved by the camera being put onto a crane that can be moved upward. 
Steadicam - A stabilising mount for a camera which mechanically isolates the operator's movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface. Informally, the word may also be used to the combination of the mount and the camera. 
Tilt - Where a camera scans a set or setting vertically. 
Zoom - Using a zoom lens that appears to be moving closer (to zoom in) or further away from (to zoom out). 

EDITING
Continuity Editing - The most common type of editing, which aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward. Also nick named invisible editing referring to how the technique does not draw attention to the editing process.
Jump Cut - An abrupt, disorientating transitional device in the middle of a continuous shot in which the action id noticeably advanced in time and/or cut between two similar shots, usually done to create discontinuity for artistic effect.
Cross Cutting (Parallel Editing) - The editing technique of alternating, interweaving, or interspersing one narrative action with another - usually in different locations or places, therefore combining the two: this editing technique usually suggests Parallel action (that takes place simultaneously). Often used to dramatically build tension and/or suspense in chase scenes or to compare two different scenes. Also known as inter-cutting or parallel editing.
Cutaways - A brief shot that momentarily interrupts continuous action by briefly inserting another related action. Object, or person (sometimes not part of the principle scene or main action), followed by a cutback to the original shot.
Freeze Frame - The effect of seemingly stopping a film in order to focus in on one event or element.
Eye-line Match - A cut between two shots that creates the illusion of the character (in the first shot) looking at an object (in the second shot) which is technically a point of view shot. 
Flashback - A filming technique that alters the natural order of the narrative. A flashback may often be the entire film; it takes the story order back chronologically in time to a previous or past event, scene or sequence that took place prior to the present time frame of the film. The flash-backed story that provides background on action and events is often called the backstory. Is a contrast to flash-forward. 
Graphic Match - Link between two matching shapes between two different scenes. Usually use of ellipsis for this.   
180-Degree Rule - is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters, and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character is always frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. The camera passing over the axis is called jumping the line or crossing the line. Breaking the 180 degree rule by shooting on all sides is known as shooting in the round. 
Shot Reverse Shot -   
Juxtaposition - The contiguous positioning of either two images, characters, objects, or two scenes in sequence, in order to compare and contrast them, or establish a relationship between them. A clashing object that strikes as odd. Element/aspect of discontinuity editing. 
Linear Narrative
Montage Editing - A filming technique, editing style or form of movie collage consisting of a series of short shots or images that are rapidly put together into a coherent sequence to create a composite picture, or to suggest and connote meaning. In simple terms, the structure of editing within a film. A montage is usually not accompanied with dialogue. Dissolves, cuts, fades, super-impositions and wipes are often used to link the images in a montage sequence. An accelerated montage is composed of shots of increasingly-shorter lengths. Contrast to mise-en-scene. Seems random. E.g. Shot of a poster of a jewish man, then a shot of some rats. Connoting a link between two very different things. 
Parallel Editing - Editing that cuts between two sequences taking place at different locations and possibly different times. Parallel action refers to a narrative device in which two scenes are observed in parallel by cross-cutting. Parallel sound refers to sound that matches the accompanying image aka cross-cutting, inter-cutting.
Visual Effects - Considered a sub-category of special effects. Refers to anything added to the final picture that was not in the original shot. Visual effects can be accomplished in-camera (like stop motion, double exposures and rear/front projection) or via a number of different optical or digital post-production processes (e.g. CGI), usually made with a computer.
Match on Action - A shot that emphasises continuity of space and time by matching the action of the preceding shot with the continuation of the action. (e.g. a shot of a door opening after a shot of a close up of a character's hand turning a door handle).

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