Film Terms and
Techniques
TYPES OF FILM
• Narrative: tells a story using characters, setting and
plot (most mainstream movies)
• Non-fiction: documentary style; records real events
(March of the Penguins, Bowling for Columbine)
• Avant-garde: experiments with art and moving
image techniques to express a filmmaker’s unique
way of viewing a subject
– Example: Andy Warhol’s Empire—8 hours of a single,
continuous shot of the Empire State Building
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDHuaVFlyw
PRE-PRODUCTION
• Film Treatment: The "summary" of the
events that take place in the film, made
before the script in order to flesh out plot;
usually about 10 pages long
• Script: The complete transcript of dialogue,
events, and a basic, idea of the visual style
and camera shots; usually about 120 pages
long (one page = one minute)
• Storyboard: a visual overview of the script;
shows a drawing of each shot along with
camera, sound and editing directions
“Once completed, the boards play a key role throughout pre-production,mapping out every frame that I intend to shoot. Visually
presenting the what, where, why, who, when, etc. of every frame. This gives us a starting point for discussions. As we break
down each frame, department by department, they help clarify everyone's responsibilities, needs and expectations. The boards
often spur discussions that raise important questions. Many times the answers to these questions are crucial to a successful
shoot. Once we finish pre-production and start shooting, mini storyboard sides are distributed to the crew at the beginning of
each day. Many of us refer back to them countless times on any given day.” Zack Snyder, director of Watchmen
BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS
• Frame: the basic unit of film structure; ONE scene
recorded on ONE piece of film by ONE camera in
ONE take (remember 1:1:1:1)
• Shot: a number of frames put together to show a
single event, all from the same angle/position
• Scene: a cohesive action taking place across a series
of shots
• Sequence: a series of scenes
A series of
frames makes
up a shot of a
couple
dancing
MISE-EN-SCENE
• Mise-en-scene (“meez in sen”): roughly translates to “put into
the scene”; includes everything that appears before the
camera and refers to anything that is part of the cinematic
process on the set, as opposed to during editing—Setting,
Lighting, Costume, Space and Acting
Effect: conveys visual information to contribute to tone and
mood
In this shot from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969) the futuristic furniture and reduced color of the
costumes stress the sterility and impersonality of the space station environment and its
inhabitants. Bright lighting with no shadows adds to the sterility, while the placement of the
actors in the foreground with the background seemingly stretching far into the distance suggests
the infinite stretch of outer space
Mise-en-scene: Setting
• Setting: Creates a sense of place and mood;
may be fabricated in studio or shot “on
location”
Sophia Coppola’s elaborate studio
recreation of Versailles in Marie Antoinette
(2006)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was
shot on location in New Zealand
Mise-en-scene: Lighting
• Three Point Lighting: light comes from three
different directions (key, fill and backlight),
providing even illumination, sense of depth
and some shadows; the most common type of
lighting
Effect: authenticity, reality
The characters in
Breakfast at
Tiffany’s (1961)
are illuminated, but
the shadows
behind them give
the scene depth
Mise-en-scene: Lighting
• High-Key Lighting: an increase in the intensity
of the fill lights, creating a very bright, soft
effect with very few shadows; used commonly
in musicals, comedies and Classics
Effect: openness, innocence, sterility
High-key lighting was used
in the Wizard of Oz (1939),
along with many other
musicals and comedies of
the Classic era. Its use in
this film adds to the fantasy
world of Oz
Mise-en-scene: Lighting
• Low-Key Lighting: a reduction in the intensity
of the fill lights, creating stark contrasts
between dark and light and flooding a scene
with shadows; used often in Film Noir or
gang/mob themed films
Effect: mystery, danger
Low-key lighting is utilized in The
Godfather (1972) in this scene lit
predominantly by the light coming in
through the blinds and the desk lamp
Mise-en-scene: Lighting
• Side lighting: lighting a subject from one side
Effect: creates a subject who appears
dangerous or evil, morally ambiguous or with
a split personality
Private Pile’s instability is
accentuated nicely in this
side-lit shot from Full
Metal Jacket (1987)
Mise-en-scene: Lighting
• Back-lighting: lighting the subject from
behind, or placing a darker subject/object
against a brighter background
Effect: creates a silhouette or halo around the
subject
The bright flames create a
backlit subject whose
frontal features are
obscured—useful for
hiding the identity of this
masked villain in V for
Vendetta (2006)
Mise-en-scene: Costume
• Make-up or wardrobe choices used to convey
a character’s personality or status; also
important in establishing the historical and
biographical features of a particular era or
figure
Salma Hayek’s costume
of authentic Mexican
garb and make-up (fake
uni-brow) help her
become the real-life
Mexican artist, Frida
Kahlo in the movie Frida
Mise-en-scene: Space
• Deep Focus: a shot that utilizes a large depth
of field, where the foreground, middle ground
and background are all clear and in focus
Effect: emphasizes the distance between
objects and/or characters
Orson Welles and his cinematographer,
Gregg Tollan, were responsible for
popularizing Deep Focus in Citizen Kane
(1941) as seen in this shot---notice that
the eye can clearly see the woman in the
foreground, the chair in the middle
ground and the boy out the window in
the back ground
Mise-en-scene: Space
• Shallow Focus: a shot that utilizes a small
depth of field, in which only one plane (fore,
middle or background) is in focus
Effects: emphasizes one part of a scene
Shallow focus is used to
emphasize Sandra
Bullock’s character in the
middle ground, blurring
the guests in the
background and Ramone
in the foreground
Mise-en-scene: Space
• Off-screen space: elements of the film world
that are not physically present in the frame,
but which are suggested by a character’s
response to something offscreen
• http://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/miseen-scene-2/
In this clip, the viewer becomes aware that Ricky is filming Jane,
even though we never see him on screen
Mise-en-scene: Space
• Frontality: characters directly face the
camera; otherwise know as, “breaking the 4th
wall”
Effect: personal connection with character
http://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/miseen-scene-2/
In this scene, Ferris speaks directly to the audience, informing the
viewers of his thoughts and letting them in on his mischief
Mise-en-Scene: Space
• Blocking: the meaningful arrangement of
subjects and objects
Effect: shows relationship between
characters
The blocking in this
scene from The
Godfather (1972) shows
the supremacy of the
Godfather and the
submission of his
“subjects”
Mise-en-scene: Acting
• Method: the actor attempts to become one
with the character
• Stylized: actors utilize conspicuous tactics such
as overacting or caricature
A method performance by Daniel Day
Lewis in There Will Be Blood (2009)
A stylized performance by Jim
Carrey in Dumb and Dumber (1994)
CAMERA SHOTS
• Wide (long): a shot taken at a considerable
distance from the subject
Effect: show subjects in their environment,
offer lots of non-specific detail
• Medium: a shot framing a subject at a
medium range, usually from the waist up
Effect: good for showing body language and
used often in dialogue shots
Camera Shots: Distance
• Close-up: a shot showing a detail only (face
only, for example)
Effect: creates intimacy between audience and
character
• Extreme Close-up: a detail of a close up (just
the eyes or nose, for example)
Effect: often used to create suspense; calls attention
to subtle reactions
Camera Shots: Distance
• Establishing: a shot that sets the time and
place of action or concepts
Effect: usually used to start a sequence so as
to orient the viewer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axt0nETgEXo
In this compilation of establishing shots, think about what
time, place, relationships or concepts are being set
Camera Shots: Distance
• Over-the-Shoulder: a shot of a subject
taken from over the shoulder of another
person whom you see in the shot
Effect: allows the viewer to feel more intimately
tied to the characters and the conversation
*OTS shots also allow for easier dubbing of dialogue
A tearful but happy reunion between
Rapunzel and her mother in Tangled
(2010)
Ben Stiller having an
uncomfortable conversation with
his father-in-law in Meet the
Parents (2000)
Camera Shot: Duration
• Long take: a long sequence made without stopping
the camera
Effect: a relaxed, slow pace
*long takes are difficult for directors because any
error during the filming will result in re-starting the
scene from the beginning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaN4R6KRSY0
Compare the long take from Touch of Evil (1958) and The Player
(1992). What is similar about Welles’s and Altman’s use of the long
take? Try to identify places where cuts may seem “natural”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEk-QGNQ3OM
Camera Shot: Duration
• Short take: a very quick sequence; a scene of short
takes will have a lot of cuts
Effect: an urgent, fast pace; used most often in
action sequences and mainstream Hollywood
films
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8J0Ib8Dt
9M
Try to count the number of cuts in this action scene from Fast Five
Camera Shot: Angles
• Low: the camera looks up at what is being filmed
Effect: makes subject appear larger or more
powerful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLu0Sg6VOWQ
• High: the camera looks down at what is being
filmed
Effect: makes subject appear smaller, weaker,
insignificant, helpless or lost in his/her
surroundings
Bilgo Baggins seems even
smaller and more insignificant in
this high angle shot in the lush
surroundings of Rivendell
Camera Shot: Angles
• Bird’s Eye View: the camera looks directly down on
the subject from above
Effect: familiar objects seem strange/unrecognizable;
puts the audience in a godlike position; people are
made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider
scheme of things
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jErFoxRnvto
The opening of The Shining (1980) contains many great film techniques. Bird’s
Eye view is one of them, allowing the viewer not only to follow the car’s path,
but also to assess the empty, isolating landscape
Camera Shot: Angles
Worm’s Eye: a shot of a subject from far below
Effect: subject looks tall, strong, powerful, significant
A view of
Jason
Stratham that
only a worm, or
a worm’s eye
view angle,
would see…
Camera Shot: Angles
• Dutch Angle: a shot tilted off to one side, composed
with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the
frame
Effect: imbalance, transition, instability
http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/emmys/la-en-lightsdoubt2008dec03,0,510669.story
This interesting article
explains how Dutch angles
help signal unease in
Doubt (2008)
Camera Shot: Angles
Neutral: the camera is level with subject’s eye/gaze,
offering the clearest view of an object
Effect: limited dramatic effect (neutral angle is
the norm); audience feels comfortable with
characters
A moment to get
cozy with Vivian
and Edward in
Pretty Woman
(1990)
CAMERA MOVEMENT
• Pan: camera rotates horizontally from side to side on top of a
tripod, which remains stationary (think “panorama”)
Effect: mimics the movement of the head or eyes from side to side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BahpdL8cxGc
• Tilt: camera pivots vertically, up or down
Effect: helpful in showing the immensity of buildings, trees or even
people
http://footage.shutterstock.com/clip-1070983-stock-footage-tiltup-to-a-tall-skyscraper-building.html
CAMERA MOVEMENT
• Tracking: camera movement toward or away from
the subject; a camera that follows a subject/object
that is itself moving
http://www.raindance.org/site/index.php?id=476,8724,0,0,1,0
• Boom/Crane: camera moves through space at a
vantage point not possible from the ground; this
movement takes its name from the apparatus—
boom or crane—on which the camera is mounted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Aqk4I4zmG8
An early (and
famous) crane shot
from High Noon
(1952)
Filmmakers
on a crane
SOUND
• Diegetic: sound that is natural to the scene
• Non-Diegetic: sound that is not natural or is
added to the scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juVb1SDHW
rk
A tutorial on understanding the diegetic elements of film
EDITING: Basic Cuts
• Cut: joining together of two different shots
• Reverse Cut: a cut to the opposite angle
• Point of View (POV): a cut to what the character is
seeing
• Reaction: a cut to a character reacting
• Insert/Cutaway: a cut to a small but significant
detail of a scene (often to the writing that a
character is reading or an object that a character is
contemplating)
EDITING: More Complex Cuts
Sound Cut: a cut motivated by sound
Eyeline Match: a cut that matches the line of vision
between characters’ eyes
Framing Match: a cut that matches the space/blocking
of characters
Action Match: a cut that matches the action/movement
of the character to the action/movement of the
character in the next shot
Smash Cut: an unexpected and very quick cut
EDITING: More Complex Cuts
Freeze Frame:
Slow Motion:
Speed Up:
Reverse Motion:
Flashback:
Flashforward:
Cut-away:
EDITS CONT.
• Eye-line Match: cutting to an object, then to a
subject to indicate the subject is looking at the
object
• Point-of-View: camera is positioned to view the
objects or events through the eyes of the main
subject
Ex. Lord of War intro following the bullet from
production to the shot from the gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHn1zogeyO4
• Freeze Frame: the image is printed or held in a
frame to give the illusion of a photograph
Kill Bill – Film Terms &
Techniques
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFCb-iYTSg0
In the clip from Kill Bill that we will watch, list ANY
film techniques or examples of terms that we have
gone over in the past three days. Consider shots
(both lengths and types of shots), sounds, editing ,
lighting, camera angles, etc.
Then, choose three of the techniques you’ve listed
and explain why you think Tarantino might have
chosen to film the scene using that technique.