The Art and Science of Filmmaking
Meyers and Chappuis
Name____________________________
Film Terminology 101
FRAMING / SHOTS
Term
Definition
Long Shot (LS)
Unforgiven
Master and Commander
a shot taken from some distance; shows the full subject and perhaps the
surrounding scene as well.
Full Shot (FS)
Office Space
Pulp Fiction
a shot that would generally show an entire persons body
Medium Shot (MS)
Unforgiven
people are seen from the waist up; in between a full shot and a close-up
Close-up (CU)
Master and Commander
the image being shot takes up at least 80 percent of the frame, usually the
shoulders and head
Extreme Close-up (XCU)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
a head, or only a portion of a head would take up the entire frame
Establishing Shot / Scene
Patton
sets the scene or shows the space of a scene; often a long shot or series of
shots at the beginning of a film that establishes something about a world,
character, or problem
Over the Shoulder Shot
Godfather
often used when filming two people having a conversation, this shot has
the effect as if someone is there firsthand observing the action
Two-Shot
Pulp Fiction
a common shot that shows two people in the frame
Three-Shot
Pulp Fiction
a common shot that shows three people in a frame
FOCUS
Term
Definition
Soft Focus
Moonstruck
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Rack Focus
Everything is Illuminated
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
when a director intentionally puts his or her object slightly out of focus to
make the image look softer or unclear
Deep Focus
Citizen Cane
when the foreground and background are equally in focus; these shots are
rarely done
when a director shifts the focus from one object to another in the same
shot in order to redirect the audience’s attention
CAMERA ANGLES
Term
Definition
Low Angle (LA)
Triumph of the Will
Unforgiven
Dead Poets Society (boys on
stairs)
High Angle (HA)
High Noon
Office Space
Dead Poets Society (switching
b/w HA & LA-standing on desks)
Eye Level (EL)
Tropic Thunder
camera shoots subject from below; has the effect of making the subject
look larger than normal—strong, powerful, threatening
Dutch Angle
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
shot that is tilted sideways on the horizontal line (also called “canted”
angle); used to add tension to a static frame, it creates a sinister or
distorted view of a character
camera is above the subject; usually has the effect of making the subject
look smaller than normal—weak, powerless, trapped
accounts for 90 to 95 percent of the shots seen because it is most natural;
camera is even with the key character’s eyes
American History X (convo
w/Sweeney in hospital)
SOUND
Term
Definition
Diegetic
Chinatown
sound that could be heard logically by the characters within the film;
sound can also be internal diegetic, meaning that the sound can be heard
only within the mind of one character
Nondiegetic
Garden State
sound that could not be heard by characters; sound given directly to the
audience by the director
LIGHTING
Term
Definition
Low-Key
Blade Runner
scene is flooded with shadows and darkness; creates suspense/suspicion
High-Key
2001: A Space Odyssey
scene is flooded with light; creates bright and open-looking scene
Bottom / Side
Young Frankenstein
Silence of the Lambs
direct lighting from below or from one side; often dangerous or evillooking, may convey split personality or moral ambiguity
Front / Rear
Casablanca
soft, direct lighting on face or back of subject—may suggest innocence,
create a “halo” effect
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Term
Definition
Pan
Master and Commander
stationary camera moves left or right
Tilt
Moonstruck
stationary camera moves up or down
Zoom
Godfather (slow zoom)
The Hurt Locker (fast cuts and
quick zooms)
Dolly / Tracking Shot
The Birth of a Nation
Easy Rider
the camera is stationary but the lens moves, making the objects appear to
grow larger or smaller
the camera itself is moving with the action—on a track, on wheels, or
held by hand
EDITING TECHNIQUES
Term
Definition
Cut
Vertigo
when one image or seen immediately changes to another; called a cut
because the film was literally cut and spliced together
Fast Cut
Black Hawk Down
a series of cuts in rapid succession, can be used to create suspense or
tension
Long Cut
A Touch of Evil
one continuous scene lasting more than 10-20 seconds, can also be used
to create suspense or tension
Jump Cut
2001: A Space Odyssey
A cut that changes time, place, and subject matter; an abrupt shift in the
film
Fade
Chinatown
scene fades to black or white; often implies that time has passed
Dissolve
Modern Times
an image fades into another; can create a connection between images
Cross-Cutting / Parallel Editing
The Birth of a Nation
cut back and forth to action that is happening simultaneously
Flashback
Everything is Illuminated
movement into action that has happened previously, often signified by a
change in music, voice-over narration, or a dissolve; a “flash-forward”
leads us ahead in time
Eye-Line Match
Philadelphia
a shot of a person looking, then a cut to what he or she saw, followed by a
cut back for a reaction
Montage
Bride and Prejudice
Thelma and Louise
a series of shots pieced together, often accompanied by music, to show
the passage of time
OTHER
Term
Definition
Mise-en-scene
300 (Xerxes on throne at end of
film)
refers to what appears within the frame of the shot, including the
costumes, props, acting, lighting, and makeup.