The Language of Film
Camera Shots
Long Shot (LS):
Wide Shot (WS):
Medium or Mid Shot
(MS):
Close Up (CU):
Overall view from a distance of whole scene often used as an
establishing shot - to set scene.
Person - will show whole body
Extremely wide shot - shot with wide-angle lens
Middle distance shot - can give background information
while still focusing on subject.
Person - usually shows waist to head
Focuses on detail / expression / reaction
Person - shows either head or head and shoulders
Extreme Close Up
(ECU):
Shows part of object in extremely close detail
Person - e.g. eye or part of face
Over the Shoulder
Shot:
Camera shoots from over the shoulder of one character from
behind. Often used for dialogue
Reverse Angle Shot
Alternate over the shoulder shot. Shows viewpoint of speaker
in dialogue, reaction of listener
Two-Shot:
Subjective Shot
(P.O.V. Shot):
Shot includes two people, often to indicate relationship
information
Framed from a particular character's point of view. Audience
sees what character sees
Camera Movements
Pan
Camera moves from side to side from a stationary position
Tilt
Movement up or down from a stationary position
Tracking
Camera moves to follow a moving object or person
Crab
The whole camera is moved to left or right on a dolly track
which allows the camera to be physically moved closer or
further away from, or parallel to the subject
Zoom
Camera is stationary - lens moves closer to the subject (zoom
in) or further away from the subject (zoom out)
Crane
Camera moves up or down in any direction when mounted on
a crane
Aerial
Shots taken from the air, looking down upon a scene or
subject
Camera Angles
Low Angle
Camera shoots up at subject. Used to increase size, power,
status of subject
High Angle
Camera shoots down at subject. Used to increase
vulnerability, powerlessness, decrease size
Editing
When considering editing, it is important to consider shot
duration (how long each shot in a sequence lasts), juxtaposition (how shots and sequences follow each other)
and pace of editing (whether shots are rapidly juxtaposed or
whether the pace of the sequence is more slow-moving).
Cut
The ending of a shot. If the cut seems inconsistent with the
next shot, it is called a jump cut
Fade in or out
The image appears or disappears gradually. Often used as a
division between scenes
Dissolve
Inpoint
One image fades in while another fades out so that for a few
seconds, the two are superimposed
An image which starts the scene. Sometimes the inpoint is
used to smooth the transition between scenes, by making a
visual link with the previous scene
Sound
Soundtrack
Sound effects
Consists of dialogue (including voiceovers), sound effects
and music. Should reveal something about the scene that
visual images don't
All other sounds not made by characters.

Foley effects: made by actions of on-screen characters.
Often need to be enhanced or dubbed on later.

Atmospheric: background sounds, eg. wind, birds, dogs
barking.
Lighting
Strongly influences the way the film looks and feels. Lighting
effects are created by the use of artificial lights, natural
lighting and reflection, and the use of color filters. High key
lighting is bright, low key is subdued
Structure of a Film
Shot
Sequence
Scene
The basic unit from which the film is constructed
A group of shots depicting one action, or which seem to
belong together. (eg. title sequence)
A group of sequences, or for short scenes, a group of shots,
which depict an event in the story or occur in one place. A
scene is generally a larger unit than a sequence.
(eg. opening scene)
Miscellaneous Terms
Hand-held camera
Montage
The tripod and dolly are sometimes deliberately abandoned in
favor of holding the camera by hand, when a director wants
to create a sense of anxiety or confusion, exploiting the
unsteady movement of the camera, or to create a "realistic"
impression
The editing together of a large number of shots with no
intention of creating a continuous reality. A montage is often
used to compress time, and montage shots are linked through
a unified sound - either a voiceover or a piece of music
Mise-en-scene
The manipulation of staging and action within a shot.
Includes actors, costumes, framing, camera angles, sounds,
camera movement, editing, lighting, props, special effects
Storyboard
Drawn up when designing a production. Plans AV text and
shows how each shot relates to soundtrack
Freeze-frame
A single frame stopped so that we just see that frame
Depth of field
Composition
Movement
Amount of distance able to be focused upon sharply
All the elements which contribute to the appearance of a
frame
Also affects composition. Can be of three kinds:



Cinematography
Slow motion
Accelerated motion
Subtitles or captions
Location shooting
On set shooting
Soft focus
Movement within the frame when people or objects
move. Walking into frame refers to a character moving
into the frame.
Movement of the frame (pan, tilt, zoom)
Camera movement (tracking, etc.)
Literally means writing in light. Therefore, it is as much to do
with lighting and photography as it is with film. The
cinematographer is a role of its own, and is also known as the
Director of Photography. Includes all aspect of camera-work:
camera shots, angles, movement, filters, lighting, filmstock
(video, 16mm, 35mm), composition etc. It does NOT include
soundtrack, dialogue, editing, special effects etc.
A slowing down of action seen on screen achieved by
shooting at a faster than normal speed
A speeding up of action seen on screen by shooting at a
slower than normal speed
Words that follow the images on screen
Filmmaking outside the studio
Filmmaking inside the studio
Deliberately filming a subject out of focus to create a misty
or hazy effect