Film Unit
Storyboard
• "There was not much written on the chase in the
script. We had one page written on the
sequence, but I wanted it to be seven to ten
pages long. I wanted it to be the centerpiece of
the movie. So rather than writing it, I sat down
with my two sketch artists, David Jonas and Ed
Verreaux and I just sort of made the whole
chase up on paper from frame 1 to frame 405.
- Steven Spielberg, on Raiders of the Lost Ark
Shot
• Basic unit of film
• One uninterrupted
piece of celluloid
without a cut.
Sequence
• A sequence is a number of shots put
together to show an event
• Examples: The shower sequence from
Psycho, the subway fight sequence in The
Matrix.
Mise-en-Scene
• Technically means “in the frame.”
• It is a way to describe what the director
has chosen to place in his/her frame.
• It includes actor’s positions, props,
lighting, setting, and costumes.
Types of Shots
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Establishing Shot
Long Shot
Medium Shot
Close-Up
Extreme Close-Up
In between
Establishing Shot
• Also known as ES
• Often coming at the beginning of a scene,
the establishing shot sets the time and
place of the action.
• It is often the outside of a building or a
view of a city.
Long Shot
• Also known as LS
• A long shot is generally made from a
sufficient distance to show a landscape, a
building, or a large interior.
• Often, an Establishing Shot is a Long Shot
Medium Shot
• Also known as MS
• Generally, a medium shot leaves enough
room in the frame to reveal full figures.
• It can, however, be a “waist up” involving
several people.
Close-Up
• Also known as CU
• The image being shot, usually the face,
takes up at least 60-80% of the frame.
• In a close-up, the whole object can still be
seen.
Extreme Close-Up
• Also known as an ECU
• A close up shot in which the full object
cannot be seen – only a part of the object
is revealed.
• Usually a part of a face (an eye, lips, etc.)
In-between = Term + Term
• Medium Close-Up
– The shot is somewhere between the two; part
close-up and part medium shot
• Medium Long Shot
– The shot is somewhere between a medium
shot and a long shot.
– The viewer can see most of the body
Medium Close Up
Medium Close Up
Medium Long Shot
Extreme Long Shot
Extreme Long Shot
Camera Angles
• Eye-level
• Low Angle
• High Angle
Eye-level
• Also known as EL
• 90-95% of a film is shot at eye-level
because it is most natural
• The camera is even with the character’s
eyes.
Low Angle Shot
• Also known as LA
• The camera looks up at what is being
photographed, making the subject look
larger than normal
• Has the intended effect of making the
character seem strong, powerful, and/or
threatening.
High Angle Shot
• Also known as HA
• The camera looks down at what is being
photographed, making the subject look
smaller than normal.
• Has the intended effect of making the
character seem weak, powerless, and/or
trapped.
Camera Movement
• Zoom
• Pan
• Tilt
• Dolly/Tracking
• Boom/Crane
Zoom
• The camera does not move, rather the lens is
manipulated to make an object seem to move
closer or farther away from the camera.
• Zooming in to a character is often used to
highlight a personal or revealing moment.
• Zooming away from a character is used to
separate the character from the viewer.
Pan
• The camera, while on a fixed base,
swivels horizontally.
• Pan right (camera moves left to right)
• Pan left (camera moves right to left)
Tilt
• The camera, while on a fixed base,
swivels vertically.
• Tilt up (camera moves down to up)
• Tilt down (camera moves up to down)
Dolly / Tracking
• The camera is placed on a track.
• This allows the camera to move with the
action
• It can take several people, all operating in
synchronicity, to operate a dolly.
Boom / Crane
• Camera is placed on a crane.
• This allows the camera to move up, down,
or sideways.
• Used frequently in establishing shots, or to
break the bounds of reality.
Sound
• Diegetic sound
– Sound that can be heard by the characters within
the film
– Ex: gunshot, phone ringing, car engine racing
• Non-diegetic sound
– Sound that cannot be heard by the characters in
the film. Used to elicit a reaction by the audience.
– Ex: soundtrack, suspenseful music, narration
Editing Techniques
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Cut
Dissolve
Fade Out/Fade In
Wipe
Two-shot (shot/reverse)
Eye-line match
Point of view
Cut
• A cut is the most common type of
transition
• One shot ends and is instantaneously
replaced with another shot
• There are no other editing effects between
the two shots
Dissolve
• A gradual transition in which one shot is
momentarily superimposed on another.
• This editing technique is used to create a
connection for the viewer between two
disparate images.
Fade Out / Fade In
• One scene gradually emerges from (or
disappears into) darkness.
• Often, a “fade out / fade in” is used to
mark the passage of time.
Wipe
• A new image wipes off the previous
image.
• A wipe is more fluid than a cut and quicker
than a dissolve.
Two-shot (shot/reverse shot)
• A shot of one subject, then a shot of
another subject, then back to the first
• Used primarily to edit a conversation
between two people.
Eyeline Match
• A cut from an object to a person.
• Used to establish that the person is
looking at (or can see) the object.
Point of View (POV)
• Also known as POV
• Cut to an object through the eyes of the
subject
• To view the events through the eyes of a
character’s physical vantage point
Lighting
• Balanced Lighting
• High key lighting
• Low key lighting
• Bottom/Side lighting
• Front/Rear lighting
Balanced lighting
High key lighting
• The frame is flooded with light
• Intended effect: Bright, cheerful, open, and
welcoming.
Low key lighting
• The frame is flooded with shadows and
darkness
• Intended effect: Creates suspense,
suspicion, intrigue, lack of trust
Bottom/Side lighting
• Direct lighting from below or from one side
• Intended effect: Danger, evil, divided
motives, moral ambiguity
Front/Rear lighting
• Soft, direct lighting on face or behind
subject
• Intended effect: Innocence, purity, the
“halo” effect
Focus!
• Deep focus
• Depth of field
• Shallow focus
Deep Focus
Deep Focus
Depth of Field
Shallow Focus
Shallow Focus