Photography

Auteur - author of film, derived from French journal, Cahiers du Cinema

Cinematographer (DOP) – technical expert in charge of shooting film

Close-up – focuses on object, usually human face; emphasizes detail

Medium shot – standard shot, taken from 5-10 feet; emphasizes character relationships

Wide-angle – long shot and close-up both in focus; emphasizes detail and place

Eye level – offers straight-on point-of-view; emphasizes neutral perspective

High angle – above eye-level; emphasizes character’s vulnerability

Low angle – below eye-level; emphasizes character’s strength/power

Dutch angle – tilted POV; emphasizes character confusion or unease

Establishing shot – opening shot of scene, establishing location and time

Pan – camera scanning horizontally/vertically (Swish pan – whirling camera)

Focus – visual definition (Shallow focus – emphasizes foreground or background; Deep

focus – emphasizes entire image; Soft focus – used to soften skin, to glamorize leading

women, Rack focus – changing focus from one depth of field to another)

Aperture – optical term for the space through which light passes in the camera, varying

aperture controls how much light is used to create an image

Depth of field – distance between the nearest and the furthest objects in focus by camera

Telephoto Lens – - narrows background and brings subjects closer together

Tracking – follows character; emphasizes character’s perspective

Zoom – mechanical lens movement towards scene; flattens space

​

Editing

Shot duration – length in time of each clip affects pacing and tone

Rhythm – pacing of editing (cutting) emphasizes elements of character, setting and tone

Continuity – smooth transition from image to image; maintains flow of narrative

Cross-cutting (Parallel cutting) – connects separate locations and/or times through editing

J-Cut – audio from following scene overlaps visual from preceding scene

L-Cut – audio from preceding scene overlaps visual from following scene

Jump cut – seemingly awkward edit used to jar viewer (established by Jean-Luc

Godard)

Head – beginning part of a clip            Tail – ending part of a clip

Montage – series of images to indicate passing time

Fade in/out – Dissolve in from or out to blackness to create illusion of passing time

Dissolve – gradual superimposition of one image onto another

Wipe – image wiping away into another through use of visual effect

​

Lighting

Hard lighting – creates shadows (opposite of balanced lighting)

Realistic/High-key – use of natural lights; minimal use of artificial lights

Low-key/High-contrast – use of dark shadows; used stylistically in Film Noir

Three-point lighting – standard lighting method, using key, fill, and back lights

Color balance – the global balance of the intensities of colors in an image

 

Writing

Symbol – image implying additional meaning

Motif – submerged/iconic symbol

Genre – a film that works with structural expectations of the audience

Archival footage – either visual (sight) or aural (sound) images from an original source

​

Sound

Ambient sound - atmospheric or room sound of a given space

Commentative sound - unjustified sound that enhances tone or theme

Foley - sounds added in post to enhance theme/tone (derived from Jack Foley)

Diegetic - sound that is part of the narrative sphere of the film (source is in environment

around characters or source is immediately visible in frame, e.g. a character plays an

instrument, or one is playing just outside of frame)

Extra-diegetic or Non-diegetic - sound that has no source originating in the direct in-

frame narrative unfolding, no source in the immediate environment outside the frame

(e.g. scored music that the audience can hear, but the film’s characters cannot)

Background Music – underscore emotions of scene

Dialogue – articulation, speed and dialect

Voice-over – character’s thoughts said aloud

Walla – indistinct background dialogue

​

Movement

Movement toward camera – emphasizes character’s strength

Movement away from camera – emphasizes character’s remoteness

Movement across camera – neutral connection to viewer

​

Mise-en-scène/Framing – (Organization of images within the frame)

Open Form – lacking discernible structure; meaning is not as specifically constructed.

Closed Form – precise, stylized (Large figures and/or objects emphasize

power/dominance in the frame.)

One-shot – one person in frame; Two-shot – two persons in frame, etc.

Color palette – colors used to influence tone and communicate story elements

Objective point of view – perspective of sideline observer

Subjective point of view – perspective of a character in the film’s action