Adapted from B. Smilanich and D. Way

FilmTerminology

NotesKEY

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Adapted from B. Smilanich and D. Way

Film Studies Student Notes 8 - KEY

Definition: A film is a form of art that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement. It uses various techniques to convey meaning and narrative and to elicit a response from the viewer.

History:

Motion picture films first came to exist in the late 1800s.

At first, the films recorded only the visual aspect of the action in black and white (a.k.a. silent films).

They came to be referred to as “movies” in reference to the fact that they were “moving pictures.”

An independent “soundtrack” consisting mostly of music and some sound effects was usually played with the film in the theatre.

The dialogue was communicated to the audience via “intertitles” where the words were displayed on the screen by themselves to be read by the audience.

By the late1920s, the technology to record sound with the visuals had been developed and people went to see these “talkies” in theatres.

Films were first recorded in colour in the 1930s, but it became much more common in the 1960s.

Historically, movies were filmed on celluloid film, usually at 24 frames per second.

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Elements and Techniques of Film:

Scene Shots

o Proxemics o Takes (or shot duration)

Camera Angles Camera Movements Transitions/Cuts/Editing Sound

1.Scene – what is in front of the camera

Mise en Scèneo When applied to film, “mise en scène” refers to

everything that appears in front of the camera and its arrangement.

o This includes sets, props, actors, costumes, colour schemes and lighting.

o It also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called “blocking”.

o This French term comes from the theatre and it literally means "put into the scene.”

Open Spaceo The frame is almost completely

“empty,” except for the small figure of a person in the middle of the screen [‘empty’ meaning no other people and/or few objects/colours].

o It emphasizes the person’s insignificance, smallness, isolation.

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Negative Spaceo An “unfilled” area of the frame, usually off-centre.o Creates suspense and tension in the viewer because

viewer does not like things to be empty or unbalanced and expects it to be filled.

Internal Framing (a.k.a. Reframing)o A person in the movie is framed within the

actual frame of the shot. o E.g. a person framed by a doorway, or

through a window. It emphasizes the entrapment or isolation of the person.

2.Shot - a continuous strip of motion picture film, created of a

series of frames, that runs for an uninterrupted period of time.

i. Proxemics - the apparent distance from the camera to the subject

Long shot: typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. Landscapes are an example of an extreme-long shot.Medium shot: a shot focusing on a character and his/her immediate surroundings. A person is usually shown from the knees up.Close-up: tightly frames a person or object. The most common close-ups are ones of actors' faces or significant objects. They may be used to show emotion or tension. Extreme close-up: focuses on a single facial feature, such as lips or eyes.

ii. Take or Shot Duration - the length of time that is spent on one continuous shot between cuts.

Lengthy: (Long): an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing

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pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes.Average: a shot in a film lasting the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Average Shot Length of US films released in 2007 was 2.5 seconds. (http://www.swivel.com/data_columns/spreadsheet/4895482)

Quick: a shot in a film shorter the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general.Subliminal: a shot in a film too quick to be consciously perceived.

3.Camera Angles – the camera’s angle of view relative to the subject being photographed. NOTE: They are named for where the camera is, relative to the subject.

High Angle: camera “looks” down on a character, often shows vulnerability or weakness.Eye Level: “looks” at an eye-level angle to a character or object, giving a sense of equality between subject and audience.Low Angle: “looks” up at a character or object, often at knee height. Often used to give the figure a dominant and powerful presence; the audience is made to feel submissive.Angle of Destiny: Looking down from a very high angle, usually offset from a corner, giving a sense of omniscience. It usually indicates something important, life-altering, is about to happen.Canted Angle: The camera is tilted to show the scene at an angle. Often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension (i.e. horror and science fiction).

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Freeze Frame: one shot is printed in a single frame several times, in order to make an interesting illusion of a still photograph. Usually used at the end of a scene for dramatic effect, often to suggest a lack of closure.

4.Camera movement - refers both to the direction the camera is moving and to the method of movement.

Pano Movement of the camera from side to side

(horizontal movement) to follow the action in a scene.o If your head were a camera, the movement would be

similar to you shaking your head “no.”o The word pan is a contraction of the word panoramic. o Pan shots are often used to establish the setting for

the audience.

Tilt o The camera swivels upward or

downward on a stationary support (vertical movement).

o If your head were a camera, the movement would be similar to you nodding “yes,” up and down.

o It may be a way that the director makes a statement about high or low objects. I.e. how a mountain climber feels overwhelmed by the peak in front of her.

Dolly or Tracko The camera is mounted on a cart or some other

wheeled platform so that it can move on rails.

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o It can move alongside the subject, and keep pace with it, forward, backward, or around the subject.

o The camera can also dolly or track in towards the subject or away from the subject.

o Unlike panning or tilting, the camera itself physically moves.

Zoom (in or out)o Through the use of a special lens (named, not

surprisingly, a zoom lens), the camera can appear to move towards or away from a subject quite quickly.

o The sense of movement is usually more rapid with a zoom than with a dolly in or out.

o NOTE that the camera does NOT move, merely the lens.

The “Push In”o The camera, either slowly or swiftly, tracks up to the

subject’s face.o It is usually used to build tension leading to a

sudden realization.

The Spiral Shoto The camera “circles” around an individual or a group of

people (sometimes around a table).o It may be a quick spiraling motion to suggest

disorientation or panic, or a slow circular motion to suggest relaxation or to encourage close listening.

Pull back (reveal) o The camera moves back allowing new elements to

be seen.

Point of view shoto The viewer sees the scene from the perspective of

one of the characters.o This is usually used to connect the viewer emotionally

to the character.

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5.Transitions/Cuts/Editing - Editing is the job of assembling all the shots and the scenes of film together to tell a cohesive story.

Cut o An instantaneous change from one shot to

another.Dissolveo A visual effect created by the gradual disappearance

of one shot while another shot gradually appears and comes into clear focus.

o For a brief time the images blend in superimposition (exposure of more than one image on the same film strip), which may be used for symbolic effect.

o Dissolves are used to suggest a change of setting or a longer lapse of time than in a cut, so they are often used to begin or end flashbacks.

Match Dissolveo The same as a dissolve, except

that a shape maintains its image throughout both shots. It emphasizes a connection between those two things.

Jump cuto The middle section of a continuous shot is removed,

and the beginning and end of the shot are then joined together.

o The technique breaks continuity in space and time and produces a startling or disorienting effect.

o Any moving objects in the shot will appear to jump to a new position.

Fade in/ Fade out: o A transition where the image appears from (in) or

fades to (out) a black or white screen.

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o The fade out/in is usually used to indicate the passage of time or a change of location in narrative.

Swish Pan (a.k.a. Flash Pan or Zip Pan or Whip Pan)o A horizontal camera movement where the speed of

the camera is so fast that only blurred images are recorded.

o Often used to connect events in different places that are actually connected.

Wipeo A transition between shots in which a

line passes across the screen, eliminating the first shot as it goes and replacing it with the next one. E.g. a simple edge, an expanding circle or the turning of a page.

o The images do NOT blend, as in a dissolve.Split Screeno When the screen is split into two or

more screens. It is usually used to show action in different places occurring simultaneously.

6.Sound Diegetic soundo Sound that has a source in the world of the story,

such as dialogue spoken by characters, sounds made by objects, or music coming from a source grounded in the narrative.

Nondiegetic sound

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o Sound coming from a source outside the world of the story, usually part of the score or soundtrack (includes voiceovers).

Fin.

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