Film and Literature Terms (Yes, you will need to take notes)

General Terms Shot Scene Montage Storyboard

Shot A basic unit of film An unbroken strip of film that is unedited

Kinds of Shots Long shot Medium (Mid) shot Close Up Reverse Shot Subjective Shot/Point of View Shot Low angle High angle

Long Shot Usually but not always, the starting shot of a film An overall view of the entire scene Think of it as watching a play Sets the scene When looking at a person you will see their entire body

Examples of Long Shots Long Shot from Eyes Wide Shut Long Shot from Titanic Long Shot from Men in Black

Medium (Mid) Shot A shot from a middle distance (fairly close) Focuses on the subject but also can give background information On a person this will show the individual from the knees or waist up

Medium (Mid) Shot Mid Shot from 30 Rock Mid Shot from The Wizard of Oz Mid shot from The Pursuit of Happiness

Close Up Focuses on the individuals face Meant to show expressions or reactions Provides a detailed view On a person this shot shows a persons head or head and shoulders

Close Ups Close up from Harry Potter Close up from Avatar Close up from The Color of Paradise

Reverse shot Two or more shots edited together Used to alternate between characters May be used for conversations

Monster's Inc. Reverse Shot

Subjective or POV (point of view) Shot Created to allow the audience to see the scene from a characters view point Places the camera where the characters eyes would be Allows the audience to see what the character sees

Subjective POV Shot

Subjective POV Peking Opera Blues

Montage A type of editing in which several, discontinuous or unrelated clips are brought together This is used to compress time (bring everything together) Linked through similar sound or music Used to show the relationship between shots Created by Soviet film makers

Montage Montage from Rocky V

Types of Camera Angles Low Angle High Angle Birds-eye View

Low Angle Filmed from below The camera is low and shoots in an upward direction Used to make the audience feel like they are below the object of focus (smaller in size) Low Angle Shot from Alice in Wonderland

High Angle Filmed from above The camera shoots from a high point facing downward Used to make the audience feel as though they are above the object in focus (larger than) High Angle camera shot from The Godfather

High Angle and Low Angle Example of High and Low Angle shots in Scrubs

Bird’s-Eye View A shot done from an overhead view point This shot puts the audience in an “all-knowing”, “all-seeing” position Has the ability to make objects look insignificant

Bird’s-Eye View Bird’s-Eye View of the Bellagio Hotel

Camera Movements Pan Tilt Tracking/Dolly

Pan A fixed camera moves horizontally from left to right or right to left The camera is stationary (DOES NOT MOVE) Used to illustrate the need for a quick decision due to a character’s lack of time Mimics a moving head

Pan Traffic

Tilt Taken from a stationary camera set at an angle or “tilt” Focuses on vertical movement (up and down or down and up) Camera DOES NOT MOVE

Tilt Besieged

Tracking/Dolly A moving camera that is mounted on a tracker Used to follow a characters actions or movements Creates a sense of relationship with the character because the audience moves WITH them

Tracking/Dolly

Editing Cut Fade Dissolve Iris Freeze Frame Superimposition

Cut To edit a shot A simple break where two shots are joined together Dancer in the Dark

Types of Cuts Jump Cut Cross cut

Jump Cut An abrupt transition between shots This cut is used to illustrate breaks in continuity Used to illustrate the difficulty of telling a complex story in film This type of film cut is mostly associated with music videos and alternative film making (Indy Films)

Jump Clip Dancer in the Dark

Cross Cut Cutting back and forth between two or more separate scenes This suggests that the events occur at the same time Used to heighten tension and suspense

Cross Cut Yi Yi

Fade Gradual darkening of the image until it becomes black (Fade Out) Gradual brightening of darkness until it becomes visible (Fade In)

Fade out and fade in example

Dissolve Fading out on one shot while fading in on another shot at the same time The first shot will gradually disappear as the second shot gradually appears For a few seconds, the two clips will be superimposed

Dissolve The Stendhal Syndrome

Iris Rarely used in contemporary film (current day) Often used in silent films The camera lens gradually opens or closes over the scene Meant to mimic when the iris of the eye opens and closes to widen or narrow an image This will be signified by blackness around the edges of the scene

Iris Neighbors

Freeze Frame Single frame that is reprinted a number of times This gives the illusion of a still photo rather than a moving film clip Mimics a stop or freeze in time

Superimposition Does not signify a transition in film Used to allow an actor to appear simultaneously as two characters in a scene

Superimposition Example in Forest Gump Neighbors

Sound Soundtrack Score Sound Effects Voice-Over

Soundtrack The dialogue and sound effects of a scene Should indicate something that the images don’t (usually emotion or feelings)

Score The musical soundtrack of a film

Sound Effects Sounds added to provide realism All sounds that are neither dialogue (talking) or soundtrack (music)

Voice-Over Spoken word placed over the film and dialogue Is not filmed at the same time as the clip it is used over Often used to convey a character’s thoughts or memories This is often used in biography or film noire films

Voice-Over Ice Storm

Storyboard A graphic organizer for film Resembles a comic book A series of sketches that lays out the set-ups of the shots Helps the film-maker visualize a film before it is made Each sketch identifies: Kind of shot Angle Description of the shot How long the shot will be

Storyboard