1. The Terms You Need to Talk About What You See
The Language of Film
The Terms You Need to Talk About What You See

2. 5 Elements of the SHOT 1. Framing 2. Focus 3. Angles 4. Lighting
5. Camera Movement

3. FRAMING Establishing Shot
Shot taken from extreme distance. Used to establish setting or scene or to establish size of something

4. Establishing Shot

5. FRAMING
Long Shot (LS)
Shot taken from distance. Gives sense of time and place, establishes setting, shows distance or separation between characters, can show relationship of character to surroundings. Usually the full body of a character.

6. Long Shot

7. FRAMING
Close Up (CS)
Subject takes up at least 80% of the frame, leaving out much context. CS brings attention to a tiny detail or clue, and is often intimate and revealing.

8. Close Up

9. FRAMING Medium Shot (MS)
A neutral, comfortable shot. Used most often, and normally features the characters from the waist up.

10. Medium Shot

11. FOCUS Soft Focus Just ever-so-slightly out of focus
Makes the image seem softer; unclear
Dreamlike

12. Soft Focus

13. FOCUS
Rack Focus
When a director shifts the focus from one object to another in the same shot in order to direct the audience’s attention.
Communicates power, the character noticing/seeing something

14. Rack Focus

15. Deep Focus
Foreground and background equally in focus. Creates a greater sense of reality, as the audience members choose what to look at.

16. Deep Focus

17. ANGLES
Low Angle
Camera shoots the subject from below; subject appears larger than life, powerful, sometimes threatening

18. Low Angle

19. ANGLES
High Angle
Camera is above the subject looking down on it. Subject appears smaller than normal, sometimes weak, powerless.

20. High Angle

21. ANGLES
Eye Level
Like a medium shot, this is the most neutral, natural angle. Even with the character’s eyes, it accounts for 90-95% of the shots.

22. Eye Level

23. ANGLES Canted or Dutch Angle
The camera is titled. Gives a tense, unbalanced effect. Creates a sinister, distorted view of the character.

24. Dutch Angle

25. LIGHTING Low Key Scene is flooded with shadows and darkness.
-Can convey suspicion, mystery, or danger OR
-Can convey peace, romance, or introspection
…depends on the theme/tone of the film/scene

26. Low Key

27. LIGHTING
High Key
Scene is flooded with bright, open light. Lack of shadows or contrast.
Characters are seen clearly - not threatening
-often used for comedies/romantic comedies

28. High-Key

29. LIGHTING Neutral General, even, natural lighting. Daylight.
- like the medium shot and the neutral angle, this is the most common lighting.

30. Neutral

31. Lighting
Bottom/Side
Scary, intimidating effect. Indicates the characters may be evil, are hiding something, are morally ambiguous, or are conflicted in some way
-often in horror/dark movies

32. Bottom & Side

33. LIGHTING
Front - Even lighting with no shadows. Used to show innocence or openness, most common with the hero/heroine
Back - Creates a full or semi-silhouette of the object in the frame

34. Front & Back

35. CAMERA MOVEMENT Pan, Dolly, Zoom
Pan - Band of Outsiders 
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Pan, Dolly, Zoom
Classic dolly shot - Goodfellas
Slacker – Trailer
Pan – Wes Anderson

36. Shaky Cam Jason Bourne Films, Shaky Cam
Saving Private Ryan - Omaha Beach

37. SOUNDS - Diagetic and Nondiagetic
Mean Girls
Jaws/Psycho/Blazing Saddles

38. EDITING Cut - Most common; a quick “cut” to the next image
Fade - Fade to black before fading back in; often indicates time has passed

39. Editing
Cross Cut – Braveheart

40. Editing Dissolve – to enhance flashback - Cars

41. Mise-en-Scene in WWZ