Term
|
Definition
| The means by which a subject is expressed. The form for poetry is words; for drama, it is speech and action; for movies, it is pictures and sound; and so on. Compare content. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A cinematic structure in which content is selected and arranged in a cause-andeffect sequence of events occurring over time. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Also known as staging. The overall look and feel of a movie—the sum of everything the audience sees, hears, and experiences while viewing it. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process of capturing moving images on film or some other medium. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process by which the editor combines and coordinates individual shots into a cinematic whole; the basic creative force of cinema. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The subject of an artwork
The means by which a subject is expressed. The form for poetry is words; for drama, it is speech and action; for movies, it is pictures and sound; and so on. |
|
|
Term
| realist vs formalist film style |
|
Definition
a tendency to view or represent things as they really are
formalist: highly stylized or against realism |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A still photograph that, recorded in rapid succession with other still photographs, creates a motion picture. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| One uninterrupted run of the camera. A shot can be as short or as long as the director wants, but it cannot exceed the length of the film stock in the camera. Compare setup. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A complete unit of plot action incorporating one or more shots; the setting of that action. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| In a movie, all the events we see or hear on the screen, and all the events that are implicit or that we infer to have happened but that are not explicitly presented. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the order of events in a narrative or any other type of story |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The total world of a story—the events, characters, objects, settings, and sounds that form the world in which the story occurs. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An element—event, character, object, setting, sound—that helps form the world in which the story occurs. Compare nondiegetic element. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Sound that originates from a source outside a film’s world. |
|
|
Term
| five part structure of narrative |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The arrangement of plot events into a logical sequence or hierarchy. Across an entire narrative or in a brief section of it, any film can use one or more methods to arrange its plot: chronological order, cause-and-effect order, logical order, and so on. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| summary, stretch and real-time relationships |
|
Definition
summary: A time relationship in which screen duration is shorter than plot duration.
stretch: A time relationship in which screen duration is longer than plot duration.
real-time:The actual time during which something takes place. In real time, screen duration and plot duration are exactly the same. Many directors use real time within films to create uninterrupted “reality” on the screen, but they rarely use it for entire films. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Narration heard concurrently and over a scene but not synchronized to any character who may be talking on the screen. It can come from many sources, including an objective narrator (who is not a character) bringing us up-to-date, a first-person narrator commenting on the action, or, in a nonfiction film, a commentator. |
|
|
Term
| round vs. flat characters |
|
Definition
round: A character that is threedimensional, unpredictable, complex, and capable of surprising us in a convincing way. Round characters may be major or minor characters.
flat:A character that is one-dimensional and easily remembered because his or her motivations and actions are predictable. Flat characters may be major, minor, or marginal characters. |
|
|
Term
| protagonists vs antagonists |
|
Definition
pro: The major character who serves as the “hero” and who “wins” the conflict.
ant:The major character whose values or behavior are in conflict with those of the protagonist |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process by which the look of the settings, props, lighting, and actors is determined. Set design, decor, prop selection, lighting setup, costuming, makeup, and hairstyle design all play a role in shaping the overall design. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process of visualizing and putting visualization plans into practice; more precisely, the organization, distribution, balance, and general relationship of stationary objects and figures, as well as of light, shade, line, and color, within the frame. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process by which the cinematographer determines what will appear within the borders of the moving image (the frame) during a shot. |
|
|
Term
| positions from which actors can be photographed (types and implications) |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| proxemics (types and amount) |
|
Definition
| the study of measurable distances between people as they interact |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an area of the film image which demands viewers interest but is not the visual center of the frame |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
open: A frame around a motion-picture image that, theoretically, characters and objects can enter and leave.
closed: A frame of a motion picture image that, theoretically, neither characters nor objects enter or leave. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The aspect of composition that takes into account everything that moves on the screen. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A principle of composition that enables filmmakers to maximize the potential of the image, balance its elements, and create the illusion of depth. A grid pattern, when superimposed on the image, divides the image into horizontal thirds representing the foreground, middle ground, and background planes and into vertical thirds that break up those planes into additional elements. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| One uninterrupted run of the camera. A shot can be as short or as long as the director wants, but it cannot exceed the length of the film stock in the camera. Compare setup. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An indication of the number of times a particular shot is taken (e.g., shot 14, take 7). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| One camera position and everything associated with it. Whereas the shot is the basic building block of the film, the setup is the basic component of the film’s production. |
|
|
Term
| responsibilities of director of photography |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| properties of film stock (including gauge, speed and type) |
|
Definition
film stock: Celluloid used to record movies. There are two types: one for black-and-white films, the other for color. Each type is manufactured in several standard formats.
film stock length: The number of feet (or meters) of film stock or the number of reels being used in a particular film.
film-stock speed: Also known as film speed or exposure index. The rate at which film must move through the camera to correctly capture an image; very fast film requires little light to capture and fix the image; very slow film requires a lot of light.
format: Also called gauge. The dimensions of a film stock and its perforations, and the size and shape of the image frame as seen on the screen. Formats extend from Super 8mm through 70mm (and beyond into such specialized formats as IMAX), but they are generally limited to three standard gauges: Super 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm. |
|
|
Term
| features of black-and-white and color film |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| source, direction, quality, style |
|
|
Term
| three point lighting system |
|
Definition
| key light, fill light, back light |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
low key-Lighting that creates strong contrasts; sharp, dark shadows; and an overall gloomy atmosphere. Its contrasts between light and dark often imply ethical judgments.
high key-Lighting that produces an image with very little contrast between darks and lights. Its even, flat illumination expresses virtually no opinions about the subject being photographed. |
|
|
Term
| lenses: functions, properties, types/focal lengths |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The distance in front of a camera and its lens in which objects are in apparent sharp focus. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The relationship between the frame’s two dimensions: the width of the image related to its height. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An opaque sheet of metal, paper, or plastic (with, for example, a circular cutout, known as an iris) that is placed in front of the camera and admits light through that circle to a specific area of the frame—to create a frame within a frame. |
|
|
Term
| implied proximity of subjects to the camera (and relationship to diff kinds of shots) |
|
Definition
extreme long shot/long shot
medium longshot/ medium shot
medium close up/closeup/extreme closeup
longshot:full body
medium:waist up (most frequent)
medium closeup: catches more expression |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Extreme long shot / Long shot/ Medium long shot / Medium shot / Medium close-up / Close-up / Extreme close-up |
|
|
Term
| deep space composition/deep focus composition |
|
Definition
deep-space composition
A total visual composition that occupies all three planes of the frame, thus creating an illusion of depth, and that is usually reproduced on the screen by deep-focus cinematography.
deep-focus cinematography
Using the shortfocal-length lens to capture deep-space composition and its illusion of depth. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Eye level / High angle / Low angle / Dutch angle |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Pan shot / Tilt shot / Dolly shot / Zoom / Crane shot / Handheld camera / Steadicam |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| editor and their responsibilities |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Kuleshov edited together a short film in which a shot of the expressionless face of Tsarist matinee idol Ivan Mozzhukhin was alternated with various other shots (a plate of soup, a girl, a little girl's coffin). The film was shown to an audience who believed that the expression on Mozzhukhin's face was different each time he appeared, depending on whether he was "looking at" the plate of soup, the girl, or the coffin, showing an expression of hunger, desire or grief respectively. Actually the footage of Mozzhukhin was the same shot repeated over and over again. |
|
|
Term
| temporal relationships between shots and tchniques to indicate them |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| continuity (invisible editing)....and techniques |
|
Definition
| A style of editing (now dominant throughout the world) that seeks to achieve logic, smoothness, sequential flow, and the temporal and spatial orientation of viewers to what they see on the screen. Continuity editing ensures the flow from shot to shot; creates a rhythm based on the relationship between cinematic space and cinematic time; creates filmic unity (beginning, middle, and end); and establishes and resolves a problem. In short, continuity editing tells a story as clearly and coherently as possible. |
|
|
Term
| 180-degree system and axis of action |
|
Definition
| Also known as axis of action, imaginary line, line of action, or 180-degree rule. The fundamental means by which filmmakersmaintain consistent screen direction, orientingthe viewer and ensuring a sense of thecinematic space in which the action occurs. Thesystem assumes three things: (a) the actionwithin a scene will always advance along astraight line, either from left to right or fromright to left of the frame; (b) the camera willremain consistently on one side of that action;and (c) everyone on the production set willunderstand and adhere to this system. |
|
|
Term
| master or establishing shot |
|
Definition
| Also known as establishing shot or cover shot. A shot that ordinarily serves as a foundation for (and usually begins) a sequence by showing the location of ensuing action. Although usually a long shot or extreme long shot, a master shot may also be a medium shot or close-up that includes a sign or other cue to identify the location. Master shots are also called cover shots because the editor can repeat them later in the film to remind the audience of the location, thus “covering” the director by avoiding the need to reshoot. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
reverse-angle shot
A shot in which the angle of shooting is opposite to that of the preceding shot. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| match-on-action cut, graphic match cut, eyeline match cut) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| In Hollywood, beginning in the 1930s, a sequence of shots, often with superimpositions and optical effects, showing a condensed series of events. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The joining together of a point-of-view shot with a match cut (specifically, a match-on-action cut) to show, in the first shot, a character looking and, in the second, what that character is looking at. |
|
|
Term
| transition from silent era to sound |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| four phases of sound production |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| perceptual characteristics of sound |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| types of sound used in film |
|
Definition
vocal sounds: dialogue
environmental sounds (ambient)... background sounds
sound effects: artificially created for the sound track
music/silence |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Sound that emanates from the ambience (background) of the setting or environment being filmed, either recorded during production or added during postproduction. Although it may incorporate other types of film sound—dialogue, narration, sound effects, Foley sounds, and music—ambient sound does not include any unintentionally recorded noise made during production. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A sound artificially created for the sound track that has a definite function in telling the story. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A sound belonging to a special category of sound effects, invented in the 1930s by Jack Foley, a sound technician at Universal Studios. Technicians known as Foley artists create these sounds in specially equipped studios, where they use a variety of props and other equipment to simulate sounds such as footsteps in the mud, jingling car keys, or cutlery hitting a plate. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Qualities that distinguish between screen and stage acting |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Four Main Types of Screen Actors |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| "The First Lady of the Silent Screen" |
|
|
Term
| Qualities that marked the period of transition from silent film to sound |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Stanislavsky “Method” System |
|
Definition
| A system of acting, developed by Russian theater director Konstantin Stanislavsky in the late nineteenth century, that encourages students to strive for realism, both social and psychological, and to bring their past experiences and emotions to their roles. This system influenced the development of Method acting in the United States. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 1. Actors’ extemporization—that is, delivering lines based only loosely on the written script or without the preparation that comes with studying a script before rehearsing it. 2. “Playing through” a moment—that is, making up lines to keep scenes going when actors forget their written lines, stumble on lines, or have some other mishap. |
|
|
Term
| Qualities of Contemporary Acting/Actors |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
jhall staff rocks!
free food |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Also called crosscutting and intercutting, although the three terms have slightly different meanings. The intercutting of two or more lines of action that occur simultaneously, a very familiar convention in chase or rescue sequences. See also crosscutting and intercutting. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Editing that cuts between two or more actions occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. Compare intercutting and parallel editing. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Editing of two or more actions taking place at the same time that creates the effect of a single scene rather than of two distinct actions. Compare crosscutting and parallel editing. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The removal of a portion of a film, resulting in an instantaneous advance in the action—a sudden, perhaps illogical, often disorienting ellipsis between two shots. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A method, created either in the camera or during the editing process, of telling two stories at the same time by dividing the screen into different parts. Unlike parallel editing, which cuts back and forth between shots for contrast, the split screen can tell multiple stories within the same frame. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A style of editing—less widely used than continuity editing, often but not exclusively in experimental films—that joins shots A and B to produce an effect or meaning not even hinted at by either shot alone. |
|
|
