Bordwell's Film Art Terms

Front 1

abstract form

Back 1

a type of filmic organization in which the parts relate to one another through repetition and variation of such qualities as shape, color, rhythm and direction of movement

Front 2

Academy ratio

Back 2

the standardized shape of the film frame established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the original was 1.33:1; now it is 1.85:1

Front 3

aerial perspective

Back 3

a cue for suggesting depth in the image by presenting objects in the distance less distinctly than those in the foreground

Front 4

anamorphic lens

Back 4

a lens for making widescreen films using regular Academy ratio frame size

Front 5

angle of framing

Back 5

the position of the frame in relation to the subject it shows: above it, looking down (a high angle), horizontal, on the same level (a straight-on angle), looking up (a low angle) [also called camera angle]

Front 6

animation

Back 6

any process whereby artificial movement is created by photographing a series of drawings, objects, or computer images one by one

Front 7

aspect ratio

Back 7

the relationship of the frame's width to its height

Front 8

associational form

Back 8

a type of organization in which the film's are juxtaposed to suggest similarities, contrasts, concepts, emotions and expressive qualities

Front 9

asynchronous sound

Back 9

sound that is not matched temporally with the movements occurring in the image

Front 10

auteur

Back 10

the presumed or actual author of a film, usually identified as the director

Front 11

axis of action

Back 11

in the continuity editing system, the imaginary line that passes from side to side through the main actors, defining the spatial relations of all the elements of the scene as being to the right or left

Front 12

backlighting

Back 12

illumination cast onto the figures in the scene from the side opposite the camera, usually creating a thin outline of highlighting on those figures

Front 13

boom

Back 13

a pole upon which a microphone can be suspended above the scene being filmed and that is used to change the microphone's position as the action shifts

Front 14

canted framing

Back 14

a view in which the frame is not level; either the right or the left side is lower than the other, causing objects in the scene to appear slanted out of an upright position

Front 15

categorical form

Back 15

a type of filmic organization in which the parts treat distinct subsets of a topic

Front 16

cel animation

Back 16

animation that uses a series of drawings on pieces of celluloid

Front 17

CGI

Back 17

computer generated imagery; using digital software systems to create figures, settings or other material in the frame

Front 18

cheat cut

Back 18

in the continuity editing system, a cut that presents continuous time from shot to shot but mismatches the positions of figures or objects

Front 19

cinematography

Back 19

a general term for all the manipulations of the film strip by the camera in the shooting phase and by the laboratory in the developing phase

Front 20

close-up

Back 20

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large

Front 21

closure

Back 21

the degree to which the ending of a narrative film reveals the effects of all the causal events and resolves all lines of action

Front 22

continuity editing

Back 22

a system of cutting to maintain continuous and clear narrative action; relies on matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from shot to shot

Front 23

contrast

Back 23

the difference between the brightest and darkest areas within the frame

Front 24

crane shot

Back 24

a shot with a change in framing accomplished by placing the camera above the subject and moving through the air in any direction

Front 25

crosscutting

Back 25

editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously

Front 26

cut

Back 26

in filmmaking, the joining of two strips of film together with a splice; in the finished film, an instantaneous change from one framing to another

Front 27

cut-in

Back 27

an instantaneous shift from a distant framing to a closer view of some portion of the same space

Front 28

deep focus

Back 28

a use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps objects in both close and distant planes in sharp focus

Front 29

deep space

Back 29

an arrangement of mise-en-scene elements so that there is a considerable distance between the plane closest to the camera and the one farthest away

Front 30

depth of field

Back 30

the measurements of the closest and farthest planes in front of the camera lens between which everything will be in sharp focus

Front 31

dialogue overlap

Back 31

in editing a scene, arranging the cut so that a bit of dialogue coming from a shot is heard under a shot that shows another character or another element in the scene

Front 32

diegesis

Back 32

the world of the film's story; includes events that are presumed to have occurred and actions and spaces not shown onscreen

Front 33

diegetic sound

Back 33

any voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as originating from a source within the film's world

Front 34

direct sound

Back 34

music, noise and speech recorded from the event at the moment of filming; opposite of postsynchronization

Front 35

discontinuity editing

Back 35

any alternative system of joining shots together using techniques unacceptable within continuity editing principles, including mismatching of temporal and spatial relations, violations of the axis of action, and concentration on graphic relationships

Front 36

dissolve

Back 36

a transition between two shots during which the first image gradually disappears while the second image gradually appears; for a moment the two images blend in superimposition

Front 37

distance of framing

Back 37

the apparent distance of the frame from the mise-en-scene elements [also called camera distance and shot scale]

Front 38

distribution

Back 38

one of the three branches of the film industry; the process of marketing the film and supplying copies to exhibition venues

Front 39

dolly

Back 39

a camera support with wheels used in making tracking shots

Front 40

dubbing

Back 40

the process of replacing part or all of the voices on the sound track in order to correct mistakes or rerecord dialogue

Front 41

duration

Back 41

the aspect of temporal manipulation that involves the time span presented in the plot and assumed to operate in the story

Front 42

editing

Back 42

in filmmaking, the task of selecting and joining camera takes; in the finished film, the set of techniques that governs the relations among shots

Front 43

ellipsis

Back 43

the shortening of the plot duration achieved by omitting some story duration

Front 44

elliptical editing

Back 44

shot transitions that omit parts of an event, causing an ellipsis in plot duration

Front 45

establishing shot

Back 45

a shot, usually involved in distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects and setting in a scene

Front 46

exhibition

Back 46

one of the three branches of the film industry; the process of showing the finished film to audiences

Front 47

exposure

Back 47

the adjustment of the camera mechanism in order to control how much light strikes each frame of film passing through the aperture

Front 48

external diegetic sound

Back 48

sound represented as coming from a physical source within the story space that we assume characters in the scene also hear

Front 49

extreme close-up

Back 49

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large

Front 50

extreme long shot

Back 50

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small

Front 51

eyeline match

Back 51

a cut obeying the axis of action principle, in which the first shot shows a person looking off in one direction and the second shows a nearby space containing what he or she sees

Front 52

fade

Back 52

fade in: a dark screen that gradually brightens as shot appears
fade out: a shot gradually disappears as the screen darkens

Front 53

fill light

Back 53

illumination from a source less bright than the key light, used to soften deep shadows in a scene

Front 54

film noir

Back 54

"dark film"; a type of film, usually in the thriller or detective genres, with low-key lighting and a somber mood

Front 55

film stock

Back 55

the strip of material upon which a series of still photographs is registered; it consists of a clear base coated on one side with a light-sensitive emulsion

Front 56

filter

Back 56

a piece of glass or gelatin placed in front of the camera or printer lens to alter the quality or quantity of light striking the film in the aperture

Front 57

flashback

Back 57

an alteration of story order in which the plot moves back to show events that have taken place earlier than one already shown

Front 58

flash-forward

Back 58

an alteration of story order in which the plot presentation moves forward to future events and then returns to the present

Front 59

focal length

Back 59

the distance from the center of the lens to the point at which the light rays meet in sharp focus; determines the perspective relations of the space represented on the flat screen

Front 60

focus

Back 60

the degree to which light rays coming from the same part of an object through different parts of the lens reconverge at the same point on the film frame, creating sharp outlines and distinct textures

Front 61

following shot

Back 61

a shot with framing that shifts to keep a moving figure onscreen

Front 62

form

Back 62

the overall system of relationships among the parts of a film

Front 63

frame

Back 63

a single image on a strip of film

Front 64

framing

Back 64

the use of the edges of the film frame to select and to compose what will be visible onscreen

Front 65

frequency

Back 65

the aspect of temporal manipulation that involves the number of times any story event is shown in the plot

Front 66

front projection

Back 66

composite process whereby footage meant to appear as the background of a shot is projected from the front onto a screen; opposite of rear projection

Front 67

frontal lighting

Back 67

illumination directed into the scene from a position near the camera

Front 68

frontality

Back 68

the positioning of figures so that they face the viewer

Front 69

function

Back 69

the role or effect of any element within the film's form

Front 70

gauge

Back 70

the width of the film strip, measured in millimeters

Front 71

genres

Back 71

various types of films that audiences and filmmakers recognize by their familiar narrative conventions

Front 72

graphic match

Back 72

two successive shots joined so as to create a strong similarity of compositional elements

Front 73

hand-held camera

Back 73

the use of the camera operator's body as a camera support

Front 74

hard lighting

Back 74

illumination that creates sharp-edged shadows

Front 75

height of framing

Back 75

the distance of camera above the ground, regardless of the angle of framing

Front 76

high-key lighting

Back 76

illumination that creates comparatively little contrast between the light and dark areas of the shot

Front 77

ideology

Back 77

a relatively coherent system of values, beliefs, or ideas shared by some social group and often taken for granted as natural or inherently true

Front 78

intellectual montage

Back 78

the juxtaposition of a series of images to create an abstract idea not present in any one image

Front 79

internal diegetic sound

Back 79

sound represented as coming from the mind of a character within the story space; we and the character can hear it, but the other characters cannot

Front 80

interpretation

Back 80

the viewer's activity of analyzing the implicit and symptomatic meanings suggested in a film

Front 81

iris

Back 81

a round, moving mask that can close down to end a scene or emphasize a detail, or that can open to begin a scene or to reveal more space around a detail

Front 82

jump cut

Back 82

an elliptical cut that appears to be an interruption of a single shot

Front 83

key light

Back 83

in the three point lighting system, the brightest illumination coming into the scene

Front 84

lens

Back 84

a shaped piece of transparent material with either or both sides curved to gather and focus light rays

Front 85

linearity

Back 85

the clear motivation of a series of causes and effects that progress without significant digressions, delays or irrelevant actions

Front 86

long shot

Back 86

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is small

Front 87

long take

Back 87

a shot that continues for an unusually lengthy time before the transition to the next shot

Front 88

low-key lighting

Back 88

illumination that creates strong contrast between light and dark areas of the shot with dark shadows and little fill light

Front 89

mask

Back 89

an opaque screen placed in the camera or printer that blocks part of the frame off and changes the shape of the photographed image, leaving part of the frame a solid color

Front 90

masking

Back 90

stretches of black fabric that frame the theater scene; can be adjusted according to the aspect ratio of the film to be projected

Front 91

match on action

Back 91

a continuity cut that splices two different views of the same action together at the same moment in the movement, making it seem to continue uninterrupted

Front 92

matte shot

Back 92

a type of process shot in which different areas of the image are photographed separately and combined in laboratory work

Front 93

referential meaning

Back 93

allusion to particular items of knowledge outside the film that the viewer is expected to recognize

Front 94

explicit meaning

Back 94

significance presented overtly, usually in language and often near the film's beginning or end

Front 95

implicit meaning

Back 95

significance left tacit, for the viewer to discover upon analysis or reflection

Front 96

symptomatic meaning

Back 96

significance that the film divulges by virtue of its historical or social context

Front 97

medium close-up

Back 97

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is fairly large

Front 98

medium long shot

Back 98

a framing at a distance that makes an object about 4 or 5 feet high appear to fill up most of the screen vertically

Front 99

medium shot

Back 99

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size

Front 100

mise-en-scene

Back 100

all of the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes and makeup, and figure behavior

Front 101

mixing

Back 101

combining two or more sound tracks by recording them onto a single one

Front 102

mobile frame

Back 102

the effect on the screen of the moving camera, a zoom lens or certain special effects

Front 103

monochromatic color design

Back 103

color design that emphasizes a narrow set of shades of a single color

Front 104

montage

Back 104

a synonym for editing; an approach to editing that emphasizes dynamic, often discontinuous, relationships between shots and the juxtaposition of images to create ideas not present in either shot by itself

Front 105

montage sequence

Back 105

a segment of a film that summarizes a topic or compresses a passage of time into brief symbolic or typical images; dissolves, fades, superimpositions and wipes are used to link the images

Front 106

motif

Back 106

an element in a film that is repeated in a significant way

Front 107

motion control

Back 107

a computerized method of planning and repeating camera movements on miniatures, models and process work

Front 108

motivation

Back 108

the justification given in the film for the presence of an element

Front 109

narration

Back 109

the process through which the plot conveys or withholds story information

Front 110

narrative form

Back 110

a type of filmic organization in which the parts relate to one another through a series of causally related events taking place in time and space

Front 111

nondiegetic insert

Back 111

a shot or series of shots cut into a sequence, showing objects that are represented as being outside the world of the narrative

Front 112

nondiegetic sound

Back 112

sound represented as coming from a source outside the space of the narrative

Front 113

nonsimultaneous sound

Back 113

diegetic sound that comes from a source in time either earlier or later than the images it accompanies

Front 114

normal lens

Back 114

a lens that shows objects without severely exaggerating or reducing the depth of the scene's planes

Front 115

offscreen sound

Back 115

simultaneous sound from a source assumed to be in the space of the scene but outside what is visible onscreen

Front 116

offscreen space

Back 116

the six areas blocked from being visible on the screen but still part of the space of the scene: to each side and above and below the frame, behind the set, and behind the camera

Front 117

180 degree system

Back 117

the continuity approach to editing dictates that the camera should stay on one side of the action to ensure consistent left-right spatial relations between elements from shot to shot

Front 118

order

Back 118

the aspect of temporal manipulation that involves the sequence in which the chronological events of the story are arranged in the plot

Front 119

overlap

Back 119

a cue for suggesting represented depth in the film image by placing objects partly in front of more distant ones

Front 120

overlapping editing

Back 120

cuts that repeat part or all of an action, thus expanding its viewing time and plot duration

Front 121

pan

Back 121

a camera movement with the camera body turning to the right or left

Front 122

pixillation

Back 122

a form of single-frame animation in which three-dimensional objects are made to move in staccato bursts through the use of stop-action cinematography

Front 123

plan americain

Back 123

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is moderately small [also known as the medium long shot]

Front 124

plan-sequence

Back 124

a scene handled in a single shot, usually a long take

Front 125

plot

Back 125

all the events that are directly presented to us, including their causal relations, chronological order, duration, frequency and spatial locations

Front 126

point-of-view shot

Back 126

a shot taken with the camera placed approximately where the character's eyes would be, showing exactly what the character would see

Front 127

postsynchronization

Back 127

the process of adding sound to images after they have been shot and assembled

Front 128

process shot

Back 128

any shot involving rephotography to combine two or more images into one to create a special effect [also called composite shot]

Front 129

production

Back 129

one of the three branches of the film industry; the process of creating the film

Front 130

racking focus

Back 130

shifting the area of sharp focus from one place to another during a shot

Front 131

rate

Back 131

in shooting, the number of frames exposed per second; in projection, the number of frames thrown on the screen per second

Front 132

rear projection

Back 132

a technique for combining a foreground action with a background action filmed earlier

Front 133

reestablishing shot

Back 133

a return to the view of an entire space after a series of closer shots following the establishing shot

Front 134

reframing

Back 134

short panning or tilting movements to adjust for the figures' movements, keeping them onscreen or centered

Front 135

rhetorical form

Back 135

a type of filmic organization in which the parts create and support an argument

Front 136

rhythm

Back 136

the perceived rate and regularity of sounds, series of shots, and movements within the shots; include beat, accent and tempo

Front 137

rotoscope

Back 137

a machine that projects live-action motion picture frames one by one onto a drawing pad so that an animator can trace the figures in each frame

Front 138

scene

Back 138

a segment in a narrative film that takes place in one time and space or that uses crosscutting to show two or more simultaneous actions

Front 139

screen direction

Back 139

the right-left relationships in a scene, set up in an establishing shot and determined by the position of characters and objects in the frame, by the directions of movement, and by the characters' eyelines

Front 140

segmentation

Back 140

the process of dividing a film into parts for analysis

Front 141

sequence

Back 141

a moderately large segment of film involving one complete stretch of action

Front 142

shallow focus

Back 142

a restricted depth of field, which keeps only one plane in sharp focus; opposite of deep focus

Front 143

shallow space

Back 143

staging the action in relatively few planes of depth; opposite of deep space

Front 144

shot

Back 144

in shooting, one uninterrupted run of the camera to expose a series of frames [also called a take]; in the finished film, one uninterrupted image

Front 145

shot/reverse shot

Back 145

two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation

Front 146

side lighting

Back 146

lighting come from one side of a person or an object, usually in order to create a sense of volume, bring out surface tensions or fill in areas left shadowed by other lights

Front 147

simultaneous sound

Back 147

diegetic sound that is represented as occurring at the same time in the story as the image it accompanies

Front 148

size diminution

Back 148

a cue for suggesting represented depth in the image by showing objects that are farther away as smaller than foreground objects

Front 149

soft lighting

Back 149

illumination that avoids harsh bright and dark areas, creating a gradual transition from highlights to shadows

Front 150

sound bridge

Back 150

at the beginning of one scene, the sound from a previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins; at the end of one scene, the sound from the next scene is heard, leading into that scene

Front 151

sound over

Back 151

any sound that is not represented as coming from the space and time of the images on the screen

Front 152

sound perspective

Back 152

the sense of a sound's position in space, yielded by volume, timbre, pitch and, in stereophonic reproduction systems, binaural information

Front 153

space

Back 153

most minimally, any film displays a 2D graphic space, the flat composition of the image; in films that depict recognizable objects, a 3D space may be directly depicted or suggested

Front 154

special effects

Back 154

various photographic manipulations that create fictitious spatial relations in the shot

Front 155

story

Back 155

all the events that we see and hear, plus all those that we infer or assume to have occurred, arranged in their presumed causal relations, chronological order, duration, frequency and spatial locations

Front 156

storyboard

Back 156

tool used in planning film production, consisting of comic-strip like drawings of individual shots or phases of shots with descriptions written below each drawing

Front 157

style

Back 157

the repeated and salient uses of film techniques characteristic of a single film or group of films

Front 158

superimposition

Back 158

the exposure of more than one image on the same film strip or in the same shot

Front 159

synchronous sound

Back 159

sound that is matched temporally with the movements occurring in the images

Front 160

take

Back 160

the shot produced by one uninterrupted run of the camera

Front 161

technique

Back 161

any aspect of the film medium that can be chosen and manipulated in making a film

Front 162

telephoto lens

Back 162

a lens of long focal length that affects a scene's perspective by enlarging distant planes and making them seem close to the foreground planes

Front 163

three point lighting

Back 163

a common arrangement using three directions of light on a scene: behind the subjects (backlighting), from one bright source (key light), and from a less bright source balancing the key light (fill light)

Front 164

tilt

Back 164

a camera movement with the camera body swiveling upward or downward on a stationary support; scans the space vertically

Front 165

top lighting

Back 165

lighting coming from above a person or object

Front 166

tracking shot

Back 166

a mobile framing that travels through the space forward, backward or laterally

Front 167

typage

Back 167

the actor's appearance and behavior are presented as typical of a social class or other group

Front 168

underlighting

Back 168

illumination from a point below the figures in the scene

Front 169

unity

Back 169

the degree to which a film's parts relate systematically to each other and provide motivations for all the elements included

Front 170

variation

Back 170

the return of an element with notable changes

Front 171

viewing time

Back 171

the length of time it takes to watch a film

Front 172

whip pan

Back 172

an extremely fast movement of the camera from side to side which briefly causes the image to blur into a set of indistinct horizontal streaks

Front 173

wide angle lens

Back 173

a lens of short focal length that affects a scene's perspective by distorting straight lines near the edges of the frame and by exaggerating the distance between foreground and background planes

Front 174

wipe

Back 174

a transition between shots in which a line passes across the screen, eliminating one shot as it goes and replacing it with the next one

Front 175

zoom lens

Back 175

a lens with a focal length that can be changed during a shot