European Cinema Terms

Front 1

180 degree rule

Back 1

placing the camera on the same side of the action

Front 2

actuality

Back 2

non fiction film shot in real surroundings without the use of actors, sets, or props

Front 3

analogue

Back 3

visual or audio information used continuously

Front 4

arc lamp/light

Back 4

high intensity lamp used to simulate sunlight

Front 5

art cinema/art films

Back 5

not overtly commercial films, considered challenging or ambiguous

Front 6

articolo 28

Back 6

italian measure providing funds to assist first time directors in non commercial films

Front 7

aspect ratio

Back 7

ratio of width to hieght

Front 8

cinema of attractions

Back 8

style associated to trick films made between 1895-1905 to amuse the audience

Front 9

auteur

Back 9

director who has creative contol over the film and is thought to leave a distinct mark

Front 10

autorenfilm

Back 10

german style of film based on the work of literary writers that drew directors and actors

Front 11

avance sur recettes

Back 11

program of goverment loans to film projects that are repaid with proceeds from ticket sales

Front 12

avent-garde

Back 12

artistic movement that challenged formal strategies

Front 13

boom

Back 13

pole or extention device used to position microphones, lights or cameras off screen during the shooting

Front 14

bridge/bridge shot

Back 14

a device that connects scenes either visually (hands of a clock to signify the passing of time) or the overlap of sound like music or dialog carried from one scene to the next.

Front 15

trick films

Back 15

films featuring magic tricks or special effects without overt narrative content

Front 16

Trummerfilm

Back 16

genre of films from west germany immediately following WW2 depicting the harsh conditions of daily life in a gritty, realist style

Front 17

two-shot

Back 17

shot showing two people, ususally in conversation, in a medium shot or close -up

Front 18

vertical intergration

Back 18

business practiice in which a film production company also controls other sectors of the industry like distribution and exabition

Front 19

white telephone films

Back 19

made in 1930s italy featuring upper-middle class domestic settings

Front 20

wide angle lens

Back 20

a lens that increases the illusion of depth or distance from the subject in the shot

Front 21

zoom

Back 21

lens where the subject appears to be out of distance or close up