Film Final Important Definitions

Front 1

abstract form

Back 1

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

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academy ratio

Back 2

shape of the film frame by the academy. the frame is (1:33:1) and later the width was normalized (1.85:1)

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aerial perserpective

Back 3

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

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angle of framing

Back 4

the position of the frame in relation to the subject it shows: above looking down (high angle), horizontal (straight-on angle) below it looking up (a low angle)

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aspect ratio

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the relationship of the frame's width to its hight

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axis of action

Back 6

the imaginary line that passes through the main actors or the principal movement. Defines the relation of all elements of the scene as being to right or left. cannot be crossed

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backlighting

Back 7

illuminations cast onto the figures on the opposite side of the camera

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close-up

Back 8

the scale of the object is relatively large; most commonly, person's head seen from the neck up

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continuity editing

Back 9

a system of maintain continuous and clear narrative actions.

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contrast

Back 10

the difference between the brightest and the darkest areas in a frame

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crosscutting

Back 11

editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of actions occurring in different places, usually simotenously

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cut

Back 12

joining two strips of film together with a splice, a change from one frame to another

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deep space

Back 13

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

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depth of field

Back 14

the measurement of the closest and farthest planes in front of the camera lens

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dialogue overlap

Back 15

arranging the cut so that a bit of dialogue coming rom shot a is heard under a shot that shows another character

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diegtic sound

Back 16

voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as originating from a source within the films world

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discontinuity editing

Back 17

any alternative system of joining shots together using techniques unacceptable within continuity editing principles

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distance of framing

Back 18

the distance of the frame from the mise-en-scene elements

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dolly

Back 19

a camera support with wheels used in making tracking shots

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editing

Back 20

the task of selecting and joining camera takes. the set of techniques that governs the relations among shots

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ellipsis

Back 21

the shortening of plot duration achieved by omitting some story duration

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elliptical editing

Back 22

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

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establishing shot

Back 23

a shot, usually involving a distance framing, that show the spatial relations among the important figures, objects, and setting in a scene

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exposure

Back 24

the adjustment of the camera mechanism in order to control how much light strikes each frame of the films

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extreme close-up

Back 25

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large; most commonly, a small object or a part of the boyd

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extreme long shot

Back 26

framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building , landscape, or crowd of people will fill the screen

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eyeline match

Back 27

a cut related to the axis of action, 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.

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fade-in

Back 28

dark screen that gradually brightens

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fade-out

Back 29

a shot that gradually disappears as the screen darkens,. Occasionally, fade-outs brighten to pure white

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fill light

Back 30

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

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flashback

Back 31

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

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flashforward

Back 32

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

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focal length

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the distance from the center of the lens to the point at which the light rays meet in sharp focus

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focus

Back 34

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

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form

Back 35

the overall system of relationships among the parts of a film

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frame rate

Back 36

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

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framing

Back 37

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

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frequency

Back 38

in a narrative film, the aspect of temporal manipulation that involves the number of times any story even is show in the plot

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frontal lighting

Back 39

illumination directed into the scene from a position near the camera

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function

Back 40

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

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genres

Back 41

types of films that audience and filmmakers recognize by their familiar narrative conventions. Common genres are musical, Horror, western

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graphic match

Back 42

the shots joined so as to relate strong similarity. (color shape)

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hard lighting

Back 43

illumination that creates sharp-edged shadows

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high - key lighting

Back 44

illumination that creates comparatively little contrast between the light and dark areas of the shot. shadows are fairly transparent and brightened by fill light

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key light

Back 45

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

Front 46

long shot

Back 46

a framing in which the scale of the object shown is small; a standing human figure would appear nearly the height of the screen

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long take

Back 47

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

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low-key lighting

Back 48

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

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match on action

Back 49

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

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referential meaning

Back 50

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

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explicit meaning

Back 51

significance presented overtly, usually in language and often near the beginning or end of the movie

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implicit meaning

Back 52

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

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sympothatic meaning

Back 53

significance that the film, divulges, often against its will, by virtue of its historical or social context

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medium close-up

Back 54

a framing in which the scale of the object shown in fairly large; a human figure seen from the chest up

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medium long shot

Back 55

framing at a distance that makes an object about 4 or 5 feet appear high

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medium shot

Back 56

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

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montage

Back 57

an approach of editing developed by the soviet filmmakers in the 1920, emphasizes dynamic, often relationships between shots

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motif

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

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narration

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plot conveys or withholds story information.

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narrative form

Back 60

a type of filic organization in which the parts relate to a series of causally related events taking place in time and space

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nondiegetic sound

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sound, such as mood music or a narrator's commentary, represented as coming from a source outside the space of the narrative

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nonsimultaneous sound

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diegetic sound that comes from a source in time either earlier or later than the imag

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180 degree system

Back 63

camera should stay on one side of the action to consistent left-right special relations between elements from shot to shot

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pan

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

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plot

Back 65

all the events that are presented to us,

Front 66

POV shot

Back 66

shot taken with the camera placed where the characters eye would be, showing what the character would see

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reestablishing shot

Back 67

a return to a view of an entire space after a series of closer shots

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rhythm

Back 68

the perceived rate and regularity of sounds, series of shots, and movements within the shot. Factors include beat (pulse), accent (or stress), and tempo (or pace).

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shot/reverse shot

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two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation. Over-the-sholder framings are common

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soft lighting

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

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sound bridge

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at the beginning of one scene, the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins

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space

Back 72

any film displays a two-dimensional graphic space, the flat composition of the image.

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story

Back 73

in a narrative film, all the events that we see and hear, plush all those that we infer or assumed to have occurred.

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style

Back 74

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

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take

Back 75

in filmmaking, the shot produced by one uninterrupted run of the camera. One shot in the final film may be chosen from among several takes of the same action.

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three-point lighting

Back 76

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

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tracking shot

Back 77

a mobile framing tat travels through space forward, backward, or laterally

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wide-angle lens

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