Film Terms

Front 1

Pan

Back 1

when the camera turns from left to right during a take, pivoting horizontally on its tripod or other anchor. This is a change in angle, not in camera position.

Front 2

Travelling shot

Back 2

the camera physically moves during shooting

Front 3

approach shot

Back 3

the camera physically moves toward the subject during shooting

Front 4

move in/pull back

Back 4

when the camera physically approaches or moves away from the subject

Front 5

tracking shot

Back 5

the camera pursues its subject while shooting (moving on some sort of track)

Front 6

dolly in/out

Back 6

when the camera approaches/moves away from the subject of the shot on a dolly (a wheeled vehicle used to move the camera during the shot)

Front 7

dolly shot

Back 7

a shot using a dolly

Front 8

crane shot

Back 8

a shot taken from a crane

Front 9

hand-held shot

Back 9

when a person holds the camera (without using a tripod)

Front 10

depth of field

Back 10

the range of distance in the shot(nearer to and further from the camera) that appears sharply in focus. this changes depending on the focal length of the lens (and also depending on how open the lens aperture is).

Front 11

focal length

Back 11

the distance between the lens and the film-strip. (Shorter lengths give greater depth of field, while longer lengths give more shallow depth of field.)

Front 12

zoom in/out

Back 12

when it appears as though the camera moves toward/away from the subject, but in fact the camera itself never moves; "zooming" is a trick of the lens, which is made to change focal lengths mid-take. This achieves a very different (e.g. more artificial, more abrupt) effect than "dollying."

Front 13

zoom lens

Back 13

a lens capable of changing focal length

Front 14

fixed length lens

Back 14

a lens incapable of changing focal length

Front 15

wide angle lens

Back 15

a lens with a short focal length, designed to capture a wider angle of view than a person or normal lens can "see." These have greater depth of field.

Front 16

fish-eye lens

Back 16

an extremely wide-angle lens designed to give wide panoramic or hemispherical image

Front 17

telephoto lens

Back 17

a lens with an unusually long focal length, designed to capture small details in close up and/or from far away. these have shallow depth of field

Front 18

freeze frame

Back 18

when a single frame of the film is shown for longer than it would be in normal playback

Front 19

slow or fast motion

Back 19

when the film is shown at a slower - or faster - than normal speed. (filming at an unusually high speed yields a slow-motion effect; filming at an unusually slow speed yields a fast-motion effect.)

Front 20

double-exposure

Back 20

two shots (each filmed at a different time) are layered on one another

Front 21

split-screen

Back 21

two or more shots are presented side-by-side in the same frame

Front 22

mask

Back 22

when something is used to block part of the frame, giving it a new shape (e.g. a keyhole)

Front 23

straight cut

Back 23

when one take ends and other begins without any added effect

Front 24

fade in or out

Back 24

when a take begins or ends with a dissolve (often from/to white or black(

Front 25

dissolve

Back 25

one take fades out as the next fades in

Front 26

take

Back 26

during shooting, a take is a segment of film/video that begins when the camera starts recording and ends when it stops recording; in a finished film, a take is a segment of film/video between cuts. A take can be measured in terms of length of filmstrip or length of time.

Front 27

long take

Back 27

when the camera/film runs for a long time without cutting

Front 28

short take

Back 28

when the camera/film runs for a short time before cutting

Front 29

cut

Back 29

the end of a take

Front 30

shot

Back 30

what is filmed during a take. a shot can be described according to camera set-up (taking distance, camera angle, camera movement, ,etc.), effects, location, etc.

Front 31

interior shot

Back 31

when the camera films inside a building

Front 32

exterior shot

Back 32

when the camera films outside

Front 33

long shot

Back 33

the camera is positioned far from the subject

Front 34

full shot

Back 34

commonly refers to a shot in which the camera shows all of a person

Front 35

medium shot

Back 35

the camera is a t a medium distance from the subject. when filming a person, a medium shot includes the hips and/or waist, torso, and head.

Front 36

close-up

Back 36

the camera is at a close distance from the subject. when filming a person, a close-up tends to show the head.

Front 37

extreme close-up

Back 37

the camera is at a close distance from the subject. Ex: a shot that shows only an eye.

Front 38

high-angle shot

Back 38

when the camera is positioned higher than the subject of the shot.

Front 39

low-angle shot

Back 39

when the camera is positioned lower than the subject of the shot.

Front 40

dutch angle/canted angle

Back 40

when the camera is tilted to one side so that a vertical element in the shot is not parallel to the side of the frame

Front 41

bird's eye view

Back 41

when the camera is positioned high above the subject

Front 42

aerial shot

Back 42

a shot taken from a plane

Front 43

point-of-view shot

Back 43

a shot that is taken as though from the perspective of a character

Front 44

reverse anglee

Back 44

shows whomever or whatever is directly opposite the person or thing shown in the previous shot

Front 45

steady shot

Back 45

when the camera does not move during the take

Front 46

tilt up/down

Back 46

when the camera angle changes during the take, making it seem as though the camera "looks" up or down. the height of the camera itself is not changing; rather, the camera pivots up or down on its tripod or other anchor. this is a change in angle, not in camera position.