1. Film and Literature Terms
(Yes, you will need to take notes)

2. General Terms
Shot
Scene
Montage
Storyboard

3. Shot
A basic unit of film
An unbroken strip of film that is unedited

4. Kinds of Shots Long shot Medium (Mid) shot Close Up Reverse Shot
Subjective Shot/Point of View Shot
Low angle
High angle

5. Long Shot Usually but not always, the starting shot of a film
An overall view of the entire scene
Think of it as watching a play
Sets the scene
When looking at a person you will see their entire body

6. Examples of Long Shots Long Shot from Eyes Wide Shut
Long Shot from Titanic
Long Shot from Men in Black

7. Medium (Mid) Shot A shot from a middle distance (fairly close)
Focuses on the subject but also can give background information
On a person this will show the individual from the knees or waist up

8. Medium (Mid) Shot Mid Shot from 30 Rock Mid Shot from The Wizard of Oz
Mid shot from The Pursuit of Happiness

9. Close Up Focuses on the individuals face
Meant to show expressions or reactions
Provides a detailed view
On a person this shot shows a persons head or head and shoulders

10. Close Ups Close up from Harry Potter Close up from Avatar
Close up from The Color of Paradise

11. Reverse shot Two or more shots edited together
Used to alternate between characters
May be used for conversations

12. Monster's Inc. Reverse Shot

13. Subjective or POV (point of view) Shot
Created to allow the audience to see the scene from a characters view point
Places the camera where the characters eyes would be
Allows the audience to see what the character sees

14. Subjective POV Shot

15. Subjective POV
Peking Opera Blues

16. Montage
A type of editing in which several, discontinuous or unrelated clips are brought together
This is used to compress time (bring everything together)
Linked through similar sound or music
Used to show the relationship between shots
Created by Soviet film makers

17. Montage
Montage from Rocky V

18. Types of Camera Angles
Low Angle
High Angle
Birds-eye View

19. Low Angle Filmed from below
The camera is low and shoots in an upward direction
Used to make the audience feel like they are below the object of focus (smaller in size)
Low Angle Shot from Alice in Wonderland

20. High Angle Filmed from above
The camera shoots from a high point facing downward
Used to make the audience feel as though they are above the object in focus (larger than)
High Angle camera shot from The Godfather

21. High Angle and Low Angle
Example of High and Low Angle shots in Scrubs

22. Bird’s-Eye View A shot done from an overhead view point
This shot puts the audience in an “all-knowing”, “all-seeing” position
Has the ability to make objects look insignificant

23. Bird’s-Eye View
Bird’s-Eye View of the Bellagio Hotel

24. Camera Movements
Pan
Tilt
Tracking/Dolly

25. Pan
A fixed camera moves horizontally from left to right or right to left
The camera is stationary (DOES NOT MOVE)
Used to illustrate the need for a quick decision due to a character’s lack of time
Mimics a moving head

26. Pan
Traffic

27. Tilt Taken from a stationary camera set at an angle or “tilt”
Focuses on vertical movement (up and down or down and up)
Camera DOES NOT MOVE

28. Tilt
Besieged

29. Tracking/Dolly A moving camera that is mounted on a tracker
Used to follow a characters actions or movements
Creates a sense of relationship with the character because the audience moves WITH them

30. Tracking/Dolly

31. Editing
Cut
Fade
Dissolve
Iris
Freeze Frame
Superimposition

32. Cut To edit a shot A simple break where two shots are joined together
Dancer in the Dark

33. Types of Cuts
Jump Cut
Cross cut

34. Jump Cut An abrupt transition between shots
This cut is used to illustrate breaks in continuity
Used to illustrate the difficulty of telling a complex story in film
This type of film cut is mostly associated with music videos and alternative film making (Indy Films)

35. Jump Clip
Dancer in the Dark

36. Cross Cut Cutting back and forth between two or more separate scenes
This suggests that the events occur at the same time
Used to heighten tension and suspense

37. Cross Cut
Yi Yi

38. Fade Gradual darkening of the image until it becomes black (Fade Out)
Gradual brightening of darkness until it becomes visible (Fade In)

39. Fade out and fade in example

40. Dissolve
Fading out on one shot while fading in on another shot at the same time
The first shot will gradually disappear as the second shot gradually appears
For a few seconds, the two clips will be superimposed

41. Dissolve
The Stendhal Syndrome

42. Iris Rarely used in contemporary film (current day)
Often used in silent films
The camera lens gradually opens or closes over the scene
Meant to mimic when the iris of the eye opens and closes to widen or narrow an image
This will be signified by blackness around the edges of the scene

43. Iris
Neighbors

44. Freeze Frame Single frame that is reprinted a number of times
This gives the illusion of a still photo rather than a moving film clip
Mimics a stop or freeze in time

45. Superimposition Does not signify a transition in film
Used to allow an actor to appear simultaneously as two characters in a scene

46. Superimposition
Example in Forest Gump
Neighbors

47. Sound
Soundtrack
Score
Sound Effects
Voice-Over

48. Soundtrack The dialogue and sound effects of a scene
Should indicate something that the images don’t (usually emotion or feelings)

49. Score
The musical soundtrack of a film

50. Sound Effects Sounds added to provide realism
All sounds that are neither dialogue (talking) or soundtrack (music)

51. Voice-Over Spoken word placed over the film and dialogue
Is not filmed at the same time as the clip it is used over
Often used to convey a character’s thoughts or memories
This is often used in biography or film noire films

52. Voice-Over
Ice Storm

53. Storyboard A graphic organizer for film Resembles a comic book
A series of sketches that lays out the set-ups of the shots
Helps the film-maker visualize a film before it is made
Each sketch identifies:
Kind of shot
Angle
Description of the shot
How long the shot will be

54. Storyboard