Editing and Camera Terms

editing organizing and assembling shots; the art of selecting, trimming, coordinating, and cutting the footage into a projection sequence that will become the film

cut instantaneous transfer from one shot… … to the next

dissolve gradual merging of the end of one shot into the beginning of another The image of the girl slowly appears while the previous image is still on the screen.

fade out shot gradually disappears into darkness

fade in gradual emergence of a shot out of darkness

cut-away a shot that temporarily draws the audience’s attention away from the main action

iris shot edges of the screen are black, with the image appearing in a round cut-out frame; May be used to bring a scene into or out of view

superimposition one shot appears on top of another

Camera Angles and Distance the location at which the movie camera or video camera is placed to take a shot. Any shot may be filmed from many possible camera angles and distances. The choice of camera angle and distance can impact the way the scene and the characters are perceived by the audience.

high angle camera looks down on subject

low angle camera looks up at subject

flat angle camera is on the same plane as subject

Camera Distance the distance between the camera and the subject

long shot shows the subject at a distance

establishing shot shows the subject in relation to his general surroundings

close shot shot taken in close proximity to a subject, revealing detail

medium shot shows subject in relation to some immediate surroundings (waist up)

Camera Movement The camera rotates or is moved on a mechanism of some kind, or an effect creates the illusion of movement.

pan camera rotates laterally (side to side)

tilt tripod remains in one place as camera pivots vertically (up and down)

zoom camera remains in one place but seems to move toward or away from subject because of an action lens

dolly camera, on a tripod, moves toward or away from subject

tracking camera moves on a tripod parallel to the moving subject