TERMS FOR VISUAL MEDIA Camera Moves

Persistence of Vision the brain retains images cast on the retina for 1/20th to 1/5th of a second, allowing the images on the film to appear to be moving.

Phi Phenomenon the optical illusion which causes spinning fan blades to appear as one unit.

Pan turning the camera left or right on an axis … either “right” or “left”

Truck physically moving the camera left or right … either “right” or “left”

Tilt tipping the camera up or down on an axis … either “up” or “down”

Pedestal To physically raise or lower the camera …either “up” or “down” (boom shot)

Zoom changing the magnification of an image… either “in” or “out”

Dolly physically moving the camera toward or away from the subject… either “in” or “out”

Arc physically moving the camera in a semi-circular or circular pattern around the subject

Rule of Thirds technique of dividing the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically to promote a balanced picture. Points of interest – 4, located at the intersection of the 1/3 cutlines.

Rule of 180 The camera is placed on one side of the line of action and kept within that 180 degrees of the circle. This allows for constancy of motion. It keeps the audience “oriented.” Changing the 180 rule can “disorient” the audience, or allow for more camera shots in a small location.

Frame the smallest unit of film structure

Frame Rate speed of film or video -24 fps – film; -30 fps - video fast motion – film slower to create fast motion slow motion – film faster to create slow motion

Aspect Ratio frame height to width ratio Film 7(wide) x 4(high) Video- 4x3 letterbox style – what happens when the film is not formatted to fit the TV screen.

Camera Shots

Hand Held Camera - jerky, uneven movement of the camera that heightens our sense of reality by simulating the subjective viewpoint of a character in motion.

Shot - a continuously exposed, unedited piece of film of any length.

Arial Shot - a shot from above made from a plane, helicopter, or crane.

Crane Shot - a shot taken from a mobile crane device.

Establishing Shot - a long shot that orients the audience by providing visual information for the scene that follows.

Long Shot - a shot which includes a good deal of background

Full Shot - a shot which includes the subject's entire body

Medium Shot - a shot midway between a close up and a full shot, including from the knees up

Head Shot - a shot of the subject from the shoulders up

Close Up - a shot of a subject's face or where the subject fills the fram

Reaction Shot - usually a close up of the emotional reaction registered on the face of the person most affected by the dialoge or action....a character reacting rather than acting

Over the Shoulder Shot - a shot looking over the shoulder of one character towards another

Eye Line Shot - a shot that shows us what a character is seeing