The Vocabulary of Film

 General Terms
Frame – the rectangle formed by the edge of the screen. The basic unit of visual
construction that not only defines what an audience views, but also what it does
not. The frame works physically and symbolically to construct narrative. What
can we see? What does it mean?
Shot – a single piece of film from “action” to “cut.”
Scene – a series of shots within one location.
Mise-en-Scene – everything that is in a frame.

 Camera Shots
Extreme long shot – a shot taken from a long distance away.
These are often landscape shots or shots that give a view of a
whole world – a city, a town, or even a galaxy – where the
story is set.
Long shot – shows whole location of action and the entire
body of any human figure.
***Both extreme long shots and long shots are often used as
establishing shots to establish location and time (setting).
Medium shot – shows a human body from the ankles or
knees up and is generally used to show interaction between
characters, including dialogue and movement.
Close up – Head and shoulders shot often used to create
intimacy, show emotional responses from characters, or focus
attention on an object.
Extreme close-up – Usually eyes or mouth. The most
intimate of shots. Conveys emotion.
Point of view – shot taken as if through a character’s eyes.
Depth of field – the section of the shot that is in focus.
Shallow focus – foreground is in focus, but background is
blurred.
Deep focus – both foreground and background are in focus at
the same time.
Soft focus – blurring.
  Camera Position

Bird’s eye view – the camera looks directly down on the subject.
Worm’s eye view – the camera looks
directly up at the subject.
High angle – camera placed above the
subject. Subject may appear small,
insignificant, or threatened.
Eye level – camera is on the same plane
as the subject. This is the most common
angle.
Low angle – camera placed lower than
the subject and gives the impression of
looking up at the subject. Implies
subject’s significance, power, and
authority.
Dutch tilt (canted) – the camera is tilted on an angle. Indicates discord, confusion, and may unsettle the viewer.

 Camera Movement
Tracking or dolly shot – camera moves forwards (“dolly in”)
or backwards (“dolly out”).
Pan – camera moves horizontally from one thing to another.
Tilt – camera moves vertically, up and down.

 Editing – assembling shots together in a certain order

Cut – change from one shot to another.
Dissolve – one scene dissolves into another. May indicate the passing of time.
Fade – shot fades.
Wipe – one shot is wiped from the screen by another.
Shot-Reverse-Shot – action/reaction between two characters.
Parallel action – interweaving two or more sets of action that are happening in separate locations at the same
time.
  Sound
Diegetic (die-uh-jet-ic) sound – natural sounds coming from characters or objects in the
story world.
Non-diegetic sound – sounds added to the soundtrack which do not originate from the
scene. For example, voice over narration, music, or sound effects like the ticking of a
clock.

 Lighting
High key – shots are brightly lit, most shadows eliminated.
Low key – uses shadows to create atmosphere and suspense.
Chiaroscuro – strong contrast between light and dark in a stylized manner.
Lighting a character from below – creates a feeling of power and authority.
Lighting a character from above – creates a “halo” effect and suggests beauty or
innocence.
Lighting a character from behind (backlighting) – obscures features and creates either a sinister silhouette (a
monster in a horror movie) or a glow (a hero or magical figure).

 Youtube tutorials:
o film techniques for students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvybQ5RpMkc

o film techniques - camera shots, camera angles, camera movement, lighting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL0Trm8Avk0

o intro to film technique and terminology (with Peter Jackson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFUKRTFhoiA

*adapted from Visual Storytelling and the Grammar of Filmmaking Parts 1 & 2 of a History of Film study guide series published by Pacific
Cinematheque and “Film Studies Vocabulary” by Vlad Dima.