Media ISL: Glossary

Glossary of Camera Shots, Camera Movements, Editing Techniques and Filming Techniques and Terms.

Camera Shots:

Extreme Long Shot: 

• Show the subjects surroundings
• Can also be used as an establishing scene to introduce new scenes and settings
• Can be used where action is spread out.
• This shot is used to establish the surroundings and give more information about the surroundings, to the viewer

Longshot:

• Mostly the subject takes up all the frame eg. a man standing, his feet are nearly at the bottom and his head is almost at the top
• It can be used to show the character in their own environment.

Midshot:

• Close enough to show us particular feautures of the subject yet far away enough to feel like we're looking at the whole subject
• This shot is often used as it feels like you can see the person in the flesh as  when in conversation most people look at the top half of the body.
• Allows room for movements and gestures.
• Often used in conversations and news reading.

Medium close up:

• Can show face comfortably giving an insight into the expression on the face.

Close Up:

• Feature/part is the main focus.
• Its good for showing detail, and the emotional state of a person. it makes the audience empathize with the person.

Extreme Close Up:

• Draws attention to important details yet too close to show emotion or dramatic scenes.
• Can make the viewer feel uncomfortable, so is not used very often

Cut Away:

• this is a shot of something other than the normal subject, it can be a  close up of something else that relates or carries on to the main subject.
• These can be used as a "buffer" between shots or to add some more info.

Two Shot:

• This can be used to establish a relationship between two subjects, which will be equally as important as one another.
•  Two shot can also include action and movement, so two moving people without getting too muddled up with the surroundings.

Over the Shoulder:

• This is a shot of a a person looking at a subject and we can see both the person looking at the subject and the subject.
• An over the shoulder shot is exactly that, it is a shot of over the shoulder of someone, it can also be reversed
• Its a good technique to use in conversation and can give a person point of view.

Noddy Shot:

• A reaction to the subject, this is very good to edit in later if no film can be put in place.
• Interviews. Nodding. Etc.

POV Shot:

• This is a point of view shot where we get the subject point of view
• can create tension

Camera Movement:

Low angle/high angle:

• Low angles can give a sense of scale to a building, or show power or authority
• High angles can make the viewer feel small and inferior, it will also make the subject seem small and inferior.

Pan:

• Can create action, speed and tension
• Used in chase scenes to follow the action and make you feel like you're actually there.

Tracking Shot:

• Creates tension and excitement and lets you follow the action.
• Helps to give a feel of motion and speed.

Tilt:

• Can be used to create a sense of height or size

Canted/Dutch:

• The camera is  not straight, giving a sense of chaos or abnormality

Zoom in/Zoom out:

• Can highlight or give more information about the subject

Crane Shot:

• Can help to show size and scale and how the subject fits into the scene.

Handheld:

• The camera moves with the action
• can make the viewer empathize with the character
• Can create tension

Filming Techniques:

Rule of thirds:

• If a noughts and crosses grid was drawn upon a scene the interest points would be where the lines cross.

Golden Mean:

• If you drew a diagonal line across the scene the points of interest wshould be along that line.

Transitions:

Dissolve:

• This is where one shot dissolves into another
• it can show time passing

Fade in/Fade out:

• Can help to show time has passed.

Fade to black/white:

• Can be used for flashbacks if used quickly.
• can create a sense of panic or build up tension.

Cross Cutting:

• Can show parallels and contrasts
• Like in Quantum of Solace ( the James Bond Film) it can be used to show two scenes which are happening at once
• Can build up tension and also gives us more info.

Wipe:

• A shot wipes across another shot
• Can look messy and unprofessional if not done correctly or badly timed.

Jumpcut:

• This is a very very very fast cut and can show a scene ending.

Match on Action:

• Cuts match action.
• A view of a dog walking down the stairs from behind...
• CUT
• A view of the dog taking the same step from the front ( the fluidity is very important you can have the dog jumping down a few stairs even though its walking)

Sound:

Digetic Sound:

• Heard on location and recorded on set.Includes most speech and normal background noise.

Non-Digetic:

• Added after filming, so includes soundtrack, sound effects and anything else added on after/