Download - Intro to film language
FILM TERMINOLOGYsome basic terms to learn
SHOT SIZE
Shot sizes relate to the human figure. There are five main sizes used in film
Wide
Long
Mid
Close Up
Extreme Close Up
Wide Shot
Mid Shot
Close Up
Extreme Close Up
Long Shot
WIDE SHOT
sometimes called an establishing shot as the wide shot helps establish the location and likely atmosphere of that part of the film.
the wide shot is often a ‘master shot’ of the scene
LONG SHOT
Shows the full body of the character
Often shows how the character relates to the environment, what their place in it is
How do the characters fit in the environment of the sequence you have just seen
MID SHOT
Figures in the frame are only seen from the waist up.
Provides detail while providing some contextual information.
Can often show relationships between characters
CLOSE UP
Contains almost, no background but focuses on the whole of an object or person’s face.
Can be used isolate figure from its surroundings.
Can be used to show emotion or draw attention to information.
Also called a ‘head and shoulders’ shot
Tight Close Up
EXTREME CLOSE UP
Shows enlarged detail of subject or an object
Known as a ‘detail shot’
The ECU is used to highlight a certain part of the frame for emotional or narrative reasons
POINT OF VIEW SHOTA shot as if through the eyes of a character
UNDERSTANDING ‘THE LINE’• When filming a conversation between 2 people, an
important rule is not to cross ‘the line’
• ‘the line’ is a mental guide for both director and editor as to which side of the subject they are shooting and looking at
• think of it as a 180˚ line between the two characters. The camera must stay on one side of it
Here is an example of the line being observed. Notice how the camera can ‘move’ through the line if necessary to film from another angle.
See notes on cross-cutting
CAMERA MOVEMENTThere are FIVE basic camera movements:
Pan
Tilt
Track
Crane
Roll
There is also the camera action of the zoom in and out
PANCamera pivots from left to right or right to left either from object to object or following a figure or object.
The camera itself is usually on a tripod
TILTThe camera pivots up or downThe camera is usually mounted on a tripod
TRACKThe camera moves to track a subject
The movement can be backwards, forwards or sideways
If the camera runs on tracks, it is a ‘dolly’ shot
CRANEThe camera moves vertically, often on a mechanical arm
ROLLThe camera rotates on its axis, pitching the camera sideways. The setting seems to spin or pitch.
Sometimes called a ‘dutch roll’
MOVEMENTS COMBINEDCamera move\ments are often combined.
A steadi-cam can be used to travel where dollies and cranes can’t.
WIDE ANGLE VS TELEPHOTO SHOTS
Wide angle and telephoto refer to whether the camera is zoomed out (wide) or zoomed in (telephoto)
By altering the lens length (zooming in or out), a close up of a person can look completely different
WIDE ANGLE
Wide angle = 1. the image looks ‘deep’ - objects in the background look far away 2. DEEP FOCUS - everything in focus in the shot
distance far awayand in focus
distortion of features, ‘bending’ of edges of frame
TELEPHOTOTelephoto =1. ‘flattening’ of image, so background looks closer
SHALLOW FOCUS - only part of the frame in focus
distance close upand in focus,
while foreground and background out of focus
CAMERA ANGLES
There are 3 main angles
Low
High
‘Dutched’
DUCTHED, DUTCH ANGLE, DUTCH TILT CANTED ANGLE
A Dutch Angle is achieved by tilting the camera off to one side so that teh shot is composed with vertical lines to the sides of the frame
Often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed
The angle refers to where the CAMERA is
LOW angle means the camera is LOW, looking up
HIGH angle means the camera is HIGH, looking down
A low angle is often used to make the subject look powerful, the high angle makes the subject look weak
If the camera is directly above it is an ‘overhead’ or ‘birds-eye’ shot
Lighting plays a big part in creating mood in a film
It is the responsibility of the Director of Photography to light sets
Three alternative lighting effects are:Backlighting - subjects lit from behind - aka silhouetteSidelighting - lit from the side - aka chiaroscuroHighlighting - one part of the frame lit to draw attention to it
LIGHTING
BACKLIGHT
SIDELIGHT OR CHIAROSCURO
HIGHLIGHT