This document contains an in-depth explanation of the various filmic techniques employed in movies. Names and explains various camera shots, camera angles and filmic devices and techniques.
Film Glossary
Bird's eye view (aerial shot). A shot in which the camera photographs a scene
from directly overhead.
Close-up, Close shot. A detailed view of a person or object, usually without much
context provided.
Closed frame. The shot is self-contained in the frame.
Continuity. The kind of logic implied in the association of ideas between edited
shots. "Cutting to continuity" emphasizes smooth transitions between shots, in
which space and time are unobtrusively condensed. "Classical cutting"
emphasizes dramatic or emotional logic between shots rather than one based
strictly on considerations of time and space..
Crane shot. A shot taken from a special device called a crane, which resembles a
huge mechanical arm. The crane carries the camera and cameraman, and can move
in virtually any direction.
Cross cutting. The alternating of shots from two sequences, often in different
locales, to suggest the sequences are taking place simultaneously.
Deep focus. A technique of photography where the subject is placed deep into the
frame and is far away from the camera. The opposite is shallow focus, also known
as foregrounding, where the subject is clearly nearer to the camera / near the front
of the frame.
Dissolve, lap dissolve. These terms refer to the slow fading out of one shot and the
gradual fading in of its successor, with a superimposition of images, usually at the
midpoint.
Dolly shot, tracking shot. A shot taken from a moving vehicle or person. The
camera moves as the subject moves, so the camera changes its location. Originally
tracks were laid on the set to permit a smoother movement of the camera. Today
even a smooth hand-held traveling shot is considered a variation of the dolly shot.
Editing. The joining of one shot (strip of film) with another. The shots can picture
events and objects in different places at different times. Editing is also called
montage.
Establishing shot. Usually an extreme long or long shot offered at the beginning
of a scene or sequence providing the viewer with the context of the subsequent
closer shots.
Extreme close-up. A minutely detailed view of an object or a person. An extreme
close-up of an actor generally includes only his eyes, or his mouth.
Extreme long shot. A panoramic view of an exterior location, photographed from
a great distance, often as far as a quarter-mile away.
Eye-level shot. The placement of the camera approximately 5 to 6 feet from the
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