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