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Film Terminology

78 cards · 🇺🇸 English

Essential vocabulary of filmmaking and film analysis.

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180-degree rule

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1180-degree rule
A guideline that keeps the camera on one side of an imaginary axis between characters, maintaining consistent spatial relationships on screen
230-degree rule
A guideline stating the camera should move at least 30 degrees between successive shots to avoid jarring jump cuts
3Above-the-line costs
Budget expenditures for individuals guiding creative direction: screenwriter, producer, director, and actors
4Below-the-line costs
Budget expenditures for the rest of the film crew and production team, separate from creative leadership
5Blocking
The precise staging and positioning of actors to facilitate performance in a film
6Close-up shot
A shot that tightly frames a person or object, typically showing a face from the shoulders up
7Establishing shot
A shot showing the context for a scene by displaying the relationship between important figures and objects, often a wide shot
8Dutch angle
A shot where the camera is tilted on its roll axis, creating diagonal vertical lines to portray psychological uneasiness
9High-angle shot
A shot where the camera looks down on the subject from above, often making them seem vulnerable or powerless
10American shot
A medium-long (knee-level) shot of a group of characters arranged so all are visible, allowing complex dialogue without camera changes
11Cinematography
The art of motion-picture photography by recording light electronically or chemically on film
12Cinematographer
The person responsible for capturing the film's images, also known as the director of photography
13Camera operator
A crew member who physically operates the film camera or digital video camera during shooting
14Dolly shot
A shot where the camera moves horizontally on a wheeled cart (dolly), often toward or away from the subject
15Crane shot
A shot taken from a camera mounted on a crane, allowing vertical and sweeping horizontal movements
16Tracking shot
A shot where the camera moves alongside the subject, following its motion
17Pan
A horizontal camera movement pivoting left or right from a fixed position
18Tilt
A vertical camera movement pivoting up or down from a fixed position
19Zoom
Changing the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or farther without moving the camera
20Dolly zoom
A technique combining dolly movement and zoom in opposite directions, creating a disorienting effect (aka Vertigo effect)
21Depth of field
The range of distance within which objects appear acceptably sharp in a shot
22Shallow depth of field
When only a narrow range of distance is in focus, blurring the background or foreground
23Deep focus
A technique where both foreground and background remain in sharp focus simultaneously
24Cut
An abrupt transition from one shot to another by ending the first and immediately beginning the next
25Jump cut
An abrupt transition between shots that creates a temporal discontinuity, appearing to jump forward in time
26Cutting on action
An editing technique where the cut occurs during an action, making the transition less noticeable
27Dissolve
A gradual transition where one shot fades out while the next fades in, briefly overlapping
28Fade-in
A transition where the shot gradually appears from black or another solid color
29Fade-out
A transition where the shot gradually disappears to black or another solid color
30Wipe
A transition where one shot appears to push the previous shot off screen in a specific direction or pattern