Glossary

a discrepancy between the order of events in a story and the order in which they are presented in the discourse

the relationship between the height and width of the screen

people watching a movie at a screening; when used in a narrative context, the imagined recipient of the story being told

In three-point lighting, it is placed behind the subject opposite and above the camera to separate the subject from the background. Also called "rimlight" or "hairlight." See also key light and fill light.

the movement of a camera during a SHOT (see PAN, TILT, CRANE, DOLLY, TRACKING, HAND-HELD, etc.)

an actor who specializes in playing a certain "type"—sometimes an eccentric or unusual character—rather than leading roles

individual within film, played by an actor; in narrative theory, an entity with agency in a storyworld.

technique that allows one to separate an object from its background based on colors that are unique to either the foreground or background

The manipulated combination of at least two source images to produce an integrated result.

the organization and arrangement of objects, lines, and shapes within the frame

editing approach with a logical, often uninterrupted flow of action or dialogue in time and space is maintained by various cutting techniques

the range of differences between light and shadow (white and black) in a film image. High contrast describes a stark jump from light to shadow with fewer gradations in between. Low contrast refers to an image which captures a broad range of intermediates between light and dark.

alternation of shots to suggest events separated in space but occurring at the same time

the joining of two piece of film in the editing process, where the last frame of one piece of film is joined directly to the first frame of the next

cut from the main action to show related or thematic details not visible in the main shot, then returning to the main action

cut from main action to a detail of the main shot, and then back

Sound which is represented as originating in the storyworld of the film

a translucent or semi-transparent cover that spreads out or scatters light

the manipulation of a story in the presentation of the narrative; how a story is told

an optical effect in which one end of a shot is gradually merged into the beginning of the next by the SUPERIMPOSITION of a FADE-OUT over a FADE-IN

the business of renting films to movie theaters for exhibition and, later, licensing films for broadcast on television, home video, and streaming platforms.

a tradition in filmmaking concerned with the real world and actual events

a camera movement in which the entire camera moves on a horizontal plane in space

Associated most closely with the films of Spike Lee, the double-dolly shot involves having the camera on one dolly and the actor on another.

a shot made with the camera leaned to one side and filming at a diagonal angle

narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events

an EXTREME LONG SHOT which shows the viewer the location of the scene to follow and the relative position of objects within that space.

a camera angle in which the camera is mounted on the same vertical plane as the subject's face

a transition in which a shot dissolves to or from black

film photographed at less than 24 frames per second so that things appear to move faster when projected at 24 fps.

In three-point lighting, the fill light is placed opposite the key light to soften or eliminate shadows caused by the primary source of illumination of the subject being filmed.

a scene or sequence from the storyworld's "past" which is inserted into a scene in the "present" time of the story

1) an individual still photograph on a strip of developed film; 2) the composition boundary of the image; the boundary which delimits the space in which the image is composed.

the position of the camera in relation to the people and objects being filmed

a French word meaning “type” or “kind,” when discussing film we use it to classify films into groupings according to conventions, themes, and style.

camera angle in which the camera looks down at the subject, but not from directly overhead

a lighting style that results in a brightly lit frame with minimal shadows and low contrast

visual effects accomplished solely during principal photography, involving no additional post-production.

see CUT-IN

sound coming from the mind of a character (an interior monologue, for example) that we can hear but the other characters cannot

a measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light (or speed). See also SPEED.

an editing technique used for scene transitions in which the audio of the next scene precedes the shot change

a cut which dramatically breaks continuity of time by jumping from one part of action to another, with two parts separated by an interval of time

In three-point lighting, this is the brightest light illuminating the filmed subject. See also fill light.

an early motion-picture device, invented by Thomas Edison, in which the film passed behind a peephole for viewing by a single viewer

a film editing technique in which the audio from a preceding scene carries over the image of the following scene.

camera angle in which the camera looks up at the subject.

a type of lighting style that accentuates shadows and high contrast

an array of values used to convert data from an input value to a new output value.

a transition between two shots which highlights one or several similar elements—such as shape or movement—in each

a kind of match-cut that connects two shots cut together by having a character finish an action in the second shot begun in the first shot.

the process of optically combining separate shots into one print through double exposure that masks off part of the frame area for one exposure and the opposite area for the other.

the cumulative effect for the viewer of everything set in front of the camera, including the set design, lighting, and actors.

The French word for editing. In the Soviet Union during the 1920s and 1930s, "montage" refers to a particular approach to editing in which contrasting and colliding shots and sequences are juxtaposed with the aim of generating new ideas in the viewer's mind beyond those which the images themselves convey

Transitional sequences of rapidly edited images, used to suggest the lapse of time or the repetition of certain actions.

the audience directly addressed by the narrator (in narrative theory not identical to AUDIENCE, but for our purposes here often can be used as equivalent terms)

the teller of the story

a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and current events

sound which is represented as emanating from sources outside the story world of the film

a camera movement in which the camera pivots left to right or right to left on a horizontal plane from a fixed point.

the final stage in a film's production after principal photography, involving editing, the addition of sound/visual effects, musical scoring, mixing, dubbing, etc.

effects that are accomplished live, without any post-production

the individual overseeing a film’s production; responsibilities generally include securing investments; selecting the key personnel, including the director; finalizing the script and production schedule. In contemporary productions, the producer often serves as the liaison between the filmmakers and the investors.

responsible for budgets, shooting schedules, and managing the day-to-day business side of a film production

a SHOT or series of shots depicting a single, continuous action and which takes place within one specific place or setting.

a series of SHOTS or SCENES depicting a continuous action which takes place in a succession of settings, but united by some logic of coherence

films, popular before the rise of television, which tell their stories over the course of short regular (often weekly) installments

the time and place in which the movie’s story occurs, including landscape, social structures, climate, cultural attitudes, customs, and norms..

version of a screenplay used during the production of a motion picture

a single continuous piece of film, however long or short, without cuts or optical transitions.

Shutter speed is the amount of time each individual frame is exposed to light.

technique where a moveable slide, into which a slit has been cut, is inserted between the camera and the subject to be photographed.

the film runs through the camera at faster than normal rate (also called "overcranking"), so that when projected the action will seem to move slower

the sensitivity of film stock to light; a "fast film" needs less light to capture an image than a "slow" one. See also ISO

to physically join two pieces of film together

an editing technique in which the audio starts before (or after) the picture cut (see L-cut or J-cut)

an animation technique using solid 3D models, figures, or puppets appear to move. One frame is shot at a time while the models are repositioned, giving the illusion of natural motion.

the complete chronological sequence of interconnected events in a film or other narrative form

special effect which creates the appearance, disappearance, or transformation by altering one or more aspects of the mise-en-scène between two shots while maintaining the same framing and other aspects of the scene in both shots.

an extremely fast pan movement, often used at the end of a shot as a transition to the next shot.

a camera movement in which the camera moves up or down from a fixed pivot point

techniques for moving from one shot or scene to the next one, including a straightforward cut, or fade, dissolve, and wipes.

an optical device, usually a transition between shots, in which the new shot replaces the old by "pushing" it off the frame.

visual effects technique used to remove wires in films, where the wires are originally included as a safety precaution or to simulate flying

early moving-image device that produce the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion by rotating a cylinder

a camera movement in which the apparent distance from the object changes from far to near or near to far (not through camera movement but through changing the lens magnification).