Audience. The groups or individuals who consume a media text. People creating media products often think about the experience and knowledge of their intended audience.
Back light. A light source positioned behind the subject, often obscuring and creating a sense of menace.
Close Up. A shot that shows detail, usually a character’s face.
Crane shot. The camera is mounted on a crane, helping filmmakers to achieve dynamic overhead shots.
Cross cutting. Cutting back and forth between two events occurring simultaneously.
Cross dissolve. In editing, a fade from one image to another.
Cross fade. A fade from one sound to another.
Cut. A basic edit when shot is replaced by another with no transition between the two.
Cut away. In an edited sequence, ‘cut away’ refers to a shot edited in that is unrelated to the action.
Cut in. In an edited sequence, ‘cut in’ refers to a shot that shows part of the action in detail.
Diegetic. Sound that is part of the ‘world’ of a film.
Establishing shot. Establishing shots are often used at the beginning of scenes to establish the setting. At the beginning of a film, for example, you might see an extreme long shot of a city. Then, we might cut to a closer shot of a street, then a building and finally the character inside.
Extreme close up. Extreme close ups are usually an attempt to draw the viewer’s attention to a particular, small detail. For example, the director may choose to cut from a mid shot of a character to an extreme close-up of a gun in his hand.
Extreme long shot. Establishing shots are often used at the beginning of scenes to establish the setting. At the beginning of a film, for example, you might see an extreme long shot of a city. Then, we might cut to a closer shot of a street, then a building and finally the character inside.
Eye level shot. This is the most commonly used camera angle in film and television. The characters appear at eye level.
Eye line match. In filmmaking and eye line match is when two people, who are framed separately, appear to be looking at each other.
Fade. Gradually increase or decrease a sound.
Fade in. The screen is black, a shot gradually appears. Often used at the beginning of a sequence.
Fade out. An image gradually fades to black. This is often used at the end of a sequence.
Fill light. A light which makes areas in shadow more visible.
Focus. Refers to the ‘sharpness’ of an image.
Foley sound. Sound effects recorded in a studio during the post production of a film.
Full shot. A character filmed from head to toe.
Gain. The amplification of a sound.
Genre. Genre is a French word that means ‘type’. Films are classified into different genres. Notable genres include: action, adventure , comedy, crime, epic films, horror, musicals, science fiction, war films, westerns and film noir.
Handheld camera movement. The camera is handheld, often slightly shaky, creating a sense of realism. (Handy - Cam)
Headroom. The space above an actor’s head in a frame.
High angle shot. The camera is positioned above the subject, looking down at an angle. This angle makes the subject appear smaller, powerless and more vulnerable.
High key light. Few shadows and little contrast. Often used in television sitcoms. Uniform lighting allows scenes to be shot quickly without repositioning lights.
Hypodermic Needle Theory. The Hypodermic Needle Theory suggests that the media has a direct and powerful influence on audiences. It was developed in the 1920s and 1930s after researchers observed the effect of propaganda during World War I and incidents such as Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast. It became the dominant way of thinking about media influence during the subsequent decades. The Hypodermic Needle theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that a media message is injected directly into the brain of a passive, homogenous audience. This theory suggests that media texts are closed and audiences are influenced in the same way.
Jump cut. In filmmaking, when two shots that only vary slightly are edited together creating a sense of discontinuity. Often used to condense time.
Key light. The main source of light in a shot.
Lighting. In filmmaking and photography, lighting refers to the illumination of a subject or scene.
Long shot. A long shot usually shows the subject from a distance, showing characters in the distance with a large amount of scenery.
Low angle. The camera is positioned below eye level, looking up, to imply a sense of power and dominance.
Low key lighting. Creates a ‘chiaroscuro’ effect, a strong contrast between light and dark areas.
Lower third. In documentary film and news, the name of a person that appears in the lower third of the frame.
Match cut. A cut or dissolve between two visually similar images. One of the most famous examples of this is in 2001: A Space Odyssey, when Stanley Kubrick cuts between a shot of a bone flung into the air by an ape and a shot of a satellite orbiting earth.
Montage. In Hollywood films, a montage is a short sequence that shows the condensed progression of time.
Motif. In film, a motif is a recurring image that symbolises an idea or issue.
Master shot. In filmmaking, a shot that features all the action in a scene.
Mise-en-scene. Mise en scene is a French term that refers to ‘putting into the scene’. Whereas visual composition usually refers to how specific elements are arranged, li en scene is a broader term that refers to the artistic look and feel of a shot. It encompasses a range of elements, including lighting, costume, make up, camera techniques and the positioning and movement of actors.
Narrative. A constructed story, usually in a novel, film, radio drama or television program.
Noddies. A shot of a character or interviewer listening to someone out of frame.
Non diegetic sound. Sounds that exist outside the ‘world’ of the film, such as an orchestral score.
Overshot. The camera is positioned directly above the subject. This is often used in establishing shots, where the camera flies over city streets.
Over the shoulder shot. Often used when shooting dialogue, the shoulder of the character someone is talking to is visible in the side of the frame.
Pan. The camera turns horizontally when mounted on a tripod.
Parallel editing. Cutting between two scenes that are occurring simultaneously.
Point of view. The point of view from which the narrative is presented. The character, or characters, that the audience is encouraged to identify with. Not to be confused with a point of view shot.
Point of view shot. A point of view shot shows what a character is looking at. To achieve a point of view shot, you need a shot of your character looking at something. This is usually a close up or mid shot. You then cut to a shot of what they’re looking at.
Post production. The final phase of film production which occurs after principal photography and usually involves the editing, scoring and sound design of a film.
Preproduction. The first phases of film production which usually involves developing an idea, writing a treatment, writing a screenplay, casting and location scouting.
Pull focus. When the focus moves from one object to another.
Rule of thirds. The Rule of Thirds is an aesthetically pleasing way to compose the frame. If you divide the frame into thirds, the points of interest should be positioned along these lines or at their intersections.
Rushes. The footage shot during a day of shooting.
SFX. Sound effects.
Setting. The setting for a narrative.
Shot reverse shot. Cutting between two characters who are looking offscreen in different directions, creating the impression that they’re talking to each other.
Steadicam. A device that allows camera operators to achieve smooth, fluid camera movement even when moving quickly across rough terrain.
Storyboards. The visual planning document for a film. Every shot in the film is represented by an illustration or digital photograph.
Tilt. The camera tilts up/down when mounted on a tripod.
Tracking. The space between letters.
Tracking shot. Any sort of shot where the camera follows a moving subject.
Two shot. A shot containing two people.
Undershot. The camera is positioned directly beneath the subject, looking up. Often coupled with point-of-view shots when the character is looking up at something.
Voice over. Off screen narration in a narrative.
Wipe. In editing, a transition that wipes from one image to another.
Zoom. The lens of a camera is used to magnify an image. Audience. The groups or individuals who consume a media text. People creating media products often think about the experience and knowledge of their intended audience.
