Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Vocab for Film History
Vocab for Friday
90
Film, Theatre & Television
Undergraduate 1
01/14/2008

Additional Film, Theatre & Television Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Academy Ratio
Definition
The standardized shape of the film frame stablished by the Academny of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In the original ratio, the frame was 1.33:1; later the width was nomalized to 1.85:1
Term
Angle of Framing
Definition

The postion of the frame in relation to the subject it shows: above it, looking down (a high angle); horizontal, on the same level (a straight-on angle); looking up (a low angle).

 

Term
Animation
Definition
Any process whereby artificial movement is created by photographing a series of drawings, objects, or computer images one by one. Small changes in position, recorded frame by frame, create the illusion of movement
Term
Aspect Ratio
Definition
The relationship of the frame's width to its height. The standard ratio is 1.85:1
Term
Auteur
Definition
The presumed or actual "author" of a film, usually identified as the director. Also sometimes used in an evaluative sense to distinguish good filmmakers from bad ones
Term
Axis of Action
Definition
In the continuity editing system, the imaginary line that passes from side to side through the main actors, defining the spatial relations of all the elements of the scene as being tot hte right or left. Thecamera is not supposed to cross the axis at a cut and thus revers those spatial relations. Also called the "180 degree line"
Term
Backlighting
Definition
Illumination cast onto the figures in the scene from the side opposite the camera, usually creating a thin outline of highlighting on those figures
Term
Canted Framing
Definition
A view in which the frame is not level; either the right or left side is lower than the other, causing objects in the scene to appear slanted out of an upright position
Term
Cel Animation
Definition
Animation that uses a series of drawings on pieces of celluloid, called "cels" for short. Slight changes between the drawings combine to create an illusion of movement.
Term
Cinematography
Definition
A general tern forall the manipulations of the film strip by the camera in the shooting phase and by the laboratory in the developoing phase
Term
close-up
Definition
a framing in whic hthe scale of the object shown is relatively large; mostly commonly a person's head seen from the neck up, or an object of a comparable size that fills most of the screen
Term
Closure
Definition
the defree to which the ending of a narrative film reveals the effects of all teh causal events and resolves all line of action. ("closes off")
Term
Continuity Editing
Definition
A system of cutting to maintain continuous and clear narrative action. Continuity editing relies upon matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from shot to shot
Term
Contrast
Definition
In cinematography, the difference between the brightest and darkest areas within the frame.
Term
Crane Shot
Definition
A shot with a change in framing accomplished by having the camera above the ground and moving through the air in any direction
Term
Crosscutting
Definition
Editing that alternates shots of two or more line of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously.
Term
Cut
Definition
In the finished film, an instantaneous change from one framing to another
Term
Cut-in
Definition
An instantaneous shift from a distant framing to a closer view of some portion of the same space
Term
deep focus
Definition
a use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps both the close and distant planes being photographed in sharp focus
Term
deep space
Definition
an arrangement of mise-en-scene elements so that there is a considerable distance between the plane closest to the camera and the one farthest away. Any or all of these planes may be in focus.
Term
depth of field
Definition
The measuerments of the closest and farthest planes in front of the camera lens between which everything will be in sharp focus. A depth of field from five to sixteen feet, for example, would mean everything closer than five feet and farther than sixteen feet would be out of focus
Term
Dialogue overlap
Definition
In editing a scene, arranging the cut so that a bit of dialogue coming from shot A is heard under a show which shows another character on another element in the scene
Term
Diegesis
Definition
In a narrative film, the world of the film's story. The diegesis includes events that are presumed to have occured and actions and spaces not shown onscreen
Term
diegetic sound
Definition
any voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as orginating from a source within the film's world
Term
direct sound
Definition
Music, noise, and speech recorded from the event at the moment of filming; opposite of postsynchronization
Term
discontinuity editing
Definition
Any alternative system of joining shots together using techniques unacceotable within coninuity editing principles. Possibilities would include mismatching of temporal and spatial relations, violations of the axis of action, and concentration on graphic relationships.
Term

Dissolve

Definition
A transition between two shots during which the first image gradually disappears while the second image gradually appears; for a moment the two images blend in superimposition
Term
Distance of Framing
Definition
The apparent distance of the frame from teh mise-en-scene elements. Also called "camera distance" and "shot scale"
Term
distribution
Definition
One of the three branches of the film industry; the process of supplying the finished film to the places where it will be shown
Term
Dolly
Definition
A camera support with wheels, used in making tracking shots
Term
Dubbing
Definition
The process of replacing part or all of the voices on the sound track in order to correct mistakes or rerecord dialogue
Term
Editing
Definition
In filmmaking, the task of selecting and joining camera takes. In the finished film, the set of techniques that governs the relations among shots.
Term
Ellipsis
Definition
In the narrative film, the shortening of plot duration achieved by omitting intervals of story duration.
Term
Establishing Shot
Definition
A shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the importnat figures, objects, and setting in a scene.
Term
Exhibition
Definition
One of the three general areas of the film industry; the process of showing the finished film to audiences
Term
External Diegetic Sound
Definition
Sound represented as coming from a physical source within the story space and which we assume characters in the scene also hear.
Term
Extreme Long Shot
Definition
A framing in which teh scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people will fill the screen
Term
Eyeline Match
Definition
A cut obeying the axis of action principle, in which the first shot shows a person looking off in one direction and the second shows a nearby space containing what he or she sees. If the person looks left, the following shot should imply that the looker is offscreen right
Term
fade
Definition
Fade in: a dark screen that gradually brightens as a shot appears. Fade out: A shot gradually darkens as the screen goes black. Occasionally, fade-outs brighten to pure white or to a color
Term

Film Noir

Definition
"Dark film," a term applied by French critics to a type of American film, usually in the detective or thriller genres, with low-key lighting and a somber mood
Term
Film Stock
Definition
The strip of material upon which a series of still photographs is registered; it consists of a clear base coated on one side with a light-sensitive emulsion
Term
Filter
Definition
A piece of glass or gelatin placed in front of the camera or printer lens to alter the quality of quantity of light striking the film in the aperture
Term
Flashback
Definition

An alteration of story order in which the plot moves back to show events that have taken place earlier than ones already shown

Term
Flashforward
Definition
An alteration of story order in which the plot presentation moves forward to future events, then returns to the present.
Term
Following shot
Definition
A shot with framing that shifts to keep a moving figure onscreen
Term
Form
Definition
The general system of relationships among the parts of a film
Term
Frame
Definition
A single image on the strip of film. When a series of frames is projected onto a screen in quick succession, an illusion of movement is created by the spectator
Term
genres
Definition
Various types of films which audiences and filmmakers recognize by their familiar narrative conventions. Common genres are musical, gangster, and Western films.
Term
Graphic Match
Definition
Two successive shots joined so as to create a strong similarity of compositional elements
Term
Hard Lighting
Definition
Illumination that creates sharp-edged shadows
Term
Ideology
Definition
A relatively coherent system of values, beliefs, or ideas shared by some social group and often taken for granted as natural or inherently true
Term
Internal Diegetic Sound
Definition
Sound represented as coming from the mind of a character within the story space. Although we and the character can hear it, we assume that the otehr characters cannot.
Term
Jump Cut
Definition
An elliptical cut that appears to be an interruption of a single shot. Either the figures seem to cahgne instantly against a constant background, or the background changes instantly while the figures remain constant
Term

Linearity

Definition
In a narrative, the clear motivation fo a series of causes and effects that progress without signigicant digressions, delays, or irrelevant actions.
Term
Long Shot
Definition
A framing in which the scale of the object shown is small; a standing human figure would appear nearly theheight of the screen
Term

Long Take

Definition
A shot that continues for an unusually lengthy time before the transition to the next shot
Term
Matte Shot
Definition
A type of process shot in which different areas of the image (usually actors and setting) are photographed separately and combined in laboratory work
Term
Medium Close-Up
Definition
A framing in which the scale of the object shown isfairly large; a human figure seen from the chest up would fill most of the screen.
Term
Medium Long Shot
Definition
A framing at a distance which makes an object about four or five feet high appear to fill most of the screen vertically.
Term
Medium Shot
Definition
A framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size; a human figure seen from the waist up would fill most of the screen
Term
Mis-en-scene
Definition
All of the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed; the settings andprops, lighting, costumes and make up, and figure behavior
Term
Montage
Definition
A synonym for editing. An approach to editing developed by the Soviet Filmmakers of the 1920's; it emphasizes dynamic, often discontinuous, relationships between shots and the juxtaposition of images to create ideas not present in either shot by itself
Term
Montage Sequence
Definition
A segment of a film that summarizes a topic or compresses a passage of time into brief symbolic or typical images. Frequently dissolves, fades, superimpositions, and wipes are used to link the images in a montage sequence
Term
Motif
Definition
An element in a film that is repeated in a significant way.
Term
Narration
Definition
The process through which the plot conveys or withholds story information. The narration can be more or less restricted to character knowledfe and more or less deep in presenting characters' mental perceptions and thoughts.
Term
Narrative Form
Definition
A type of filmic organization in which the parts relate to each other through a series of causally related events taking place in time and space.
Term
180 degree system
Definition
The continuity approach to editing dictates that the camera should stay on one side ofthe action to ensure consistent left-right spatial relations between objects from shot to shot. The 180 degree line is the same as the axis
Term
Pan
Definition
A camera movement with the camera body turning to the right or left. On the screen, it produces a mobile framing which scans the space horizontally
Term
Plot
Definition
In a narrative film, all the events that are directly presented to us, including their causal relations, chronological order, duration, frequency, and spatial locations. Opposed to story, which is the viewer's imaginary construction of all the events in the narrative
Term
Point-of-view shot (POV shot)
Definition
A shot taken with the cmaera placed approximately where the character's eyes would be, showing what the character would see; usually cut in before or after a shot of the character looking
Term
Process Shot
Definition
Any shot involving rephotography to combine two or more images into one, or to create a special effect; also called "composite shot"
Term

Production

Definition
One of the three branches of the film industry; the process of creating the film
Term
Racking focus
Definition
Shifting the area of shapr focus from one plane to another during a shot; the effect ont he screen is called "rack focus"
Term
Rate
Definition
In shooting, the number of frames exposed per second; in projection, the number of frames thrown on the screen per second. If the two are the same, the speed of the action will appear normal, while a disparity will create slow or fast motion. The standard rate in sound cinema is 24 frames per second for bot hshooting and projection
Term
Reestablishing shot
Definition
A return to a view of an entire space after a series of closer shots following the establishing shot
Term
scene
Definition
A segment in a narrative film that takes place in one time and space or that uses crosscutting to show two or more simultaneuous actions.
Term
Sequence
Definition
Term commonly used for a moderately large segment of film, involving one complete stretch of action. In a narrative film, often equivalent to a scene.
Term
Shallow focus
Definition
A restricted depth of field, which keeps only one plane in sharp focus; the opposite of deep focus
Term
Shot
Definition
In shooting, one uninterrupted run of the camera to expose a series of frames. Also called a take.IN the finished film, one uniterrupted image with a single static or mobile framing.
Term
Shot/reverse shot
Definition
Tow ore more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation. In continuity editing, characters in one framing usually look left, in the other framing, right. Over theshoulder framings are common in shot/reverse-shot editing.
Term
Sound Bridge
Definition
At the beginnign of one scene, the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins. At the end of one scene, the sound from the next scene is heard, leading into that scene.
Term
Special Effects
Definition
A general term for various photographic manipulations that create fictitious spatial relations in teh shot, such as superimpositions, matte shots, and rear projections
Term
Story
Definition
In a narrative film, all the events that we see and hear, plus all those that we infer or assume to ahve occure, arranged in their presumed causal relations, chronological order, duration, frequency, and spatial locations. Opposed to plot, which is the film's actual presentation of ecents in the story.
Term
Storyboard
Definition
A tool used in planning film production, consisting of comic-strip-like drawings of individual shots or phases of shots with descriptions written below each drawing
Term
Superimposition
Definition
The exposure of more than one image on the same film strip
Term

Take

Definition
In filmmaking, the shot produced by one uniterrupted run of the camera. One shot in the final film may be chosen from among several takes of the same action
Term
Tracking shot
Definition
A mobile framing that travels through space forward, backward, or laterally
Term
Whip pan
Definition
An extremely fast movement of the camera from side to side, whcih briefly causes the image to blur into a set of indistinct horizontal streaks. Often an imperceptible cut will join two wip pans to create a trick transition between scenes
Term
Wipe
Definition
A transition between shots in whic ha line passes across the screen, eliminating the first show as it goes and replacing it with the next one
Term
W
Definition
Supporting users have an ad free experience!