Film Terminology

1. Film Terminology A basic overview of the language of the cinema.

2. Literal translation: “staging” • What appears in front of the camera: set design, lighting, character movement and placement, etc. • Mise-en-scene often has a part in developing the mood and tone of a scene Mise-en-scene (mez an sen)

3. Story versus Plot(there is overlap between the two) • Story • All the narrative events that are explicitly presented on the screen (what we actually see) • All the events that are implicit or that we infer to happen (things we know but don’t see) • Plot • The structure for presenting everything we see and hear in a film

4. Example of Story versus Plot • Rocky (1976) • Story • Rocky, the underdog, overcomes great odds to find love and self-worth in going the distance with the champ. • Plot • The champ, Apollo Creed, needs a new opponent when his scheduled opponent pulls out due to injury. In a decision of promotional genius, Creed gives a title shot to down-on-his-luck journeyman Rocky Balboa on the country’s 200th anniversary. Rocky goes on to shock the world by going the distance with Creed in a competitive fight.

5. Cinematography(behind the camera) • Types of camera shots • Extreme Long Shot/Establishing Shot (ELS)– a great distance from the subject; often used to introduce the viewer to an environment (gives context) • Long Shot (LS) – see the character’s full body • Medium Shot (MS) – between the long shot and the close-up; shows a character from the waist up • Close-up (CU) – usually shows the full head or focused on a character’s face • Extreme Close-Up (ECU) – very close shot of some detail

6. Cinematography Cont.(behind the camera) Placement of Shots: High-angle shot – the camera above the action; can imply the observor’s superiority to the subject being filmed Low-angle shot – the camera below the action; can imply a feeling of helplessness in the presence of something superior Eye-level shot – the camera’s at eye level; an attitude of neutrality Dutch-angle shot – camera is tilted so that’s the frame is not level; an impression of imbalance Bird’s-Eye-View shot – shot taken from a very high point; implies the observer’s omniscience

7. Camera Movement • Pan – a horizontal movement of a camera on a tripod; replicates a person turning his head • Tilt – the vertical movement of a camera on a tripod; looking up or down • Dolly–camera fixed to a wheeled support that can move in (dolly-in) or move out (dolly-out) or track (tracking shot) a subject alongside, above, beneath, or ahead of it. • Crane Shot – camera is fixed to an elevating arm mounted on a vehicle

8. Editing • Editing – the basic creative force of cinema; creates assumptions in the viewer, helps tell a story, provokes an idea or feeling • Shot – an uninterrupted run of the camera; can be long or short • Cut – a direct change from one shot to another • Montage – a sequence of shots that shows a condensed series of events • Jump Cut – an instantaneous advance in the action • Fade-in/Fade-out – transitional devices that allows a scene to open or close slowly • Dissolve – a transition where one shot is superimposed over another and gradually takes over • Wipe – a transition where one shot wipes across often indicating a change in time or place