Revision Vocab

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement and Composition

• Shots: 

establishing shot - a shot establishing the scene at the beginning 

master shot - keeps everything in view has a double function similar to a long or wide shot and an establishing shot. 

close-up - a certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame

mid-shot - Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

long shot - typically shows the entire object or human figure. 

wide shot - the subject takes up the full frame at least as much as possible. 

two-shot - a shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

aerial shot - a shot to view large landscapes.

point of view shot - shows a view from the subjects point of view.

over the shoulder shot - looking from behind a person at the subject.

overhead shot – a type of camera shot in which the camera is positioned above the character, action or object being filmed.
reaction shot – a shot that shows the reaction of a character either to another character or an event within the sequence.

Camera Angle – the position of the camera in relation to the subject of a shot. The camera might be at a high angle, a low angle or at eye level with what is being filmed.
High Angle – A camera angle that looks down upon a subject or object. Often used to make the subject or object appear small or vulnerable.
Low Angle – A camera angle that looks up at a subject or object. Often used to make the subject/object appear powerful/dominant.
Canted framing (or oblique) – camera angle that makes what is shot appear to be skewed or tilted.

•  Movement: 

pan - A pan is a horizontal camera movement in which the camera moves left and right about a central axis. This is a swiveling movement, i.e. mounted in a fixed location on a tripod or shoulder, rather than a dolly-like movement in which the entire mounting system moves.

tilt - A tilt is a vertical camera movement in which the camera points up or down from a stationary location. For example, if you mount a camera on your shoulder and nod it up and down, you are tilting the camera.

track - The term tracking shot is widely considered to be synonymous with dolly shot; that is, a shot in which the camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks.

dolly - A dolly is a cart which travels along tracks. The camera is mounted on the dolly and records the shot as it moves. Dolly shots have a number of applications and can provide very dramatic footage.In many circles a dolly shot is also known as a tracking shot or trucking shot. However some professionals prefer the more rigid terminology which defines dolly as in-and-out movement (i.e. closer/further away from the subject), while tracking means side-to-side movement.Most dollies have a lever to allow for vertical movement as well (known as a pedestal move). In some cases a crane is mounted on the dolly for additional height and flexibility. A shot which moves vertically while simultaneously tracking is called a compound shot.

crane – A crane shot is sometimes used to signify the end of a scene/ programme /film. The effect is achieved by the camera being put onto a crane that can move upward. steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.

Steadicam - A steadicam is a stabilising mount for a camera which mechanically isolates the operator's movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface. Informally, the word may also be used to refer to the combination of the mount and camera.

• Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.

Editing

Editing – the stage in the film-making process in which sound and images are organised into an overall narrative.
Continuity Editing – the most common type of editing, which aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward. Also nick named invisible editing referring to how the technique does not draw attention to the editing process.
Jump Cut – An abrupt, disorientating transitional device in the middle of a continuos shot in which the action is noticeably advanced in time and/or cut between two similar shots, usually done to create discontinuity for artistic effect.
Credits – the information at the beginning and end of a film, which gives details of cast and crew etc.
Cross Cutting – the editing technique of alternating, interweaving, or interspersing one narrative action (scene, sequence or event) with another – usually in different locations or places, thus combining the two: this editing technique usually suggests Parallel action (that takes place simultaneously). Often used to dramatically build tension and/or suspense in chase scenes or to compare two different scenes. Also known as inter-cutting or parallel editing
Cutaways – A brief shot that momentarily interrupts continuous action by briefly inserting another related action. Object, or person (sometimes not part of the principle scene or main action), followed by a cutback to the original shot.
Freeze Frame – the effect of seemingly stopping a film in order to focus in on one event or element.
Eye-line Match – a type of edit which cuts from one character to what that character has been looking at.
Flashback – a scene or moment in a film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the film’s narrative.
Graphic Match – an edit effect in which two different objects of the same shape are dissolved from one into the other.
Juxtaposition – the placement of two (often opposed) images on either side of an edit to create an effect.
Linear Narrative – a style of storytelling in which events happen chronologically.
Montage Editing – the juxtaposition of seemingly unconnected images in order to create meaning.
Parallel Editing – a type of editing in which events in two locations are cut together, in order to imply a connection between the two sets of events.
Visual Effects - visual effects are usually used to alter previously-filmed elements by adding, removing or enhancing objects within the scene.
Match on Action - A shot that emphasises continuity of space and time by matching the action of the preceding shot with the continuation of the action. (For example a shot of a door opening after a shot of a close up of a character’s hand turning a door handle)

Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.

• Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert.

• Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.

Sound

Diegetic Sound – sound that can be heard by the characters within a scene/ sound part of the imaginary world.
Non-diegetic Sound – sound that the characters cannot hear and is not part of the imaginary world of the story. This includes a musical soundtrack or a voiceover (however this excludes a narration by a character within the story – referred to as an internal monologue and is diegetic).
Score – The musical component of a programme’s soundtrack, usually composed specifically for the scene.
Sound Effects – sounds that are added to a film during the post-production stage.

• Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.

• Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.

Mise-en-Scène

Mise en scene – a French term, which literally means ‘put into the frame’. When analysing a sequence the term refers to everything you see in the frame:
props, eg in a police drama this could mean a gun or a badge, also can mean iconography 
costume, the colour and style of the actor/subject can have important connotations and denotations about their character, role within narrative, etc.
lighting, the harshness or softness of light has differing effects on representing the mood of a scene.
colour - The colours used in popular brandings are significant in determing their identifiability, ie 'the golden arches' but also says a lot about a person or company's ideology.
Makeup - we're not just talking about a bit of slap here, this can refer to masks, prosthetics and special effects.
Other important terms used in analysis of TV/Film:
Artificial Light – A source of light created by lighting equipment, rather than from natural sources.
Convention – a frequently used element which becomes standard.
Disequilibrium – the period of instability and insecurity in a film’s narrative.
Enigma – the question or mystery that is posed within a film’s narrative.
Equilibrium – a state of peace and calm, which often exists at the beginning of a film’s narrative.
Framing – the selection of elements such as characters, setting and iconography that appear within a shot.
Genre – a system of film identification, in which films that have the same elements are grouped together.
Iconography – the objects within a film that are used to evoke particular meanings
Intertextuality – reference within a film to another film, media product, work of literature or piece of artwork.
Mise en scene – a French term, which literally means ‘put into the frame’. When analysing a sequence the term refers to everything you see in the frame (props, costume, lighting, colour, makeup etc.)
Narrative – a story that is created in a constructed format (eg. A programme) that describes a series of fictional or non-fictional events.

• Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.

• Lighting; colour design.

Areas of representation

• Gender

• Age

• Ethnicity

• Sexuality

• Class and status

• Physical ability/disability

• Regional identity

TV Extract Analysis: 'Waterloo Road'

How is age represented in this extract?

The clip from 'Waterloo Road' represents age in different ways. Firstly, the teenagers in the clip are all seated in chairs throughout the scene whereas the teachers and adults are shown standing. Also even though another adult is shown seated in the extract - she is leaning against a desk so her eye level is still higher than the younger characters. This positioning represents the age and authority. The two older students are clearly represented as being older compared to the third because of the clothes they wear. For example one of the older boys is wearing a leather jacket instead of his blazer which the younger pupil is wearing. The pupils are represented as young because the way they speak to each other shows their level of maturity because they speak so informally.
The variety of camera angles used in the extract are also key in representing age. For example, when the headmistress confronts a pupil the camera is looking down at the younger person. In turn, when the camera switches, it is looking up toward the teacher, it shows the levels of authority between the two.
The adults in the scene wear tailored clothing and speak formally. The different ages of the pupils are represented through costume. The younger boy is wearing the correct uniform and looks smart whereas the older boys do not have their shirts tucked in. This makes them seem fairly relaxed about school rules and therefore implies they are older students. The camera also faces down when showing the younger student from the older boys perspective this emphasises the peer pressure being discussed in the scene and represents the age gap between the pupils.

TV Extract Analysis: 'Monarch of The Glen'

How is age represented in this television extract?
Age is represented in many ways, including through camera, sound, mise-en-scene and editing. These are key aspects to look at in a TV extract.

Music - Music is also important in this extract in representing age. For example, the music in the background changes, when the young girl is first in the scene to a more lively genre of music. It changes throughout to reflect what and who is in each scene.
Mise-en-scene -  In one scene 'Amy' crashes the car. This represents that she is young and inexperienced with driving. In the young girl's room, there are many props which convey how young she is. For example, a teddy bear, some photos and pink fairy lights.
When 'Paul' and the headmaster are talking, they are drinking brandy together and this shows the audience they are much older than 'Amy' and their maturity. The headmasters R.P. (received pronunciation) is an emphasis on his dominance, authority and age.
Camera - When 'Amy' is being confronted, the camera looks down on her and when it switches to the other camera it looks up - as if from her perspective. Also, when the girl is in her bedroom, there are some eyeline shots - so viewers can identify with her, sets the audience up to feel sympathy towards the character.
Costume - The costumes worn by the majority of the characters are farmer/country suited clothes. Connoting masculinity and work/long time labourers.
Setting - The rural setting and archaic buildings represent how traditional and old the place is.
KEY MOMENT: The car incident. The car is a dark navy colour and it again connotes masculinity, this is also emphasised because it is a 4x4 car. The reverse shot structures represent the opposition and difference between the age groups. 'Amy' also has a flower in her hair which contrasts most of the props used in the extract. The flower in her hair can also connote blossoming and growth or coming of age which relates to the story line. It also connotes youth and femininity.

All of these factors lead to and reinforce the idea that 'Amy' is a very vulnerable young girl. She is very much singled out from the other characters.