Film: A Critical Introduction Glossary – Flashcards

the camera should move at least 30 degrees any time there is a cut within a scene

The camera does not move across an imagined line drawn between two characters

The aspect ratio of 1.33:1, standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences until the development of widescreen formats in the 1950s

Early films that documented everyday events, such as workers leaving a factory

(Automatic dialogue replacement) recording synchronized dialogue in post-production, cutting several identical lengths of developed film and having actors record the dialogue repeatedly

A shot filmed from an airplane or helicopter

A videotape system that records images onto magnetic tape, using electronic signals

squeezes the image at a ratio of 2:1 horizontally onto a standard film frame. On the projector, it unsqueezes the image, creating a widescreen aspect ratio during presentation

Creating the appearance of movement by drawing a series of frames that are projected sequentially, rather than photographing a series of still images

A style of Japanese animation, distinguished primarily by the fact that it is not all geared for young audiences

A character who in some way opposes the protagonist, leading to protracted conflict

A small, variable opening on a camera lens that regulates the amount of light entering the camera and striking the surface of the film

The film medium’s technological apparatus is inherently ideological

The shape of the image onscreen as determined by the width of the frame relative to its height

Assists the editor with various tasks, including taking footage to the lab, checking the condition of the negative, cataloguing footage, and supervising optical effects, often produced by an outside company

Author; A term popularized by French film critics and refers to film directors with their own distinctive style

Natural light; The process of suing sunlight rather than artificial studio lights when filming

Experimental film; Underground cinema;

The average length in seconds of a series of shots, covering a portion of a film or an entire film; a measure of pace within a scene or in the film as a whole.

A musical film in which each song and dance number is narratively motivated by a plot that situates characters in performance contexts

The details of a character’s past that emerge as the film unfolds, and which often play a role in character motivation

A flexible celluloid strip that, along with the emulsion layer, comprises 35mm film stock

Assists the gaffer in managing lighting crews

An action film cycle of the late 1960s and early 1970s that featured bold, rebellious African American characters

Leaving the silver grains in the emulsion rather than bleaching them out, which produces desaturated color

An outlawed studio era practice, where studios forced exhibitors to book groups of films at once, thus ensuring a market for their failures along with their successes

A large-budget film whose strategy is to swamp the competition through market saturation

A production term referring to coordinating actors’ movements with lines of dialogue

Live action is filmed in front of a blue screen and a matte. It’s then joined with the background footage

Drawing attention to the process of representation (including narrative and characterization) to break the theatrical illusion and elicit a distanced, intellectual response in the audience

Secondary footage that is interspersed with master shots, sometimes in the form of footage shot for another production or archival footage

A short screen appearance by a celebrity, playing himself or herself

The space between the camera and subject it is filming.

Dutch angle; a shot resulting from a static camera that is tilted to the right or left, so that the subject in the frame appears at a diagonal

A transparent sheet on which animation artists draw images.

An actor whose career rests on playing minor or secondary quirky characters rather than leading roles

The chip in a video camera that converts the incoming light to an electronic signal

The artful use of light and dark areas in the composition in black and white filmmaking

A widescreen process that uses three cameras, three projectors, and a wide, curved screen

A type of short film that blends elements of documentary and avant-garde film to document and often to celebrate the wonder of the modern city

A style associated with Hollywood filmmaking of the studio and post-studio era, in which efficient storytelling, rather than gritty realism or aesthetic innovation, is of paramount importance

A shot taken when the camera is so close to a subject that it fills the frame. It is most commonly used for a shot that isolates and encompasses a single actor’s face, to emphasize the expression of emotion

The conclusion of the film wraps up, all loose ends in a form of resolution, though not necessarily with a happy ending.

A specialist who monitors the processing of color on the se and in the film lab

A type of filter that absorbs certain wavelength but leave others unaffected. On black and white film, color filters lighten or darken tones. On color film, they can produce a range of effects

Because film stock is sensitive to the color of light, directors work with film labs in post-production to monitor the color scheme of each scene in a film, making adjustments for consistency and aesthetic effect

A film composed entirely of footage from other films.

Creating images during post-production by joining together photographic or CGI material shot or created at different times and places

A technique of arranging the actors on the set to take advantage of deep focus cinematography, which allows for many planes of depth in the film frame to remain in focus

The visual arrangement of objects, actors, and space within the frame

Images that originate from computer graphics technology, rather than photography

Invisible editing; a system devised to minimize the audience’s awareness of shot transitions, especially cuts, in order to improve the flow of the story and avoid interrupting the viewer’s immersion it in

A crew member whose job is to maintain consistency in visual details from one shot to the next

Any noticeable but unintended discrepancy from one shot to the next in costume, props, hairstyle, posture, etc.

wheeled platform with wheels that rotate, so the dolly can change direction

A shot taken from a camera mounted on a crane that moves three-dimensionally in a space

An abrupt shot transition that occurs when Shot A is instantaneously replaced by Shot B.

A shot that focuses audience attention on precise details that may or may not be the focus of characters

Also called “rushes.” Footage exposed and developed quickly so that the director can assess the day’s work

The practice of shooting during the day but using filters and underexposure to create the illusion of nighttime

A cinematography technique that produces an image with many planes of depth in focus. It can be accomplished by using a small aperture, a large distance between camera and subject, and/or a lens of short focal length

The falling or unraveling action after the climax of a narrative that leads to resolution

The distance that appears in focus in front of and behind the subject. It is determined by the aperture, distance and focal length of lens

Muted, washed out color that contains more white than a saturated color

A neutral account of the basic plot and style of a film, a part of a film, or a group of films

The imagined world of the story

These filters bend the light coming into lens, softening and blurring the image

Also called “d-cinema.” Not to be confused with digital cinematography (shooting movies on digital video), this term refers to using digital technologies for exhibition

Creating an image by combining several elements created separately using computer graphics rather than photographic means

Using computer graphics to “build” structures connected to the actual architecture on set or location

A system for recording images on magnetic tape using a digital signal, that is, an electronic signal comprised of 0s and 1s

Cinema verite; a documentary style in which the filmmaker attempts to remain as unobtrusive as possible, recording without obvious editorial comment

Sound recorded on a set, on location, or, for documentary film, at an actual real-world event, as opposed to dubbed in post-production through ADR or looping

The person in charge of planning the style and look of the film with the production designer and director of photography, working with actors during principal photography, and collaborating with the editor on the final version

A shot transition that involves the gradual disappearance of the image at the same time that a new image gradually comes into view

A platform on wheels, used for mobile camera shots

A technique of exposing film frames, then rewinding the film and exposing it again, which results in an image that combines two shots in a single frame

A chemical embedded in the emulsion layer of film stock that, when developed after exposure, releases a particular color dye (red, green, or blue)

A person responsible for putting a film together from a mass of developed footage, making decisions regarding pace, shot transitions, and which scenes and shots will be used

A chemical coating on film stock containing light-sensitive grains

A non-standard narrative organization that assumes “day in the life” quality rather than the highly structured three-act or four part narrative, and that features loose or indirect cause-effect relationships

The first shot in a standard shot sequence. Its purpose is to provide a clear representation of the location of the action

A type of documentary film whose purpose is to present the way of life of a culture or subculture

A statement that asserts a judgment that a given film or group of films is good or bad, based on specific criteria, which may or may not be stated

Dense accumulation of detail conveyed in the opening moments of a film

Light striking the emulsion layer of the film, activating light-sensitive grains

The measurement of how forgiving a film stock is. It determines whether an acceptable image will be produced when the film stock is exposed to too little or too much light

An uncredited actor, usually hired for crowd scenes

Non-diegetic; any element in the film that is not part of the imagined story world

A shot taken from a vantage point so close that only a part of the subject is visible. On an actor, it might show only an eye or a portion of the face

A shot that makes the human subject very small in relation to his or her environment. The entire figure from head to toe is onscreen and dwarfed by the surroundings

Fish-eye lens; With a focal length of 15mm or less, this lens presents an extremely distorted image, where objects in the center of the frame appear to bulge toward the camera

A shot taken from a level camera located approximately 5′ to 6′ from the ground, simulating the perspective of a person standing before the action presented

A continuity editing technique that preserves spatial continuity by using a character’s line of vision as motivation for a cut

The chronological accounting of all events presented and suggested

A shot transition where shot A slowly disappears as the screen becomes black before shot B appears. A fade-in is the reverse of this process

A description of film stock that is highly sensitive to light

Recording images at a slower speed than the speed of projection (24 frames per second). Before cameras were motorized, this was called undercranking. Fewer frames are exposed in one minute, so, when projected at 24 f.p.s., that action takes less than a minute on screen and appears unnaturally rapid

The arrangement of actors on screen as a compositional element that suggests themes, character development, emotional content, and visual motifs

Thin, flexible material comprised of base and emulsion layers, onto which light rays are focused and which is processed in chemicals to produce film images

A device used to manipulate the amount and/or color of light entering the lens

A story narrated by one of the characters within the story, using the “I” voice

The non-chronological insertion of events from the past into the present day of the story world

Prefogging; a cinematographic technique that exposes raw film stock to light before, during, or after shooting, resulting in an image with reduced contrast. This effect can also be created using digital post-production techniques

The non-chronological insertion of scenes of events yet to happen into the present day of the story world

The distance in millimeters from the optical center of a lens to the lane where the sharpest image is formed while focusing on a distant object

A crew member whose job is to measure the distance between the subject and the camera lens, marking the ring on the camera lens, and ensuring the ring is turned precisely so that the image is in focus

Glass filters whose surface is etched with spots that refract light, so they create the appearance of water droplets in the air

A crew member who works in post-production in a specially equipped studio to create the sounds of the story world, such as the shuffling of shoes on various surfaces for footsteps

A technique of “pushing” the film (overdeveloping it) to correct problems of underexposure (resulting from insufficient light during shooting) by increasing image contrast

A system of constructing and arranging buildings and objects on the set so that they diminish in size dramatically from foreground to background, which creates the illusion of depth

An alternative to classical and realist styles, formalism is a self-consciously interventionist approach that explores ideas, abstraction, and aesthetics rather than focusing on storytelling (as in classical films) or everyday life (as in realist films)

A contemporary modification of the standard three-act structure that identifies a critical turning point at the halfway mark of most narrative films

The plotline that surrounds an embedded tale. The frame narration may or may not be as fully developed as the embedded tale

Projecting a series of frames of film with the same image, which appears to stop the action

A technique used to join live action with pre-recorded background images. A projector is aimed at a half-silvered mirror that reflects the background, which the camera records as being located behind the actors

A visual effect achieved through the use of photography and digital techniques that appears to stop time and allow the viewer to travel around the subject and view it from a multitude of vantage points

A crew member who reports to the Director of Photography (DP) and is in charge of tasks involving lighting and electrical needs

The width of the film stock, measured across the frame. Typical sizes are 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm

A class or type of film, such as the Western or the horror movie. They share narrative, visual, and/or sound conventions

The rules of character, setting, and narrative that films that belong to a genre – such as Westerns, horror films, and screwball comedies – generally obey.

A film style that emerged in the 1910s in Germany. It was heavily indebted to the Expressionist art movement of the time and influenced subsequent horror films and film noir

A type of matte shot, created by positioning a pane of optically flawless glass with a painting on it between the camera and the scene to be photographed. This combines the painting on the glass with the set or location – seen through the glass – behind it

A digital technique developed by Industrial Light and Magic, which builds movement sequences from single frames of film

Suspended particles of silver in the film’s emulsion, which may become visible in the final image as dots

A shot transition that emphasizes the visual similarities between two consecutive shots

A compositing method that allows cinematographers to combine live action and settings that are filmed or created separately. Actors are filmed against a green or blue background. During post-production, this background is filled in with an image through the use of a travelling matte

A shot taken by a camera that is held manually rather than supported by a tripod, crane or Steadicam. Generally, such shots are shaky, owing to the motion of the camera operator

Light emitted from a relatively small source positioned close to the subject. It tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections

A shot taken from a camera position above the subject, looking down at it

A post-studio era Hollywood film designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience by fusing a simple story line with major movie stars and mounting a lavish marketing campaign

Lighting design that provides an even illumination of the subject, with many facial details washed out. High-key lighting tends to create a hopeful mood, in contrast to low-key lighting

Individuals who were prevented from working in the film industry because of their suspected involvement with Communist interests

Then Hollywood writers and directors cited for Contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities’ attempts to root out Communists in the film industry

A term that refers to the organization of an industry wherein one type of corporation also owns corporations in allied industries, for example, film production and video games

Color. The strength of a hue is measured by its saturation or desaturation

A film that fuses the conventions of two or more genres

A shot that interrupts a scene’s master shot and may include character reactions

A musical in which some or all musical numbers are not motivated by the narrative; for example, characters sing and dance throughout the film but at least some performances are not staged for an onscreen audience. Examples include Oklahoma, The umbrellas of Cherbourg, Grease, and Chicago

A property of older television monitors, where each frame was scanned as two fields: One consisting of all the odd numbered lines, the other all the even lines. If slowed down, the television image would appear to sweep down the screen one line at a time

Louis Althusser’s term for the way in which a society creates its subjects/citizens through ideological (as opposed to repressive) state apparatuses, which include education, media, religion, and the family

A statement that presents an argument about a film’s meaning and significance

A narrative, visual, or sound element that refers viewers to other films or works of art

A form of shot transition, generally concluding a scene, where a circular mask constricts around the image until the entire frame is black

The reverse of Iris in: an iris expands outward until the next shot takes up the entire screen

An abrupt, inexplicable shift in time and place of an action not signaled by an appropriate shot transition

A mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation

A glass element on a camera that focuses light rays so that the image of the object appears on the surface of the film

A process of transferring film to video tapes or DVDs so that the original aspect ratio of the film is preserved

A sound editing technique that links several scenes through parallel and overlapping sounds. Each sound is associated with one scene, unlike a sound bridge, where a sound from one scene bleeds into that of another

The narrative path of the main or supporting characters, also called a plotline. Complex films may have several lines of action

The way an actor delivers a line of dialogue, including pauses, inflection, and emotion

A camera shot taken at a large distance from the subject. Using the human body as the subject, a long shot captures the entire human form

A relatively long, uninterrupted sot, generally of a minute or more

A technique of leaving empty space around the subject in the frame, in order to covey openness and continuity of visible space and to imply offscreen space

A shot taken from a camera position below the subject

Lighting design in which the greater intensity of the key light makes it impossible for the fill to eliminate shadows, producing a high-contrast image (with many grades of light and dark), a number of shadows, and a somber mood

The five vertically integrated corporations that exerted the greatest control over film production in the studio era: MGM, Warner Brothers, RKO, Twentieth Century Fox, and Paramount

A method for producing a widescreen image without special lenses or equipment, using standard film stock and blocking out the top and bottom of the frame to achieve an aspect ration of 1.85:1

The first print made from a film negative

A single take that contains an entire scene

A rule in continuity editing, which dictates that if a cut occurs while a character is in the midst of an action, the subsequent shot must begin so that audiences see the completion of that action

A black masking device used to black out a portion of the frame, usually for the insertion of other images

A painting used on the set as a portion of the background

A shot that includes a human figure from the shoulders up

A shot that depicts a human body from the feet up

A shot depicting the human body from the waist up

A style of stage acting developed from the teachings of Constantin Stanislavsky, which trains actors to get into character through the use of emotional memory

Smaller corporations that did not own distribution and/or exhibition companies in the studio era, including Universal, Columbia, and United Artists

A process of blending the three elements of the sound track (dialogue, music, and effects) in post-production

A fiction film (often a comedy) that uses documentary conventions on fictional rather than real-world subject matter

A series of related scene joined through elliptical editing that indicates the passage of time

An animation technique that uses a computer program to interpolate frames to produce the effect of an object or creature changing gradually into something different. The program calculates the way the image must change in order for the first image to become the second over a series of frames

Any narrative, visual, or sound element that is repeated and thereby acquires and reflects its significance to the story, characters, or themes of the film.

The central cause(s) behind a character’s actions

A story; a chain of events linked by cause-and-effect logic

the arrangement of images to depict a unified storyline

Lighting design where the key light is somewhat more intense than the fill light, so the fill does not eliminate every shadow. The effect is generally less cheerful than high-key lighting, but not as gloomy as low-key lighting

Exposed and developed film stock from which the master positive is struck. If projected, the negative would produce a reverse of the image, with dark areas appearing white and vice versa or, if color film, areas of color appearing as their complementary hue

A technician responsible for splicing and assembling the film negative to the editor’s specifications

A filter that simply reduces the amount of light entering the lens, without affecting the color characteristics

A short documentary on current events, show in movie theaters along with cartoons and feature films beginning in the 1930s

A term used for any narrative sound, or visual element not contained in the story world. Also called “extradiegetic”

Any lens with a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal of the frame. For 35mm filmmaking, a 35-50 mm lens does not distort the angle of vision or depth

A consistent style, theme, and subject matter developed over the course of a director’s body of work

A part of the story world implied by visual or sound techniques rather than being revealed by the camera

The technique of telling the story from an all-knowing character. Films that use restricted narration limit the audience’s perception to what one particular character knows, but may insert moments of omniscience

Dialogue that restates what is already obvious from images or action

A term describing a conclusion that does not answer all the questions raised regarding characters or storylines, nor tie up all loose ends

A machine used to create optical effects such as fades, dissolves, and superimpositions. Most are now created digitally

A term for film stock used in early cinema that was insensitive to red hues

The practice of Hollywood studios contracting out post-production work to individuals or firms outside the U.S.

A scene filmed and processed but not selected to appear in the final version of the film

An effect created when more light is required to produce an image strakes the film stock, so that the resulting image exhibits high contrast, glaring light, and washed out shadows. This effect ma or may not be intentional on the filmmaker’s part

A shot taken fro a position directly above the action, also called a “birds’ eye shot”

Sound design that blends the speech of several characters talking simultaneously, used to create spontaneity, although it may also confuse the audience

The horizontal turning movement of an otherwise immobile camera across a scene from left to right or vice versa

A type of film stock that is sensitive to (in other words, registers) all tones in the color spectrum

Also called “full screen,” the technique of re-shooting a widescreen film in order to convert it to the original television aspect ration of 1.33 to 1. Rather than reproduce the original aspect ratio, as a letterboxed version does, a panned and scanned copy eliminates some of the visual information and introduces camera movement and editing that are not in the original

A similarity established between two characters or situations that invites the audience to compare the two. It may involve visual, narrative, and/or sound elements

A technique of cutting back and forth between action occurring in two different locations, which often creates the illusion that they are happening simultaneously. Also called “cross cutting.”

An optical effect whereby the eye continues to register a visual stimulus in the brain for a brief period after that stimulus has been removed

An optical effect whereby the human eye fills in gaps between closely spaced objects, so that two light bulbs flashing on and off are understood as one light moving back and forth

A picture element, a measure of image density. There are approximately 18 million pixels in a frame of 35mm film and 300,000-400,000 in a video image

Also called “stop motion photography.” A technique of photographing a scene one frame at a time and moving the model between each shot

A brief chronological description of the basic events and characters in a film. It does not include interpretive or evaluative claims

A technique in which the audience temporarily shares the visual perspective of a character or a group of characters. The camera points in the directions the character looks, simulating the character’s field of vision

Filters that increase color saturation and contrast in outdoor shots

The period after principal photography during which editing and looping take place, and special visual effects are added to the film

The period of time before principal photography during which actors are signed, sets and costumes designed, and locations scouted

An agreement made between filmmakers and those who license the use of commercial products to feature those products in films, generally as props used by characters

A measure of the visual and sound quality of a film. Low-budget films tend to have lower production values because they lack the resources to devote to expensive pre- and post-production activities

An attribute of newer television monitors, where each frame is scanned by the electron beam as a single field. If slowed down, each frame would appear on the monitor in its entirety on the screen, rather than line by line, as is the case with interlaced scanning

Materials intentionally released by studios to attract public attention to films and their stars. Promotion differs from publicity, which is information that is not (or does not appear to be) intentionally disseminated by studios

A documentary or occasionally, a narrative film that presents only one side of an argument or one approach to a subject

Devices that attach to actors’ faces and/or bodies to change their appearance

A film’s main characters, one whose conflicts and motives drive the story forward

A technique of underdeveloping exposed film stock (leaving it in a chemical batch a shorter amount of time than usual) in order to achieve the visual effect of reducing contrast

A technique of overdeveloping exposed film stock (leaving it in the chemical bath longer than indicated) in order to increase density and contrast in the image

A change of focus from one plane of depth to another. As the in-focus subject goes out of focus, another object, which has been blurry, comes into focus in either the background or the foreground

A film style that, in contrast to the classical and formalist styles, focuses characters, place, and the spontaneity and digressiveness of life, rather than on highly structured stories or aesthetic abstraction

A technique used to join live action with a pre-recorded background image. A projector is placed behind a screen and projects an image onto it. Actors stand in front of the screen and the camera records them in front of the projected background

A technique of shooting a scene at a very high speed (96 frames per second), then adding and subtracting frames in post-production, “fanning out” the action through the overlapping images

A shot that appears during or near the end of a scene and reorients viewers to the setting

A technique of shifting the camera angle, height, or distance to take into account the motion of actors or objects within the frame

Reels of film that are shipped to movie theaters for exhibition. Digital cinema, which can be distributed via satellite, broadband, or on media such as DVDs, may soon replace film prints because the latter are expensive to create, copy, and distribute

A narrative approach that limits the audience’s view of events to that of the main character(s) in the film. Occasional moments of omniscient narration may give viewers more information than the character shave at specific points in the narrative

A shot in a sequence that is taken from the reverse angle of the shot previous to it

A genre film that radically modifies accepted genre conventions for dramatic effect

A marketing strategy of screening a blockbuster prior to general release only in premier theaters

A device that projects photographs or footage onto glass so that images can be traced by hand to create animated images

Film productions shot outside the U.S. for economic reasons

The length in minutes for a film to play in its entirety (for example, 120 minutes). Also referred to as “screen time.”

The measure of intensity or purity of a color. Saturated color is purer than desaturated color, which has more white in it and thus offers a washed-out, less intense version of a color

A complete narrative unit within a film, with its own beginning, middle, and end. Often scenes are unified, and distinguished from one another, by time and setting

A musical accompaniment written specifically for a film

A technique of intentionally adding scratches in a film’s emulsion layer for aesthetic purposes, such as to simulate home movie footage

The written blueprint for a film, composed of three elements: dialogue, sluglines (setting the place and time of each scene), and description. Feature-length screenplays typically run 90-130 pages

A crew member responsible for logging the details of each take on the set so as to ensure continuity

A production crew responsible not for shooting the primary footage but, instead, for remote location shooting and B-roll. See also B-roll

A technique of manipulating focus to direct the viewer’s attention

The individual arrangement of lighting and camera placement used for each shot

The annotated script, containing information about set-ups used during shooting

The building block of a scene; an uninterrupted sequence of frames that viewers experience as they watch a film, ending with a cut, fade, dissolve, etc. See also Take

A standard shot pattern that dictates that a shot of one character will be followed by a shot of another character, taken from the reverse angle of the first shot

The use of editing techniques, such as a fade or dissolve, to indicate the end of one scene and the beginning of another

A camera device that opens and closes to regulate the length of time the film is exposed to light

A term applied to film stock that is relatively insensitive to light. This stock will not yield acceptable images unless the amount of light can be carefully controlled

A technique of filming at a speed faster than projection, the projecting the footage at normal speed of 24 frames per second. Because fewer frames were recorded per second, the action appears to be speeded up

Light emitted from a larger source that is scattered over a bigger area or reflected off a surface before it strikes the subject. Soft light minimizes facial details, including wrinkles

A scene transition wherein sound from one scene bleeds over into the ext scene, often resulting in a contrast between sound image

Everything audiences hear when they watch a sound film. The soundtrack is the composite of all three elements of film sound: dialogue, music, and sound effects

An alternative to continuity editing, this style of editing was developed in silent Soviet cinema, based on the theory that editing should exploit the difference between shots to generate intellectual and emotional responses in the audience

A screenplay written and submitted to a studio or production company without a prior contract or agreement

Optical illusions created during production, including the use of matte paintings, glass shots, models, and prosthesis

A measure of a film stock’s sensitivity to light. “Fast” refers to sensitive film stock, while slow film is relatively insensitive

An optical technique that divides the screen into two or more frames

Standard shot pattern: A sequence of shots designed to maintain spatial continuity. Scene begin with an establishing shot, then move to a series of individual shots depicting characters and action, before reestablishing shots re-orient viewers to the setting

A filter that creates points of light that streak outward from a light source

Public identity created by marketing a film actor’s performances, press coverage, and “personal” information to fans as the star’s personality

A system initially developed for marketing films by creating and promoting stars as objects of admiration. The promotion of stars has now become an end in itself

A device worn by a camera operator that holds the motion picture camera, allowing it glide smoothly through spaces unreachable by camera mounted on a crane or other apparatus

A series of individual drawings that provides a blueprint for the shooting of a scene

A model of industrial organization in the film industry from about 1915 to 1946, characterized by the development of major and minor studios that produced, distributed, and exhibited films, and held film actors, directors, art directors, and other technical crew under contract

A group of films within a given genre that share their own specific set of conventions that differentiate them from other films in the genre. For example, the slasher film is a subgenre of the horror genre

An unstated meaning that underlies and is implied by spoken dialogue

A technique of depicting two layered images simultaneously. Images from one frame or several frames of film are added to pre-existing images, using an optical printer, to produce the same effect as a double exposure

A pan executed so quickly that it produces a blurred image, indicated rapid activity or, sometimes, the passage of time

A computer-generated actor that some speculate will replace flesh and blood actors in the not so distant future

The selection and ordering of narrative events presented in a film

A long shot in which the film frame resembles the proscenium arch of the stage, distancing the audience

A production term denoting a single uninterrupted series of frames exposed by a motion picture or video camera between the time it is turned on and the time it is turned off. Filmmakers shoot several takes of any scene and the film editor selects the most appropriate one to use

A machine that converts film prints to videotape format

A lens with a focal length greater than 50 mm (usually between 80mm and 20mm), which provides a larger image of the subject than a normal or wide-angle lens but which narrows the angle of vision and flattens the depth of the image relative to normal and wide-angle lenses

The term for a film’s spoken dialogue, as opposed to the underlying meaning contained in the subtext

Literary narration from a viewpoint beyond that of any one individual character

The classical model of narrative form. The first act introduces characters and conflicts; the second act offers complication leading to a climax; the third act contains the dénouement and resolution

An efficient system developed for film lighting. In a standard lighting set-up, the key light illuminates the subject, the fill light eliminates shadows cast by the key light, and the back light separates the subject from the background

A visual effect created when the subject in the frame is restricted by the objects or the physical properties of the set

A vertical, up-and-down, motion of an otherwise stationary camera

a technique of recording very few images over a long period of time – say, one frame per minute or per day

An early color process, involving bathing lengths of processed film in dye one scene at a time

An early color process that replaced silver halide grains with colored salts

A technique of moving the camera, on a specially built track. Such shots often trace character movement laterally across the frame or in and out of the depth of the frame

A short segment of film used to promote an upcoming release

A system for combining two separately filmed images in the same frame that involves create a matte (a black mask that covers a portion of the image) for a live action sequence and using it to block out a portion of the frame when filming the background images

A shot combining two kinds of movement: the camera tracks in toward the subject wile the lens zooms out

A narrative moment that signals an important shift of some kind in character or situation

A shot that contains two characters within the frame

The practice or repeatedly casting actors in similar roles across different films

A technique of running the motion picture camera at a speed slower than projection speed (24 frames per second), in order to produce at a fast motion sequence when projected at normal speed. The term derives from early film cameras, which were cranked by hand

An effect created when too little light strikes the film during shooting. As a result the image will contain dark areas that appear very dense and dark (including shadows) and the overall contrast will be less than with a properly exposed image

A business model adopted by the major studios during the Hollywood studio era, in which studios controlled all aspects of the film business, from production to distribution and exhibition

A device attached to the film camera that records videotape of what has been filmed, allowing the director immediate access to video footage

A film process that uses 35mm film stock but changes the orientation of the film so that the film moves through the camera horizontally instead of vertically. The larger image is of higher quality than standard 35mm processes

Optical illusions created during post-production

A direct vocal address to the audience, which may emanate from a character or from a narrative voice apparently unrelated to the diegesis

A lens with a shorter focal length than a normal or telephoto lens (usually between 15-35mm). The subject appears smaller as a result, but the angle of vision is wider and an illusion is created of greater depth in the frame

A format that uses a larger film stock than standard 35mm. IMAX, Omnimax, and Showscan are shot on 70mm film

Processes such as Cinemascope and Cinerama, developed during the 1950s to enhance film’s size advantage over the smaller television image

A scene transition in which the first frame of the incoming scene appears to push the last frame of the previous scene off the screen horizontally

The first step in the process of creating CGI. The wireframe is a three-dimensional computer model of an object, which is then rendered (producing the finished image) and animated (using simulated camera movement frame by frame)

A technique of moving a zoom lens from a wide-angle position to a telephoto position, which results in a magnification of the subject within the frame, and keeps the subject in focus

A lens with a variable focal length that allows changes of focal length while keeping the subject in focus

A technique of moving from the telephoto position to the wide-angle position of a zoom lens, which results in the subject appearing to become smaller within the frame, while remaining in focus