EnglishFilm Techniques
The following are some useful techniques/terms that can be used to analyze the content of films, as well as static images to some extent.
Camera Range
Extreme Long Shot
A shot of, for example, a large crowd scene or a view of scenery extending to the horizon.
Long Shot
A view of a situation or setting from a distance.
Medium Long Shot
Shows a group of people interacting with each other, for example, a fight scene, with part of their surroundings visible.
Full Shot
A view of a figure’s entire body to show action and/or a constellation of characters.
Medium Shot / Mid Shot / Medium Close Shot
Shows a subject down to the waist, for example, showing head and shoulders of two people in conversation.
Close-Up
A full-screen view of a subject’s face, showing the finest nuances of expression.
Extreme Close-Up
A detailed shot of a hand, eye, mouth, or object.
Camera Angles
Aerial Shot / High Angle / Overhead / Bird’s Eye
A long or extreme long shot of the ground from the air.
High-Angle Shot
Shows people or objects from above, higher than eye level.
Low-Angle Shot / Below Shot
Shows people or objects from below, lower than eye level.
Eye-Level Shot / Straight-On Angle
Views a subject from the level of a person’s eyes.
Establishing Shot
Often used at the beginning of a scene to indicate the location or setting. It is usually a long shot taken from a neutral position.
Point-of-View Shot (POV)
Shows a scene from the perspective of a character.
Over-the-Shoulder Shot
Often used in dialogue scenes: a frontal view of a dialogue partner from the perspective of someone standing behind and slightly to the side of the other partner, so that parts of both are visible.
Reaction Shot
A short shot of a character’s response to an action.
Insert Shot
A detail shot providing visual information necessary to understand a scene, for example, a newspaper page or a physical detail.
Reverse-Angle Shot
A shot from the opposite perspective, for example, following an over-the-shoulder shot.
Camera Movement
Panning Shot
The camera moves horizontally from left to right or right to left across the picture.
Tilt Shot
The camera tilts upward or downward around a vertical axis.
Tracking / Trucking Shot
The camera follows alongside or behind a moving object or person.
Zoom
A stationary camera appears to move closer to a subject by “zooming in” or farther away by “zooming out.”
Editing / Montage
Master Shot
The main shot of a whole scene taken by one camera in one position, later intercut with other shots to add interest.
Cutaway Shot
A shot of something not shown by the master shot, but connected to the main action.
Flashback
A scene or sequence showing the past, inserted into a film’s present time.
Flash-Forward
A scene or sequence showing the future.
Match Cut
Two scenes connected by visual or aural parallelism, for example, one door closing and another opening.
Split Screen
The division of the screen to show two or more pictures at the same time.
Punctuation (Transitions Between Shots)
Cut
A direct switch from one image or shot to another.
Jump Cut
(a) Switching back and forth between two or more people closely involved with each other, for example, in a conversation or chase scene.
(b) Using cuts to create an effect of moving rapidly toward a subject.
Fade-In
From a black screen, the gradual emergence of an image until it reaches full strength.
Fade-Out
The gradual disappearance of an image until the screen is completely black, often used to end a scene.
Dissolve / Cross-Fade
Following a fade-out with a fade-in to transition slowly from one scene to the next.
Miscellaneous
Backlighting
Filming a person or event against a background of light, especially sunlight, producing an idealized or romantic effect.
Background Music
Music accompanying a scene.
Composition
The arrangement of people or objects in a painting, photograph, or film scene.
Footage
A piece of film or video.