Film Techniques and Examples
Mise-en-Scene - The term usually used to denote that part of the cinematic process that takes place on the set, as opposed to editing, which takes place afterwards. Literally, the "putting-in-the-scene":
Shot Types (see example video) Long shot (LS). Shot which shows all or most of a fairly large subject (for example, a person) and usually much of the surroundings. Extreme Long Shot (ELS) - see establishing shot: In this type of shot the camera is at its furthest distance from the subject, emphasising the background. Medium Long Shot (MLS): In the case of a standing actor, the lower frame line cuts off his feet and ankles. Establishing shot - Opening shot or sequence, frequently an exterior 'General View' as an Extreme Long Shot (ELS). Used to set the scene. Medium Shot or Mid-Shot (MS). In such a shot the subject or actor and its setting occupy roughly equal areas in the frame. In the case of the standing actor, the lower frame passes through the waist. There is space for hand gestures to be seen. Medium Close Shot (MCS): The setting can still be seen. The lower frame line passes through the chest of the actor. Medium shots are frequently used for the tight presentation of two actors (the two shot), or with dexterity three (the three shot). Close-up (CU). A picture which shows a fairly small part of the scene, such as a character's face, in great detail so that it fills the screen. It abstracts the subject from a context. Medium Close-up (MCU) - head and shoulders. Big Close-up (BCU) - forehead to chin. Close-ups focus attention on a person's feelings or reactions, and are sometimes used in interviews to show people in a state of emotional excitement, grief or joy. In interviews, the use of BCUs may emphasise the interviewee's tension and suggest lying or guilt. BCUs are rarely used for important public figures; MCUs are preferred, the camera providing a sense of distance. Note that in western cultures the space within about 24 inches (60 cm) is generally felt to be private space, and BCUs may be invasive. Angle of shot (see example video) The direction and height from which the camera takes the scene. The convention is that in 'factual' programmes subjects should be shot from eye-level only. Tracking shot/travelling shot/dollying shot (see example video) Terms used for a shot when the camera is being moved by means of wheels:
Zoom A shot using a lens whose focal length is adjusted during the shot. Zooms are sometimes used in place of tracking shots, but the differences between the two are significant. A zoom normally ends in a close-up, a zoom-back in a general shot. Both types of shot imply a rapid movement in time and space, and as such create the illusion of displacement in time and space. A zoom-in picks out and isolates a person or object, a zoom-out places that person or object in a wider context. A zoom shot can be seen, therefore, as voyeurism at its most desirably perfect. Editing Techniques Editing Editing refers literally to how shots are put together to make up a film. Traditionally a film is made up of sequences or in some cases, as with avant-garde or art cinema, or again, of successive shots that are assembled in what is known as collision editing, or montage. ellipsis A term that refers to periods of time that have been left out of the narrative. The ellipsis is marked by an editing transitions which, while it leaves out a section of the action, none the less signifies that something has been elided. Thus, the fade or dissolve could indicate a passage of time, a wipe, a change of scene and so on. Ajump cut transports the spectator from one action and time to another, giving the impression of rapid action or of disorientation if it is not matched. Cut - in editing, a single unbroken strip of film (also refers to the ending of the unbroken strip of film and the beginning of a new strip) Jump cut (see example video) -Cut where there is no match between the 2 spliced shots. Within a sequence, or more particularly a scene, jump cuts give the effect of bad editing. The opposite of a match cut, the jump cut is an abrupt cut between 2 shots that calls attention to itself because it does not match the shots seamlessly. It marks a transition in time and space but is called a jump cut because it jars the sensibilities; it makes the spectator jump and wonder where the narrative has got to. Match cut (see example video) - The exact opposite of a jump cut within a scene. These cuts make sure that there is a spatial-visual logic between the differently positioned shots within a scene. thus, where the camera moves to, and the angle of the camera, makes visual sense to the spectator. Cross-cutting - the intercutting of shots from two or more scenes so the fragments of each scene will be presented to the viewers attention alternately. This technique is used when the director wants to show PARALLEL ACTION Fade-in - 1.(n.) a shot which begins in total darkness and gradually lightens to full brightness. 2. (v.) To gradually bring sound from inaudibility to required volume. Dissolve (see example video) - A transition between 2 sequences or scenes. generally associated with earlier cinema but still used on occasion. In a dissolve a first image gradually dissolves or fades out and is replaced by another which fades in over it. This type of transition, which is known also as a soft transition (as opposed to the cut), suggests a longer passage of time than a cut. Wipe (see example video) An optical effect in which an image appears to "wipe-off" or push aside the preceeding image. Very common in the 1930s; less so today. Bridging Shot A shot used to cover a jump in time or place or other discontinuity. Examples are
Flashback A scene or sequence (sometime an entire film), that is inserted into a scene in "present" time and that deals with the past. The flashback is the past tense of the film. Flash-forward On the model of the flashback, scenes or shots of future time; the future tense of the film. Voice-over The narrator's voice when the narrator is not seen. Common in television commercials, but also in film noir. Deep focus (see example video) A technique in which objects very near the camera as well as those far away are in focus at the same time. Lighting Techniques (see example video) Backlighting The main source of light is behind the subject, silhouetting it, and directed toward the camera. Fill light An auxiliary light, usually from the side of the subject that can soften shadows and illuminate areas not covered by the key light Key light The main light on a subject. Usually placed at a 45 degree angle to the camera-subject axis. In high key lighting, the key light provides all or most of the light in the scene. In low key lighting, the key light provides much less of the total illumination. |
Shot Types - definitions and effectsCamera AnglesCamera Movement - TiltJump Cut exampleMatch Cut ExampleMontage and Fade out ExampleOther Useful SitesThere are a number of websites you can visit to find information about film techniques.
Try looking at http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms.html |