Actor start.  See star.
Aerial shot (T).  Essentially a variation of the crane shot, though restricted to exterior locations.  Usually taken from a helicopter.
Aesthetic distance (C).  Viewers’ ability to distinguish between an artistic reality and  external reality – their realization that the events of a fiction film are simulated.
A-film (I). An American studio era term signifying a major production, usually with important stars, and a generous budget.  Shown as the  main feature on double bills.
Allegory techniques(C).  Techniques of filmmaking that depend on the element of chance.  Images are not planned out in advance but must be composed on the spot by the camera operator.  Usually used in documentary situations.
Allegory (C).  A symbolic technique in which stylized characters and situations represent rather obvious ideas, such as Justice, Death, Religion, Society and so on.
Allusion (C).  A reference to an event, person, work of art, usually well known.
Angle (G).  the camera’s angle of view relative to the subject being photographed.  A high-angle shot is photographed from above, a low-angle from below the subject.
Animation (G).  a form of filmmaking characterized by photographing inanimate objects or individual drawings frame by frame, with each frame differing minutely from its predecessor. When such images are projected at the standard speed of twenty-four frames per second, the result is that the objects or drawings appear to move, and hence seem "animated".
Anticipatory camera, anticipatory setup (C).  The placement of the camera in such a manner as to anticipate the movement of an action before it occurs.  Such setups  often suggest predestination.
Archetype (C).  An original model or type after which similar things are patterned.   Archetypes can be well-known story patterns, universal experiences, or personality types.  Myths, fairy tales, genres, and cultural heroes are generally archetypal, as are the basic cycles of life and nature.
Art director (G).  The individual  responsible for the designing and overseeing the construction of sets for a movie, and sometimes its interior decoration and overall visual style.
Aspect ratio (T).  the ratio between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the screen.
Auteur theory (C).  A theory of film popularized by the critics of the French journal Cahiers du Cinema in the 1950s.  the theory emphasizes the director as the major creator of film art, stamping the material with his or her own personal vision, style, and thematic obsessions.
Available light (G).  The use of only that light which actually exists on location, either natural (the sun) or artificial (house lamps).  When available lighting is used in interior locations, generally a sensitive fast film stock must be used.
Avant-garde (C).  from the French, meaning "in the front ranks".  Those minority artists whose works are characterized by an unconventional daring and by obscure, controversial, or highly personal ideas.
 
 
 

B

Backlighting (G).  when the lights for a shot derive from the rear of the set, thus throwing the foreground figures into semidarkness or silhouette.
Back lot(I).  During the studio era, standing exterior sets of such common locales as a turn-of-the-century city block, a frontier town, a European town and so on.
B-Film (G).  A low budget movie usually shown as the second feature during the big-studio era in America.  B-films rarely included important stars and took the form of popular genres, such as thrillers, westerns, or horror films. The major studios used them for testing grounds for the raw talent under contract.
Bird’s-eye view (G).  a shot in which the camera photographs a scene from directly overhead.
Blimp (T).  A soundproof camera housing that muffles the noise of the camera’s motor so sound can be recorded directly on the set.
Blocking (T).  the movements of the actors within a given playing area.
Boom, mike boom (T).  An overhead telescoping pole that carries a microphone, permitting the synchronous recording of sound without restricting the movement of the actors.
Buddy-film (G).  A male-oriented action genre, especially popular in the 1970s, dealing with the adventures of two or more men, usually excluding any significant female roles.
 
 
 

C

Camp, campy (C).  An artistic sensibility typified by comic mockery, especially of the straight world and conventional morality.  Campy movies are often ludicrously theatrical, stylistically gaudy and gleefully subversive.
Canon of Literature (L). Click here.
Cels, also cells (T).  Transparent plastic sheets that are superimposed in layer by animators to give the illusion of depth and volume to their drawings.
Centrist (C).  A political term signifying a moderate ideology, midway between the extremes of the left and right wings.
Character and Characterization. (L).  Click here.
Cinematographer, also director of photography or D.P. (G).  The artist or technician responsible for the lighting of a shot and the quality of the photography.
Cinema verite, also direct cinema (C).  A method of documentary filming using aleatory methods that don’t interfere with a  minimum of equipment, usually a  hand held camera and portable sound apparatus.
Classical cinema, classical paradigm (C).  A vague but convenient term used to designate the style of mainstream fiction films produced in America, roughly from the midteens until the late 1960s.  The classical paradigm is a movie strong story, star, and production values, with a high level of technical achievement, and edited according o conventions of classical cutting.  The visual style is functional and rarely distracts from the characters in action.  Movies in this form are structured narratively, with a clearly defined conflict, complications that intensify to a rising climax and a resolution that emphasizes formal closure.
Classical cutting (C).  A style of editing developed by D.W. Griffith, in which a sequence of shots is determined by a scene’s dramatic and emotional emphasis rather than by physical action alone.  The sequence of shots represents the breakdown of the event into its psychological as well as logical components.
Closed forms (C).  A visual style that inclines toward self-conscious designs and carefully harmonized compositions.  The frame is exploited to suggest a self-sufficient universe that encloses all the necessary visual information, usually in an aesthetically appealing manner.
Close-up, close shot (G).  A detailed view of a person or object. A  close-up of and actor usually includes only his or her head
Continuity (T).  The kind of logic implied between edited shots, their principle of coherence.   Cutting to continuity emphasizes smooth transitions between shots, in which time and space are unobtrusively condensed.  More complex, classical cutting is the linking of shots according to an event’s psychological breakdown.  In thematic montage, the continuity is determined by the symbolic association of ideas between shots, rather than any literal connections in time and space.
Convention (C).  an implied agreement between the viewer and artist to accept certain artificialities as real in a work of art.  In movies, editing (or the juxtaposition of shots) is accepted as "logical" even though a viewer’s perception of reality is continuous and unfragmented.
Coverage, covering shots, cover shots (T).  Extra shots of a scene that can be used to bridge transitions in case the planned footage fails to edit as planned.  Usually long shots that presence the overall continuity of a scene.
Crane shot (T).   A shot taken from a special device called a crane, which resembles a huge mechanical arm.  The crane carries the camera and the cinematographer and can move in virtually any direction.
Cross-cutting (G).  The alternating of shots from two sequences, often in different locales, suggesting that they are taking place at same time.
Cutting to continuity (T).  A type of editing in which the shots are arranged to preserve the fluidity of an action without showing all of it. An unobtrusive condensation of continuous action.
 
 
 

D

Day-for-night shooting (T).  Scenes  that are filmed in daytime with special filters to suggest nighttime settings in the movie image.
Deep-focus shot (T).  a technique of photography that permits all distance places to remain clearly in focus, from close-up ranges to infinity.
Deus ex Machina (L). Click here.deus.html
Dialectical, dialectics (C).  An analytical methodology, derived from Hegel and Marx, that juxtaposes pairs of opposites – a thesis and antithesis – to arrive at a synthesis of facts.
Dissolve, lap dissolve (T).  the slow fading out of one shot and the gradual fading of its successor, with a superimposition of images, usually at the midpoint.
Distributor (I).  Those individuals who serve as go-betweens in the film industry, who arrange to book the product in theaters.
Dolly-shot, tracking shot, trucking shot (T).  a shot taken from a moving vehicle.  Originally tracks were laid on the set to permit a smoother movement of the camera.
Dominant contrast, dominant (C).  That area of the film image that compels the viewer’s most immediate attention, usually because of a prominent visual contrast.
Double exposure (T).  The superimposition of two literally unrelated images on film.  See also multiple exposure.
Dubbing (T).  the addition of sound after the visuals have been photographed.  Dubbing can be either synchronous or non synchronous.  Foreign-language movies are often dubbed in English for release in this country.
 
 
 

E

Editing (G).  The joining of one shot (strip of film) with another.  The shots can picture events and objects in difference places at different times.  In Europe, editing is called montage.
Epic (C).  A film genre characterized by bold and sweeping themes, usually in heroic proportions.  The protagonist is an ideal representative of a culture – national, religious, or regional.  The tone of most epics is dignifies, the treatment larger than life.  The western is the most popular epic genre in the U.S.A.
Establishing shot (T).  Usually an extreme long or long shot offered at the beginning of a scene, providing the viewer with the context of the subsequent closer shots.
Exemplum (plural exempla).  A moralized tale.  Just as modern preachers often make use of illustrations, so medieval preachers made use of tales, anecdotes, and incidents, both historical and legendary, to point morals or illustrate doctrines.
Expressionism (C).  A style of filmmaking emphasizing extreme distortion, lyricism, and artistic self expression at the expense of objectivity.
Extreme close-up (G).  A minutely detailed view of an object or person.  An extreme close-up of an actor generally includes only his or her eyes or mouth.
Extreme long shot (G).  A panoramic view of an exterior location, photographed from a great distance, often as far as a quarter-mile away.
Eye-level shot (T).  The placement of the camera approximately five or six feet from the ground, corresponding to the height of an observer on the scene.
 
 
 

F

Fade (T).  The fade-out is the snuffing of an image from normal brightness to a black screen.  A fade-in is the opposite.
Faithful adaptation (C).  A film based on a literary original which captures the essence of the original, often by using cinematic equivalents for specific literary techniques.
Fast motion (T).  Shots of a subject photographed at a slower rate that twenty-four fps, which, when projected at the standard rate, conveys motion that is jerky and slightly comical, seemingly out of control.
Feminist Criticism (L). Click here.
Film noir (C).  A French term – literally, black cinema – referring to a kind of urban American genre that sprang up after World War II, emphasizing a fatalistic, despairing universe where there is no escape from mean city streets, loneliness, and death.  Stylistically, noir emphasizes low-key and high-contrast lighting, complex compositions and a strong atmosphere of dread and paranoia.
Filters (T).  Pieces of glass or plastic placed in front of the camera lens that distort the quality of light entering the camera and hence the movie image.
Final cut, also release print (I).  The sequence of shots in a movie as it will be released to the public.
First cut, also rough cut (I).  The initial sequence of shots in a movie, often constructed by the director.
First-person point of view.  See point-of-view shot.
Flashback (G).  An editing technique that suggests the interruption of the present by a shot or series of shots representing the past.
Flash-forward (G).  An editing technique that suggest the interruption of the present by a  shot or series of shots representing the future.
Focus (T).  The degree of acceptable sharpness in a film image.  "Out of focus" means the images are blurred and lack acceptable linear definition.
Foregrounding (C).  When a critic isolates and heightens one aspect of a work of art from its context to analyze that characteristic in greater depth.
Formalist, formalism (C).  A style of filmmaking in which aesthetic forms take precedence over the subject matter as content.  Time and space as ordinarily perceived are often distorted.  Emphasis is on the essential, symbolic characteristics of objects and people, not necessarily on their superficial appearance.  Formalists are often lyrical, self-consciously heightening their style to call attention to it as a value for its own sake.
Frame (T).  The dividing line between the edges of the screen image and the enclosing darkness of the theater. Can also refer to a single photograph from the filmstrip.
Freeze frame, freeze shot (T).  A shot composed of a single frame that is reprinted a number of times on the filmstrip; when projected, it gives the illusions of a still photograph.
F-stop (T).  The measurement of the size of the lens opening in the camera, indicating the amount of light that is admitted.
Full shot (T).  A type of long shot that includes the human body in full, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom.
 
 
 

G

Gauge (T).  The width of the filmstrip, expressed in millimeters (mm).  The wider the gauge, the better the quality of the image. The standard theatrical gauge is 35 mm.
Genre (C).  A recognizable type of movie, characterized by certain pre-established conventions.  Some common American genres are westerns, thrillers, sci-fi movies, etc.  A ready-made narrative form.  Click here for more detail.
 
 
 

H

Handheld shot (G).  A shot taken with a moving camera that is often deliberately shaky to suggest documentary footage in a uncontrollable setting.
High-angle shot (T).  A shot in which the subject is photographed from above.
High contrast (T).  A style of lighting emphasizing harsh shafts and dramatics streaks of lights and darks.  Often used in thrillers of melodramas.
High key (T).  A style of lighting emphasizing bright, even illumination, with few conspicuous shadows.  Used mostly in comedies,  musicals, and light entertainment films.
Homage (C).  A direct or indirect reference within a movie to another movie, filmmaker or cinematic style.  A respectful and affectionate tribute.
 
 
 

I

Iconography (C).  The use of a well- known cultural symbol or complex of symbols in an artistic representation.  In movies, iconography can involve a start’s persona, the pre-established conventions of a genre (like the shootout in a western), the use of archetypal characters and situations and such stylistic features as lighting, settings, costuming, props, and so on.
Independent producer (G).  A producer not affiliated with a  studio or large commercial firm.  Many stars and directors have been independent producers to insure their artistic control.
Intercut (T).  See cross-cutting.
Intrinsic interest (C).  An unobtrusive area of the film image that nonetheless compels out most immediate attention because of its dramatic or contextual importance.
Iris (T).  A masking device that blacks out portions of the screen, permitting only a part of the image to be seen.  Usually the iris is circular or oval in shape and can be expanded or contracted.
 
 
 

J

Jump cut (T). An abrupt transition between shots, sometimes deliberate, which is disorienting in terms of the continuity of space and time.
 
 
 

K

Key light (T).  The main source of illumination for a shot.
Kinetic (C).  Pertaining to motion and movement.
 
 
 

L

Leftist, left-wing (G).  A set of ideological values, typically liberal in emphasis, stressing such traits as equality, the importance of the environment in determining human behavior, relativism in moral matters, emphasis on the secular rather than religion, an optimistic view of the future and human nature, a belief in technology as the main propellant of progress, cooperation rather than competition, an identification with the poor and the oppressed, internationalism, and the sexual and reproductive freedom.
Lengthy take, long take (C).  a shot of lengthy duration.
Lens (T).  A ground or molded piece of glass, plastic or other transparent  material through which light rays are refracted so they converge or diverge to form the photographic image within the camera.
Literal adaptation (C).  A movie based on a stage play, in which the dialogue and actions are preserved more or less intact.
Long shot (G).  A shot that includes an area within the image that roughly corresponds to the audience’s view of the area within the proscenium arch in the live theater.
Loose adaptation (C).  A movie based on another medium in which only a superficial resemblance exists between the two versions.
Loose framing (C).  Usually in longer shots.  The mise en scene is so spaciously distributed within the confines of the framed image that the people photographed have considerable freedom of movement.
Low-angle shot (T).  A shot in which the subject is photographed from below.
Lyrical (C).  A stylistic exuberance and subjectivity, emphasizing the sensuous beauty of the medium and producing an intense outpouring of emotion.
 
 
 

M

Majors (I).  The principal production studios of a given era.  In the golden age of the Hollywood studio system – roughly the 1930s-1940s – the majors consisted of MGM, Warner Brothers, RKO, Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox.
Marxist (G).  An ideological term used to describe any person or film that is biased in favor of left-wing values, particularly in their more extreme form.
Masking (T).  A technique whereby a portion of the movie image is blocked out, this temporarily altering the dimensions of the screen’s aspect ratio.
Master shot (T).  An uninterrupted shot, usually taken from a long or full shot range, that contains an entire scene.  The closer shots are photographed later, and an edited sequence, composed of a variety of shots, is constructed on the editor’s bench.
Matte shots (T).  A process of combining two separate shots on one print, resulting in an image that looks as though it had been photographed normally. Used mostly for special effects, such as combining a human figure with a giant dinosaur, etc.
Medium shot (G). A relatively close shot, revealing the human figure from the knees or waist up.
Metaphor (C).  An implied comparison between two otherwise unlike elements, meaningful in a figurative rather than a literal sense.
Method acting (C).  A style of performance derived from the Russian stage director Stanislavsky, which has been the dominant acting style in America since the 1950s.  Method actors emphasize psychological intensity, extensive rehearsals to explore a character, emotional believability rather than technical mastery, and living a role internally rather than merely imitating the external behavior of a character.
Metteur en scene (C).  The artist or technician who creates the mise en scene – that is the director.
Mickeymousing (T).  a type of film music that is purely descriptive and attempts to mimic the visual action with musical equivalents. Often used in cartons.
Miniatures, also model or miniature shots (T).  Small-scale models photographed to give the illusion that they are full-scale objects.  For example, ships sinking at sea, giant dinosaurs, airplanes colliding, etc.
Minimalism (C).  A style of filmmaking characterized by austerity and restraint, in which cinematic elements are reduced to the barest minimum of information.
Mise en scene (C).  The arrangement of visual weights and movements within a given space,  in the live theater, the space is usually defined by the proscenium arch; in the movies, it is defined by the frame that encloses the images.  Cinematic mise en scene encompasses both the staging of the action and the way that it’s photographed.
Mix (T).  The process of combining separately recorded sounds from individual soundtracks onto a master track.
Montage (T).  Transitional sequences of rapidly edited images, used to suggest the lapse of time or the passing of events.  Often uses dissolves of multiple exposures.  In Europe, montage means the art of editing.
Motif (C).  Any unobtrusive technique, object, or thematic idea that’s systematically repeated throughout the film.
Multiple exposures (T).  A special effect produced by the optical printer, which permits the superimposition of many images simultaneously.
 
 
 

N

Negative image (T).  The reversal of lights and darks of the subject photographed: blacks are white, whites are black.
Neorealism (C). An Italian film movement that produced its best works between 1945 and 1955.  Strongly realistic in its techniques, neorealism emphasized documentary aspects of film art, stressing loose episodic plots, unextraordinary events and characters, natural lighting, actual location settings, nonprofessional actors, a preoccupation with poverty and social problems, and an emphasis on humanistic and democratic ideals.  The term has also been used to describe other films that reflect the technical and stylistic biases of Italian neorealism.
New Wave, nouvelle vague (C).  A group of young French directors who came to prominence during the late 1950s.  The most widely known are Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Alain Resnais.
Nonsynchronous sound (T).  Sound and image that are not recorded simultaneously, or sound that is detached from its source in the film image.  Music is usually nonsynchronous in a movie, providing background atmosphere.
 
 
 

O

Oblique angle, tilt shot (T). A shot photographed by a tilted camera.  When the image is projected on the screen, the subject itself seems to be tilted on a diagonal.
Oeuvre (C).  From the French, "work".  The complete works of an artist, viewed as a whole.
Omniscient point of view (C).  An all-knowing narrator who provides the spectator with all the necessary information.
Open forms (C).  Used primarily by realist filmmakers, these techniques are likely to be unobtrusive, with an emphasis on informal compositions and apparently haphazard designs.  The frame is exploited to suggest a temporary masking, a window that arbitrarily cuts off part of the action.
Optical printer (T).  An elaborate machine used to create special effects in movies.  For example, fades, dissolves, multiple exposures, etc.
Outtakes (I).  Shots or pieces of shots that are not used in the final cut of a film.  Left over footage.
Overexposure (T).  Too much light enter the aperture of a camera lens, bleaching out the image.  Useful for fantasy and nightmare scenes.
 
 
 

P

Pan, panning shot (T).  Short for panorama, this is revolving horizontal movement of the camera from left to right or vice versa.
Parallel editing.  See cross-cutting.
Persistence of Vision:  the capacity of the eye to maintain an image on the retina for a brief instant after it has disappeared, thus filling in the gaps between successive images and giving continuity from one to another.  Because the eye holds the image of one position after that image disappears from the screen and until the next appears, and because a shutter in the camera blocks out the intermittent movement from one frame to another, the successive images seem to blend into each other, creating a continuity of movement from one position of the subject to another.
Persona (C).  From the Latin, "mask".  An actor’s public image, base don his or her previous roles, and often incorporating elements from their actual personalities as well.
Personality star.  See star.
Phi Phenomenon: the illusion of movement created by the brain when the same object appears in different places in successive instances. (whereas persistence of vision is physiological, the phi phenomenon is a psychological result of the brain's operations).
Pixillation, also stop motion photography (T).  An animation technique involving the photographing of live actors frame by frame.  When the sequence is projected at the standard speed of twenty four fps, the actors move abruptly and jerkily, like cartoon figures.
Plot . (L). Click here.
Point-of-view (L).
First-person
Second-person
Third-person
    Omniscient
    Limited
Self-Conscious Narrator
Self-reflexive Narrator
Fallible/Unreliable Narrator
Click here for general.

Process shot, also rear projection (T).  A technique in which a background scene is projected onto a translucent screen behind the actors so it appears that the actors are on location in the final image.
Producer (G).  An ambiguous term referring to the individual or company that control the financing of a film, and often the way it’s made.  The producer can concern himself or herself solely with business matters, or with putting together a package deal (such as script, stars and directors), or the producer can function as an expeditor, smoothing over problems during production.
Producer-director (I).  A filmmaker who finances projects independently, to allow maximum creative freedom.
Production values (I).  The box-office appeal of the physical mounting of a film, such as sets, costumes, props, etc.
Prop (T). Any movable item that is included in a movie: tables, guns, books, etc.
Property (I). Anything with a profit-making potential in movies, though generally used to describe a story of some kind: a  screenplay, novel, short story, etc.
Proxemic patterns (C). The spatial relationship among characters within the mise en scene, and the apparent distance of the camera from the subject photographed.
Pull-back dolly (T).  Withdrawing the camera from the scene to reveal an object or character that was previously out of frame.
 
 
 

Q

Queer Theory (L). Click here.qtheory.html
 
 
 

R

Rack focussing, selective focussing (T).  The blurring of focal planes in sequence, forcing the viewer’s eyes to travel with those areas of an image that remain in sharp focus.
Reaction shot (T).  A cut to a shot of a character’s reaction to the contents of the preceding shot.
Realism (G).  A style of filmmaking that attempts to duplicate the look of objective reality as it’s commonly perceived, with emphasis on authentic locations and details, long shots, lengthy  takes, and a minimum of distorting techniques.
Reestablishing shot (T).  A return to an initial establishing shot within a scene, acting as a reminder of the physical context of the closer shot.
Reprinting (T).  A special effects technique in which two or more separately photographed images are rephotographed onto one strip of film.
Reverse angle shot (T).  A shot taken from an angle 180 degrees opposed to the previous shot.  That is, the camera is placed opposite its previous position.
Reverse motion (T).  A series of images are photographed with the film reversed.  When projected normally, the effect is to suggest backward movement – an egg "returning" to its shell for example.
Rightist, right wing (G).   A set of ideological values, typically conservative in emphasis, stressing such traits as family values, patriarchy, heredity and caste, absolute moral and ethical standards, religion, veneration for tradition and the past, a tendency to be pessimistic about the future and human nature, the need for competition, an identification with leaders and elite classes, nationalism, open market economic principals, and martial monogamy.
Rite of passage (C).  Narratives that focus on key phases of a person’s life, when an individual passes from on stage of development to another, such as adolescence to adulthood, innocence to experience, middle age to old age and so on.
Rough cut (T).  The crudely edited footage of a movie before the editor has tightened up the slackness between shots. A kind of rough draft.
Rushes, dailies (I).  The selected footage of the previous day’s shooting, which is usually evaluated by the director and cinematographer before the start of the next day’s shooting.
 
 
 

S

Satire. A work or manner that blends a censorious attitude with humor and wit for improving human institutions or humanity.  Satirists attempt through laughter not so much to tear down as to inspire remodeling.  Simple abuse or invective is a low form of satire, as is sarcasm.
Scene (G). An imprecise unit of film, composed of a number of interrelated shots, unified usually by a central concern – a location, an incident or a minor dramatic climax.
Screwball comedy (C).  A film genre, introduced in the late 1930s in America and popular up to the 1950s, characterized by zany lovers, often from different social classes.  The plots are often absurdly improbable and have a tendency to veer out of control.  These movies usually feature slapstick comedy scenes, aggressive and charming heroines, and an assortment of outlandish secondary characters.
Script, screenplay , scenario (G).  A written description of a movie’s dialogue and action which occasionally includes camera directions.
Selective focus.  See rack focusing.
Sequence shot, also plan-sequence (C).  A single lengthy shot, usually involving complex staging and camera movements.
Setting . (L).  Click here.
Setup (T).  The positioning of the camera and lights for a specific shot.
Shooting ratio (I).  The amount of film stock used in photographing a movie in relation to what’s finally included in the finished product.  A shooting ratio of 20:1 means that twenty feet of film were shot for every one used in the final cut.
Shooting script (I).  A written breakdown of a  movie story into its individual shots, often containing technical instructions.  Used by the director and his or her staff during the production.
Short lens.  See wide-angled lens.
Shot (G).  An unedited strip of film, those images that are recorded continuously from the time the camera starts to the time it stops.
Slow motion (T). Shots of a subject photographed at a faster rate then twenty-four fps, which when projected at the standard rather to produce a dreamy dancelike slowness of action.
Slow stock, slow film (T).  Film stocks that are relatively insensitive to light and produce crisp images and a sharpness of detail.  When used in interior settings, these stocks generally require considerable artificial illumination.
Soft focus (T). The blurring out of focus of all except one desired distance  range.  Can also refer to a glamorizing technique that softens the sharpness of definition so facial wrinkles can be smoothed over and even eliminated.
Sonnet  (C).  A poem almost invariably of fourteen lines and following one of several set rhyme scheme.  The two basic sonnet types are the ITALIAN or PETRARCHAN and the ENGLISH or SHAKESPEAREAN.  The Italian form is distinguished by its division into the OCTAVE and the SESTET:  the octave presents a narrative states a proposition, or raises a question; the sestet drives home the narrative by making an abstract comment, applies the proposition, or solves the problem.  In the ENGLISH or SHAKESPEAREAN sonnet, four divisions are used; three quatrains (each with a rhyme scheme of its own, usually rhyming alternate lines) and a rhymed concluding couplet.  The typical rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.
Star (G). A film actor or actress of great popularity.  A personality star tends to play only those roles that fit a preconceived public image, which constitutes his or her persona. An actor star can play roles of greater range and variety.  Barbara Streisand is a personality star and Robert De Niro is an actor star.
Star system (G).  The technique of exploiting the charisma of popular performers to enhance the box-office appeal of films.  The star system was developed in America and has been the backbone of American film industry since the mid-1910s.
Star vehicle (G). A movie especially designed to showcase the talents and charms of a specific star.
Stock (T).  Unexposed film. There are many types of movie stocks, including those highly sensitive to light (fast stocks) and those relatively insensitive to light (slow stocks).
Storyboard, storyboarding (T). A previsualization technique in which shots are sketched in advance and in sequence, like a comic strip, thus allowing the filmmaker to outline the mise en scene and construct the editing continuity before production begins.
Story values (I).  The narrative appeal of a movie, which can reside in the popularity of an adapted property, the high craftsmanship of a script or both.
Studio (G).  A large corporation specializing in the production of movies, such as Paramount, Warner Brothers and so on;  any physical facility equipped for the production of films.
Subjective camera.  See point of view shot.
Subsidiary contrast (C). A subordinated element of the film image, complementing or contrasting with the dominant contrast.
Subtext (C). A term used in drama and film to signify the dramatic implications beneath the language of a play or movie.  Often the subtext concerns ideas and emotions that are totally independent of the language of the text.
Surrealism (C).  An avant-garde movement in the arts stressing Freudian and Marxist ideas, unconscious elements, irrationalism, and the symbolic association of ideas.  Surrealist movies were produced roughly from 1924 and 1931, primarily in France, though there are surrealistic elements in the works of many directors and especially in music videos.
Swish pan, also flash or zip pan (T). A horizontal movement of the camera at such a rapid rate that the subject photographed blurs on the screen.
Synchronous sound (T).  The agreement or correspondence between image and sound, which are recorded simultaneously, or seem so in the finished print.  Synchronous sounds appear to derive from an obvious source in the visuals.
Symbol, symbolic (C).  A figurative device in which an object, event or cinemative technique has significance beyond its literal meaning.  Symbolism is always determined by the dramatic context.
 
 
 

T

Take (T). A variation of a specific shot.  The final shot is often selected from a number of different possible takes.
Telephoto lens, long lens (T).  A lens that acts as a telescope, magnifying the size of objects at a great distance. A side effect is its tendency to flatten perspective.
Termatic montage (C). A type of editing propounded by the Soviet filmmaker Eisenstein, in which separate shots are linked together not by their literal continuity in reality but by symbolic association.  A shot of a preening braggart might be linked to a shot of a toy peacock, for example.  Most commonly used in documentaries, in which shots are connected in accordance to the filmmaker’s thesis.
Theme . (L). Click here.
Three shot (T). A medium shot, featuring three actors.
Tight framing (C ).  Usually in close shots.  The mise en scene is so carefully balanced and harmonized that the people photographed have little or no freedom of movement.
Tilt, tilt shot (T). See oblique angle.
Tracking shot, trucking shot. See dolly shot.
Two shot (T). A medium shot, featuring two actors.
 
 
 

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V

Vaudeville see Vaudeville
Vertical integration (I).  A system in which the production, distribution and exhibition of movies are all controlled by the same corporation.  In America the practice was declared illegal in the late 1940s.
Viewfinder (T).  An eyepiece on the camera that defines the playing area and the framing of the action to be photographed.
Voice-over (T). A nonsynchronous spoken commentary in a movie, often used to convey a character’s thoughts or memories.
 
 
 

W

Wide-angle lens, short lens (T).  A lens that permits the camera to photograph a wider are than  a normal lens.  A side effect is its tendency to exaggerate perspective.  Also used for deep focus photography.
Widescreen, also CinemaScope, scope (G).  A movie image that has an aspect ration of approximately 5:3, though some widescreens possess horizontal dimensions that extend as wide as 2.5 times the vertical dimension of the screen.
Wipe (T).  An editing device, usually a line that travels across the screen, "pushing off" one image and revealing another.
Women’s pictures (G). A film genre that focuses on the problems of women, such as career versus family conflicts.  Often such films feature a popular female star as protagonist.

X
 
 
 

Y
 
 
 

Z

Zoom lens, zoom shot (T). A lens of variable focal length that permits the cinematographer to change from wide-angle to telephoto shots (and vice-versa) in one continuous movement, often plunging the viewer in or out of  a scene rapidly.