Terminology

Monday 19th November 2018

L/O: To explore media terminology used to analyse exam texts.

Audio-Visual Terminology

Camerawork

• Establishing shots: it sets up or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. Generally a long or extreme long-shot at the beginning of a scene indicating where and when the remainder of the scene takes place.
• Low angle: a shot from a camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis.
• High angle: where the camera is positioned looking down on the subject from a high angle.
• Canted angle: a type of camera shot where the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame.
• Aerial shot: a shot of a scene that is taken from an elevated vantage point than what is framed in the shot.
• Track shot: any shot where the camera moves alongside the object(s) in its recording.
• Steadicam: a brand of camera stabiliser mounts for motion cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation.
• Crane shots: a shot taken by a camera on a crane or jib.
• Hand-held camera: where a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base.
• Refers to the position the camera is in when reviewing a scene.
• Shallow focus: a technique incorporating a small depth of field. One plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus.
• Focus pulls:  a camera technique in which you change focus during a shot. Usually means adjusting the focus from one subject to another.

Editing

• Reverse shot: where one film character is shown long at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.
• Juxtaposition: the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
• Non-continuity editing: when shots are mismatched to disrupt the impression of tie and space.
• Crosscutting: alternate (one sequence) with another when editing a film.
• Fast-paced editing: a film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration. Can be used to convey a lot of information very quickly, or to imply energy or chaos.
• Dissolve: a gradual transition from one image to another.
• Wipe: type of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
• Fade out: a term used to describe a transition effect where the image slowly disappears into a black.
• Post-production effects: this phase of a film usually takes longer than the actual shooting of the film. Includes the complete editing, colour correction, and the addition of music and sound.

Soundtrack

• Music: the song that is used in the music video.
• Diegetic sound: any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world. Can be either on screen or off screen.
• Non-diegetic sound: sound that isn't visible on screen.
• Sound effects: a sound other than speech, artificially made music for use in film, play or any other broadcast production.
• Sound bridge: a type of sound editing that occurs when sound carries over a visual transformation in a film.
• Voiceover: narrate (spoken material) for a film or broadcast as a voice over.

Mise en scène

• Lighting: equipment in a room, building or street for producing light.
• Location: a place where a film or television series is produced.
• Costume and makeup: the investing of clothing and overall appearance or performer. May refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, class or period.
• Props: an object used on stage or on screen during a performance or on screen production.
• Casting and performance style: the act or style of performing a work or role before an audience.
• Blocking: blocking a scene is "working out the details of an actors moves in relation to the camera."