Basic Film Terms

1. Basic Film Terms Background terms you need to know for this course.

2. take • an attempt to get a shot on film; the single, uninterrupted operation of a camera as it continuously exposes a series of frames

3. shot • the uninterrupted action on the screen that results from a single take that has been printed and edited

4. soundtrack • auditory accompaniment to the visual elements of film • includes dialogue, music, and sound effects

5. editing • organizing and assembling shots; the art of selecting, trimming, coordinating, and cutting the footage into a projection sequence that will become the film

6. scene • a series of consecutive shots that take place in one location This _____ is a confrontation between cops and criminals on a city street.

7. widescreen • the cinematic version of most film which maintains a width to height picture ratio of approximately 2:1

8. producer • the person in charge of all the financial and administrative aspects of a film’s production, from the very inception of the film project and its initial planning through all stages of production, distribution, and advertising

9. “pan and scan” • a method of adapting films to television’s 1.33:1 width to height ratio that includes cropping out the edges of each frame

10. suspense • a state of uncertainty and delay that builds up anxiety as one awaits the outcome of a situation

11. cinematographer • director of photography; the individual in charge of putting each scene on film: including the lighting; the composition of the scene; the colors of the images; the choice of cameras, lenses, filters, and film stock; the settings of the camera; the set-ups and movements of the camera; and the integration of any special effects

12. plot • the individual events and their arrangement in a narrative work; it may not follow the chronological events of “the story”

13. denouement • the point in the plot , after the climax, when everything unravels and is resolved.

14. exposition • the part of a narrative work, often the beginning, which establishes for the audience the general situation of the characters and the premises for the action • Ex. – “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” • Ex. – The scene in the beginning of a romantic comedy where the audience learns the man has loved his coworker for years.

15. “in media res” • “in the middle of things” • when the first scene of a movie starts after events important to the story have already taken place • Ex - a story about a bank robbery that starts during the getaway and flashes back to the actual robbery or never shows the actual robbery

16. flashback • a shot, scene, or sequence that has taken place in the past, before the present time established in the film • Ex – Two characters are talking about an event from their past. The screen gets cloudy. We then see the scene from the past.

17. sequence • a group of consecutive shots and/or scenes that is not restricted to a single location but has its own beginning, middle, and end • If a movie was a book, a ______ would be a chapter. • Ex. - In a movie about a date, one ______ could be about the boy picking the girl up and meeting her parents.

18. director • the individual responsible for putting a work on film and sometimes for the vision and final realization of the entire motion picture