Selected Film Vocabulary Frame The visual boundaries of a single shot; can be described as Closed (story world entirely contained in the frame) or Open (story beyond the edges of the frame) Shot A still or moving continuous image or sequence between two cuts Shot size The relative size of a subject in the frame; can be Wide (entire object + environment), Medium (partial character + often some sense of space), or Close up (tight frame + little to no sense of space) Angle The direction at which the subject is captured from; can be High (from above), Low (from below), or Dutch/canted (askew or off-level); one might also use a Point of View or P.O.V. shot (as if from a character’s direct perspective) Coverage Footage from different angles that can be cut together to create a single scene Composition The decisive frame and arrangement of objects within it Space Feeling of depth or space created by the relation of characters to walls, objects, or each other; can be Flat (no sense of depth), Deep (great sense of dimension) Focus Area of the image that appears sharp; can be Shallow (very fine area in focus) or Deep (large area in focus); can also shift from one image to another by Racking Focus Camera Movement The way a camera moves in a scene; types include Pan (rotation left or right from a single position), Tilt (movement up and down from a single vertical position as if nodding), Dolly/Track (smooth movement along a track as if on a train), Zoom (a change in the focal length of a lens adjusting the shot from wide to close or close to wide from the same camera position) Blocking Movement of characters within a frame Light Quality Tonal quality of light; described as Soft (typically indirect, lower contrast between dark and light) or Hard (greater contrast, more pronounced shadows) Light Intensity Amount of light on a subject Light Directionality Direction at which the light falls on the subject; may be Frontal (from the side of the camera), Back (from behind the character); High or Low, Side, Three-Quarters, etc. Mise-en-scene Arrangement of all elements in the frame (actors, set, props, costume, etc.) Edit Assembly of different angles into a single scene or film; Continuity editing uses techniques like Shot-Reverse Shot (shot of one character matched with the opposite angle of another character to give the illusion of the two interacting with each other) Diegesis The film or narrative world; i.e. Voiceover or score is non-diegetic, Sound effects like footsteps or explosions are typically diegetic Scene An action in a single space and continuous time .

1. Selected Film Vocabulary
Frame
The visual boundaries of a single shot; can be described as
Closed (story world
entirely contained in the frame) or Open (story beyond the
edges of the frame)
Shot A still or moving continuous image or sequence between
two cuts
Shot size
The relative size of a subject in the frame; can be Wide (entire
object + environment),
Medium (partial character + often some sense of space), or
Close up (tight frame +
little to no sense of space)
Angle
The direction at which the subject is captured from; can be High
(from above), Low
(from below), or Dutch/canted (askew or off-level); one might
also use a Point of
View or P.O.V. shot (as if from a character’s direct perspective)
Coverage Footage from different angles that can be cut together
to create a single scene
Composition The decisive frame and arrangement of objects
within it
Space

2. Feeling of depth or space created by the relation of characters to
walls, objects, or
each other; can be Flat (no sense of depth), Deep (great sense of
dimension)
Focus
Area of the image that appears sharp; can be Shallow (very fine
area in focus) or
Deep (large area in focus); can also shift from one image to
another by Racking Focus
Camera
Movement
The way a camera moves in a scene; types include Pan (rotation
left or right from a
single position), Tilt (movement up and down from a single
vertical position as if
nodding), Dolly/Track (smooth movement along a track as if on
a train), Zoom (a
change in the focal length of a lens adjusting the shot from wide
to close or close to
wide from the same camera position)
Blocking Movement of characters within a frame
Light Quality
Tonal quality of light; described as Soft (typically indirect,
lower contrast between dark
and light) or Hard (greater contrast, more pronounced shadows)
Light Intensity Amount of light on a subject
Light
Directionality

3. Direction at which the light falls on the subject; may be Frontal
(from the side of the
camera), Back (from behind the character); High or Low, Side,
Three-Quarters, etc.
Mise-en-scene Arrangement of all elements in the frame (actors,
set, props, costume, etc.)
Edit
Assembly of different angles into a single scene or film;
Continuity editing uses
techniques like Shot-Reverse Shot (shot of one character
matched with the opposite
angle of another character to give the illusion of the two
interacting with each other)
Diegesis
The film or narrative world; i.e. Voiceover or score is non-
diegetic, Sound effects like
footsteps or explosions are typically diegetic
Scene An action in a single space and continuous time