Film Key Terms

In film, it is important to know the camera shots and what effect the different camera techniques have on the audience.

• Close up - A shot which shows from the neck up and it is used to show facial expressions.
• Medium shot - A shot showing the character from the waist up. It allows other characters to be in view and so it allows character interaction. Often used for more sociable shots.
• Extreme close up - This shot focuses on a small detail. E.g. an eye or a hand.
• Long shot - A shot showing a character or setting from a distance.
• High angle shot - A shot taken from above, looking down. It makes the audience feel powerful and superior and the actors seem small and vulnerable.
• Low angle shot - A shot taken from below. The audience are being looked down on. It may makes us feel small and vulnerable and the actors seem powerful and superior.
• Panning - This is when the camera moves in an arc from a fixed point.
• Tracking - This is when the camera is on tracks and it follows the action.
• Zoom - The camera lens moves in to a close up. Often used to focus attention on a relevant detail or emphasises a characters reaction. 
• Diegetic sound - Music/sound effect that comes from the scene of the film.
• Non-diegetic sound - Music/sound that is added to the film during editing.
• Mise-en-scene - Everything in the frame. Nothing in the film is there by accident. Mise-en-scene is a broad term covering everything you see. Colours, props, set, costumes and lighting.