FILM TERMINOLOGY
Mise-en-scene – Settings, props, costume, hair, makeup, facial expressions, body
language, lighting, colour, positioning of objects and people
Cinematography – Camera distance, camera angles, camera movement, lighting,
blocking and framing
Ariel shot - A shot that's taken from an elevated point.
Close up - A head and shoulders shot often used to show expressions/emotions of a
character.
Extreme close-up - A shot where a part of the face/body of a character fills the whole
frame.
Medium shot - The framing of a subject from the waist up.
Two shot - A shot that includes two people in the frame
Point-Of-View Shot (POV) – Shows a view from the subject’s perspective.
Over the Shoulder Shot – A shot that is taken over the shoulder to show the other
character’s reaction
Overhead Shot – The camera is positioned above the character, action or object being
filmed.
Establishing Shot – A shot that introduces a new scene, location and character.
Reaction Shot – A shot that cuts away from the main scene to show someone’s
reaction.
High Angle – A camera angle that looks down at a subject or object.
Low Angle – A camera angle that looks up at a subject or object.
Canted framing (or oblique) – An oblique or crooked shot.
Crane – Sometimes used to signify the end of a scene/ programme /film.
Tilt – When the camera mirrors the subject (e.g. tilting down when someone looks
down)
Zoom – Using a zoom lens to appear to be moving closer to (zoom in) or further away
from (zoom out) a subject/object.
Track – When a camera is mounted on a dolly track and follows the subjects’
movement.
Pan – Where the camera pivots horizontally, either from right to left or left to right to
reveal a set or setting.
Top Lighting – Lighting that comes from over-head and puts the subject into attractive
relief.
Under lighting – Lighting that comes from below the subject
Back lighting – Lighting that comes from behind the subject and creates a ‘halo’ effect
around them.
Chiaroscuro – Stark difference between lights and darks
Blocking - The arrangement of actors within the frame.
Framing – Placement and positioning of subjects in the shot
Diegetic sound – Sound that originates from the film’s world
Non-diegetic sound – Sound that is added afterwards
Character theme – Reoccurring score associated with a character
Aural motif – Recurring motif in a film
Contrapuntal sound – When the sound contrasts the image you see on the screen
Foley sound – Custom sounds made in post-production
Ambient sound – Background music/sound
Sound bridge – When audio is carried over between two scenes
Voice-over – Voice is recorded off-screen and added in
Amplified sound – Sound that is made louder through a human-made device
Cacophony – A mixture of sounds
Discordance – Clashing sounds that don’t go together
Mise-en-scene – Settings, props, costume, hair, makeup, facial expressions, body
language, lighting, colour, positioning of objects and people
Cinematography – Camera distance, camera angles, camera movement, lighting,
blocking and framing
Ariel shot - A shot that's taken from an elevated point.
Close up - A head and shoulders shot often used to show expressions/emotions of a
character.
Extreme close-up - A shot where a part of the face/body of a character fills the whole
frame.
Medium shot - The framing of a subject from the waist up.
Two shot - A shot that includes two people in the frame
Point-Of-View Shot (POV) – Shows a view from the subject’s perspective.
Over the Shoulder Shot – A shot that is taken over the shoulder to show the other
character’s reaction
Overhead Shot – The camera is positioned above the character, action or object being
filmed.
Establishing Shot – A shot that introduces a new scene, location and character.
Reaction Shot – A shot that cuts away from the main scene to show someone’s
reaction.
High Angle – A camera angle that looks down at a subject or object.
Low Angle – A camera angle that looks up at a subject or object.
Canted framing (or oblique) – An oblique or crooked shot.
Crane – Sometimes used to signify the end of a scene/ programme /film.
Tilt – When the camera mirrors the subject (e.g. tilting down when someone looks
down)
Zoom – Using a zoom lens to appear to be moving closer to (zoom in) or further away
from (zoom out) a subject/object.
Track – When a camera is mounted on a dolly track and follows the subjects’
movement.
Pan – Where the camera pivots horizontally, either from right to left or left to right to
reveal a set or setting.
Top Lighting – Lighting that comes from over-head and puts the subject into attractive
relief.
Under lighting – Lighting that comes from below the subject
Back lighting – Lighting that comes from behind the subject and creates a ‘halo’ effect
around them.
Chiaroscuro – Stark difference between lights and darks
Blocking - The arrangement of actors within the frame.
Framing – Placement and positioning of subjects in the shot
Diegetic sound – Sound that originates from the film’s world
Non-diegetic sound – Sound that is added afterwards
Character theme – Reoccurring score associated with a character
Aural motif – Recurring motif in a film
Contrapuntal sound – When the sound contrasts the image you see on the screen
Foley sound – Custom sounds made in post-production
Ambient sound – Background music/sound
Sound bridge – When audio is carried over between two scenes
Voice-over – Voice is recorded off-screen and added in
Amplified sound – Sound that is made louder through a human-made device
Cacophony – A mixture of sounds
Discordance – Clashing sounds that don’t go together
