Film-Specific Techniques

Film-specific techniques are visual tools used to convey messages in films, television episodes, documentaries, and other forms of video.

Aerial Shot

A shot usually taken from a crane or helicopter to show a landscape, city, or many other elements within a single moving shot. Usually these are used to establish settings, large spaces/areas or a sense of scale.

Costuming

The clothes, makeup, hairstyles, accessories, etc. designed to be worn by characters to represent their personality, status, heritage, culture, etc. Often characters clothes will fit within one or two similar colour palettes or tones and use fabrics of similar textures. Colour symbolism often comes into play here (a character wearing earthy colours may be associated with gardening, plants and nature).

Cut

The splicing of two shots together so that one seems to instantly move to the other. There are many different types of cuts – jump cuts are more jagged and create a sense of fast pace or deliberately poor editing, match cuts involve cutting between two very visually similar shots to create a more seamless flow.

Dialogue

The words spoken by characters. Regular literary techniques are used her (metaphor, simile, personification, etc.) but also consider character vocal inflection, tone, pauses, etc. as well as their vocal range (does the character have a deep voice? A high, feminine voice?).

Diegetic Sound

The ‘literal sound’ created by the objects and people within a shot – sounds that the character is presumed to be hearing as well. This includes; character dialogue, fabric rustling, animals, background noise/voices, sounds made by objects (doors closing, rain), etc.

Digital Effects

Any images, characters, setting and effects added digitally in post-production to add to or alter the original shot. Remember that all digital effects are deliberate and have been added for a reason – to change the mood of a shot, change character gesture, etc.

Establishing Shot

The shot at the beginning of a film or scene that gives the basic or introductory information to viewers. Generally includes or introduces the location, characters, etc.

Fade In/Out

A transition device whereby a shots fades into or out of black (or another image) at the end or beginning of the shot respectively. These are generally used to create a sense of slow movement, intimacy or ‘trailing off’ in a shot/scene.

Montage

The cutting together or several shots that show small pieces of a larger scene or idea to create an overall sense of time passing/something occurring. Most commonly used in training sequences where a character must become skilled in a task over time, so many shots of them completing different training exercises are cut together to create a sense of them improving over time.

Non-diegetic Sound

The ‘non-literal sound’ that has been added into a shot that the characters cannot hear. This includes; narration/voice-over, added sound effects, music (that isn’t shown to be produced from an onscreen source such as a tv, dance party, etc.) and the film score/soundtrack.

Props

Items and objects used within a shot to create a sense of setting, represent character interests, symbolise something else or be interacted with. Generally the most important props are those used or seen as important by characters, as well as recurring props that feature in several different scenes/shots throughout the film.

Voice-over

Audio narration laid over the top of a shot’s regular soundtrack. Generally voiceover is used to give audiences extra information, additional commentary or character’s specific views/comments on the scene.

Film shots and their effect on an audience

Go to this link

Still image examples

The Language of Film - more detail

Angle

The position from which camera photographs action. (May have an impact on how the subject is interpreted.)

Animation

Images that are slightly different in their placement, which, when shown consecutively, give the illusion of motion.

Classification

The way in which films are grouped and labelled - U, PG, 12A, 12, 15 and 18 - according to the age of the person that is allowed to watch them.

Close-up

A shot from a close distance in which the size of the object is magnified and fills the entire frame. This focuses attention and emphasises its importance, showing details. Contains head and shoulders, usually used to show emotion. Draws our attention to face or object.

Crane shot

Where the camera, mounted on a crane, moves around at a distance above ground level.

Cut

A sudden change or jump in camera angle, location, placement, or time, from one shot to another. Can also refer to the stopping of the camera at the end of a take.

Dialogue

Spoken lines in a film said by an actor or actress.

Director

The person responsible for overall artistic control of all phases of a film's production.

Editing

The term editing refers to the changing shots within a piece of film. The speed with which this happens has important role in creating atmosphere. For instance, if there is a car chase on screen, the editing will be rapid, making us excited. A countryside picnic scene, on the other hand, will probably feature slow editing, we relax and take in the details on the screen.

Editor

The person who selects, assembles, arranges and joins together many separate camera takes.

Fade

A gradual change in the intensity of an image or sound – this could be a fade in or a fade out.

Film

(1) as a verb, to record a scene or make a motion picture; (2) as a noun, refers to a motion picture, or (3) the thin strip of material on the film negative that is used to create images, through light exposure.

Frame

A single image, the smallest compositional unit of a film's structure, captured by the camera on a strip of motion picture film - similar to an individual slide in still photography.

Genre

Originally a French word meaning ‘kind’, ‘sort’ or ‘type’. Genre refers to a class or type of film that share common features including: distinctive artistic and thematic elements, iconography (e.g. bad guys in westerns wear black hats), narrative content, plot, subject matter, mood and milieu (or setting) or characters.

Hand held

This technique is often used to suggest a greater sense of authenticity, for example it could be used to be used to provide ‘eye witness’ accounts of situations, linked to the point of view of a particular character or characters.

High angle shot

camera looks down on person/object, making them look vulnerable.

Lighting

Lighting quickly creates an atmosphere on screen. If it is dark and shadowy we might be made to feel uneasy, as in a thriller; if the lighting is bright we feel happy and confident. The filmmaker can use lighting to draw our attention to a person/object or equally, to hide them.

Long shot

A camera view of an object or character from a considerable distance so that it appears relatively small in the frame, e.g. a person standing in a crowd of people or a horse in a vast landscape. Shows background, establishes where you are.

Low angle shot

camera looks up at someone/thing, making them appear powerful.

Mid shot

Shows torso and some background.

Mise en scene

This term is used in film to describe what is in the frame and why. There are several areas to consider when talking about mise en scene including the setting, props, costume and make-up.

Panning shot

Abbreviation for panorama shot; refers to the horizontal scan, movement, rotation or turning of the camera in one direction (to the right or left) around a fixed axis while filming. Where the camera moves slowly across from side to side from a fixed axis

Point-of-view shot

helps us to see the action from a character’s viewpoint and thus empathise with them.

Scene

A shot (or series of shots) that together comprise a single, unified dramatic event, action, unit, or element of film narration, or block (segment) of storytelling within a film, much like a scene in a play. The end of a scene is often indicated by a change in time and/or location.

Script

The written text of a film - a blueprint for producing a film detailing the story, setting, dialogue, movements and gestures of actors, and the shape and sequence of all events in the film.

Scriptwriter

The person who writes a script – usually not the author of the book if the film is a book-to-film story.

Short film

A film that is shorter than about 30 or 45 minutes.

Soundtrack

The audio component of a movie, including the dialogue, musical score, narration and sound effects. The dialogue can be used to give us clues as to character and what might happen next. The music creates atmosphere, affecting us on a very emotional level. Sound effects (SFX) - again, are very effective at creating atmosphere. These sometimes do not fit with the image that we are seeing, thus creating a disorientating effect.

Special effects

The creation of fantastic visual and audio illusions that cannot be accomplished by normal means, such as travel into space.

Tilt shot

Where the camera moves up and down from a fixed axis

Title graphics

The way in which the title and credits of a film are written and the colours chosen for both them and the background tell us what type (genre) of film to expect. A horror film might employ a red Gothic font, whereas a science fiction film may use a bright green colour on a black background.

Tracking shot

Where the camera follows the action, moving along tracks laid for that purpose, often pulling backwards from a scene.

Zoom

The change of image size which is achieved when the focal length of the lens is altered.