Film Studies

Film Studies

1. SOUNDS

   • Diegetic Sound
     • A sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a movie or TV production
     • For example: foot steps, punching and explosion effects
   • Non-Diegetic Sound
     • Music or sound which is added to the film during editing process. mostly to create atmosphere or emotion
   • Dialogue
     • Words spoken by actors
   • Sound Effects
     • Sound that comes from the world of the text. it is recorded on set as it happens eg: a door closing, gun being fired, police siren
   • Voice over narration
     • The thoughts and dialogue of a character in the world of the text, or an off screen voice used to fill in the gaps in the narrative/ necessary background information
   • Sound bridge
     • Sound that we continue to hear from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins
   • Parallel Sound
     • Music sounds that compliment and fit with what is happening on screen
   • Contraption Sound
     • Think 'contradiction'. This type of sound does not seem to fit with the scenes or images you are watching

2. Character Types

   • Superhero
   • Love interest
   • Family member
   • Mentor/Absent Father
   • Support
   • Henchman
   • Civillain
   • Comic Character
   • Sidekick
   • Supervillain

3. Theme

   • Private
     • Revenge
     • Truth/ Justice
     • Self- Preservation/ self- sacrifice
     • Redemption
     • Relationships
     • Moral Question
     • Choices
   • Public
     • Science and Technology
     • Discrimination
     • Society
     • Right and Wrong
     • Social class

4. Cinematography

   • Shot sizes
     • XLS
       • Extreme Long Shot
     • LS
       • Long Shot
     • MLS
       • Medium Long Shot
     • MS
       • Medium Shot
     • MCU
       • Medium Close Up
     • CU
       • Close Up
     • BCU
       • Big Close Up
     • XCU
       • Extreme Close Up
   • Shot angles
     • Low
     • Eye-level
     • High
     • Worms eye
     • Canted
     • Birds eye
   • Shot Movements
     • Tilt up - Tilt Down
     • Pan left- Pan Right
     • Crab Left- Crab Left

5. Editing Terminology

   • Continuity Editing
     • Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viuewer
   • Cross- cutting
     • Cutting back and forth between two or more events or actions that are taking place at the same time but in different places. Cross-cutting is used to build suspence or to show how different pieces of the action are related
   • Cut
     • An abrupt transition from one shot to another
   • Cutaways
     • A cut away from the primary subject to something the film maker has decided is equally or more relevant at that time. Often cutaways consist of shots showing the reaction of one character to another. This is often used to compress time in what appears to be seamless manner
   • Dissolve
     • An overlapping transition between scenes where one image fades out as another fades in. Editors often use this to indicate a change in time or location
   • Eyeline Match
     • Based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. the eyeline match begins with a character looking at something off-screen, followed by a cut to the object or person which he is looking
   • Fade in
     • A shot that starts in darkness and gradually lightens to full explosure
   • Fade Out
     • A shot that starts at full exposure and gradually fafds to black
   • Final Cut
     • The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer
   • Freeze-Frame
     • At a chosen point in a scene, a particular frame is printed repeatedly given the effect of halting or "freezing" the action
   • Jump Cut
     • A jump cut is where two spliced shots do not match in terms of time or place. A jump cut gives the effect that the camera is literally jumping around