Film Techniques Vocabulary and Descriptions

Instructions:
1. Research to find the various techniques used in film making.
2. You should NOT copy/paste, but include information in your own words to show comprehension.
3. Visit several websites and documents to collect comprehensive information.

Category

Technique and Description

1. Diegetic Sounds: A sound whose source is visible on the screen or if its implied to
be present by the action of the film

Sound

2. Non-diegetic- when the sounds source is neither visible on the screen nor has been
implied to be present in the action.
3. Sound Bridge- used to link two sequences together and is employed in conjunction
with editing to move the action in time or place or both.
4. Background Music- the original music composed specifically to accompany a film.

Focus
Framing
(Shots)

What is the purpose of the technique? Why is it useful?

How does it enhance the viewers perception of a scene
or character?
It refers to the voices of the characters, sounds made by
objects in the story, music represented as coming from
instruments in the story space. It can either b on screen
or off screen.
Refers to things like the narrators commentary, sound
effects which is added for the dramatic effect, and the
mood of music
Killing to birds with one sound. Can either be diegetic or
non-diegetic
Different sound effects and instrumentals and choral series
called cues that happens at different time in the film

1. Soft focus- ever so slightly out of focus

2. Rack focus- brings either the background or foreground into sudden focus
3. Deep focus- all objects, both background and foreground, remain in focus.

Can create a lighter mood or uncertainty

Forces viewers to focus their attention on one thing.
Freedom for viewers to choose which objects to view

1. Long-Shot The object seems small or is seen from a distance. If a person is in the
shot, it is the entire body and a great deal of background visible.

Offers viewers a sense of time and place; also offers the

viewer a choice of where to focus.
Used to direct the viewers attention, it can intimate the
mood, also eliminating distracting elements in the
foreground and background.

2. Depth of field- the range of distance in an image that appears sharp or in

focus.

3. Simplicity- be intentional about what you are including in the frame, simplify
your pictures.
4. Balance- two types of balance symmetrical and asymmetrical

Keep an eye out for things in the back and foreground that
are distracting or irrelevant to the scene, then remove
them.
Symmetrical- divides the video frame in half at the center
with the same similar points on each side.
Asymmetrical- creates a feeling of movement and suggests
a creative dynamic mood

5. Headroom- the distance between the top of the subjects head and the top of the
frame.
1. Low angle- in which the camera is below the subject
Camera
Angles

2. High Angle- in which the camera is above the subject

3. Eye level- the camera and subject are n the same level
4. Dutch angle- the camera is slightly canted or tilted

Lighting

Camera
Movement
and
Transitions

Editing

1. Side Lighting lighting from the side that leaves the subject half in light and half
in the shadows.
2. Low key- lighting distinguished by darkness, shadows, and patches of bright key
light
3. High key- distinguished by brightness, openness, and a lack of shadow or contrast .
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Different types of shots can be taken depending how much

room you need.
Characters shot from low angles tend to be more powerful,
commanding.
Characters shot from high angles tend to be weak,
vulnerable
A neutral shot
Used to indicate tensions, uncertainty, or danger
It can indicate a split personality or a secret/something
hidden by a character.
Often used to create moods of suspicion, mystery, and
danger.

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1. Fade a scene fades to black (or any other color) for a very short time as is slowly
replaced with another image; may start the next scene or change subjects
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It indicates a passage of time or the end of a segment.