technical codes and audio codes

Question 1

extreme long shot

Answer 1

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot.

Question 2

long shot

Answer 2

shows the image as life size

Question 3

medium shot

Answer 3

Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action.
variations of this include the two shot, three shot and over shoulder shot

Question 4

two shot/ three shot

Answer 4

containing two/ three figures from the waist up

Question 5

close up

Answer 5

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène.

Question 6

extreme close up

Answer 6

magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever.

Question 7

The Bird’s-Eye view

Answer 7

directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle.

Question 8

high angle

Answer 8

Not so extreme as a bird’s eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview.

Question 9

eye level

Answer 9

A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that e.g. actors’ heads are on a level with the focus.

Question 10

low angle

Answer 10

looking up These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of speeded motion

Question 11

Oblique/Canted Angle

Answer 11

Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies)

Question 12

pans

Answer 12

A movement which scans a scene horizontally.

Question 13

tilts

Answer 13

A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.

Question 14

dolly shots

Answer 14

Sometimes called TRUCKING or TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object.

Question 15

hand-held shots

Answer 15

documentary makers led the way, demanding the production of smaller, lighter cameras that could be moved in and out of a scene with speed, producing a “fly-on-the-wall” effect.

Question 16

crane shots

Answer 16

Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane (or jib), is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it.

Question 17

zoom lenses

Answer 17

A zoom lens contains a mechanism that changes the magnification of an image.

Question 18

the aerial shot

Answer 18

An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement.

Question 19

continuity editing

Answer 19

continuity editing
Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

Question 20

cross editing

Answer 20

Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously

Question 21

dissolve

Answer 21

a gradual scene transition. The editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one

Question 22

editing

Answer 22

The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.

Question 23

errors of continuity

Answer 23

Disruptions in the flow of a scene, such as a failure to match action or the placement of props across shots.

Question 24

establishing shot

Answer 24

A shot, normally taken from a great distance or from a “bird’s eye view,” that establishes where the action is about to occur.

Question 25

eyeline match

Answer 25

The matching of eyelines between two or more characters.

Question 26

fade

Answer 26

A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next.

Question 27

final cut

Answer 27

The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees.

Question 28

iris

Answer 28

Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.

Question 29

jump cut

Answer 29

A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action.

Question 30

matched cut

Answer 30

A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action.

Question 31

montage

Answer 31

Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots.

Question 32

rough cut

Answer 32

The editor’s first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs.

Question 33

sequence shot

Answer 33

A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing

Question 34

shot reverse shot cutting

Answer 34

Usually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking.

Question 35

wipe

Answer 35

Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place.

Question 36

Diegesis

Answer 36

A term that refers to the world of the film’s story (its characters, places, and events), including not only what is shown but also what is implied to have taken place. It comes from the Greek word meaning “narration”

Question 37

ambience

Answer 37

the background sound in a scene which helps create the right tone and mood for the audience. It consists of noises present e.g. the environment. When the ambience changes it indicates that the scene changes aswell

Question 38

Stinger

Answer 38

Sound that forces the audience to notice the significance of something onscreen, such as the ominous chord struck when the villain’s presence is made known

Question 39

score

Answer 39

Music which is played during a scene which can create a certain mood, link two scenes or help add to the plot

Question 40

what is Silence used for

Answer 40

to create suspense or get some sort of reaction from the audience

Question 41

theme music

Answer 41

music which is played throughout the movie and is used to develop the narrative and
match the theme of the movie

Question 42

Pleonastic

Answer 42

unrealistically exaggerated sound, created for emphasis or dramatic impact to create fear tension excitement

Question 43

Synchronous

Answer 43

When a sound matches an action or event on screen and can be used to emphasise it

Question 44

Contrapuntal

Answer 44

– Sound which does not match with what is happening on screen and is used to create a
different meani

Question 45

Selective

Answer 45

• Sound which is used to place emphasis on certain things in a scene

Question 46

sound bridge

Answer 46

At the beginning of a new scene the sound is carried over from the end of the old scene- is used to provide continuity between scenes.

Question 47

cresendo

Answer 47

Music getting louder gradually used to create tension

Question 48

descresendo

Answer 48

music getting gradually softer

Question 49

Emotional Realism

Answer 49

When the soundtrack reflects the mood of the story or the character’s feelings

Question 50

hyper real sound

Answer 50

• Most sound in film is over exaggerated compared to sound in real life because in real life there is so much competition for sound

Question 51

sound motif

Answer 51

A sound effect or combination of sound effects that is linked with a particular character, setting or situation or idea throughout a film. Used to help shape a story and help sustain its narrative

Question 52

ADR

Answer 52

Automated dialogue replacement, a widely used postproduction process in which actors watch the film scene and re-record their lines to be mixed into the soundtrack; also called looping.

Question 53

mickey mousing

Answer 53

Over-illustrating the action through the musical score, drawn from the conventions of composing for cartoons. An example of mickey-mousing is accompanying a character walking on tip-toe with music played by plucked strings

Question 54

narrative cueing

Answer 54

The way that music tells us what is happening in the plot.