Key Vocabulary

Film Language

• Mise-en-scene - Everything in the shot that tells the audience something about the scene.
• Sound - The music or effects that trigger responses from the audience. Most effective when loud noise is used, to make people jump.
• Lighting - Creates atmosphere If all is dark with pools of light this can create tension or a sense of unease, wheras if everything is bright then the atmosphere is more relaxed.
• Editing - Takes place when the filming has ceased, the editor takes the best shots and puts them in sequence, whilst adding effects and such if needed.

Different kinds of cuts

• Matched cut - A cut in which a familiar relationship between shots make the change seem 'smooth'.
• Jump cut - An abrupt switch from one scene to another, used to make a dramatic point.
• Motivated cut - A cut used to show the viewer something not immediately visible. Often used for changes of speaker.
• Cross cut - A cut from one narrative or line of action to another.
• Cutaway - A 'bridging' shot between two shots of the same subject, often used to soften uncomfortable jumps in time or space.
• Match on action - A cut in which two parallel actions are mirrored in order to suggest a strong relationship between two scenes.
• Reaction shot - Any shot in which a participant reacts to events.

Miscellaneous Vocab

• Fade - A transition to or from a blank screen.
• Dissolve - A slow transition as one image merges into another.
• Wipe - An optical effect in which one shot 'wipes' another off the screen for dramatic effect.
• Superimposition - Two or more images placed directly on top of each other.
• Split screen - division of screen in order to show two or more lines of action simultaneously.