Joseph's Glossary of Film Terms


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


A
academy ratio
accelerated motion see fast motion
action
actor
actor star
adaptation
aerial perspective
aerial image
aerial shot
aleatory techniques
allegory
allusion
ambient noise
ambient sound
anamorphic
angle
animation
answer print
anticipatory shot
anticipatory camera
anticipatory setup
archetypes
artist license
art director
aspect ratio
assistant cameraman
assistant director
autuer theory
automatic dialog replacement
available lighting
avant-garde
axis of action

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B
B&W, B/W, or b/w
backlighting
back lot
B-Film or B-Movie or B-Picture
bird's-eye view
back projection see rear projection
blimp
blocking
bloom
blow-up
boom
boom shot
booster light
breakaway
breakdown
broad
broadside
buddy film
bullet time
burnt up
butterfly
buzz track

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C
CU
CS
camera angle
cameraman
camera movement
camera operator
camera report
camp, campy
cels, cells
cinematographer
cinéma vérité
Classical Cinema, classical paradigm
classical cutting
close-up (CU)
close shot (CS)
continuity editing
convention
coverage
covering shots, cover shot
crane shot
creative producer
cross-cutting
cross-dissolve
cross-plot
cutaway
cutback
cut-in
cutter
cutting
cutting room
cutting continuity


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D

day-for-night shooting
deep-focus shot
dialectical, dialectics
direct cinema
director
director's cut
director's script
director of photography or D.P.
dissolve, lap dissolve
distributor
docudrama
documentary
dolly shot
dominant contrast or dominant
double exposure
dubbing

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E

editing
epic
EPS or Electronic Post-Synchronization
establishing shot
exhibitors
expressionism
extreme close-up
extreme long-shot
eye-level shot
eyeline match

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F  

fade
fast motion
fast stock, fast film
film noir
filters
final cut
fine cut
first cut
first-person point of view
first-person camera

flashback
flash-forward
focus
footage
formalist, formalism
frame
framing
frames per second or fps
freeze frame
f-stop
full shot

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G

gauge
Genie Award
genre
Golden Globe Awards
grainy, graininess

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H  

handheld shot
high-angle shot
high contrast
high key
high-speed film
homage
Hollywood realism

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I  

iconography
idealism
independent producer
intercut
intrinsic interest
iris
iris shot

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J

Jump cut

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K
 

key light
kinetic

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L  

lengthy take, long take
lens
literal adaptation
looping see also automatic dialogue replacement
loose adaptation
loose framing
low-angle shot
low key
lyrical

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M  

majors
masking
matte shot
medium shot
metaphor
method acting
metteur en scène
mickymousing
miniatures
mimimalism
mise en scène
mix
montage
motif
multiple exposures

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N

naturalism  
negative image

neorealism
new wave or nouvelle vague
non-synchronous sound

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O  

oblique angle or tilt shot
oeuvre
omniscient point of view
open forms
optical printer
outtakes
overcranking
overexposure

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P  

pan, pan shot, panning  
panavision

parrallel editing
persona
personality star
pixillation or stop-motion photography
plot, plot sequence  
point of view shot
pov shot

post-production
process shot  
producer
producer-director
production values
prop
property
proxemic patterns
pull-back dolly


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Q

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R

rack focusing
reaction shot
release print see final cut
rear projection
realism
room tone
rough cut


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S

second cameraman
selective focusing
short lens see wide-angle lens
star
stop-motion photography see pixillation
storyline
surrealism
subjective camera see point of view 
sync
sync track

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T

telephoto shot
thematic montage
tilt shot

tracking shot see dollyshot
trucking shot

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U

Undercranking


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V

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W

wide-angle shot
wide-angle lens

widescreen
wild recording
wild track

wipe
workprint
worm's-eye view.
wrap

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X

X
X-dissolve
XXX rating

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Y

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Z

zoom in or forward zoom
zoom out or backward zoom or back zoom
zoom lens
zoom shot

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