English 260 Rust. Vocab Worksheet:

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Bertram Logan
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1 English 260 Rust Vocab Worksheet: Define each of the following terms and provide an example that is important to the film s character, narrative, or thematic development: Camera distance: Establishing/Master shot: An initial long shot that establishes the location and setting. Also orients the viewer in space to a clear view of the action. In the film Shawshank Redemption, the movie opens with an aerial view of an entire prison and its inmates before cutting to a shot of a character on a bus that is heading into the prison. The establishing shot introduces the film s setting, defines character s world, and gives us an idea of what kind of events are going to happen. Long Shot: Framing that places considerable distance between the camera and the scene or person so that the object or person is recognizable but defined by the large space and background. In Orson Welles 1958 film Touch of Evil, there is a long shot down a hallway displaying an approaching couple towards a man who intends to place a bomb in their car. The shot narratively communicates that the man has to be quick or else he will be discovered. Medium Shot: A middle ground framing in which we see the body of a person from approximately the waist up. In the film Zodiac, we see a medium shot of law officials talking about the details of the Zodiac killer s crimes. The shot frames the men at the table from the waste up, makes their collaboration the center focus and places the viewer at a comfortable distance. Two-Shot: A shot depicting two characters. In the film Talladega Nights, there is an ending scene where the main character Ricky Bobby races his rival to the finish line on the racetrack. The shot is framed around the two characters, and helps communicate the feeling of a one-on-one competition.

2 Close-up: Framing that shows the details of a person or an object, such as the face or hands, etc. In the film Birth, Nicole Kidman s character has a verbal confrontation with a young boy. She and another man try to coerce the boy to state that he will never bother them again. The close ups on their faces help convey that the conflict is personal between Kidman and the boy. After she walks away and the boy collapses, there is a close up of her in the movie theatre. Her facial expressions and eyes tell us that she is in agony over what has just happened. Zoom: The act of changing the lens s focal length, toward or away from an object or person. In Touch of Evil, the camera zooms out as the couple gets into the car that has been rigged with a bomb. The camera continues to zoom out while the couple drives off, until the car is just barely visible at the faraway intersection. The zoom out opens up more of the setting and introduces a greater sense of suspense and danger, now that we know the car could blow up anytime while on the busy city streets. Mise en Scene: Costumes: What the characters or actors are wearing in relation to the occasion or overall setting and subject of a film. This includes the fashion, makeup, accessories, costume designs, etc. In the film Aliens, all of the space ship s crew are dressed in street clothing such as jeans, t-shirts, ball caps, etc. This makes the characters feel more familiar and human. Less like trained specialists/astronauts and more like average people. Sets: A constructed setting for the shooting of a film, often on a studio soundstage. Both the setting and the set can be a combination of natural and constructed elements. The set design for Aliens is what really gives us the impression that we are far into the future (relative to when the movie came out in the late 70 s). The computer-like mechanical panels and flashing monitors were carefully constructed inside a studio to look like a futuristic space ship.

3 Props: Objects that function as part of the set or as tools used by the actors. In Batman Begins, there is a scene where Bruce Wayne is presented the numerous gadgets at his disposal. These props play an important role in the film and his character because much of Batman s power comes from his weapons and gadgets. Actors bodies: This refers to the physical attributes of an actor, and how that relates to the character portrayed in the film. In the film Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an android sent back from the future. The sheer physicality of Arnold s body type helps convey his character as a powerful superhuman robot. Actors gestures: This refers to the mannerisms of an actor, such as their speech or body language, and how this relates to the character portrayed in the film. In the film Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp plays the role of a pirate named Jack Sparrow. Depp s quirky muttering and swaying mannerisms really play up the drunk, sly foolishness of his character. Lighting: Sources of illumination, both natural light and electrical lamps. Used to present, shade, and accentuate figures, objects, spaces, or the overall mise-en-scene. In Aliens, the dark, shadowy and smoky lighting of many scenes on the space ship contribute to the overall mise-en-scene. It adds mystery and suspense; gives you the feeling that something is evil is lurking and that characters are alone and afraid. Use of color: Putting an emphasis on a particular part of the color spectrum to highlight and create realistic or unrealistic palettes. In Dreams, color is used to convey the world of imagination and dreams. For example the main character enters the imaginary world of the paintings, where the vivid colors are used to convey surrealism. Deep focus: A focus in which multiple planes in the shot are all in focus simultaneously. In Citizen Kane, deep focus is used in the scene where the adults are talking inside the cabin and the boy is playing in the snow outside.

4 Here we can see the adults in the foreground just as clearly as the boy playing outside the window in the background. The adults are making decisions that will affect the boy, and the camera focus links the characters actions together. Selective/soft focus: Diffused, low contrast lighting that reduces or eliminates hard edges and shadows. In the Sixth Sense, there is a scene at the end where Bruce Willis s character realizes he is dead. There is use of soft focus, which blurs out the background and keeps our attention on Bruce while he has this epiphany. Camera Angle: High Angle: A shot directed at a downward angle on individuals or a scene. In the scene from Dreams where the boy meets the forest spirits, the camera is angled downward towards the boy when he speaks. This high angle shot is used to convey the higher plane that spirits occupy. Straight shot: Camera framing where the lens is positioned to look at the character or object from a frontal view. During a scene in Iron Man 2, the camera is positioned directly in front of Tony Stark/Iron Man as he presents himself to the crowd. The shot communicates that he and his high tech suit are the center of attention. Low Angle: A shot from a position lower than its subject. In the same scene of the film Dreams, a low angle shot is used when the boy meets the forest spirits. When the spirits are talking, the camera is angled upward from the boy s perspective below them. Again, this helps convey the idea that the boy (a human) is on a lower plane than that of the forest spirits. Canted Angle (aka Dutch Tilt): Camera framing that is not level, creating an unbalanced appearance. In Final Destination 5, a canted angle is used during the plane crash scene. It gives us a sense that the plane has lost control and

5 contributes to the chaos of the scene. Camera Movement: Tilt: An upward or downward rotation of the camera, producing a vertical movement onscreen. In the opening forest scene of Rashomon, there is a camera tilt from the treetops down to the forest floor. The shot helps convey the vastness of the forest setting as the man marches through it. Pan: A left or right rotation of the camera, producing a horizontal movement onscreen. In the same scene of Rashomon, there is horizontal camera movement across the forest landscape. Here panning is used to display the character s surroundings from a third person perspective. It is also used to show us what the character himself sees as he looks around the forest. Tracking: Changing the camera s position or point of view by moving it forward, backward, or around the subject. In Dreams, there is a tracking shot as the boy ventures into the forest during his first dream. The camera follows the character on a dolly, leading us into the unknown along with him. Handheld: A shot produced by an individual carrying the camera, creating an unsteady shot that may suggest the point of view of an individual moving through space. In the film The Blair Witch Project, handheld camera shots are used to give the film a real life documentary feel. This adds to the scariness of the film in that the horror is presented an actual occurrence. Narrative How does the film conform to Classical Hollywood narratives & heroes? Ridley Scott s new film Prometheus certainly conforms to some classical Hollywood narratives. For example, the protagonists are human and the villains are nonhuman. Also, the film utilizes visual spectacles, special

6 effects, and powerful sound to blow away the viewer. The end of the film sets up the likely possibility of a sequel, a common technique used in today s blockbuster films. What genre is the film and why does it belong to the genre? Prometheus is obviously a science fiction film. It belongs to this genre because it is set around the familiar sci-fi themes of futuristic space travel,, advanced technology, discovery of alien life, etc. Bound motif (explicitly related to narrative events): An example of a bound motif is the mask that Michael Myers wears in the Halloween films. The mask represents the anonymous, faceless threat that his character poses. Without the mask, his character would be dramatically altered. Free motif (not directly tied to narrative events): In Song of the South, the fancy decorative collar that Johnny reluctantly receives from his mother is a representation of the formal and classist aristocracy that he belongs to. He decides to give it to the girl that he meets. The collar itself is not necessary to the narrative, although it helps convey the class distinction between Johnny and the girl. Point of View (POV): The position from which a person, an event, or an object is seen or filmed. The perspective through which events are narrated. o Shot/Reverse Shot: An editing pattern that begins with a shot of one character taken from an angle at one end of the axis of action, follows with a shot of the second character from the reverse angle at the other end of the line, and continues back and forth through the sequence; often used in conversations. In Pulp Fiction, there is a scene where Quentin Tarantino s, John Travolta s, and Samuel L Jackson s characters are speaking in the kitchen. The shot/reverse is used to follow their conversation about the dead person in the garage. o First-Person POV: A subjective shot that reproduces a characters optical point of view. Usually involves a switch from the character s

7 point of view to a shot of that character looking around. We see this camera technique used in Saving Private Ryan during the Omaha Beach invasion. The camera cuts from Tom Hanks s view to a shot of him looking around the beach. The shot places the viewer his shoes, as shows us what it is like to witness the horrors of war. Editing Match Cut: A cut between two shots featuring a similar visual action. We see this in 2001 A Space Odyssey when the monkey throws the bone into the air. As it falls the shot cuts to a space ship following the same motion. This edit helps convey the symbolism of technology used by man, past and future. Jump Cut: An edit that interrupts a particular action and intentionally or unintentionally creates discontinuities in the spatial or temporal development of shots. In the scene from Dreams where the mountain men are struggling through the snow, jump cuts from different angles are used to show their distress as they are blanketed by the snowstorm. Montage Cut: A rapid sequence of shot cuts to different images. This is used for descriptive purposes or to show the rapid passage of time. In the training scene from Rocky, montage editing is used to show the weeks of training that he goes through while preparing for his next big fight. Space (180 degree rule): A basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. In the dinner scene of American Beauty, the camera follows the 180- degree rule, with the wife on the left, daughter at the center, and the father on the right. At no point in time of the scene are we confused about where each character is placed in relation to the others. Shot lasting less than 3 seconds: In Saving Private Ryan, there are several shots that last less than 3 seconds as the Omaha Beach invasion takes place. These shots are intended to accentuate the action, and show that there are

8 several things going on during the battle simultaneously. Shot lasting more than 15 seconds: I had difficult time finding a specific example of this, but usually this kind of shot takes place when looking over a vast landscape; Especially when the director wants the viewer to be watching for some kind of object or movement hidden the landscape. Dissolve: An optical effect that briefly superimposes one shot over the next. One image fades out as another image fades in and takes its place. In Goodfellas, there is a point of view shot that dissolves into a zero focalized point of view shot. At first we see from Ray Liotta s point of view, then we dissolve into a shot where we see him in the frame as well. Fade: An optical effect where the image either gradually brightens from blackness to full brightness or from full brightness to blackness. In the final scene of Armageddon, Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck kiss while the camera fades to black, indicating the happy ending to the film. Wipe: A transition used to join two shots by moving a vertical, horizontal, or sometimes diagonal line across one image to replace it with a second image that follows the line across the frame. In the film Revenge of the Sith, camera wipes are used to indicate transitions/shifting focuses in the film. Sound- Diagetic: Sound that has its source in the narrative world of the film, whose characters are presumed to be able to hear it. In snowstorm scene from Dreams, the mountain men can hear the booming sounds of the storm. The wind and echoing of sound off the mountains originates from the characters world, and makes the scene more dramatic and realistic. Non-diagetic: Sound that does not have an identifiable source in the characters world and that consequently the characters cannot hear. In the classic scene from Rocky where he runs up the stairs, the soundtrack is playing music that the characters in the film cannot hear. The music adds to

9 the drama for the viewer, but does not originate from the characters world. Voice-Over: a voice whose source is neither visible in the frame, nor implied to be offscreen. It typically narrates the films images, such as in a flashback or the commentary in a documentary film. The voice-over is used extensively in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Here, Johnny Depp narrates the whole film, communicating his characters thoughts and telling the story. The voice over also illustrates being on drugs and talking yourself through the high. Sound Effects: Artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic elements or other content of films. In The Empire Strikes Back, sound effects are added to convey the sound of light sabers pulsing and crashing against each other. These effects had to be added to the film artificially because they are fictional and have no natural sound. Sound Bridge: The term for sound carried over a picture transition or a sound belonging to the coming scene playing before the image changes. The sound bridge is used in Song of the South anytime we are heading into the fantasy/animated world of Brier Rabbit. Before the transition, the zippidity doo dah theme music lets us know that we are about to go to this imaginary place.

In literary texts, we speak of the contributing parts as words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. In film, there are:

In literary texts, we speak of the contributing parts as words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. In film, there are: READING FILMS CRITICALLY Films, like literary texts, can be decoded or read to uncover multiple levels of meaning. While cinema uses language to communicate meaning, it also adds visual imagery, movement