Frame

One of the successive individual images that comprise a motion picture, or the space such an image occupies. Each frame is separated from the others by a horizontal border called a "frame line." The frame is the smallest coherent unit of a film. Like a still photograph, it may contain all the elements of a shot as far as composition is concerned, but it cannot convey motion unless it is shown in conjunction with preceding and following frames at a determined rate of frames per second (24 f.p.s. for 35 mm sound film). An average-length 90-minute feature film is made up of 129,600 separate frames.

Extreme close-up (abbreviated ECU or XCU)

A very tight close-up shot that greatly magnifies a tiny object or shows a magnified view of part of an object or a person, such as a shot of a face featuring only the eyes, nose, and mouth. Also called "detail shot" and, less frequently, "big close-up." Extreme close-ups are useful for showing small objects in detail, but beyond this obvious utility they may be used effectively for dramatic impact or meaningful emphasis.

Close-up (abbreviated CU)

A shot taken from a short distance or through a telephoto lens which brings to the screen a magnified, detailed part of a person or an object. A close-up of a person, for example, might show only his head, a shot of a car's interior might reveal just the steering wheel. A close-up is used to draw attention to a significant detail to clarify a point, designate a meaning, or heighten the dramatic impact of a film's plot.

Close shot (abbreviated CS)

A shot closer than a medium shot but not as tight as a close-up. When the subject is a person, he or she is framed from the top of the head to the waist. When it is an object, the shot is relative to the size of that object

Medium close shot (abbreviated MCS)

A camera setup intermediate between a close shot and a medium shot. The average MCS will cut off the figure of a man at about the knees.

Medium shot (abbreviated MS)

A shot intermediate between a close-up and a long shot. As with most camera angles, this shot cannot be described with mathematical precision. Generally speaking, it would cover the full figure of a man or a small group of men with a small portion of background showing.

Medium long shot (abbreviated MLS)

A shot utilizing a wider angle than a medium shot but not as wide as a long shot. The object or action of principal interest is in the middle distance rather than toward the foreground or far in the background.

establishing shot

A shot, usually a long shot or a full shot at the beginning of a sequence, which establishes the location, setting, and mood of the action. It provides the audience with an initial visual orientation, enabling it to see the interrelationship between the general setting and the detailed action in subsequent scenes.

full shot (long shot)

A shot whose subject completely fills the screen. When the subject is a person his or her full body is included in the shot. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with long shot.

long shot orfull shot (Usually abbreviated in scripts and camera reports as "LS.")

A broad view of objects or action of principal interest. The shot requires a wide angle of photography and a scene in depth. The camera is positioned at a distance that allows general recognition of the subject matter at the expense of detail. When used to identify a setting and establish the background for subsequent detail it is known as an establishing shot.

extreme long shot (abbreviated ELS or XLS)

A wide-angle shot providing a bird's-eye view of a vast area. Usually a static shot filmed from a high vantage point, it is most often used to establish the geography of an area or to suggest wide open spaces.

master shot

A take of an entire scene, generally done as a long shot, that allows filmmakers to intercut close-ups and other shots without causing displacement of the scene. Also known as a cover or coverage shot.

boom shot

A continuous single shot incorporating any number of camera levels and angles. Achieved through the use of a boom, this versatile shot permits the fluid filming of an entire sequence or even a whole film (as Hitchcock nearly did in ROPE, 1948) without breaking up the action into units of montage.

bridging shot

A shot used to cover a lapse in time or place. Examples include newspaper headlines as seen in THE GODFATHER (1972) and the maps used in the INDIANA JONES trilogy.

cameo shot

A shot photographed against a neutral or blacked-out background, using the barest of props in order not to detract from the principal subject of the shot.

reaction shot

A close shot of a person (or persons) reacting to something that is said or done off scene or in a previous shot. A reaction shot may be used as a standard continuity device, such as cutting from one player speaking to another who is reacting to his words, or as a cutaway device, such as cutting from the main action in a boxing ring to the reaction of a spectator in the audience, then returning to the main action.

pull-back shot

A tracking or zoom shot that moves away from the subject to allow the full context of the scene to come into view.

process shot

A shot taken against a moving or still background consisting of previously filmed footage which is projected through a transparent screen behind the current action being filmed, a technique known as back projection or "rear projection." A routine example is the commonly seen shot of an actor driving a car through city traffic. Of course, this may be done on location at great expense and effort. In the much simpler and cheaper process shot, the actor is photographed in the studio, seated at the wheel of a simulated car with removable parts (process body). A previously prepared scene of traffic rushing past landmarks of any desired city is projected on the screen behind the studio car. Both the foreground and background actions are photographed simultaneously in the studio. Thus both actions are unified and the impression is created that the scene was shot on location.

tight shot

A shot in which the subject matter fills almost the entire frame.

two-shot

A close camera shot just wide enough to keep two persons within the limits of the frame.

dolly shot Also called "traveling," "trucking," or "tracking shot."

A moving shot of a moving or stationary subject exercised by mounting the camera on a dolly or camera truck. To dolly-in (or track-in) is to move the camera toward the subject; to dolly-out (or track-out) is to move the camera away from the subject.

tracking shot (also trucking shot, travelling shot, dolly shot)

A shot in which a camera—mounted on tracks, on a vehicle, or on a dolly—moves forward, backward, or sideways, to follow the action and the movements of performers. The camera is said to "track in" when moving closer to the subject and to "track out" when moving away from the subject.

running shot

A traveling shot in which the moving camera keeps up with the pace of a moving person or object.

passing shot

A shot in which a subject moves past a stationary camera or one in which the subject remains stationary while the camera moves past him.

head-on shot

A shot in which the action appears to come directly toward the camera.

over-the-shoulder shot

A common shot in dialogue scenes in which the subject is viewed from an angle just over the shoulder of another performer.

matte shot

A camera shot that produces a contrived effect by combining a prephotographed background with a live-action scene.

flash frame

A shot that lasts only a few frames, occasionally only one, that can barely be noticed by the audience. One second of film consists of 24 frames, so a flash frame is onscreen for less than a tenth of a second.