Camera movement

The panning, tilting, tracking, or zooming of a motion picture camera. There are certain conventions that are universally observed in camera movement. As a rule, a cameraman will run the camera in a static position for a brief moment before beginning the movement, and again after the movement is completed and the camera comes to rest. This not only makes for a smooth look on the screen but also provides the editor with a choice between a static or a moving situation when he cuts from one shot to another. Another widely observed rule is that movement begins and ends on specific points of interest that have been preselected, with the entire movement rehearsed before shooting. The direction of camera movement is as important as the direction of subject movement within the frame. Thus, a pan from left to right would normally not be followed with a pan from right to left, and so on, just as the movement of a performer from left to right would not be followed by the same subject's movement in the opposite direction.

still

A single photograph taken with an ordinary camera, as opposed to a succession of pictures taken with a motion picture camera. More specifically, a still is a glossy photograph blown up from a frame of a motion picture (action still) or taken by a still photographer on the motion picture set for the purpose of promotion and publicity.

publicity still

A still photograph taken before, during, or after the shooting of a film for the purpose of advertising, publicity, and display in motion picture theaters.

action still

A still photograph blown up directly from the negative of a motion picture, in contrast to ordinary publicity stills which are shot during production with a still camera.

freeze frame

The effect of repeatedly printing a single frame so that the action seems to freeze on the screen into still-like motionlessness. The process can be used to lengthen a scene, to highlight a point, or for sheer dramatic effect. It was used very effectively in the final scene of THE FOUR HUNDRED BLOWS, which ends in a "frozen" close-up of the young hero.

Pan

A camera movement on a horizontal plane from one part of a scene to another. A contraction of "panorama" or "panoramic," the term is sometimes used to describe any pivotal movement of the camera. See also tilt.

swish pan:

A quick movement of the camera, causing the image to blur and not be easily identified. A psychological approximation of the movement of the human eye as it moves from subject to subject.

tilt:

The pivotal movement of a camera in a vertical plane. In a tilt shot, the camera is moved up (tilt up) or down (tilt down), in contrast with a pan shot, in which the camera is moved horizontally.

cut

Abrupt transition from one scene to another without using an optical effect such as a dissolve, a wipe, or a fade. It is achieved by splicing the last frame of one scene with the first frame of the next.

dissolve (Also known as a "lap dissolve")

A screen effect of gradually fusing one shot into another. It is achieved by the overlapping of two lengths of film so that, as the last frames of the first shot gradually darken or fade out, they are blended with the opening frames of the next scene which gradually brighten or fade in. The effect on the screen is that of one scene seeming to melt into another. Some cameras are equipped with dissolve controls, but normally the effect is produced by optical printing in the lab.

The effect is used as a transitional device, usually to indicate a time lapse or a change in location, as distinct from a direct cut, which tends to suggest concurrent action. The length of any particular dissolve depends on the desired effect—a slow dissolve indicating a long time lapse, a relatively quick dissolve indicating a brief passage of time. Technically, the length of the dissolve is measured by the total number of frames required to complete the effect. Since a dissolve demands the superimposition of the end of one scene onto the beginning of the next, at least six extra feet of film must be shot for each scene for the lab to have the necessary footage to achieve the effect. Using a Chinagraph (grease) pencil, the editor indicates a dissolve by marking the desired length of film on his work print with a diagonal line.

Fade (Fade In, Fade Out)

An optical effect that causes a scene to emerge gradually on the screen from complete blackness (fade in), or a bright image to dim gradually into blackness (fade out). The fade is a transitional device that usually signifies a distinct break in a film's continuity, indicating a change in time, location, or subject matter. Most films begin with a fade-in and end with a fade-out. The use of a fade-in/fade-out between sequences within a film is similar to the function of the beginning or end of a chapter in a book or of an act in a play. The length of the fade should be in keeping with the film's tempo and mood. Technically, a fade-in is achieved by a gradual increase of exposure for each frame until the image reaches full brightness; a fade-out is obtained by a gradual decrease of exposure for each frame with the last frame completely black. Normally, fades are made by the optical printer, but they can also be satisfactorily achieved by some cameras. Amateurs often use a fading solution to obtain fades chemically. The gradual increase or decrease in the level of sound in a film is similarly known as a fade-in or fade-out. Thus, typically, a motion picture script would start with the instruction "fade in" on the picture side and "fade in music" (or sound effects) on the sound side.

wipe

An optical effect where one image is replaced by another, usually with a vertical or horizontal movement across the screen. The result is an effect in which the image looks like it was wiped off with a chalkboard eraser. This allows directors to move freely from one scene to the next without using a bridging shot. Director George Lucas used wipes in his STAR WARS trilogy. See fade out, dissolve, iris out.

subjective camera

Camera angle that views action through the eyes of a particular observer, rather than through the usual objective, impersonal point of view. Subjective camera angles are common in films. Whenever a close-up of a particular player is followed by a bit of action, we assume we are seeing the action through that person's eyes. But rarely is an entire sequence, let alone an entire film, shot this way. An extreme and outstanding example of a film shot totally on the subjective camera premise is Robert Montgomery's suspense drama LADY IN THE LAKE (1946). Montgomery directed and starred in this offbeat film, playing the role of Raymond Chandler's private eye Philip Marlowe. The film is told in the first person with nearly all the action seen through the hero's eyes. The audience sees Montgomery only when he is first introduced and whenever his image is reflected in a mirror. When the other actors in the film address Montgomery they look directly into the camera as if looking into his eyes. His reactions are never seen, only heard.

narration

Verbal description or commentary on action taking place. Also known as a voice over. Examples include Orson Welles' confused brogue in THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1948) and Harrison Ford's hard-boiled voice over in Ridley Scott's BLADE RUNNER (1982). See commentative sound.

narrative

The chronological or linear construction of a story.

sequence

A number of scenes linked together by time, location, or narrative continuity to form a unified episode in a motion picture. It is often likened to a chapter in a book, the scene being the equivalent of a paragraph and the shot the equivalent of a sentence. Traditionally, but not necessarily, a sequence begins with a fade-in and ends with a fade-out or some other optical transitional device.