Glossary
- Page ID
- 283715
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)| Words (or words that have the same definition) | The definition is case sensitive | (Optional) Image to display with the definition [Not displayed in Glossary, only in pop-up on pages] | (Optional) Caption for Image | (Optional) External or Internal Link | (Optional) Source for Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Eg. "Genetic, Hereditary, DNA ...") | (Eg. "Relating to genes or heredity") |  |
The infamous double helix | https://bio.libretexts.org/ | CC-BY-SA; Delmar Larsen |
|
Word(s) |
Definition |
Image | Caption | Link | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) |
Re-recording dialogue in post-production to match on-screen performances. |
 |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...in_dubbing.jpg | ||
| Artificial Light | Light sources that are man-made, such as lamps, LEDs, or studio lights, used to illuminate a scene and control the lighting conditions. |  |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...ificial_31.png | ||
| Aspect Ratio |
The width-to-height ratio of the frame (e.g., 16:9). |
 |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...s_for_film.png | ||
| Assistant Director | A key crew member responsible for managing the schedule, keeping the production on time, and ensuring smooth operations on set, including calling out cues and coordinating the cast and crew. | ||||
| Auteur Theory | The idea that the director is the primary creative force behind a film, often imbuing it with a personal style or vision, making them the “author” of the movie. | ||||
| Backlight |
A light placed behind the subject to create separation from the background. |
.jpg?revision=1) |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...068450937).jpg | ||
| Barn Doors |
Metal flaps attached to lights to control the spread of light. |
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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F..._barn_door.jpg | ||
| Blocking | The precise staging of actors within the frame, as well as their movement during a scene, planned in advance to optimize composition, lighting, and camera angles. | ||||
| CGI | Visual effects created through computer software to enhance or replace live-action scenes, commonly used for creating impossible or fantastical elements in film. | ||||
| Character | A fictional persona brought to life through performance, dialogue, and actions in a film's narrative. | ||||
| Chiaroscuro Lighting | A lighting technique that creates strong contrasts between light and dark, often used to emphasize mood or create a sense of depth. |  |
https://www.flickr.com/photos/67430875@N03/8537920722 | ||
| Cinematographer | Also known as the Director of Photography (DP), the cinematographer is responsible for the visual look of a film, including lighting, camera angles, and shot composition. |  |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...ilm_camera.jpg | ||
| Cinematic Language | The system of visual techniques, including camera work, editing, sound, and mise-en-scène, that filmmakers use to communicate with the audience. | ||||
| Classical Acting | A traditional approach to acting that emphasizes a controlled, calculated portrayal of characters, focusing on external techniques and vocal precision. | ||||
| Close-up | A shot that tightly frames a subject’s face or a specific object, emphasizing detail and emotion. |  |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...a_close-up.jpg | ||
| Close up | A shot that tightly frames a subject’s face or a specific object, emphasizing detail and emotion. | |
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...a_close-up.jpg | ||
| Color Temperature | A measurement of the color of light, ranging from warm (orange/red) to cool (blue), used to create mood and simulate various lighting conditions in a scene. | ||||
| Composition | The arrangement of visual elements (people, objects, settings) within the frame, which directs the viewer’s attention and conveys meaning. | ||||
| C-Stand | A versatile stand used on set to hold lighting equipment, flags, or other accessories. |  |
File:C-stand retracted and gobo arm P1098.jpeg |
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| Continuity Editing | Ensuring that action flows logically and smoothly without drawing attention to the cuts. | ||||
| Crane Shot | A shot taken from a crane that moves the camera up or down dramatically. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_...uraya_1934.jpg | ||
| Cutting on Action | A technique where cuts are made during movement for a seamless transition. | ||||
| Depth of Field | The range of distance in front of the camera where objects appear in sharp focus. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_...locks_f4_0.jpg | ||
| Diegetic | Sounds that exist within the world of the film (e.g., music a character hears). | ||||
| Director | The creative leader of a film responsible for translating the script into visual storytelling and guiding the performances, camera work, and editing. | ||||
| Dissolves | A type of transition where one image gradually fades out as another image fades in, often used to indicate a passage of time or change in location. | ||||
| Dolly Shot | A shot where the camera is mounted on a dolly and moved along a track. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracki...amoFilming.jpg | ||
| Dutch Angle | A shot where the camera is tilted, creating a sense of unease or disorientation. | ||||
| Editing | The process of selecting, arranging, and assembling shots into a coherent sequence to tell the film’s story, controlling pacing, continuity, and meaning. | ||||
| Ellipsis | An editing technique where unnecessary time is skipped to keep the story moving. | ||||
| Explicit Meaning | The obvious, surface-level meaning of a film, easily understood by the audience without needing to dig deeper into subtext or interpretation. | ||||
| Fade-in | A gradual transition from a black screen to a fully visible image, commonly used at the beginning of a scene. | ||||
| Fade-out | A gradual transition from an image to black, often used to signify the end of a scene or passage of time. | ||||
| Fast Film Stock | Film that is more sensitive to light, allowing for shooting in lower light conditions. | ||||
| Fill Light | A softer light to reduce shadows created by the key light. | ||||
| Film Gauge | The size of the film stock, affecting the amount of detail captured. | ||||
| Film Stock | The physical material on which images are captured during production. | ||||
| Foley Artists | Technicians who recreate everyday sound effects to match on-screen actions. | ||||
| Foley Sounds | Foley sounds are everyday sound effects that are added to a film or television show during post-production to enhance the audio experience. | ||||
| Focus Puller | A crew member responsible for adjusting the focus of the lens during a shot. | ||||
| Flashback | A narrative device that depicts past events in a film, often to provide background information or context for the current plot. | ||||
| Flashforward | A narrative technique where the story jumps ahead in time to reveal events that will happen later, often used to build tension or provide foreshadowing. | ||||
| Framing | The way subjects and objects are positioned within the camera's frame to create a specific composition, mood, or visual focus. | ||||
| Frame Rate | The number of frames captured per second, typically 24 for cinema. | ||||
| Framing | The way subjects and objects are positioned within the borders of the film’s frame, contributing to the mood and focus of each shot. | ||||
| Gaffer |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaffer...f_Heart%22.jpg | |||
| Handheld Shot | A shot where the camera is held by the operator, often creating a shaky effect. | ||||
| High-Angle Shot | A shot where the camera looks down on a subject from a higher position, often making the subject appear small, weak, or vulnerable. | ||||
| High-Key Lighting | A lighting style with bright, even light, often used in comedies and musicals. | ||||
| Implicit Meaning | The deeper, often hidden meanings in a film, requiring interpretation of the subtext, symbols, or themes beyond the obvious plot. | ||||
| J-Cut | A transition where the audio from the next scene begins before the visuals change. | ||||
| Jump Cut | An abrupt cut that intentionally breaks continuity, often used for stylistic reasons. | ||||
| Key Light | The main light source in a shot. | ||||
| Keying | A visual effect technique where actors or objects are filmed in front of a green or blue screen, allowing different backgrounds or elements to be inserted digitally. | ||||
| Kuleshov Effect | A concept where viewers derive more meaning from the sequence of two shots than from a single shot in isolation. | ||||
| L-Cut | A transition where the audio from the previous scene continues into the next shot. | ||||
| Leitmotif | A recurring musical theme associated with a specific character or idea. | ||||
| Lens | The component of the camera responsible for focusing light onto the film or sensor. | ||||
| Lighting | The use of light sources in a film to create mood, atmosphere, and depth, and to emphasize certain characters or parts of the scene. | ||||
| Long Shot | A shot from a distance that shows the subject in their entirety, along with a considerable portion of their surroundings, often used to establish a scene’s setting. | ||||
| Low-Angle Shot | A shot taken from below the subject, making them appear larger, more powerful, or intimidating. | ||||
| Low-Key Lighting | A lighting technique creating strong contrast and deep shadows, often used in film noir. | ||||
| Master Shot | A wide shot that captures the entire scene from start to finish. | ||||
| Match Cut | A cut that joins two shots with similar visual elements or compositions. | ||||
| Medium Shot | A shot that frames the subject from the waist up, balancing the focus between the character and their surroundings. | ||||
| Method Acting | A technique where actors deeply immerse themselves into their characters by drawing on their own emotions and experiences to create realistic performances. | ||||
| Mise-en-scène | Refers to everything that appears within the frame, including set design, lighting, actors, costumes, and props, all of which help to convey the film's tone and meaning. | ||||
| Montage | A sequence of shots arranged to condense time, space, or information. | ||||
| Motifs | Recurring visual, thematic, or auditory elements that help to reinforce a film’s themes or develop a character's arc. | ||||
| Natural Light | Light that comes from natural sources like the sun or moon, often used in filmmaking to create a more authentic and realistic look. | ||||
| Naturalistic Acting | A performance style that aims to reflect realistic, everyday behavior and speech, often using subtle gestures and dialogue. | ||||
| Non-Diegetic | Sounds that only the audience can hear, not the characters in the film (e.g., background score). | ||||
| Over-the-Shoulder | A shot framed from behind a person’s shoulder, often used in conversations. | ||||
| Pan | A horizontal camera movement from a fixed position. | ||||
| Parallel Editing | Cutting back and forth between two or more simultaneous actions in different locations. | ||||
| Practical Light | Light sources that appear naturally within a scene, such as lamps or streetlights, which are often integrated into the shot to create realistic lighting effects. | ||||
| Prime Lens | A lens with a fixed focal length, offering a sharper image. | ||||
| Props | Physical objects used by actors or present in a scene, contributing to the action or setting, like a book, a weapon, or a piece of furniture. | ||||
| Rack Focus | Shifting focus within a shot to direct attention to different subjects. | ||||
| Resolution | The level of detail in a video image, typically measured in pixels, with higher resolutions offering more clarity and sharpness in the picture. | ||||
| Rule of Thirds | A guideline for composition that divides the frame into thirds for balanced images. | ||||
| Score | Original music composed specifically for the film. | ||||
| Seiyū | the Japanese term for a voice actor or voice actress. In Japan, seiyū are performers who provide the voices for characters in anime, video games, films, radio, and other media. They also often narrate commercials, documentaries, and perform voice-overs for foreign films. | ||||
| Set | The physical environment where the film’s action takes place, either a constructed location or a real-world site used for filming. | ||||
| Set Design | The process of creating the physical surroundings in which the film’s scenes are shot, including the layout, furniture, and decoration to enhance storytelling. | ||||
| Set Lights | The lighting equipment used on a film set to illuminate the actors and the scene, including key lights, fill lights, and backlights. | ||||
| Setting | The time and place in which a film’s story unfolds, establishing the context for the characters and narrative. | ||||
| Shot | A continuous capture of a span of action by a motion picture camera. | ||||
| Slow Film Stock | Film less sensitive to light, requiring more light for proper exposure but offering sharper images. | ||||
| Sound Bridge | An editing technique where sound from one scene continues into or overlaps with the next scene, helping to create smooth transitions. | ||||
| Sound Design | The overall creation and manipulation of audio elements in a film, including dialogue, sound effects, and music, to enhance the narrative and emotional impact. | ||||
| Sound Stage | A large, soundproofed space used for shooting interior scenes in controlled conditions, where sets can be built and lighting, sound, and camera work can be closely managed. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_...soundstage.jpg | ||
| Soviet Montage | An editing style focusing on the juxtaposition of images to create meaning and evoke emotion. | ||||
| Steadicam | A stabilizing rig that allows smooth handheld camera movement. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Steadi...t_of_crowd.jpg | ||
| Theme | The central ideas or messages of a film, often expressed through recurring motifs, dialogue, and visual storytelling. | ||||
| Three-Point Lighting | A basic lighting setup with key, fill, and backlight. | .jpg?revision=1) |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-...ng_diagram.svg | ||
| Tilt | A vertical camera movement from a fixed position. | ||||
| Tracking Shot | A shot that follows the subject’s movement, often achieved with a dolly or Steadicam. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracki...acking_car.jpg | ||
| Transitions | Techniques used to move between scenes or shots, such as cuts, fades, dissolves, and wipes, helping to control the pace and narrative flow of the film. | ||||
| Zoom Lens | A lens that allows the focal length to be adjusted without changing the lens itself. |  |
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom_l...8-200_zoom.jpg | ||
| Visual Lexicon | The “vocabulary” of images, symbols, and visual conventions used by filmmakers to communicate ideas and emotions through cinematic language. |