Film Vocabulary
What does the word “photography” mean?
Photography: “to write with light”
What shot would you use to capture an emotional scene. Hint: the shot focuses on the face to show the emotions of a character.
Close Up
What does ‘Mark In’ and ‘Mark Out’ mean? What keyboard keys do you hit to mark-in and mark-out?
“I” and “O” key
Mark In: the starting point where you want a video clip to begin when editing
Mark Out: the ending point where you want a video clip to end when editing
Who is the first African American to make a film?
Oscar Micheaux
What camera function controls how fast the shutter on the camera opens and closes?
Shutter Speed
What is a ‘synopsis’?
Synopsis: a brief summary or general survey of something
What shot would you use to capture a character in a ‘normal’ conversational scene. The shot shows from waist up
Medium Shot
How do you add transitions between clips?
1. Click on the double triangles in the upper right corner of the editing timeline.
2. Choose the transition you want and drag it between 2 clips in the timeline
What was the name of the first film made by an African American? (it’s not “Within Our Gates”) What year?
“The Homesteader” made in 1919
If you are photographing fast movement and you want to get a perfectly still photograph, what camera setting would you adjust? How will you adjust it?
Shutter speed; you would make the shutter speed very fast (high number)
What is ‘intonation’?
Intonation: the rise and fall of the voice in speaking
What shot would you use to make your subject look smaller or weaker? Hint: the shot is looking down on your subject
Bird’s Eye or High Angle
How do you add text/title in Final Cut Pro?
1. Click on the “T” box in the upper left corner.
2. Choose a text template and drag it to your timeline where you want the text to appear
3. Click on the text box in the timeline and edit your text
“Within Our Gates” by Oscar Mischeaux was made in response to what popular film that was extremely racist in America in 1915?
Birth of A Nation in 1915
What camera setting controls how sensitive the sensor is? This function can greatly impact the quality of the photo
ISO
What is the 'Punch-In’ mean? (related to audio recording)
Punch-In:a technique you can use to overwrite a portion of a previously recorded track, during playback, without touching any of the recording before or after that portion
What camera shot is used to show the setting that a scene is taking place in? The shot is an extremely wide shot that allows the viewer to see the environment that the scene is in
Establishing shot
How can you use keyframes to make your musical soundtrack fade up and fade down in terms of volume?
1. Make 2 keyframes on the audio line (’Option+Click’ )
2. Drag the keyframes up and down to create a fade up or fade down
The film “Birth of a Nation” was remade in 2019 by what filmmaker?
Nate Parker
If you want to create a shot with ‘depth of field’, what camera function will you adjust?
Aperture: to blur out background, make a very low aperture; to make background and foreground in focus, use a high aperture
What is the ‘Axis Rule’ in Cinematography?
The Axis Rule sets an imaginary axis, or eye line, between two characters or between a character and an object. By keeping the camera on one side of this imaginary axis, the characters maintain the same left/right relationship to each other, keeping the space of the scene orderly and easy to follow.
What camera shot is specifically used to capture conversation; The shot shows 2 or more people talking by framing the camera behind one the actors while looking directly at the face of the other actor
Over the Shoulder Shot
What software did we first learn for video editing that is free and can be downloaded to use on Windows/Apple computers?
What software have we been using for our final film project which is a professional editing software that is used in the film industry?
PowerDirector
Final Cut Pro
DW Griffith anticipated criticism for his film from the African American community. In order to minimize this threat, what did he do?
He held a special screening of the film in the White House with the President
What camera setting controls how wide/shallow the diaphram of a camera is?
Aperture