A
Establishing Shot
A shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects, and setting in a scene. Usually, the first few shots in a scene are establishing shots, as they introduce us to a location and the space relationships inside it.
Shot/Reverse Shot
Two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation.
180 Degree Rule
Filming and editing so that all shots in a scene are from the same side of an imaginary straight line running between the scene's major subjects.
Monopoly
Complete control of a product or business by one person or group
Slap stick Comedy
Comedy where humor depends on physical action and sight gags; often stresses ridiculousness and horseplay. I associate this with Charlie Chaplin.
Tracking Shot
A mobile framing that travels through space forward, backward, or laterally.
Contiguity Editing
Characters move in consistent directions between shots, chase scenes, etc
Fade out/Fade in
One scene gradually goes dark and the new one gradually emerges from the darkness.
Star system
An operation designed to find and cultivate actors under long-term contracts, with the intention of developing those actors into famous "stars" who would enhance the profitability of the studio's films. Is in decline by the 1960's.
Melodrama
A sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events intended to appeal to the emotions. The Cheat is an obvious example of this.
Cross Cutting or Parallel Editing
Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously. The two actions are therefore linked, associating the characters from both lines of action.
Wipes
A transition between shots in which a line passes across the screen, eliminating the first shot as it goes and replacing it with the next one. A very dynamic and noticeable transition, it is usually employed in action or adventure films. It often suggests a brief temporal ellipsis and a direct connection between the two images.
Nickelodeons
The first movie houses; admission was one nickel. These were notable as movie-only establishments that started in the United States, even though many of their films came from abroad. Nickelodeons were appealing because they were cheap and regularly available. See the " Week Three and Four" Lecture slides for more details.
Prior to this (1905), movies presented in:
—Vaudeville & legitimate theaters
—Amusement arcades & dime museums
—Saloons
—Traveling shows, inside & out
—Amusement parks
—Movie-only storefront theaters
Actualitié films
The actuality film is a non-fiction film genre that, like the documentary film, uses footage of real events, places, and things. The Lumiere Bros are famous for these.
Mise-en-scène
All of the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes and makeup, and so on
Intertitles
Mostly associated with silent film, images that present printed information or dialogue about the images before or after the intertitle.
The MPPC/ The Edison Trust
The Motion Picture Patents Company was a trust of 10 film producers and distributors who attempted to gain complete control of the motion-picture industry in the United States from 1908 to 1912. The original members were the American companies Edison, Vitagraph, Biograph, Essanay, Selig, Lubin, and Kalem; and the French companies Pathé, Méliès, and Gaumont. The company, which was sometimes called the Movie Trust, possessed most of the available motion-picture patents, especially those of Thomas A. Edison, for camera and projection equipment. It entered into a contract with Eastman Kodak Company, the largest manufacturer of raw film stock, to restrict the supply of film to licensed members of the company. Was dissolved by court order.
The Black Maria
A "Black Box" film studio created by Thomas Edison in New Jersey. America's first movie studio. The studio had a roof that could be opened to admit sunlight for illumination, and the building itself was mounted on a revolving pivot so that the structure could be constantly repositioned to keep it aligned with the sun. Watch Dr. A's Lecture/Intro to Primitive Cinema for more information about movie studios. It's under the week 2 modules!
Avant-garde film
Films that are not pursuing commercial success but artistic invention; this will no longer be on the midterm, but will pop up on the final.
Alice Guy
*Prolific French, female filmmaker
*Over 600 films
*Opens studio "Solax" in US
*Supervised Gaumont's film production up until 1908
*Not a guy
Continuity Editing
A system of cutting to maintain continuous and clear narrative action. Continuity editing relies upon matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from shot to shot (invisible editing).
Dissolves
A transition between two shots during which the first image gradually disappears while the second image gradually appears; for a moment the two images blend in superimposition. Dissolves can be used as a fairly straightforward editing device to link any two scenes, or in more creative ways, for instance to suggest hallucinatory states
Oligopoly
A market structure in which a few large firms dominate a market. The MPPC was one.
Trick Films (Formalism)
Short silent films, meant to highlight special effects. Think of someone like Georges Méliès.
Louis Daguerre
A French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography.