Elements
Autobiography and Biography
Other Genres
Camera Shots and Angles
Comics and Graphic Novels
100

This element establishes the time and place of the narrative.

Setting

100

Point of view used in an autobiography.

First

100

This genre uses imagination rather than real experiences.

Fiction

100

A shot that shows a character’s face or a specific detail very closely.

Close-up

100

A single illustration enclosed in a border in a comic.

Panel

200

This element appeals to the five senses.

Descriptive Imagery

200

This tone is commonly used in autobiographical writing.

Informal

200

This genre presents stories mainly through visuals such as panels and speech balloons.

Comics

200

This shot shows part of the background and the character’s upper body.

Medium Shot

200

The space between panels where readers infer action or time.

Gutter

300

This element uses metaphors, similes, and hyperboles.

Figurative Language

300

This element refers to the sequence of events in the writer’s life.

Chronology

300

This genre shares setting, characters, and plot with creative nonfiction but is meant for performance.

Drama

300

This shot captures the entire body of the character.

Full Shot

300

This text box provides narration rather than dialogue.

Caption

400

This element organizes the author’s memories into a meaningful structure.

Plot

400

This element may include direct lines from the subject of the biography.

Dialogue

400

This feature allows movies and TV shows to present storytelling elements visually.

Camera Shots

400

This angle is achieved when the camera films the subject from above.

High Angle

400

A full-page illustration usually placed at the beginning of a comic or graphic novel.

Splash

500

This element refers to the real people involved in the author’s memories.

Character

500

This tone distinguishes biography from autobiography.

Formal

500

This element controls the mood or atmosphere in movies and TV shows.

Lighting

500

This camera angle tilts the camera sideways to create visual imbalance.

Oblique Angle

500

This type of illustration extends across more than one page.

Spread

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