Writing
This is the primary job of the screenwriter: writing the specific lines that the characters say to one another.
What is Dialogue?
This is the main character who drives the story and pursues a specific goal, like Truman Burbank or Theo Faron.
Who is the Protagonist?
These background performers are primarily used to fill space or provide a sense of scale; they rarely have any lines and are not the focus of the scene.
Who are Extras?
This is the specific part of a film frame that immediately catches your eye because of a contrast in color, light, or movement.
What is the Dominant?
If a director wants to make Truman Burbank look small and trapped in the world of Seahaven, they would likely use this camera angle.
What is a High Angle?
A recurring object, image, or gesture in Parasite (like the smell or the "scholar's stone") is known as this.
What is a Motif?
The "Classical Paradigm" of storytelling is usually divided into this many acts.
What are Three Acts?
This camera shot is famously called the "landscape of the face" and is the screen actor’s most powerful tool for conveying internal emotion.
What is a Close-up?
This framing style makes a character seem "free" because there is a lot of open space around them in the shot.
What is Loosely Framed?
This lighting key is high-clarity and produces very few shadows; it is often used for the "perfect" but fake look of The Truman Show.
What is High Key?
This is the part of the script that provides the audience with "backstory" or information needed to follow the plot.
What is Exposition?
These are universal storytelling patterns or character types, such as the "Mentor" (Christof) or the "Hero" (Truman).
What are Archetypes?
This term describes an actor’s public image and personal life, which often influences how an audience perceives their character in a movie.
What is a Persona?
This term refers to the secondary areas of the frame that the audience’s eye travels to after seeing the main focus.
What are Subsidiaries?
This lateral tilt of the camera lens suggests that the world is "out of joint," often seen during moments of extreme tension or psychological distress.
What is an Oblique (or Dutch) Angle?
In The Truman Show, the various hidden cameras are an example of this—an object that represents a deeper idea (like loss of privacy).
What is a Symbol?
This narrative tradition attempts to mirror life as accurately as possible, avoiding obvious "movie magic" or happy endings.
What is Realism?
This type of star, like Jim Carrey in much of his early career, usually plays a version of their established public self in every role.
What is a Personality Star?
This specific distance (skin contact to 18 inches) is often used for moments of intense love or intense physical violence.
What is Intimate Distance?
This lighting technique places the light source behind the character, sometimes creating a "halo" effect to suggest spirituality or innocence.
What is Backlighting?
Because a screenplay is not a final product but a plan for the director and actors, it is often called a...
What is a Blueprint?
In this narrative tradition, the filmmaker is "overtly manipulative," using stylized visuals to show a character’s subjective feelings.
What is Formalism (or Expressionism)?
These individuals are often chosen for a film because they have the "right look" for a role, even though they have no professional training
Who are Nonprofessional performers?
In Parasite, a director might place a glass wall or a flight of stairs between characters to create this, suggesting an emotional or social divide.
What is a Physical Barrier?
To show the cluttered, cramped environment of the Kim family’s home in Parasite with everything in sharp focus, a director uses this technique.
What is Deep Focus?