Camera Angles & Movement
A shot that is used to show the surroundings of a person.
What is a long shot or wide shot?
The most basic transition where one shot instantly changes to the next.
What is a cut?
Background noise in a scene (wind, traffic, natural environment sounds).
What is ambient sound?
Objects used by actors or placed in the scene to add meaning.
What are props?
The study of signs and symbols; how meaning is constructed and communicated in media.
What are semiotics?
A wide shot that shows the setting or location.
What is an establishing shot?
A style of editing that keeps the action smooth and logical so it feels realistic (often follows the 180-degree rule).
What is a continuity editing?
Music that is made specifically for the movie.
What is score?
The organization of visual elements within the frame, including color, density, and character placement.
What is framing or composition?
The literal, common-sense, or "obvious" meaning of a sign.
What is denotation?
Camera looks down on a subject, making them seem weak or powerless.
What is a high angle?
A technique that cuts between two characters (or a character and their reaction), often used in conversations.
What is shot reverse shot?
Audio that continues across a cut, linking two scenes together.
What is a sound bridge?
What is low key lighting?
The socio-cultural and personal associations produced as a reader decodes a sign.
What is connotation?
Camera movement where the camera moves left or right while in a fixed position.
What is a pan?
A cut that shows what a character is looking at, matching their gaze to the object.
What is an eyeline match?
Sound added for the audience that characters cannot hear (e.g., music, narration)
What is non-diegetic sound?
Positioning of actors to show relationships, power, or importance.
What is blocking or staging?
A theory suggesting that media messages are directly, immediately, and powerfully "injected" into a passive audience, influencing them uniformly.
What is hypodermic needle theory?
A tilted camera angle that creates unease or tension.
What is a canted or Dutch angle?
A cut that links two shots using similar shapes, movement, or composition.
What is a graphic match?
A recurring sound linked to a character, place, or idea.
What is a sound motif?
The intentional, stylized arrangement of visual elements—setting, lighting, costume, and acting—that mirrors stagecraft, prioritizing expression over realism
What is theatrical mise en scene?
This theorist developed a theory stating media that uses language to construct representations, often stereotyping to assert power.
Who is Stuart Hall?