This article contains a list of cinematic techniques that are divided into categories and briefly described.

Basic definitions of terms

; 180-degree rule :A continuity editorial technique in which sequential shots of two or more actors within a scene are all shot with the camera on one side of the two actors so that a coherent spatial relationship and

eyeline match An eyeline match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that an audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. An eyeline match begins with a character looking at som ...

are maintained. ;Airborne shot :A shot taken from an aerial device, generally while moving. This technique has gained popularity in recent years due to the popularity and growing availability of drones. ;Arc :A dolly shot where the camera moves in an arc along a circular or elliptical radius in relation to the subject ("arc left" or "arc right") ; Backlighting (lighting design) :The main source of light is behind the subject, silhouetting it, and directed toward the camera. ;Bridging shot :A shot used to cover a jump in time or place or other discontinuity. Examples are a clock face showing advancing time, falling calendar pages, railroad wheels, newspaper headlines and seasonal changes. Bridge shots are also used to avoid jump cuts when inserting a pick-up. ;

Camera angle The camera angle marks the specific location at which the movie camera or video camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles simultaneously. This will give a different experience and sometimes emotion. The diffe ...

:The point of view or viewing position adopted by the camera with respect to its subject. Most common types are :* High-angle shot (the camera is higher than its subject) :* Low-angle shot (the camera is lower than its subject) ; Close-up : A frame depicting the human head or an object of similar size. ;Cut : An editorial transition signified by the immediate replacement of one shot with another. ;

Cross-cutting Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and often in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultane ...

:Cutting between different events occurring simultaneously in different locations. Especially in narrative filmmaking, cross-cutting is traditionally used to build suspense or to suggest a thematic relationship between two sets of actions. ;

Continuity editing Continuity editing is the process, in film and video creation, of combining more-or-less related shots, or different components cut from a single shot, into a sequence to direct the viewer's attention to a pre-existing consistency of story across b ...

:An editorial style that preserves the illusion of undisrupted time and space across editorial transitions (especially cuts). ; Deep focus :A technique in which objects in the extreme foreground and objects in the extreme background are kept equally in focus. ; Dissolve :An editorial transition overlapping a fade in and a fade out in such a way that one image gradually disappears while another simultaneously emerges. This transition generally suggest a longer period of narrative elapses than is suggested by cuts. ;

Camera Dolly A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant usu ...

:A wheeled cart or similar device upon which a movie camera is mounted to give it smooth, horizontal mobility. ;Dollying or Dolly shot :A shot in which the camera moves horizontally either toward or away from its subject, or right or left in relation to the subject. Traditionally dolly shots are filmed from a

camera dolly A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant usu ...

but the same motion may also be performed with a

Steadicam Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts for motion picture cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement, keeping t ...

, gimbal, etc. A dolly shot is generally described in terms of "dollying in" or "dollying out". Also known as trucking in and out, or right and left. ; Dolly zoom :A powerful and dramatic effect produced by simultaneously trucking in or out while synchronously zooming out or in. ;

Editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

:The selection and organization of shots into a series, usually in the interest of creating larger cinematic units. Adding music is also a great way to make it more cinematic ;

Ellipsis (linguistics) In linguistics, ellipsis (from el, ἔλλειψις, ''élleipsis'' 'omission') or an elliptical construction is the omission from a clause of one or more words that are nevertheless understood in the context of the remaining elements. There a ...

:A term referring to "chunks" of time left out of a narrative, signaled in filmmaking by editorial transitions ;

Establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...

:A shot, often a long shot, usually placed at the beginning of a scene to establish the general location of the specific action to follow. This shot is also known as an Extreme Long Shot. ;

Eyeline match An eyeline match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that an audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. An eyeline match begins with a character looking at som ...

:A type of continuity editorial match involving two or more, sequential shots in which the preceding shot contains an agent (a person, animal, etc.) gazing in the direction of some unseen, off-screen vision, and following shot(s) contains an image presumed by the spectator to be the object of the agent's gaze. This technique is an important consideration in dialogues where actors are talking to each other. (Contrast with

Over the shoulder shot The over-the-shoulder shot (OTS) is a camera angle used in film and television, where the camera is placed above the back of the shoulder and head of a subject. This shot is most commonly used to present conversational back and forth between t ...

; See also

180 degree rule Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short s ...

) ;Extreme close-up :A shot framed so closely as to show only a portion of the face or of some object. ;Extreme long shot :A shot in which the human figure would be extremely insignificant compared to its surroundings. :A panoramic view photographed from a considerable distance and made up essentially of landscape or distant background. ;Fade in/out :An editorial transition in which the image either gradually appears out of ("fade in") or gradually fades into ("fade out") a black screen. ;

Fill light Fill may refer to: * Fill dirt, soil added to an area ** Fill (archaeology), the material that has accumulated or has been deposited into a cut feature such as ditch or pit ** Fill (land), dirt, rock or other material added to level or raise th ...

:An auxiliary light placed to the side of the subject that softens shadows and illuminates areas not lit by the key light (see "key light"). ; Flashback :A scene or sequence inserted into a scene set in the narrative present that images some event set in the past. ;

Flash forward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...

:A scene or sequence inserted into a scene set in the narrative present that images some event set in the future. ;Focus :The optical clarity or precision of an image relative to normal human vision. Focus in photographic images is usually expressed in terms of depth. ;Framing :The placement of subjects and other visual content with respect to the boundaries of the image. ;Hand-held shot :A shot where the camera is hand-carried, either with or without a

. If done without a steadicam, the effect is a shaky image which conveys an amateurish or urgent affect. ;

Inter-title In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dial ...

:A piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e. inter-) the photographed action at various points. Most commonly used in silent movies to convey elements of dialogue and other commentary. ;Iris in/out :An editorial transition popular during the silent period utilizing a diaphragm placed in front of the lens and which, when opened (iris in) or closed (iris out), functions like a fade in or fade out. A partially opened iris can also be used to focus attention on a detail of the scene in the manner of vignetting. ;

Jump cut A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time. Camera positions of the subje ...

:An editorial transition between two shots in which the illusion of temporal continuity is radically disrupted. ;Key light :The main light on a subject, usually placed at a 45 degree angle to the camera-subject axis. In high-key lighting, the key light provides all or most of the light in the scene. In low-key lighting, the key light provides much less of the total illumination. ; Long shot :A shot in which the human figure would be relatively insignificant compared to its surroundings. ;

Master shot A master shot is a film recording of an entire dramatized scene, start to finish, from a camera angle that keeps all the players in view. It is often a long shot and can sometimes perform a double function as an establishing shot. Usually, the m ...

:A shot, often a medium shot or longer, which shows all the important action in a scene. In editing, the master can be used to a greater or lesser extent as the 'skeleton' of the edit, which is fleshed out by replacing parts of the master with tighter coverage such as closeups and cutaways. ;Match cut :One of various editorial devices used to preserve a sense of spatio-temporal integrity or continuity between cuts. ;Medium close-up :A shot depicting the human figure from approximately the chest up. ;Medium shot :A shot depicting the human figure from approximately the waist up. ; Mise en scène :Everything that has been placed in front of or is revealed by the camera while shooting. ;

:A shot where the camera is placed above the back of the shoulder and head of a subject. This shot is most commonly used to present conversational back and forth between two subjects. With the camera placed behind one character, the shot then frames the sequence from the perspective of that character ;Pan :A shot in which the camera is made to pivot horizontally left or right (about its vertical axis) while filming. Pans are always described in terms of "panning left" or "panning right". It is incorrect to discuss pans in terms of vertical, "up"/"down" movement, which is properly called tilting. ; Point of view shot :(Often abbreviated as 'POV'). A shot which shows an image from the specific point of view of a character in the film. ; Racking focus :A shot employing shallow focus in which the focal distance changes so that the background is gradually brought into focus while the foreground is gradually taken out of focus or visa versa. ;Reverse angle :In a dialogue scene, a shot of the second participant understood as the opposing or "reverse" view of the shot showing the first participant. ;Scene :A unit of narration generally composed of a series of shots that takes place in a single location and concerns a central action. ;Shot :* 1.) The image produced by a motion picture camera from the time it begins shooting until the time it stops shooting. :* 2.) (in an edited film) the uninterrupted record of time and space depicted between editorial transitions. ;Static Frame :The camera focus and angle stay completely still, usually with a locked off tripod, and the scene continues motion. Not to be confused with a still frame where the scene is also static or frozen. ;

:A lightweight, highly-mobile camera transportation and stabilization device developed by inventor / cinematographer Garrett Brown which permits hand-held filming with an image steadiness comparable to tracking or dolly shots. The device involves 1.) a vest redistributing the weight of the camera to the hips of the cameraman and, 2.) a spring-loaded arm working to minimize the effects of camera movement. A video tap simultaneously frees the camera operator from the eyepiece, who is then free to travel through any walkable terrain while filming. ;Story board :A series of drawings and captions (sometimes resembling a comic strip) that shows the planned shot divisions and camera movements of the film. ;Tilt :A shot in which the camera is made to pivot vertically up or down (about its horizontal transverse axis) while filming. ;

Tracking shot A tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. In cinematography, the term refers to a shot in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails – ...

/traveling shot :A shot in which the camera moves alongside or parallel to its subject. Traditionally tracking shots are filmed while the camera is mounted on a track dolly and rolled on dedicated tracks comparable to railroad tracks, In recent years, however, parallel camera moves performed with a

, gimbal, etc. may also be called a tracking shot. Tracking shots often "follow" a subject while it is in motion: for instance, a person walking on a sidewalk seen from the perspective of somebody walking on a parallel path several feet away. Shots taken from moving vehicles that run parallel to another moving object are also referred to as tracking or traveling shots. A tracking shot may also be curved, moving around its subject in a semi-circular rotation, known specifically as an arc or arc shot. ;Truck :Truck-right, truck-left, truck-in, truck-out (see Dolly shot) ; Two shot : A shot in which the frame encompasses two people, typically but not exclusively a medium shot. ; Whip pan :A type of pan shot in which the camera pans so quickly that the resulting image is badly blurred. It is sometimes used as an editorial transition and is also known as a ''swish pan'' or "flash pan." ; Whip zoom :An unusually quick but continuous zoom in or out. ; Wipe :An optical editorial transition in which an image appears to be pushed or "wiped" to one aside of the screen to make way for the next. ; Zoom :A shot taken from a stationary position using a special

zoom lens A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length (and thus angle of view) can be varied, as opposed to a fixed-focal-length (FFL) lens (see prime lens). A true zoom lens, also called a parfocal lens, is one ...

that magnifies or de-magnifies the center of the image. This creates an illusion that the camera is moving toward or away from its subject by making the subject more or less prominent in the frame. Not to be confused with ''dollying'' in which the camera itself actually physically moves closer to or further away from its subject.

Cinematography

Movement and expression

Movement can be used extensively by film makers to make meaning. It is how a scene is put together to produce an image. A famous example of this, which uses "dance" extensively to communicate meaning and emotion, is the film, West Side Story. Provided in this alphabetised list of film techniques used in

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

filmmaking. There are a variety of expressions: * Aerial perspective * Aerial shot * American shot *

Angle of view The angle of view is the decisive variable for the visual perception of the size or projection of the size of an object. Angle of view and perception of size The perceived size of an object depends on the size of the image projected onto the ...

* Bird's eye shot *

Bird's-eye view A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object or location from a very steep viewing angle, creating a perspective as if the observer were a bird in flight looking downwards. Bird's-eye views can be an aerial photograph, but also a ...

* Boom shot * B-roll *

* Camera coverage *

Camera dolly A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant usu ...

Camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmakin ...

* Camera tracking * Close-up *

Crane shot Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname) ...

* Dolly zoom *

Dutch angle The Dutch angle, also known as Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle, is a type of camera shot which involves setting the camera at an angle on its roll axis so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the f ...

Film frame In filmmaking, video production, animation, and related fields, a frame is one of the many '' still images'' which compose the complete '' moving picture''. The term is derived from the historical development of film stock, in which the sequen ...

* Filmmaking * Follow shot *

Forced perspective Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlatio ...

* Freeze-frame shot * Full frame * Full shot * Hanging miniature *

Head shot A head shot or headshot is a modern (usually digital) portrait in which the focus is on the person. The term is applied usually for professional profile images on social media, images used on online dating profiles, the 'about us page' of a cor ...

* High-angle shot * Long shot *

Long take In filmmaking, a long take (also called a continuous take or continuous shot) is a Shot (filmmaking), shot with a duration much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Significant camera movement ...

* Low-angle shot *

* Medium shot * Money shot *

Multiple-camera setup The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on the set and simultaneous ...

* One shot (music video) *

Panning (camera) In cinematography and photography panning means swivelling a still or video camera horizontally from a fixed position. This motion is similar to the motion of a person when they turn their head on their neck from left to right. In the resulting ...

* Point of view shot * Rack focusing * Reaction shot * Shot (filmmaking) * Shot reverse shot *

Single-camera setup The single-camera setup, or single-camera mode of production, also known as portable single camera, is a method of filmmaking and video production. The single-camera setup originally developed during the birth of the classical Hollywood cinema ...

* SnorriCam * Stalker vision *

Tilt (camera) Tilting is a cinematographic technique in which the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates up/down in a vertical plane. Tilting the camera results in a motion similar to someone raising or lowering their head to look up or down. It is ...

Top-down perspective A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...

* Trunk shot * Two shot * Video production * Walk and talk * Whip pan * Worm's-eye view

Lighting technique and aesthetics

* Background lighting * Cameo lighting *

* Flood lighting * High-key lighting * Key lighting * Lens flare *

Low-key lighting Low-key lighting is a style of lighting for photography, film or television. It is a necessary element in creating a chiaroscuro effect. Traditional photographic lighting ( three-point lighting) uses a key light, a fill light and a back lig ...

* Mood lighting * Rembrandt lighting * Stage lighting * Soft light To achieve the results mentioned above, a Lighting Director may use a number or combination of Video Lights. These may include the Redhead or Open-face unit, The Fresnel Light, which gives you a little more control over the spill, or The Dedolight, which provides a more efficient light output and a beam which is easier to control.

Editing and transitional devices

* A-roll * B-roll *

* Cutaway * Dissolve *

* Fast cutting * Flashback * Insert * J cut ("Split edit") *

* Keying * L cut ("Split edit") *

Match cut In film, a match cut is a cut from one shot to another where the composition of the two shots are matched by the action or subject and subject matter. For example, in a duel a shot can go from a long shot on both contestants via a cut to a medium ...

* Montage * Point of view shot * Screen direction * Sequence shot * Smash cut * Slow cutting * Split screen *

SMPTE timecode SMPTE timecode ( or ) is a set of cooperating standards to label individual frames of video or film with a timecode. The system is defined by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers in the SMPTE 12M specification. SMPTE revised ...

* Shot reverse shot * Wipe

Special effects (FX)

* 3D computer graphics *

3D film 3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion pict ...

for movie history * Bluescreen/

Chroma key Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to r ...

* Bullet time *

Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images ...

Digital compositing Digital compositing is the process of digitally assembling multiple images to make a final image, typically for print, motion pictures or screen display. It is the digital analogue of optical film compositing. Mathematics The basic operation u ...

* Optical effects * Stereoscopy for 3D technical details * Stop motion * Stop trick

Sound

Sound is used extensively in filmmaking to enhance presentation, and is distinguished into diegetic and non-diegetic sound: *Diegetic sound is heard by both the characters and audience. Also called "literal sound" or "actual sound". Examples include **Voices of characters; **Sounds made by objects in the story, e.g. heart beats of a person **

Source music Diegetic music or source music is music in a drama (e.g., film or video game) that is part of the fictional setting and so, presumably, is heard by the characters. The term refers to diegesis, a style of storytelling. The opposite of source mu ...

, represented as coming from instruments in the story space. **Basic sound effects, e.g. dog barking, car passing; as it is in the scene **Music coming from reproduction devices such as record players, radios, tape players etc. * Non-diegetic sound is represented as coming from a source outside the story space, i.e. its source is neither visible on the screen, nor has been implied to be present in the action. Also called "non-literal sound" or "commentary sound". Examples include: **Narrator's commentary; **Sound effects added for dramatic effect; **Mood music ** Film score

Sound effects

In motion picture and television production, a sound effect is a sound recorded and presented to make a specific storytelling or creative point, without the use of dialogue or music. The term often refers to a process, applied to a recording, without necessarily referring to the recording itself. In professional motion picture and television production, the segregations between recordings of dialogue, music, and sound effects can be quite distinct, and it is important to understand that in such contexts, dialogue, and music recordings are never referred to as sound effects, though the processes applied to them, such as

reverberation Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...

flanging Flanging is an audio effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, one signal delayed by a small and (usually) gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a swept comb filter effect: peaks and no ...

, often are. Necessary incidental units of sound, footsteps, keys, a polishing sound, are created in the foley studio.

Techniques in interactive movies

New techniques currently being developed in

interactive movie Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but m ...

s, introduce an extra dimension into the experience of viewing movies, by allowing the viewer to change the course of the movie. In traditional linear movies, the author can carefully construct the plot, roles, and characters to achieve a specific effect on the audience.

Interactivity Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but mo ...

, however, introduces non-linearity into the movie, such that the author no longer has complete control over the story, but must now share control with the viewer. There is an inevitable trade-off between the desire of the viewer for freedom to experience the movie in different ways, and the desire of the author to employ specialized techniques to control the presentation of the story. Computer technology is required to create the illusion of freedom for the viewer, while providing familiar, as well as, new cinematic techniques to the author.

References

External links

Interactive Movies
a
FilmSound.orgCinematic Technique Blog

Audiovisual Compendium of Film Terminology
{{Film crew Filmmaking