The Amateur Filmmakers Guide

Welcome back, come to learn a little more about Filmmaking? It’s ‘The Amateur Filmmakers Guide’ Wednesday where, I a long time amateur filmmaker who has made all the silly mistakes one has to do to get any good , ‘’learn from your mistakes’’ and that old saying. But what if you didn’t have to? What if someone could mark all those pitfalls with a big X, wouldn’t that be pretty handy, no?

If you answered yes to the following then listen up and listen well because if your serious about starting into filmmaking you got to nail the basics otherwise it’s like trying to learn French but not bothering to know the verbs and tenses.

This week we’ll be explaining all the different terminology that those high fluent filmmakers throw about so freely and somehow everyone knows exactly what is to be done and when. Have no fear if you pay close attention you won't be confused any longer!

...And That Means What Exactly?

1.       Animation - The process of photographing drawings or objects a frame at a time; by changing a drawing or moving an object slightly before each frame is taken, the illusion of motion is realized.

2.       Background Music- Music accompanying action on the screen, but coming from no discernible source within the film.

3.       Blocking - The arrangements made for the composition of a scene, especially the placement and movements of actors.

4.       Boom - A long mobile beam or pole used to hold a microphone or camera.

5.       Clip - A brief segment excerpted from a film.

6.       Composition - The placement of people or objects within the frame and the arrangements for actual movements within the frame or by the camera.

7.       Continuity - The narrative growth of a film created through a combination of visuals and sound (resembling the "story" in print literature).

8.       Crane Shot - A shot taken from a boom that can move both horizontally and vertically.

9.       Cross-Cutting (parallel editing) - A method of editing in which the point of view switches alternately from events at one location to those of another related action.

10.   Cut - An individual strip of film consisting of a single shot; the separation of two pieces of action as a "transition" (used when one says "cut from the shot of the boy to the shot of the girl"); a verb meaning to join shots together in the editing process; or an order to end a take ("cut!").

11.   Deep Focus (depth photography) - Keeping images close by and far away in sharp focus simultaneously.

12.   Depth of Field - The area within which objects are in focus; a large depth of field allows a great range of objects to be in focus simultaneously, while a shallow depth of field offers a very limited area in focus.

13.   Dissolve (lap dissolve) - A method of making a transition from one shot to another by briefly superimposing one image upon another and then allowing the first image to disappear.

14.   Dolly Shot - A moving shot taken from a dolly. A Dolly-In moves the camera toward the subject, while a Dolly-Out moves the camera away from the subject. A dolly shot creates a sense of movement through space by capturing changes in perspective.

15.   Double Exposure (superimposition) - Two distinct images appearing simultaneously with one superimposed upon the other.

16.   Dubbing (lip sync) - The process of matching voice with the lip movements of an actor on the screen; dubbing also refers to any aspect of adding or combining sounds to create a film's final soundtrack.

17.   Editing - The process of splicing individual shots together into a complete film. Editing (as opposed to Montage) puts shots together to create a smoothly flowing narrative in an order making obvious sense in terms of time and place.

18.   Editor (cutter) - The person responsible for assembling the various visual and audial components of a film into a coherent and effective whole.

19.   Fade - A transitional device in which either an image gradually dims until the viewer sees only a black screen (Fade-Out) or an image slowly emerges from a black screen to a clear and bright picture (Fade-In).

20.   Fast Motion - (accelerated motion) Movements on the screen appearing more rapid than they would in actual life. For example, a man riding a bicycle will display legs pumping furiously while he flashes through city streets at the speed of a racing car.

21.   Fill Light - Light used to control shadows by "filling in" certain dark areas.

22.   Film Stock - Unexposed strips of celluloid holding light-sensitive emulsions.

23.   Filters - Transparent glass of gelatin placed in front of or behind a lens to control coloration; some filters cut out certain types of light (such as ultra- violet); others create a soft, hazy appearance, and still others provide a dominant color when used with color films.

24.   Fine Cut - The final assembling of all the various audial and visual components of a film.

25.   Fish-Eye - An extreme wide-angle lens taking in (and distorting) an immense area.

26.   Flashback - A segment of film that breaks normal chronological order by shifting directly to time past.

27.   Flash Forward - A segment of film that breaks normal chronological order by shifting directly to a future time.

28.   Flashframe - A shot lasting only a few frames; the shortness of a flashframe makes its content difficult to assimilate.

29.   Focus -Through (racking) - A change of the field in focus taking the viewer from one object to another that was previously out of focus.

30.   Frame - A single photographic image imprinted on a length of film; also the perimeter of an image as seen when projected on a screen.

31.   High-Angle Shot - A shot taken from above a subject, creating a sense of "looking down" upon whatever is photographed.

32.   Intercutting- The alternation between actions taking place at two distinct locations to make one composite scene.

33.   Jump Cut - An instantaneous cut from one action to another, at first seemingly unrelated, action. Jump cuts will usually call attention to themselves because of the abrupt change in time and/or place.

34.   Key Light - The primary source of illumination.

35.   High-Key - light brilliantly illuminates a set;

36.   Low-Key - light provides dim lighting, usually with heavy, dark shadows.

37.   Library Shot - (stock shot) Any shot not taken for a particular film but used in it.

38.   Local Music - Music originating within a scene and audible to both the characters in the film and the audience.

39.   Location - A place outside-the studio where shooting occurs.

40.   Low-Angle Shot - A shot taken from below a subject, creating a sense of "looking up to" whatever is photographed.

41.   Mask - A device placed in front of a lens to reduce the horizontal or vertical size of the frame or to create a particular shape (for example, periscope eyepiece, binoculars, or gun-sight).

42.   Match Cut - A cut intended to blend two shots together unobtrusively (opposed to a Jump Cut).

43.   Matte Shot - A process for combining two separate shots on one print, resulting in a picture that looks as if it had been photographed all at once.

44.   Mix - The process of combining all sounds at their proper levels from several tracks and placing them onto a master track.

45.   Montage - (dynamic editing, expressive montage, conditional montage) A method of putting shots together in such a way that dissimilar materials are juxtaposed to make a statement.

46.   Negative Image - An image with color value reversed from positive to negative, making white seem black and black appear white.

47.   Nonsynchronous Sound - Sound that combines sounds from one source with visuals from another.

48.   Objective Camera - The attempt to suggest that the camera acts only as a passive recorder of what happens in front of it.

49.   Out-Take - A take that is not included in the final version of a film.

50.   Pan - A shot in which a stationary camera turns horizontally, revealing new areas.

51.   Perspective - The way objects appear to the eye in terms of their relative positions and distances.

52.   Process Shot - A shot coordinated with another image created by Rear Projection, making the resulting picture look like a single simultaneous shot.

53.   Reaction Shot - A shot showing one or more characters reacting to an action or statement.

54.   Reverse Angle Shot - A shot of an object or person taken in the direction opposite that of the preceding shot

55.   Rushes - (dailies) The lengths of footage taken during the course of filming and processed as the shooting of a film proceeds.

56.   Scenario (See Script) - Scene A series of Shots taken at one basic time and place. A scene is one of the basic structural units of film.

57.   Script - (scenario, shooting script) - A written description of the action, dialogue, and camera placements for a film.

58.   Sequence - A structural unit of a film using time, location, or some pattern to link together a number of scenes.

59.   Shooting - Ratio The ratio in a finished film of the amount of film shot to the length of the final footage. Shot, a single uninterrupted action of a camera as seen by a viewer (see Take). Shots are labelled according to the apparent distance of the subject from the camera: extreme long-shot (ELS) also called an establishing shot; long-shot (LS); medium long-shot (MLS); medium or mid-shot (MS); medium close-up (MCU); close-up (CU); and extreme close-up (ECU). Although distinctions among shots must be defined in terms of the subject, the human body furnishes the usual standard of definition: ELS, a person is visible but setting dominates; LS, person fills vertical line of the frame; MLS, knees to head; MS, waist up; MCU, shoulders up; CU, head only; ECU, an eye.

60.   Slow Motion - Movements on the screen appearing slower than they would in actual life.

61.   Soft Focus - A slightly blurred effect achieved by using a special filter or lens, or by shooting with a normal lens slightly out of focus.

62.   Still - A photograph taken with a still (versus motion) camera.

63.   Storyboard (continuity sketches) - A series of sketches (resembling a cartoon strip) showing potential ways various shots might be filmed.

64.   Subjective Camera - Shots simulating what a character actually sees; audience, character, and camera all "see" the same thing.

65.   Swish Pan - A quick pan from one position to another caused by spinning the camera on its vertical axis and resulting in a blurring of details between the two points.

66.   Take - A single uninterrupted action of a camera as seen by a filmmaker. A take is unedited footage as taken from the camera, while a shot is the uninterrupted action left after editing.

67.   Telephoto Lens (See Long Lens) - A lens with an extremely long focal length capable of making distant objects appear nearer and thus larger.

68.   Tilt Shot - A shot taken by angling a stationary camera up (tilt-up) or down (tilt-down).

69.   Tracking Shot (traveling shot, trucking shot) - Any shot using a mobile camera that follows (or moves toward or away from) the subject by moving on tracks or by being mounted on a vehicle.

70.   Trailer - A short segment of film that theatres use to advertise a feature film.

71.   Trucking Shot - Any moving shot with the camera on a mobile mounting, but chiefly a moving shot taken with a camera mounted on a truck.

72.   Two Shot - A shot of two people, usually from the waist up.

73.   Voice-Over - Any spoken language not seeming to come from images on the screen.

74.   Wide-Angle Lens - Any lens with a focal length shorter than normal, thus allowing a greater area to be photographed.

75.   Wipe - A transitional device in which one image slowly replaces another by pushing the other out of the way.

76.   Zoom Freeze - A zoom shot that ends in a freeze frame.

77.   Zoom Shot - A shot accomplished with a lens capable of smoothly and continuously changing focal lengths from wide-angle to telephoto (zoom in) or telephoto to wide-angle (zoom out).

Conclusion

I know, 77 is an odd number of tips to give but at least I’m not lying when I say that they’re all necessary to know if you want a basic understanding of filmmaking. Don’t kid yourself in thinking that this is all there is to film terminology because you would be seriously wrong, this is the bare bones of a rather deep and elusive field but with a little persistence you’ll get there. Join me next week for ‘’Filmmaking: So, what do I need?’’ as I go through the bare essentials for filming your first short feature.

Competitions For Young Filmmakers And Film

-          http://www.cinemagic.org.uk/section_specific.aspx?dataid=440965&title=&title2=Competitions&id2=3521

You could be the Cinemagic Young Film Critic of the Year. To enter the competition all you have to do is send a film review (not more than 500 words) on one of the films screened during Cinemagic 2010. There are a number of wonderful prizes to be won.

-          http://www.cinemagic.org.uk/section_specific.aspx?dataid=440958&title=&title2=Competitions&id2=3521

As part of Cinemagic Dublin we will be programming a short film competition that will see a young jury reviewing and critiquing new films from all over the world.