8mm, 16mm and 35mm Film formats in which the filmstrip is either 8, 16 or 35mm wide. 8mm is traditionally a home-movie format: there are standard 8mm and Super 8 formats, the difference being that Super 8 has a larger image area. 35mm is the standard film format today; 16mm is more economical and favored in television. Some films like The Hurt Locker are shot on Super 16 can be effectively blown up to 35mm through digital technology.
Anamorphic lens A lens used to created a widescreen image, today with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.40:1
ASA A numerical designation of a film’s sensitivity to light.
Aspect ratio The measurement of an image by width and height. For example, the standard 35mm aspect ratio is 1.37:1.
Backlight A process by which a shot’s primary light comes from behind (or the back) of the foreground subject. This can create a moody silhouette effect on the subject.
Bleach bypass A process in which the bleaching stage is skipped in color processing with the effect that brightness and color saturation is reduced. It could be described as looking like a black-and-white image superimposed on a color image.
Blocking The process whereby the director determines where each actor will be throughout the course of a shot. This way, the cinematographer and camera operator will know where to place the camera and lighting to capture all the necessary actions, reactions and movement.
Bluescreen A special effects technique whereby actors or models are shot against a blue screen and then seamlessly imposed on a background. Green screens are more commonly used in film production today.
Camera tracks Like train tracks, they provide a smooth surface for the camera dolly to roll on during filming.
CGI Stands for computer-generated imagery, used to create fully digitally animated films or special effects work in live-action films.
Chiaroscuro A style of painting that emphasized a pronounced contrast between the light and dark areas of the canvas. This technique became popular in film noir, which made evocative use of shadows to create mood.
Closeup A shot that focuses on an actor’s face or is close enough to an object that not much of the background or surrounding imagery can be seen.
Color gel Transparent colored sheets that are placed over lights to change the color temperature of a shot. Other gels can be used to change the amount or quality of light.
Color palette The specific range of colors that will be used on a movie. These are selected to create a certain mood or visual design for the film.
Color temperature A measurement of the color of the light in a shot or scene.
Coverage The process of shooting a particular scene from all the necessary angles so that there’s enough flexibility to cut between different shots and have all the action covered.
Crane A device that lifts the camera off the ground, often allowing for sweeping or majestic shots.
Dailies The footage from the previous day’s shooting, which allows the director and cinematographer to gauge performances, light, color and other concerns while the film is being shot.
Day for night A technique in which night scenes are shot during the day but made to look like night time. This trick is done by manipulating exposure and filters.
Digital A moviemaking technology that, like traditional film, captures an image. Unlike film emulsion, though, digital offers a more uniform image that lacks grain or the randomness of color and light.
Digital intermediate A technology that allows directors and cinematographers the ability to tweak a film’s color in post-production. DIs can also help filmmakers blow up 16mm to 35mm with more fidelity than was previously possible.
Dolly A platform, often on a track, to which a camera is attached so that it can roll across a scene to film a moving shot.
Exterior A shot that takes place outside.
F-stop An adjustable iris diaphragm that controls how much light reaches the film.
F-stop A measurement on the camera to determine how wide the aperture is. If the F-stop is small, the depth of field will be smaller, because more of the image will be in focus. A higher F-stop creates more depth of field because less of the image is in focus.
Filters A device put on the camera lens to help shape how the light will be recorded on the film. Different filters can emphasize certain colors or affect the overall sharpness of the image.
Flags An opaque panel used to block light and create shadow, or hide lights in the scene.
Flashing film Exposing films to low intensity exposure to decrease contrast.
Floodlights A wide, semi-soft light source often used for general illumination.
Florescents A form of lighting that, rather than a filament, utilises mercury vapor. If not color-corrected, florescent gives off a greenish, sickly hue that can be good for creating atmosphere.
Focus-puller The member of the camera team who adjusts focus during a shot so that the correct person or object can be seen clearly at any one time.
Fog filters Filters that can imitate the effect of natural fog and lighten the dark areas, creating a soft, romantic glow.
The frame The portion of the scene that will be captured on film, as seen through the camera’s viewfinder.
French New Wave A film movement that began in the late 1950s that emphasized experimentation with the conventional Hollywood storytelling style. Led by directors such as Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, French filmmakers adopted untraditional editing techniques (such as the use of jump cuts) and handheld cameras for a more liberated and adventurous spirit. Breathless and The 400 Blows are considered landmarks of the movement.
Front projection A process of shooting performance against pre-shot background footage.
Gaffer The head electrician on a film shoot, reporting to the director of photography.
Gate The compartment on the camera where the film is exposed and the image captured.
Grading aka Timing See Timing.
Grain Silver particles that remain on the film after processing to form an image. Usually, the faster the film, the coarser the grain, the less the definition.
Handheld camera A camera that is not bolted down to any device, such as a dolly or tripod, but is instead being held by the camera operator. This technique is often incorporated to create a looser, more real, more spontaneous and emotionally charged sensation in the viewer.
Hard Light Light from a small, direct point source that produces sharp shadows and strong highlights. The effect is more dramatic, stark and unflattering than soft light.
HMI Light A medium arc-length lamp which provides high light output more efficiently than incandescent lighting.
Interior A shot that occurs indoors.
Italian Neorealism A film movement that sprung up after World War II that emphasized stories about the poor, often featuring non-actors. These movies sought to capture reality as simply and directly as possible, focusing on location shooting and an almost documentary-like approach to filming their subjects. Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves is considered a landmark of the movement.
Key grip The individual responsible for overseeing all the moving parts on a film shoot, including the cameras, props, lights, and scenery.
Key light The light which determines the character of the lighting, usually from a natural source like the sun or a window.
Kino Flo A manufacturer of lighting equipment best known for its fluorescent tube lighting which can provide soft light and can fit into relatively small spaces.
Lens flare A phenomenon in which light hits the lens directly, causing circular colors of light to form on the image. It can be used as a stylistic technique, but is otherwise considered distracting.
Light meter A device used to measure the amount of light in front of the camera. This information allows the cinematographer to know what the correct camera exposure should be.
Location scouting The process of searching for locations that can serve as the backgrounds for the scenes.
Location shooting Filming that is done on actual existing locations, rather than from sets.
Long lens A lens with an angle of view narrower than that of the human eye.
Long shot see wide shot
Mark A spot on the floor where actors must stand so that they’ll be in their proper place for framing purposes.
Mid-shots Or medium shots are shots taken from a medium distance, somewhere between a wide/long shot and a closeup. A mid-shot can show facial expression and body language, of a character, for example, but might not show the whole body.
Negative The strip of film where the image is captured before processing.
Noir A film genre emphasizing stylish lighting, moody shadows, and bleak worldviews. The typical noir is a mystery story involving a cynical private eye and a dangerous beauty whose intentions can’t entirely be trusted. The Maltese Falcon is considered a landmark of the genre.
POV shot A technique of using the camera to simulate the viewpoint of one of the film’s characters. In this kind of shot, audience members feel that they’re seeing precisely what the character is seeing and experiencing the story through that character’s eyes.
Practicals Lights that appear within the shot that are part of the environment of the scene.
Prime lenses Lenses which offer greater optical quality and have large aperture openings meaning they can be used in less light. Preferable, although more expensive than zoom lenses.
Rehearsal The process before the camera rolls where the actors practice how a scene will play out. Rehearsals can happen during pre-production as well as on set.
Rough cut A rough draft, if you will, of a film that allows the director to get a sense of the movie’s overall flow before doing more tightening and trimming.
Saturation A film term meaning how intense (or saturated) colors are in the image.
Shot list A list of all the shots necessary for a particular scene or for an entire screenplay.
Soft Light Indirect, lower intensity lighting which produces soft shadows and less distinct detail.
Steadicam A device invented in 1973 that keeps a camera stationary while the camera operator moves quickly or over rough terrain during a take. The result is a shot that allows the camera to glide smoothly through a space.
Still camera A traditional camera that captures still images, as opposed to the motion picture cameras used for films.
Stop-motion An animation technique in which an inanimate three-dimensional figure is made to seem alive by capturing its slight movement one shot at a time. Taken together, the shots create the illusion of movement.
Storyboard A drawing that gives a blueprint for how an image (or a series of images) should look through the viewfinder. Directors and cinematographers will use storyboards to help illustrate their ideas before going on set to block a shot.
Take A recording of a shot that is captured on film (or digital).
Technicolor An innovative color-processing film company once renowned for its dye-transfer process.
T-stop A measurement of the light transmitted to the lens. Considered a more precise measurement than the F-stop, T-stops are used by professional cinematographers.
Timing aka Grading The process where the director of photography can adjust the print of the film to compensate for exposure and color variations. The process is known as timing in the US and grading in the UK.
Tungsten A form of incandescent lighting used on movie sets that is similar to the light given off by household light bulbs.
Tracking shot A moving camera shot that follows along with the characters through space.
2-perf Techniscope A low-budget Technicolor format which has two film perforations per frame instead of four. It was much cheaper than traditional film but inferior in image quality.
Video monitor & playback Used to judge performance and camera movement during shooting.
Video tap A standalone device that provides the same image as seen through the camera’s viewfinder. This allows the director and cinematographer an opportunity to see how a shot is developing without operating the camera during that shot.
Viewfinder The device on a camera that allows the cinematographer or director to be able to see what the image being captured will look like.
Wide-angle lens A lens that projects a larger image circle than a standard lens, that can handle wider fields of view, create perspective distortion or enable large shift movements.
Widescreen An image with a higher width-to-height ratio greater than the standard 35mm ratio of 1.37:1.
Wide shot or long shot A shot that encompasses much of the background. The camera is at a distance from the actors, allowing the characters to be surrounded by their environment.
Zoom A camera movement in which the lens pushes (or zooms) in closer to what’s being observed. This technique often draws attention to itself because it does not replicate the normal movement of the human eye.
Zoom lens A lens that maintains focus when the camera zooms in on the action.
Cameras mentioned:
Aaton camera
Optimo 14–290mm zoom
High-speed digital Phantom
Éclair Camera
Aaton/Penelope
Synchrosonic cameras
Alexa camera
VIPER camera by Thomson
Canon 5D MKII
Red camera