A-Roll: primary footage, typically more imporant to developing the sequence. In a documentary or interview, A-Roll includes the dialog or person being interviewed.
Artifact: a defect or distortion in the video image, usually the result of compression, poor file transfer, and other compromises or inadequacies in process.
Aspect Ratio: ratio of width to height of video frame, contemporary standard is 16:9
B-Roll: secondary footage, supplemental footage, typically used to illustrate the subject being discussed and "cut to" from A-Roll.
Bit Rate: rate of data transfer in digital video, compressed video has lower bit rate than uncompressed allowing it to be transfered or transmitted more quickly
Camera Movements:
Stationary Shot: Camera is positioned on tripd and does not move
Hand-held Shot: Camera is held and moved by operator while shooting, typically appears 'shaky' or 'jittery'
Dolly Shot: Camera is moving while it captures, on wheels
Tracking Shot: Camera is on 'tracks' and follows the movement of a subject
Panning Shot: Camera rotates around or with a subject
Zoom Shot: Camera focal length changes during the shot - used to either 'zoom in' or 'zoom out' from subject
Racking Focus Shot: Camera focal length changes during shot from one object to another, bringing objects into or out of focus over duration of shot, depth of field effects
Codec: Coding/Decoding or Compression/Decompression, an algorithm for capturing or compressing digital audio/video signal.
Compression: elecronically processing digital audio/video for more efficient storage and transmission. Typically involves removing picture data to decrease file size.
Cropping: Cutting off edges of a rectangular picture/video frame.
Depth of Field: The 'in focus' range of a lense or optical system around an item of interest.
Editing (or Cutting): Process of changing from one shot to another accompolished through the camer or by splicing shots together. Typically includes deicsions, controls, sensibilities, vision, and integrative capabilities.
Establishing Shot: At the beginning of a video sequence, a wide angle, long shot, or 'full-shot' that identifies the location or setting. Allows viewer to get a sense of general setting for the sequence.
Field of View: Maximum angle of view that can be seen through the lens.
Frame: The total recangular are of the video picture plane, at its smallest time unit.
Frame Rate: Rate at which frames of video data are visible on screen. Also considered the number of frames per second at which is video clip is displayed. For this course our frame rate will be 29.97 fps.
Montage: Editing strategy that uses seemingly unrelated series of frames or sequences combined so that one quickly dissolves or cuts to the next. A form of abstraction by juxtaposing different footage - akin to college in 2D media.
Non-Linear Editing: Non-destructive editing of source material. Performed on digital files using operations that include layering, cut/paste, undo, and others not possible on physical media.
Rule of Thirds: A guideline that applies to the composition of visual images wherein the picture plane is divided vertical and horizontally into thirds. The lines and intersections created by the divisions are used for aligning a subject, creating tension or energy, or emphasizing specific aspects of the source footage.
Shot: Refers to one constant take by the camera, most often filmed all at one time without stopping. Shots are source material that is edited together later.
Types of Shots:
Main Shot Sizes: Long/Wide, Medium, Close
Extreme Wide Shot: Used to show the subject from a distance, or the area in which the scene is taking place.
Wide Shot: Shows the subject from top to bottom; for a person, this would be head to toes, though not necessarily filling the frame.
Full Shot: Frames character from head to toes, with the subject roughly filling the frame. The emphasis tends to be more on action and movement.
Medium Long or 3/4 Shot: Intermediate between Full Shot and Medium Shot. Shows subject from the knees up.
Medium Shot: Shows part of the subject in more detail. For a person, a medium shot typically frames them from about waist up.
Medium Close-Up Shot: Falls between a Medium Shot and a Close-Up, generally framing the subject from chest or shoulder up.
Close-Up Shot: Fills the screen with part of the subject, such as a person’s head/face. Framed this tightly, the emotions and reaction of a character dominate the scene.
Choker Shot: A variant of a Close-Up, this shot frames the subject’s face from above the eyebrows to below the mouth.
Extreme Close-Up Shot: Emphasizes a small area or detail of the subject, such as the eye(s) or mouth.
Close-Up Shot: Fills the screen with part of the subject, such as a person’s head/face. Framed this tightly, the emotions and reaction of a character dominate the scene.
Close-Up Shot: Fills the screen with part of the subject, such as a person’s head/face. Framed this tightly, the emotions and reaction of a character dominate the scene.
Types of Shots/Camera Angles or Placement:
Eye Level: Shot taken with the camera approximately at human eye level, resulting in a neutral effect on the audience.
High Angle: Subject is photographed from above eye level. This can have the effect of making the subject seem vulnerable, weak, or frightened.
Low Angle: Subject is photographed from below eye level. This can have the effect of making the subject look powerful, heroic, or dangerous.
Dutch Angle/Tilt: Shot in which the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the horizon line is not level. It is often used to show a disoriented or uneasy psychological state.
Over-the-Shoulder: A popular shot where a subject is shot from behind the shoulder of another, framing the subject anywhere from a Medium to Close-Up. The shoulder, neck, and/or back of the head of the subject facing away from the camera remains viewable, making the shot useful for showing reactions during conversations. It tends to place more of an emphasis on the connection between two speakers rather than the detachment or isolation that results from single shots.
Bird’s-Eye View: A high-angle shot that’s taken from directly overhead and from a distance. The shot gives the audience a wider view.
Cut-In: Similar to a Cutaway, but shows a Close-Up shot of something visible in the main scene.
Cutaway: A shot of something other than the subject and away from the main scene. It is usually followed by a cut back to the first shot and is useful for avoiding a jump cut when editing down a section of dialogue, or editing together two separate takes.
Establishing Shot: Usually the first shot of a scene, this is used to establish the location and environment. Often helps establish mood or tone and gives clues to the viewer as to what is going to happen.
Master Shot: Term given to a single, uninterrupted shot of a scene.
Point of View Shot: Shot intended to mimic what a particular character in a scene is seeing. This puts the audience directly into the head of the character, letting them experience their emotional state.
Reaction Shot: Shows a character’s reaction to the shot that has preceded it.
Reverse Angle Shot: A shot taken from an angle roughly 180 degrees opposite of the previous shot. The term is commonly used during conversation, indicating a reverse Over-the-Shoulder Shot, for example.
Two Shot: A shot in which two subjects appear in the frame.
White Balance: Adjusting camera so that so that a specific color like white is correclty captured as white. Typically this can be done before capturing, through adjusting the camera's sensor. Otherwise it can be adjusted within limitations through post-processing.