Television Drama Terminology

Camera shots

Establishing shot
sets up/establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects.

Master shot
film recording of a dramatised scene from start to finish from an angle that keeps all the players in view. 

Close-up
Where the camera tightly frames a person or objects features

mid-shot
A shot taken at a medium distance

long shot
shows the entire object or human figure

wide shot
Camera is positioned to observe the most action in the performance

two-shot
two people can be seen together

aerial shot
shot taken from a height such as a plane,helicopter or a person on top of a building

point of view shot
Shows what the character can see

over the shoulder shot 
shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person.   

Angle

high angle
When the camera looks down on the subject

low angle
camera is positioned low on the vertical axis, a low angle is anywhere below eye line looking up.

canted angleA camera angle that is deliberately slanted to one side.

Movement

Crane- A Camera shot that rotates vertically around a subject or character. It is often used to mark the end of a film.

Depth of Field- The distance between the nearest and furthest objects in a scene that appear focused in the image.

Dolly- A tool used to create a Tracking Shot. It is a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails to follow a subject.

Hand-Held- A technique used in film production where the cameraman holds the camera in his hand. It is useful for creating Point of View Shots, as it captures the movement of a character running away from danger, for example.

Pan- A rotational camera movement around one point. It gives the effect of a person turning their    head horizontally.

Reverse Zoom- Opposite of a Zoom. The camera moves away from the subject, allowing the audience to see more of the background.

Rule of Thirds- A technique used in photography that splits the shot up into nine pieces. Some believe that it creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition.

Steadicam- A brand of Camera Stabiliser Mounts. It mechanically isolates itself from the cameraman's movement, making it useful for creating a steady shot.

Tilt-  A camera movement that rotates vertically around one point. Can give the effect of a person nodding.

Track- A camera shot that follows a character or subject through movement.

Zoom- A technique used in film editing to get closer in on the subject. However, it creates a distortion in the proportion of the shot

Editing/Cutting

Shot/Reverse Shot: 

Shot/Reverse Shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

Eyeline Match:

An eyeline match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system, it is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on screen is seeing.

Graphic Match:

A graphic match is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different space or two different compositions in  which objects in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically.

Action Match:

An action match (match on action) refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action.

Jump Cut:

A cut in movie editing that represents a momentary omission in a continuous shot, creating and effect of discontinuity or acceleration.

Crosscutting:

Crosscutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations. In a crosscut the camera will cut away from one action to another action which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is no always the case.

Parallel Editing:

Parallel editing is a technique whereby cutting occurs between two or more related actions occurring at the same time i two separate locations or different points in time.

Cutaway:

A cutaway shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut.

Insert:

An insert shot is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot. Inserts core action already covered from the master shot but emphasise a different aspect of that action due to the different framing.

Other Transitions

Dissolve
An act or instance of moving gradually from one image or scene in a film to another.

Fade-in
An image is made to appear gradually.

Fade-out
An image is made to disappear gradually.

Wipe
Which an existing picture seems to be wiped out by a new one.

Superimposition 
To put one image on top of another so that both can be seen

Long take 
An uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace, usually lasting several minutes 

Short take
In filmmaking, a short take or oner is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much shorter than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting a few seconds.

Slow motion

The action of showing film or playing back video more slowly than it was made or recording, so that the action appears much slower than in real life.

Ellipsis and expansion of time

Is the narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the read to fill in the narrative gaps and you are making the duration of the video sequence longer than real-time.

Post-production

Post-production is part of filmmaking, video production and photography process. it occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography and digital art. It is a term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting and/or recording the completed work.

Visual effect 

In filmmaking, visual effects are the processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shot. Visual effects involve the integration of live action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, expensive, impractical, or simply impossible to capture on film. Visual effects using computer generated imagery has recently become accessible to the independent filmmaker with the introduction of affordable and easy-to-use animation and composition software.computer generated imagery.

Sound

Diegetic and Non Diegetic- Diegetic sound is the sound that is in the scene whereas Non-Diegetic is the sound over the scene such as backing tracks.

Synchronous/Asynchronous- Synchronous sound is the sound that gets used for movement, an example being Footsteps represent a person walking. Asynchronous sound is the sound that is not matched with a visible source on the screen to try and represent emotion and can make the film seem more realistic.

Sound Effects- These are effects to try and represent an action such as a knife can represent a stabbing.

Sound Motif- Technique used to create a theme or mood.

Sound Bridge- Can be a carry over song from one scene to another.

Dialogue- Dialogue is where there is a conversation in the film.

Voiceover- This is where a person is narrating but the person cannot be seen.

Mode of address/Direct address- Modes of address can be defined as the ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text. Can also be a character talking to the audience.

Sound Mixing- Where multiple sounds are mixed into one.

Sound Perspective- Sound that can create realism in a film.

Soundtrack- A recording accompaniment of a film.

Score- Musical notation with each instrumental and vocal parts also referred to as sheet music.

Incidental music- Music used to enhance a particular atmosphere and is used as background music.

Themes and Stings-  Themes are recognisable as a melody and can be the same song for a specific programme. Sting is a short segment of a piece of music that indicates a regular part of a show.

Ambient Sound- Background noise to represent a scene such as wind, water, birds etc.

Mise-En-Scene

Product Design: overall look of a filmed event and it is one of the key creative roles in the creation if motion pictures and television. 

Location: In media, the locations are the areas in which filming goes on and film sets are shot.

Studio: The studio is an alternative name for a film or television production company.

Set costume Design: The setting of a scene and the objects (props) visible in a scene. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood, which has physical, social, psychological, emotional, economic and cultural significance in film.

Costume and Make up: Costume simply refers to the clothes that characters wear. Using certain colors or designs, costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions between characters. And the Make up establishes the time period, reveal character traits and signal changes in character.

Properties:

Lighting: The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence an audience’s understanding of characters, actions, themes and mood.

Colour Design: Early films were shot in black and white but the cinema soon included color images. These images were initially painted or stencilled onto the film but by the 1930s filmmakers were able to include colour sequences in their films. Apart from the added realism or glamor that a color image could provide, colour is also used to create aesthetic patterns and to establish character or emotion in narrative cinema.