Extreme Long Shot (ELS) - This shot is generally used as an location or scene setting establishing shot. It commonly shows an outdoor shot which is a wide and large area shot, making sure the audience can instantly recognise the surroundings of where the plot will happen. The shot denotes the precise location.
Long Shot (LS) - The shot is showing a the whole characters body with background around it. The enables the audience to still understand where the character is but they can also see the whole of the character within the shot. This type of shot's main focus is the character but still wants to allow the setting to be known.
Mid Shot (MS)/Two Shot - Normally contains the figures body from the knee/waist up and is mainly used for dialogue sequences. The shot can contain up to three figures but any more tends to become a long shot. The setting or background is minimal as the shot is nearly always used after the setting has been established. The main focus of the scene is the communication or action between the characters and allows the audience to engage in this.
Close Up (CU) - Shows very little background and concentrates on a specific object of mise-en-scene or face. The shot it uses to emphasis on a facial expression or an action, occasionally used on bits of paper so the audience can read it. The shot can also maybe be seen as intimidating for the audience which can put them on edge or feel the suspense of the scene. The shot is normally used in horror films.
Extreme Close Up (ECU) - This is a closer version than the close up. It focuses on a particular part of an object or face such as an eye or a word without showing any background at all. This shot is always used for dramatic effect and can change the emotion from the audiences perspective.
Camera Angles
Birds Eye View - This shot shows a scene from directly above; it is a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects are often unrecognisable at first eg. umbrellas. The shot, however, puts the audience in a godlike position, looking down on everything that is happening. Being looked down on is very intimidating so the shot may be used in fight scenes, for example. Hitchcock was fond of this style of shot.
High Angle - Not as extreme as a bird's eye view but still elevated above a natural level. High angles make the object being filmed become smaller and less significant meaning less scary; they almost get swallowed into their setting and become part of the wider picture.
Eye Level - The most natural shot which is used for dialogue scenes and when the director wants the audience to focus on an expression or specific character or object. The camera will normally be placed five to six feet from the ground.
Low Angle - Useful to increase the height or give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to the viewer and a feel of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background tends to be a sky or ceiling making the lack of setting around them become disorientating to the viewer. The added height of the character can increase a fear element and make the audience feel insecure because of the dominating character on the screen.
Oblique Angle - The shot is titled to suggest an imbalance and transition which is very popular in horror films. The technique is used to suggest point of view shots to the audience and the camera becomes the eyes of the person looking at what is in the screen. Hand held cameras are normally used for this method.
Camera Movement
Panning - A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod which operates as an axis point from which the camera can turn. Often used to follow a moving object or character which is kept in the centre of the frame.
Tilt - The movement which films a scene vertically, similar to a pan.
Tracking - The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves along with the action which is generally a moving figure or object. The shot creates a great way for portraying movement.
Crane - This is a tracking shot but filmed in the air. A crane is used to move the camera around to film the moving object or figure.
Editing
Cut - Sudden change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. On television cuts occur on average about every 7 or 8 seconds.
Matched cut - In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth.
Jump cut - Abrupt switch from one scene to another which may be used deliberately to make a dramatic point. Sometimes boldly used to begin or end action. Alternatively, it may be result of poor pictorial continuity, perhaps from deleting a section.
Motivated cut - Cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes the viewer immediately want to see something which is not currently visible (causing us, for instance, to accept compression of time).
Cutting rate - Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise or emphasize.
Cutting rhythm - A cutting rhythm may be progressively shortened to increase tension. Cutting rhythm may create an exciting, lyrical or staccato effect in the viewer.
Cross-cut - A cut from one line of action to another. Also applied as an adjective to sequences which use such cuts.
Reaction shot - Any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts to action which has just occurred.
Insert/insert shot - A bridging close-up shot inserted into the larger context, offering an essential detail of the scene (or a reshooting of the action with a different shot size or angle.)
Buffer shot (neutral shot) -A bridging shot (normally taken with a separate camera) to separate two shots which would have reversed the continuity of direction.
Fade, dissolve (mix) -Both fades and dissolves are gradual transitions between shots. In a fade the picture gradually appears from (fades in) or disappears to (fades out) a blank screen. A slow fade-in is a quiet introduction to a scene; a slow fade-out is a peaceful ending. Time lapses are often suggested by a slow fade-out and fade-in. A dissolve (or mix) involves fading out one picture while fading up another on top of it. The impression is of an image merging into and then becoming another. A slow mix usually suggests differences in time and place. Defocus or ripple dissolves are sometimes used to indicate flashbacks in time.
Wipe - An optical effect marking a transition between two shots. It appears to supplant an image by wiping it off the screen (as a line or in some complex pattern, such as by appearing to turn a page). The wipe is a technique which draws attention to itself and acts as a clear marker of change.
Inset - An inset is a special visual effect whereby a reduced shot is superimposed on the main shot. Often used to reveal a close-up detail of the main shot.
Split screen - The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time (sometimes the same action from slightly different perspectives, sometimes similar actions at different times). This can convey the excitement and frenzy of certain activities, but it can also overload the viewer.
Stock shot - Footage already available and used for another purpose than the one for which it was originally filmed.
Cut - Sudden change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. On television cuts occur on average about every 7 or 8 seconds.
Matched cut - In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth.
Jump cut - Abrupt switch from one scene to another which may be used deliberately to make a dramatic point. Sometimes boldly used to begin or end action. Alternatively, it may be result of poor pictorial continuity, perhaps from deleting a section.
Motivated cut - Cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes the viewer immediately want to see something which is not currently visible (causing us, for instance, to accept compression of time).
Cutting rate - Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise or emphasize.
Cutting rhythm - A cutting rhythm may be progressively shortened to increase tension. Cutting rhythm may create an exciting, lyrical or staccato effect in the viewer.
Cross-cut - A cut from one line of action to another. Also applied as an adjective to sequences which use such cuts.
Reaction shot - Any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts to action which has just occurred.
Insert/insert shot - A bridging close-up shot inserted into the larger context, offering an essential detail of the scene (or a reshooting of the action with a different shot size or angle.)
Buffer shot (neutral shot) -A bridging shot (normally taken with a separate camera) to separate two shots which would have reversed the continuity of direction.
Fade, dissolve (mix) -Both fades and dissolves are gradual transitions between shots. In a fade the picture gradually appears from (fades in) or disappears to (fades out) a blank screen. A slow fade-in is a quiet introduction to a scene; a slow fade-out is a peaceful ending. Time lapses are often suggested by a slow fade-out and fade-in. A dissolve (or mix) involves fading out one picture while fading up another on top of it. The impression is of an image merging into and then becoming another. A slow mix usually suggests differences in time and place. Defocus or ripple dissolves are sometimes used to indicate flashbacks in time.
Wipe - An optical effect marking a transition between two shots. It appears to supplant an image by wiping it off the screen (as a line or in some complex pattern, such as by appearing to turn a page). The wipe is a technique which draws attention to itself and acts as a clear marker of change.
Inset - An inset is a special visual effect whereby a reduced shot is superimposed on the main shot. Often used to reveal a close-up detail of the main shot.
Split screen - The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time (sometimes the same action from slightly different perspectives, sometimes similar actions at different times). This can convey the excitement and frenzy of certain activities, but it can also overload the viewer.
Stock shot - Footage already available and used for another purpose than the one for which it was originally filmed.
In thriller jump cut are films frequently in chase scenes when the editing is fast paced, this add suspense and anticipation to the film which is key in a Thriller film.
Sound
Direct sound - Live sound. This may have a sense of freshness, spontaneity and 'authentic' atmosphere, but it may not be acoustically ideal.
Studio sound - Sound recorded in the studio to improve the sound quality, eliminating unwanted background noise ('ambient sound'), e.g. dubbed dialogue.
Selective sound -The removal of some sounds and the retention of others to make significant sounds more recognizable, or for dramatic effect - to create atmosphere, meaning and emotional nuance. Selective sound (and amplification) may make us aware of a watch or a bomb ticking.
Sound perspective/aural perspective - The impression of distance in sound, usually created through the use of selective sound.
Sound bridge - Adding to continuity through sound, by running sound (narration, dialogue or music) from one shot across a cut to another shot to make the action seem uninterrupted.
Dubbed dialogue - Post-recording the voice-track in the studio, the actors matching their words to the on-screen lip movements. Not confined to foreign-language dubbing.
Wildtrack (asynchronous sound) - Sound which was self-evidently recorded separately from the visuals with which it is shown. For example, a studio voice-over added to a visual sequence later.
Parallel (synchronous) sound - Sound 'caused' by some event on screen, and which matches the action.
Sound effects - Any sound from any source other than synchronised dialogue, narration or music. Dubbed-in sound effects can add to the illusion of reality: a stage- set door may gain from the addition of the sound of a heavy door slamming or creaking.
Music - Music helps to establish a sense of the pace of the accompanying scene. The rhythm of music usually dictates the rhythm of the cuts. The emotional colouring of the music also reinforces the mood of the scene. Background music is asynchronous music which accompanies a film. It is not normally intended to be noticeable. Conventionally, background music accelerates for a chase sequence, becomes louder to underscore a dramatically important action.
Silence - The juxtaposition of an image and silence can frustrate expectations, provoke odd, self-conscious responses, intensify our attention, make us apprehensive, or make us feel dissociated from reality.
Direct sound - Live sound. This may have a sense of freshness, spontaneity and 'authentic' atmosphere, but it may not be acoustically ideal.
Studio sound - Sound recorded in the studio to improve the sound quality, eliminating unwanted background noise ('ambient sound'), e.g. dubbed dialogue.
Selective sound -The removal of some sounds and the retention of others to make significant sounds more recognizable, or for dramatic effect - to create atmosphere, meaning and emotional nuance. Selective sound (and amplification) may make us aware of a watch or a bomb ticking.
Sound perspective/aural perspective - The impression of distance in sound, usually created through the use of selective sound.
Sound bridge - Adding to continuity through sound, by running sound (narration, dialogue or music) from one shot across a cut to another shot to make the action seem uninterrupted.
Dubbed dialogue - Post-recording the voice-track in the studio, the actors matching their words to the on-screen lip movements. Not confined to foreign-language dubbing.
Wildtrack (asynchronous sound) - Sound which was self-evidently recorded separately from the visuals with which it is shown. For example, a studio voice-over added to a visual sequence later.
Parallel (synchronous) sound - Sound 'caused' by some event on screen, and which matches the action.
Sound effects - Any sound from any source other than synchronised dialogue, narration or music. Dubbed-in sound effects can add to the illusion of reality: a stage- set door may gain from the addition of the sound of a heavy door slamming or creaking.
Music - Music helps to establish a sense of the pace of the accompanying scene. The rhythm of music usually dictates the rhythm of the cuts. The emotional colouring of the music also reinforces the mood of the scene. Background music is asynchronous music which accompanies a film. It is not normally intended to be noticeable. Conventionally, background music accelerates for a chase sequence, becomes louder to underscore a dramatically important action.
Silence - The juxtaposition of an image and silence can frustrate expectations, provoke odd, self-conscious responses, intensify our attention, make us apprehensive, or make us feel dissociated from reality.
In thriller films the music is very significant in creating tension and anticipation when watching a thriller film, the music accompanies what’s going on screen.
Lighting
Soft and harsh lighting. Soft and harsh lighting can manipulate a viewer's attitude towards a setting or a character. The way light is used can make objects, people and environments look beautiful or ugly, soft or harsh, artificial or real. Light may be used expressively or realistically. Backlighting. A romantic heroine is often backlit to create a halo effect on her hair.
Soft and harsh lighting. Soft and harsh lighting can manipulate a viewer's attitude towards a setting or a character. The way light is used can make objects, people and environments look beautiful or ugly, soft or harsh, artificial or real. Light may be used expressively or realistically. Backlighting. A romantic heroine is often backlit to create a halo effect on her hair.
Mise-en-scene
Is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or filmproduction, which essentially means "visual theme" or “what’s in shot”—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography andstage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction. When applied to the cinema, mise-en-scène refers to everything that appears before thecamera and its arrangement—composition, sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting. Mise-en-scène also includes the positioning and movement of actors on the set, which is called blocking.
In thriller films the Mise-en-scene is very significant, the setting, lighting and props can make a thriller film seem realistic and believable which is key. Usually most thriller open with a long shot of the setting, letting the audience know where the film is set. Most thriller are set in inner city or urban areas it very important the director gets the location right to make it seem more realistic therefore the mis-en-scene is very important.
