The entries of this Glossary were taken from Bordwell and Thompson (477-82).
Angle of framing - The position of the frame in relation to the subject it shows: above it, looking down (a high angle); horizontal, on the same level (a straight-on angle); looking up (a low angle). Also called camera angle.
Close-up - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large; most commonly a person's head seen from the neck up, or an object of a comparable size that fills most of the screen.
Crosscutting - Editing that alternates shots of two or mole lines of action occurring in difterent places, usually simultaneously.
Cut – [. . .] In the finished film, an instantaneous change from one framing to another.
Dissolve - A transition between two shots during which the first image gradually disappears while the second image gradually appears: for a moment the two images blend in superimposition.
Ellipsis - In a narrative film, the shortening of plotduration achieved by omitting some storyduration.
Establishing shot - A shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects. And setting in a scene.
Extreme close-up - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large; most commonly. a small object or a part of the body.
Extreme long shot A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people will fill the screen.
Flashback - An alteration of story order in which the plot moves back to show events that have taken place earlier than ones already shown.
Flash-forward - An alteration of story order in which the plot presentation moves forward to future events and then returns to the present.
Frame - A singe image on the strip of film. When a series of frames is projected onto a screen in quick succession, an illusion of movement is created.
Framing - The use of the edges of the film frame to select and to compose what will be
visible onscreen.
Graphic match - Two successive shots ioined so as to create a strong similarity of compositional elements (e.g., color, shape).
Long shot - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is small, a standing human figure would appear nearly the height of the screen.
Medium shot - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size; a human figure seen from the waist up would fill most of the screen.
Nondiegetic sound - Sound, such as mood music or a narrator's commentary, represented as coming from a source outside the space of the narrative.
180º system - The continuity approach to editing dictates that the camera should stay on one side of the action to ensure consistent left-right spatial relations between elements from shot to shot. The 180º line is the same as the axis of action.
Plan américain - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is moderately small; the human figure seen from the shins to the head would fill most of the screen. This is sometimes referred to as a medium long shot, especially when human figures are not shown.
Point-of-view shot (POV shot) - A shot taken with the camera placed approximately where the character's eyes would be, showing what the character would see; usually cut in before or after a shot of the character looking.
Sequence - Term commonly used for a moderately large segment of film, involving one complete stretch of action. In a narrative film, often equivalent to a scene.
Shot [. . .] one uninterrupted image, whether or not there is mobile framing.
Shot/reverse shot - Two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation [. . .]
Superimposition - The exposure of more than one image on the same film strip or in the same shot.
