age appears on the video monitor, but it represents only a
Pictorial Lighting Design A lighting design that does not
portion of the original wide-screen frame.
aim to simulate the effects of an on-screen light source.
Instead, the design moves in a purely pictorial direction to
Parallel Action An editing technique that establishes mul-
create mood and atmosphere.
tiple, ongoing plot lines and simultaneous lines of action.
Editors generally use the technique of cross-cutting to estab-
Pixel With reference to computer-based images, a pixel is
lish parallel action.
the smallest unit of a picture capable of being digitally ma-
nipulated. The sharpness or resolution of an image is a func-
Perceptual Correspondence Those properties of cin-
tion of the number of pixels it contains. High-end computer
ema that duplicate the visual information that viewers
monitors, used in sophisticated film effects work, may have
encounter in the everyday world. These include informa-
2000 pixels per screen line.
tion about object size, light and shadow, movement, and
facial expression and behavior as signs of emotion and
Plot The order and arrangement of story events as they ap-
intention.
pear in a given film.
8
Glossary
Point of View The perspective from which narrative events
Product Placement The appearance of products on screen
are related. Point of view in cinema is typically third-person
as part of a film scene. These appearances are advertise-
perspective, although filmmakers routinely manipulate au-
ments for which the merchandiser pays a fee to a product
diovisual design to suggest what individual characters are
placement agency. Film production companies derive rev-
thinking or feeling. Point of view in cinema can assume a
enue from these fees.
first-person perspective through the use of voice-over narra-
Product Tie-Ins Products marketed in conjunction with the
tion or subjective shots in which the camera views a scene as
release of a blockbuster film. For example, a Jurassic Park
if through the eyes of a character.
video game. These products often bear the logo or likeness
Point-of-View Shot See Subjective Shot .
of characters in the movie.
Positive Parallax In stereoscopic cinema, placement of the
Profit Participant An individual who is contractually entitled
left-eye image on the left, and the right-eye image on the right,
to receive a portion of a film’s profits. This is often a star or
enabling viewers to fuse the images without converging their
director who receives a percentage of gross revenue, a practice
eyes. This results in positioning objects behind the screen.
known as taking points.
Polyvalence The attribute of having more than one mean-
Prop Master Individual who supervises the design and con-
ing. Motion pictures are polyvalent because they possess
struction of props used in the film.
multiple layers of meaning.
Psychoanalytic Film Theory A model of film theory that
examines the unconscious, sometimes irrational, emotional,
Postdubbing The practice of recording sound effects and
and psychological relationship between viewers and films or
dialogue after principal filming has been completed. ADR
between characters within films.
is the contemporary term for postdubbing. In the case of
postdubbing dialogue, the technical challenge is to closely
Real Author The actual flesh-and-blood author of a film,
match the rerecorded dialogue with the performer’s lip
as distinct from the implied author, the artistic perspective
movements in the shot.
embodied by a film’s overall audiovisual design.
Postproduction The last stage of filmmaking, following the
Realism A basic mode of screen reality. Ordinary fictional
shooting and sound recording of scenes, that includes the
realism, historical realism, and documentary realism are
editing of image and sound and finalizing of digital effects.
subcategories of the realist mode.
Practical (Light) A light source visible on a set used for
Realist Film Theory A model of film theory that seeks to
exposure.
explain how filmmakers may capture, with minimal distor-
tion, the essential features of real situations and events, or,
Preproduction The stage of filmmaking that precedes the
in the case of fictionalized events, how filmmakers may give
shooting and sound recording of scenes. It is the planning
them an apparent real-world status.
and preparation stage.
Realistic Lighting Design A lighting design that simulates
Previsualization Any of a number of methods by which
the effects of a light source visible on screen.
filmmakers try to visualize a shot before actually exposing
film in the camera. Storyboards are a form of previsualiza-
Realistic Sound Sound that seems to fit the properties of
tion, as are various software programs that will model a set
a real source. In practice this is an elastic concept because
as seen by different camera positions and lenses.
many sounds that seem to be realistic are, in fact, artificial
and derive from sources other than the one that is desig-
Producer A production administrator who hires a director
nated on screen.
and supervises a film’s production to ensure that it comes in
under budget and on schedule. While directors work under
Rear Screen Projection A technique for simulating loca-
a producer, in practice producers generally allow directors
tion cinematography by projecting photographic images of a
considerable creative freedom.
landscape onto a screen. Actors are photographed standing
in front of the screen as if they were part of the represented
Production The stage of filmmaking that includes the
location.
shooting and sound recording of scenes.
Recces Scouting trips to find locations by the production
Production Design The planning and creation of sets, cos-
designer and crew.
tumes, mattes, and miniatures according to an overall con-
cept articulated by the production designer in collaboration
Reflected Sound Sound that is reflected off surfaces in a
with the director.
physical environment before being captured by the micro-
phone. By manipulating characteristics of sound reflection,
Production Track The soundtrack as recorded at the point
sound designers can capture the physical attributes of an
of filming. The final soundtrack mix included on release
environment.
prints to theaters includes portions of the production track
along with a great deal of sound created in postproduction.
Rental Accounting term for the revenues returned to a film
distributor.
Production Values Those elements of the film that show
the money invested in its production. T
hese typically include
Rhetoric The use of language to persuade and influence
set designs, costumes, locations, and special effects.
others. Film criticism is a rhetorical activity.
9
Glossary
Room Tone A type of ambient sound characterizing the
Shading A visual depth cue in which gradations and
acoustical properties of a room. Even an empty room will
patterns of light and shadow reveal texture and volume
emit room tone.
in a three-dimensional world and can be used to create a
three-dimensional impression on a flat theater or television
Rotoscope A combination camera–projector used to
screen.
combine live action with animation. Live-action footage is
projected frame by frame onto a series of cells, enabling the
Shot The basic unit of film structure, corresponding to the
animator to produce drawings that exactly fit the live action.
amount of footage exposed in the camera from the time it is
Rough Cut The film editor’s initial assembly of shots in a
turned on until it is turned off. Shots are visible on-screen as
scene or film before the editing is tightened and perfected in
the intervals between cuts, fades, or dissolves.
the fine cut.
Shot-Reverse-Shot Cutting A type of continuity editing
Running Time The amount of real time it takes a viewer to
generally used for conversation scenes. The cutting alter-
watch a film from beginning to end. Most commercial films
nates between opposing over-the-shoulder camera set-ups
run between 90 and 120 minutes.
showing each character speaking in turn.
Saturation A basic characteristic of color. Saturation mea-
Shutter Device inside the camera that regulates the light
sures color strength and is a function of how much white
reaching the film. In a film projector, the shutter func-
light is mixed into the color. The more white light that is
tions like an on/off switch, regulating the light reaching
present, the less saturated the color will seem to be.
the screen to produce beta movement and critical fusion
frequency.
Scenic Artist Individual who supervises design and matte
paintings.
Sign In communication theory, that which embodies or
expresses meaning.
Schema This term derives from the psychology of percep-
tion and designates a mental category or framework used
Snorkel Lens A lens that is mounted to the end of an elon-
to organize information. Applied to cinema, it helps explain
gated arm, which itself is attached to the camera body. The
the function of devices like the master shot, which provides
lens can be rotated, tilted, and maneuvered separately from
viewers with a schema or map of a location and the char-
the camera body to produce the illusion of camera move-
acters’ positions within it. Viewers use the visual schema
ment through a miniature model.
provided by master shots to orient themselves to changing
Soft Light Light that is diffused or scattered by filters or
camera positions and to integrate partial views of a scene
reflecting screens. Soft light creates a low-contrast image.
provided by close-ups.
Soft-Matted The use of mattes during projection to mask
Scholarly Criticism A mode of criticism aimed at a special-
the top and bottom of the film frame and produce a wides-
ized audience of scholars, employing a technical, demanding
creen (1.85:1) image.
vocabulary, and exploring the significance of given films in
Sound Bridge Sound used to connect, or bridge, two or
relation to issues of theory or film history.
more shots. Sound bridges establish continuity of place, ac-
Schufftan Process Method for combining live action and
tion, or time.
miniature models or matte paintings. By placing a mir-
Sound Design (Designer) The expressive use of sound
ror that reflects the image of the miniature or painting at
throughout a film in relation to its images and the contents of
a 45 degree angle to the camera, live action elements can
its narrative. Working in conjunction with the director, the
be filmed through portions of the mirror that have been
sound designer supervises the work of other sound personnel.
scraped away to leave transparent glass. The camera sees the
Sound Field The acoustical space created by all the speak-
live action through the glass and sees the miniature reflected
ers in a multichannel, surround-sound system.
in the glass. The actors and the miniature or painting are
thereby filmed simultaneously.
Sound Hierarchy The relative priority given to dialogue,
effects, and music in a given scene. In most cases, dialogue
Screen Reality The represented reality depicted by a fic-
is considered the most important of these sounds and rests
tional film. Screen reality is established by the principles of
atop the sound hierarchy.
time, space, character behavior, and audiovisual design as
these are organized in a given film.
Sound Montage A type of sound editing that conjoins
many discrete sound effects and sources.
Sequence Shot A long take whose duration extends for an
entire scene or sequence. Such a scene or sequence is accord-
Sound Perspective The use of sound to augment visual per-
ingly composed of only one shot and features no editing.
spective. Sound perspective often correlates with camera posi-
tion. In a long shot reflected sound may prevail, whereas in a
Set Decorator Individual who dresses a set with furnish-
close-up direct sound may prevail.
ings and props.
Soundstage The acoustical space created by the front
Sets The controlled physical environment in which film-
speakers in a multichannel, surround-sound system.
ing occurs. Sets may be created by blocking and lighting
an area of ground outdoors or by building and designing
Speech Dialogue spoken by performers playing characters
a physical environment indoors.
in a narrative.
10
Glossary
Spotting A collaborative process between the director and
narrative information from viewers, whereas creating sus-
composer during which they spot or identify passages in the
pense depends on providing viewers with necessary informa-
film that require musical scoring.
tion. Showing the audience the bomb under the table before
it goes off will create suspense. Not showing the bomb be-
Star The highest profile performer in a film narrative. Stars
fore it goes off will create surprise.
draw audiences to theaters and establish intense personal
relationships with their publics.
Surrealism Influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis, this art
style aims to appeal to the viewer’s subconscious and irratio-
Star Persona The relatively fixed screen personality of a
nal mind by creating fantastic and dream-like images. David
> star.
Lynch’s Blue Velvet is a surrealist film.
Stereoscopic Cinema Films and filmmaking that employ bin-
Suspense A narrative technique used to create tension and
ocular disparity and convergence to depict three-dimensional
anxiety in the film viewer. Creating suspense depends on
depth in the frame.
revealing rather than withholding narrative information.
Stereographer Member of a production crew who consults
Showing the audience the bomb under the table before it
with the director and choreographs stereoscopic (3D) space
goes off will create suspense. Not showing the bomb before
on screen.
it goes off will create surprise. Unlike suspense, surprise de-
Steadicam A camera-stabilizing system that enables the
pends on withholding information from the audience.
camera operator to work with a hand-held camera and
Synthetic Sound Artificially designed sound that does not
produce steady, jitter-free images. It is especially suited for
match any existing source. The sounds of the light sabers in
producing lengthy, extended moving camera shots.
the Star Wars films are examples of synthetic sound.
Stop-Motion Animation Method used for animating
Taboo Images Imagery depicting forbidden or disturbing
three-dimensional models, such as King Kong. The model is
subjects, often of a sexual or violent nature.
moved and photographed a frame at a time.
Technical Acting An approach to acting in which the per-
Story The entire sequence of events that a film’s plot
former thinks through the requisite gestures and emotions
draws on and references. The plot arranges story events
and then exhibits them. In contrast to method acting, the
into a given order, which may differ from the story’s proper
technical actor does not look to personal experience as a
chronology.
basis for understanding the character.
Story Time The amount of time covered by the narrative.
Telephoto Lens A lens of long focal length that distorts
This may vary considerably from film to film. The narrative
object size and depth of field. Telephoto lenses magnify the
of 2001: A Space Odyssey begins during a period of primi-
size of distant objects and by doing so compress depth of
tive prehuman ancestry and extends into the era of space
field and make them appear closer than they are.
travel, while the narrative of High Noon spans, roughly, 90
Temp Track A temporary musical track usually derived
Movies and Meaning- Pearson New International Edition Page 4
