Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of filmmaking terms, concepts, and techniques.
Showing 56 terms
A
5Aerial Shot
A shot captured from an airborne platform -- drone, helicopter, or aircraft -- above the ground.
Ambient Light
The non-directional background light present in an environment from all surrounding sources combined.
Aperture
The opening in a lens through which light passes, controlling exposure and depth of field.
Arc Shot
A shot in which the camera moves in a curved path around a stationary or moving subject.
Available Light
All light already present in a location -- natural or artificial -- used without adding any film lighting equipment.
B
4Background
The area of the frame furthest from the camera, behind the primary subject, establishing environment and spatial depth.
Backlighting
Illumination placed behind the subject, separating them from the background and creating edge definition.
Bounce
A lighting technique in which light is directed onto a reflective surface and allowed to reflect back onto the subject, producing soft, diffuse illumination.
Bounce Board
A reflective panel used to redirect and soften available or artificial light onto a subject.
C
8Camera
The device that captures light and records it as a sequence of still images forming a motion picture.
Catchlight
A small specular highlight reflected in a subject's eye from a light source, which gives the eyes depth, life, and vitality on camera.
Chiaroscuro
The strong contrast between light and shadow used as a primary expressive tool to create depth and drama.
Close-Up
A shot framed tightly on a subject's face or a specific object, filling most of the frame.
Contrast
The ratio between the brightest and darkest areas of an image, determined by lighting ratios and scene tonal range.
Crew
The collective technical and logistical workforce that builds and operates a film production.
CTB
Colour Temperature Blue — a family of colour correction gels used to raise the colour temperature of a warm light source, converting tungsten output toward daylight balance.
CTO
Colour Temperature Orange — a family of colour correction gels used to lower the colour temperature of a cool light source, converting HMI or daylight output toward tungsten balance.
D
7Dailies
The unedited footage from each day's shoot, reviewed by the director and key crew to assess the previous day's work.
Deep Focus
A cinematographic technique in which all planes of the image — near, mid, and far — are in sharp focus simultaneously.
Deep Focus Shot
A shot in which subjects at very different distances from the camera are all rendered in sharp focus simultaneously.
Depth of Field
The range of distance within a scene that appears acceptably sharp in a recorded image.
Diffusion
Material or technique that scatters a light source, increasing its effective size and softening its shadows.
Director
The creative authority responsible for translating a screenplay into a finished film.
Dynamic Frame
A frame whose composition changes within a single continuous shot through camera movement, subject movement, or both.
F
5F-Stop
A numerical scale that indicates a camera lens's aperture setting, controlling the amount of light passing through the lens to the film or sensor.
Focus
The precise optical alignment that renders a subject at a specific distance as sharp in the recorded image.
Foreground
The area of the frame closest to the camera, in front of the main subject, used to create depth, frame the scene, or add visual context.
Frame
A single still image in the continuous sequence that makes up a motion picture.
Frame Rate
The number of individual frames captured or displayed per second, determining motion smoothness and aesthetic quality.
G
3Gaffer
The head of the lighting department on a film set, responsible for executing the DP's lighting vision.
Genre
A category of film defined by shared narrative conventions, visual codes, and audience expectations.
Golden Hour
The period when the sun is low on the horizon, producing warm, directional, long-shadow natural light.
H
2Handheld Shot
A shot captured with the camera held and operated by hand, without mechanical stabilisation on a tripod or dolly.
High Angle Shot
A shot where the camera looks down on the subject from above, making them appear smaller or more vulnerable.
K
2Key Light
The primary and dominant light source in a scene, establishing the main direction and quality of illumination.
Kinoflo
A brand of lightweight fluorescent lighting fixture widely used in film and television production, known for its soft, flattering output and low heat emission.
M
2Magic Hour
The brief period after sunset or before sunrise when the sky provides soft, diffuse, warm-toned natural light.
Mise-en-Scène
Everything visible within a film frame — actors, sets, lighting, costume, and camera position — as a unified expressive whole.
R
3Rack Focus
A deliberate shift of focus from one subject to another within a single shot, drawing the viewer's attention from one plane of depth to another.
Rear Screen Projection
A practical in-camera compositing technique where pre-filmed background footage is projected onto a translucent screen behind live actors.
Rembrandt Lighting
A portrait lighting pattern producing a small triangle of light on the shadow side of the face beneath the eye.
S
5Setting
The time and place in which a film's story takes place, shaping character, tone, and visual world.
Shot
A continuous uninterrupted sequence of frames captured in a single camera run.
Shutter Speed
The duration of time the camera's shutter stays open for each frame, controlling exposure and motion blur.
Soft Focus
A lens or filter technique that reduces image sharpness and spreads highlights, creating a dreamy, romantic quality.
Symbolism
The use of objects, images, colours, or events to represent ideas or meanings beyond their literal presence in the story.
T
4T-Stop
A calibrated measurement of a lens's actual light transmission, accounting for internal glass losses, used in cinema to ensure accurate exposure matching across different lenses.
Three-Point Lighting
The foundational lighting setup using key, fill, and back light to illuminate a subject with dimensional depth.
Tilt Shot
A shot in which the camera rotates on its horizontal axis, moving the lens angle up or down.
Tracking Shot
A shot in which the camera moves horizontally to follow a subject as they move through space.