Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of filmmaking terms, concepts, and techniques.
Showing 29 terms
A
3Ambient Light
The non-directional background light present in an environment from all surrounding sources combined.
Animation
The art and technique of creating the illusion of movement from a sequence of still images, drawings, or computer-generated frames.
Anime
Japanese animated film and television, characterised by distinctive visual styles and spanning a vast range of genres and subject matter.
B
3Background
The area of the frame behind the main subject, providing context and depth.
Blockbuster
A high-budget film with mass-market appeal designed to generate very large box office returns, often as part of a franchise.
Body Double
A performer who substitutes for a principal actor in shots where the actor's face is not visible or their presence is impractical.
C
5Cameo
A brief on-screen appearance by a well-known person, director, or public figure in a minor or uncredited role.
Catchlight
A specular highlight reflected in a subject's eye from a light source, giving the eyes depth and vitality on camera.
CGI
Computer-Generated Imagery: digitally created or manipulated visual elements in film, from creatures to environments.
Cinerama
A widescreen format developed in the early 1950s that used three synchronised cameras and three projectors to fill a deeply curved screen.
Claymation
Stop-motion animation using clay or Plasticine figures photographed frame by frame to create movement.
D
4Day-for-Night Shot
A cinematographic technique in which daytime footage is processed or graded to simulate nighttime lighting conditions.
Depth of Focus
The tolerance for image plane displacement behind the lens while maintaining acceptable sharpness.
Dolly Shot
A tracking shot achieved by moving the camera on a wheeled dolly along laid track.
Double Exposure
A technique combining two images on a single frame, either in-camera or in post-production, to create layered or superimposed visuals.
R
2Rear Screen Projection
A practical in-camera compositing technique where pre-filmed background footage is projected onto a translucent screen behind live actors.
Rotoscoping
An animation and visual effects technique in which animators trace over live-action footage frame by frame to create realistic movement or isolate subjects.
S
5Stop Motion
An animation technique where physical objects are photographed frame by frame with incremental position changes to create the illusion of movement.
Subjective Cinema
A filmmaking approach that presents events through a character's internal perception rather than an objective external viewpoint.
Superimposition
The optical or digital combination of two images so both are simultaneously visible, one layered over the other.
Surrealism
An art and cinema movement using dreamlike imagery and irrational juxtapositions to access unconscious truth.
Swish Pan
An extremely rapid horizontal camera rotation that creates a blurred smear, used as a transition or punctuation.