Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of filmmaking terms, concepts, and techniques.
Showing 15 terms
B
2Background
The area of the frame behind the main subject, providing context and depth.
Blocking a Shot
The process of planning and rehearsing the precise movements of actors and camera within a scene before filming.
D
5Deep Focus
An optical and aesthetic approach in which a large depth of field keeps foreground, midground, and background simultaneously sharp.
Depth of Field
The range of subject distances in front of and behind the focus point that appear acceptably sharp.
Depth of Focus
The tolerance for image plane displacement behind the lens while maintaining acceptable sharpness.
Directing the Eye
Visual techniques a filmmaker uses to control where the audience looks within the frame.
Dynamic Frame
A frame whose composition changes within a single continuous shot through camera movement, subject movement, or both.
F
3Foreground
The area of the frame closest to the camera, used to create depth, frame the subject, or add visual context.
F-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 optical alignment that renders a subject at a specific distance sharply in the image.