LEKCJA 1 - Types of shots and techniques

LEKCJA 1 - Types of shots and techniques

1. Cheat - When the camera is set up for a second shot at a different angle and things are moved around a little to improve the composition, the “cheat” is the difference in perspective and angle between the first and second shots. Both actors and furniture on the set can be “cheated.” The term is often used as cheating something “into” a shot or “out of” a shot.
Example: Telling an actor “We’re going to cheat you in a little,” and having him stand a little to one side so more of him is in the shot.
Example: Telling an actor to “Cheat your look,” which directs him to open his face more to the camera.

2. P.O.V. shot, for “point of view” – Looking through the eyes of the character. Example: A character who has been unconscious is waking up, and another character looks directly into the camera in a low-angle shot and says “Are you okay?”, while the edges of the frame are blurred and the dialogue uses an echo effect.

3. Eye Line match - The direction an actor should look off-screen to match a reverse angle or a P.O.V. shot. The actor should be given an actual item or spot to look at rather than a blank spot on an empty wall or an empty space in mid air.

4. M.O.S. - A shot, a sequence, or a film that is shot without sound, which is added later. M.O.S. stands for “Mit Out Sound.” It derives from an old Hollywood story about a German director who couldn’t pronounce “without sound” correctly and a camera assistant who complied with his instructions for the take by writing “M.O.S.” on the slate.

5. Noddy – A type of reaction shot used in interviews, where we see the interviewer apparently reacting (nodding his head) to the interviewee.

6. Whip pan – a sudden, fast pan, incorporating much motion blur. The term refers to the “whipping” action that the camera operator uses to move the camera.

7. Bird’s eye shot – Looks vertically down on the subject.

8. Dissolve, mix, crossfade (montaz przez przenikanie) – A gradual fade from one image to the next.

9. Dutch Tilt - A composition with the camera viewing the scene at a diagonal. Same as “canted angle.” Some nice examples can be found in Carol Reed’s “The Third Man.”

10. Safety - An additional take, done after a successful one, as a backup.

11. Abby Singer -- The second-to-last shot of the day. Named after production manager Abby Singer, who would frequently call "last shot of the day" or "this shot, and just one more," only to have the director ask for more takes.

Which leads to the …
12. Martini shot -- The last shot of the day's shoot ... because the next "shot" is in a Martini glass.

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Adapted by Patricia Koza from:

A Glossary of Film Terms by Joel Schlemowitz
The New School (New York) Film Production Department
http://cepa.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/film_courses/glossary_of_film_terms/

Internet Movie Database Online Film Glossary
http://www.imdb.com/Glossary/

BFI Screenonline Glossary
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/education/glossary.html

Glossary of Film Terminology
The Acting Website
http://www.theactingwebsite.com/item.do?item=3481