Question | Answer |
Shot/reverse shot | Shot where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character e.g. conversations |
Eye-line match | Based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. This technique begins with a character looking at something off-screen; there will then be a cut to the object or person that they are looking at. |
Graphic match | Two successive shots joined so as to create a strong similarity of compositional elements (e.g.,the amber of a traffic light changing into the sun). |
Action match/ Match on action | Action that begins in one scene is continued/completed in the next. |
Jump cut | Where the middle section of a continuous shot is removed, and the beginning and end of the shot are then joined together. The technique breaks continuity in time and produces a startling effect. Any moving objects in the shot will appear to jump. |
Crosscutting/ parallel editing | Technique used to establish continuity as the camera will move away from one action to another action. Because the shots occur one after another, this technique is often used to suggest similarities of action. |
Cutaway | The interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually, although not always, followed by a cutback to the master shot. This technique includes action that is not covered in the master shot. |
Insert | A shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot. This technique covers action already covered in the master shot, but emphasizes a different aspect of that action due to the different framing. |
Dissolve | A gradual transition from one image to another. |
Wipe | This transition is a gradual spatial transition from one image to another where one image is replaced by another with a distinct edge that forms a shape. A simple edge, an expanding circle, or the turning of a page are all examples. |
Superimposition | The placement of an image on top of an already-existing image, usually to add to the overall visual effect. |
Slow motion | A technique in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down |
Ellipsis | A stylistic device used as a leap/ abbreviation/intentional omission from the original text to condense time and leave space for the viewer’s imagination to fill in the gaps themselves. |
Visual effects | The various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. |