Media Technical Codes

Camera Shot & Angles

- Close up: Shows a part of something, for example, someone's face and is used to draw attention to the subject's emotions.

- Extreme close up: Focuses on only one person / an object or a part of something. Creates an image larger than the eye would see. Used to show intense emotion / detail(s) in the subject.

- Medium shot: Subject is captured at a medium distance, until their waist. Used in dialogue scenes, but also depict body language and more of the setting.

- Cowboy shot: Includes the subject's face down to their mid-thigh. A slightly lower placement of the camera gives the effect of the audience looking up to the primary subject of a cowboy shot, which reinforces the idea of their heroism, power and strength. 

- Long shot: a view of a scene that is shot from a considerable distance, so that the audience can see the entirety of the subject and its surrounding.

- Extreme Long shot: A shot in which actor might appear very small against the landscape as a whole gives a much wider view than the individual. It shows the subject's position in the story world.

- Over the shoulder: Taken from over the shoulder of a character. Makes audience feel as if they're included in the conversation / action. 

- Point of view (POV): Taken from the view of the person looking / speaking. Camera acts as the eye of the character. To show audience what the character is witnessing.

- Canted/dutch angle: Taken with tilted angle. Used to signify imbalance or uncertainty. Also used for aesthetic effect.

- Establishing shot: First shot in a scene that provides an overview of the setting.

- Aerial shot: A shot taken from a high viewpoint, as though it is taken from a drone showing a bird's eye view. It may help the viewer to get a better understanding by looking at a bigger picture of the scene.

- High angle: A technique where the camera looks down on the character or subject from an elevated perspective. It is used to make the subject look vulnerable. 

- Low angle: A technique where the camera looks up on the character. It is used to make the subject look powerful and intimidating.

- Eye level: A shot where the camera is positioned directly at a character or characters' eye level to give the viewer a very familiar perspective. 

- Overhead: An overhead shot is when the camera is placed directly above the subject. It allows the viewer to see what is going on from above. It is used to show fear and intimidation on the subject.

Camera Movements

- Panning: Camera movement along a horizontal axis. Camera moving right / left on a stationary tripod.

- Tilt: Camera movement along a vertical axis. Camera moving up / down on a stationary tripod.

- Track: Any shot in which camera moves forward  / backwards. Usually used to follow a subject.

- Dolly: Tracking shot using a wheeled cart on a rail track. Moves alongside the subject.

- Crane: Camera is mounted on a crane / jib. Enables camera to shot in wide / high perspective and to shot large scare tracking shot.

- Steadicam: Camera stabilization device which enables smooth hand-held tracking shots.

- Zoom: Subject appear closer or further. Done by increasing / decreasing magnification with camera's lens.

- Reverse zoom: Combination of a tracking shot & zoom shot. Camera track forward, at the same time camera's lens zooms out at the same rate creating a vertigo effect (subject maintains the same position & size in frame while background shifts. Used to quickly shift the viewer's attention by narrowing in on the subject of the frame. Whether it's to show fear in someone's eyes or to emphasize significance

- Eyeline match: To show what the the character was looking at

Sound

- Diegetic sound: Sound which originates from the story world. A sound characters are able to hear.

-Non- diegetic sound: Sound that is not in the story world. Such as, background music or voice over.

- Foley: Sound effects produced to enhance the realism of the action in the scene.

- Harmony: Simultaneous musical notes which sound pleasant. Suggests positive situation.

- Dissonance: Simultaneous musical notes which sound unpleasant / disturbing. Suggests negative situation.

- Pitch: Frequency of a sound. High pitched sound magnifies aggression & low pitch sound magnifies ominous. 

- Rhythm: Recurring beat forming a pattern. May be rapid or slow, regular or irregular. Produces emotional effects.

- Room tone: A recording of the sound at the location of a shoot. May used as a part of soundscape to provide depth & atmosphere.

- Soundscape: A collection of background sounds which reinforce the realism of a scene. Such as crowd's murmur.

- Soundbed: Refers to music played in low in the mix to create mood / atmosphere.

Editing

- Cut: Transition from one shot to another.

- Fast cutting: A film editing technique which refers to several consecutive shots of a brief duration. It can be used to quickly convey much information, or to imply either energy or chaos.

- Cross-cutting: Technique of switching back and forth between scenes. Action occurring in 2 different settings simultaneously.

- Dissolve: When the beginning of one shot gradually overlaps the end of another.

- Reverse shot: Technique involving 2 or more subjects in the same scene filmed separately. Usually used to show conversation.

- Iris: When camera's iris slowly closes / opens. Commonly used to open / close a scene. Emphasizes a detail of a scene.

- Flashback: Takes reader back in time to past events.

- Fade: When scene gradually disappears / appears. Lets audience know there's a change.

Composition

- The Rule of Thirds: When a subject placement matches one of the line it connotes normality and it is more pleasing on the eye. When the rule of thirds is broken it connotes danger and uncertainty.

- Balance and Symmetry: Breaking the rule of thirds to make the subject the center of attention which causes tension. They often reveal character traits and power dynamics. 

- Depth of Field: Bokeh. Depths of field can be manipulated to convey different feelings, tones, and relationships between objects. 

Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène means “put in the frame”. Everything that you see and hear has been carefully selected to create meaning. The setting and the actors; it includes costumes and make-up, props, and all the other natural and artificial details that characterize the spaces filmed.