PAN
WHIP PAN
WIPE
RACKING FOCUS
CRASH ZOOM
I had to look up the definition of crash zoom because Wright talked about it in a commentary for Hot Fuzz or something (I say "or something" despite you and I both knowing that I not only remember the film in which I saw/ heard this but also the time, place and reason why it happened. I am King of cool.) and I wasn't so sure how exactly to do it. The definition wasn't on my trusty Internet Movie Database website but I managed to find one on http://www.making-short-films.com/film_makers/?content_id=521 so here it is...
Crash Zoom
Rapid zoom in on a subject; also zoom-in and zoom-out, to move closer and move further away.
But I don't really undertand what they're talking about so I went on a slightly more reliable website, the good old Big British Castle and I found an even better definition WITH AN EXAMPLE on http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/film/articles/film_dictionary.shtml
Crash Zoom
A zoom shot executed at great speed usually from a mid-shot or long shot to a close up. Example: Woman steps into room sees a decapitated head crash zoom from a mid-shot of her to her face screaming in horror. Tend to be a bit of a cliché but effective if used sparingly.
This would be so perfect for when Laura sees Hermione on the floor either when she is supposedly dead or after she has got the shovel and is actually dead after Louise has hit her over the head with a frying pan. I was previously thinking of just having a sudden close up of her shocked and confused face but maybe a crash zoom would be even more effective in conveying her startled reaction. Or maybe I'll have a crash zoom instead on Hermione's body at either or both times.
As I was browsing this particularly helpful BBC website I noticed some other termionlogy that I think will be helpful when writing about my shots etc...
Cutaway
Usually a close-up shot that is spliced into the middle of a sequence to break it up eg. two people are talking , close-up of a phone as it rings, back to the two actors who hear the ringing phone.
Dissolve
A type of transition between two shots. The first shot fades away as another shot fades in. Film dissolves are done at the lab in the printing phase. Digital dissolves can be done on computers with most editing packages.
Fade
A type of transition. When the shot gradually becomes darker to black it is a 'fade out'. When the shot starts off black and then gradually becomes brighter it is a 'fade in'. Film fades are done at the lab in the printing phase. You might also fade in or out of white. Most digital editing programmes can replicate the same effect on a computer.
Dolly Shot
Also known as a 'tracking shot'. The camera is placed on a 'dolly', a wheeled cart on tracks, and is moved while filming eg. side on view of an actress as she walks along a street.
I found yet another website (Google is a wonderful creation) http://www.mediaed.org.uk/posted_documents/Filmterms.html where I got this fine chunk of lively information. I know it's a lot of text I've just pasted so you can skip the blue but it's all helpful and relevant so I can come back to it when I need to.
Very long shot/wide shot
A shot in which figures appear small in the landscape. Often used at the beginning of a film or sequence as an ‘establishing shot’ to show where the action is taking place; also used to make a figure appear small or isolated.
Long shot
A shot in which a figure can be seen from head to toe.
Mid shot
Shows the figure from approximately the waist to the head. In a mid shot, you can easily recognise an individual but you can also see what they are doing with their hands.
Medium close up
From chest to head Close-up Head and shoulders, enabling you to easily see facial expressions, so you can see what characters are thinking and feeling
Big close up
Head only, used when expressions are important
Extreme close-up
From just above the eyebrows to just below the mouth, or even closer: used to emphasise facial expression or to make the subject appear threatening.
Camera position
Where the camera is in relation to the subject.
Low angle shot
The camera points upwards, usually making the subject or setting seem grand or threatening.
High angle shot
The camera looks down, making the subject look vulnerable or insignificant.
Bird’s eye shot
Looks vertically down at the subject.
Two shot
Any shot with two people in it
Point of view shot
A shot from a character’s point of view
Reaction shot
A shot showing a character’s expression as they react to something
Noddy
A type of reaction shot used in interviews, where we see the interviewer apparently reacting to the interviewee
Over-the-shoulder shot
A shot in which we see a character over another’s shoulder, often used in interviews or dialogue.
Lighting
Lighting can be high or low contrast and can vary in colour and direction.
High-key
The lighting is bright and relatively low in contrast often used for Hollywood musical comedies.
Low-key
Much more pronounced shadows and dramatic contrasts.
Lighting from below
This can be used to make a subject appear threatening or horrific.
Backlighting
Produces a ‘halo’ effect around the edges of the subject.
Colour
Cold or blueish lighting can convey a sense of cold, alienation or technology, while warm or yellowish lighting can be used to convey comfort, sunset and so on. If colours are very rich and intense they are described as saturated. Black-and-white or sepia can be used to show that a scene is set in the past, or to suggest sophistication.
Sound
Diegetic sound
Sound that we think is part of what’s going on on the screen horse’s hooves, the sound of thunder, and so on even though many of these will have been added later by a ‘Foley artist’.
Non-diegetic sound
Sound that we know is not part of what’s on screen, such as music (unless there's an orchestra in shot!) and voiceover.
Sound bridge
This uses sound to link two scenes, by having the picture and the diegetic sound change at different points. Usually the sound from the second scene is heard before we start to see the picture from that scene.
I have been looking on websites recently to see if I can dowload or purchase sound effects clips or CDs because Edgar Wright uses a lot of over-the-top sound effects which liven up even the most boring of scenes. In Shaun of The Dead he makes Shaun going to the loo, brushing his teeth and eating toast into an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable few seconds' viewing. He does this through exaggerated sound effects, extreme close ups using crash zoom and really quick, fast-paced cuts. I'd love to do a sequence like this in my intro. Wright comments on his use of the "echoey door effect" saying that he uses it to death in Hot Fuzz. If I could somehow get hold of that effect I'd really like to use it. In Shaun I particularly remember the bit after the syncronized beating of Mary and The Hulk where the scene suddenly cuts to Shaun and Ed sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea and a cornetto. I love Shaun's expression here and it's made all the more comedic with the use of the "echoey door effect".
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