conventions
common things the viewers expect in a movie such as camera shots, stock scenes and characters.
editing
the process by which individual shots are joined together to form sequences, scenes and eventually a film.
180-degree rule
a rule that ensures an audience are not confused by the spacial arrangement of the scene.
wide-angle lens
lens with greater depth of field and short focal length that allows a cameraman to fit a lot of the scene in the frame.
telephoto lens
lens that brings a narrow slice of the field of vision in front of the camera into detailed view.
back light
lighting placed behind main character, draws soft outline around character and separates them from the background.
dissolve
a shot is slowly replaced by another by changing it's opacity. At the mid-point of the edit both shots can be seen.
visual codes
group of signs that you can see but are not part of the character - miss-en-scene for example.
tilt
pointing only the front of the camera vertically up or down while the dolly and tripod remain stationary.