Glossary

Close up- a feature or part of something that takes up the entire frame (i.e. a humans face)

Cut away- where something other than the subject is the main focus of the shot.

Cut in- shows other parts of a subject in detail (i.e. the hands).

Dolly- a dolly is a cart that travels along tracks. The camera is mounted on the dolly and records the shot as it moves.

Extreme close up- shows part of a subject in substantial detail (i.e. the eyes), this can be used for effect, to add tension to a scene for example.

Extreme wide shot- the purpose of this shot is to show the subject's surroundings.  Ideal for beautiful landscapes that you want to capture.

Medium close up- is the middle ground between a ‘Close-Up’ and a ‘Mid-Shot’.

Mid shot- Includes parts of a figure (head and upper torso), shows parts of the subject in detail.

Mise-en-scène is a French term and originates in theatres. It means, literally, "put in the scene."

Noddy shot- this usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject.

Over the shoulder shot- this is where you would be looking from behind a person at the subject.

Pan- is a horizontal camera movement in which the camera moves left and right about a central point.

Point of view shot- this shot shows a view from someone’s perspective.

Two shot- is where two subjects are in shot at the same time, and is framed very similarly to a mid shot.

Very wide shot- the subject is barely visible, but some emphasis is made on him in his environment. 

Weather shot- this shot focuses on the particular weather conditions.

Wide shot- this shot shows an entire object or the figure of the person in shot, and is usually intended to place it in some relation to the surroundings.