Angle: The camera angle relative to the subject. A high-angle shot is photographed from above, a low-angle shot from below.

Cinematographer: The person responsible for operating the photography of a film: i.e., operating the camera, lighting the set, etc.

Cut: The point in a film where one shot is joined to another.

Dialogue: Conversation between characters.

Director: The person who co-ordinates the shooting and editing of the film.

Editing: Joining the separate shots of a film together in the desired order.

Flashback: The interruption of events in present time to provide information about the past.

Frame: The edges of the screen image.

Framing: The act of positioning the camera so that the frame includes or excludes specific visual information.

Freeze Frame: When the image in the frame remains static.

Genre: A type of film as defined by theme, style, narrative structure, or content. An example would be the ¨horror film〃 or ¨melodrama.〃

Handheld Shot: A kind of shot made with a small, hand-held camera. Usually unstable.

Independent Producer: A filmmaker not associated with a big film studio such as Disney.

Lens: The glass opening at the front of the camera through which light passes.

Literal Adaptation: A movie based on a stage play or novel in which the dialogue and plot remain true to the original.

Loose Adaptation: A movie based on a stage play or novel in which the dialogue and plot only superficially resemble the original.

Mise en Scene: Everything that is photographed and appears within the frame of the finished film, including sets, lighting, costumes, props, and stars.

Monologue: One person speaking, with or without others listening.

Motif: A technique, object, or thematic idea that is repeated throughout the film.

Pan : Movement of the camera from side to side from a fixed base.

Producer: The person responsible for the practical aspects of making a film such as financing, labor relations, or transportation.

Scene: Usually a series of shots that make up a compositional unit of the film. Often a scene is defined by a location, an incident, or a dramatic event.

Script: The written instructions for a filmˇs dialogue and action.

Shot: A film image uninterrupted by a cut or a movement of the frame.

Long Shot: A shot that shows the whole body.

Close-up Shot: A shot that includes only a personˇs face or head.

Crane Shot: A shot taken from a crane that holds the camera above the ground usually looking down at the subject.

Medium Shot: A fairly close shot showing the human body from the waist up.

Point of View Shot: A shot taken from the point of view of a character, showing what the character sees.

Reaction Shot: A shot that shows the reaction of a character to something that has occurred in the preceding shot.

Tilt Shot: A shot made by moving the camera up and down on a stationary support.

Tracking Shot: A shot made with a camera moving on a track or on wheels.

Zoom Shot: A shot that gets closer to its subject not by moving the camera closer but by using a zoom lens that makes it appear closer.

Sound Effects: The sound in a film other than the dialogue or music.

Soundtrack: The music of a film.

Star: An actor/actress of great popularity who plays the central roles in films they perform in.

Star Vehicle: A film that is made to display the talents of a particular star.

Symbol: An object, event, or technique in a film that has meaning beyond its literal meaning.

Take: A shot produced by one uninterrupted running of the camera.

Voice-over: A voice of someone not seen in the film that narrates or comments on its events.