Descriptionary

back projection the projection of a still or moving background through a translucent screen behind the actors, now largely outmoded by front projection and other techniques. Also known as rear projection.

blue screen a process employing a blue screen and color filters to produce matte shots. Also known as a traveling matte. In television, it is performed elec­tronically at the touch of a button and is known as chroma-key.

CGI computer-generated imagery. chroma-key see blue screen.

claymation an animation technique employing clay or plasticine models and stop-action photography.

composite the digital or photographic combination of two or more images on a piece of film.

crab dolly see dolly.

crosscutting showing alternating scenes in quick succession to illustrate parallel action.

cutaway a quick switch to a scene of action taking place at the same time as the previous scene, or on a related subject.

day-for-night photography filming night scenes in daylight by using dark filters over the camera lenses.

detail shot an extreme closeup.

dissolve an optical effect in which one scene gradu­ally fades out and melds into another scene.

dolly a rolling platform on which a camera is mounted to gain mobility. Also known as a crab dolly.

dolly shot a shot taken from a rolling dolly.

Dutch angle a canted camera angle that produces a tilted image on the movie screen.

dynamation the process of combining live action with stop-action photography, using split-screen tech­niques originating with special effects artist Ray Har- ryhausen in 1958.

establishing shot a shot that establishes the loca­tion of the upcoming scene.

extreme long shot a panoramic shot taken from a great distance.

fade-in an optical effect in which a dark background slowly brightens to reveal the next scene.

fade-out an optical effect in which the picture slowly darkens to black.

filter a gelatin, glass, or plastic plate placed over a camera lens to produce various light or color effects.

fisheye lens an extreme wide-angle lens that distorts images and makes the horizon appear distinctly curved.

flag a device positioned in front of a light to create shadow.

flash cutting editing a section of film into brief scenes that quickly succeed each other.

flash frame a scene consisting of few frames, or even one frame, that passes so quickly the audience barely perceives it.

flick pan see swish pan.

freeze frame the repetition of a single frame of a movie to give the illusion that the action has frozen.

ghosting a special-effects technique that makes an actor or prop appear as a ghostly image, achieved through superimposition or reflective shots. Also, a dubbing technique in which a professional singer's voice is dubbed over or with that of an actor's to give the illusion that the actor can sing.

glass shot an effect in which the camera films a shot through scenery painted on glass, with the action occurring behind the glass.

gobo a wooden screen placed in front of a light to dim it or to cast a shadow.

green screen the same as blue screen, but green in color and often producing better results.

high-hat shot a shot taken from near floor or ground level looking up.

highlighting using a thin beam of light to illuminate a part of the actor's face.

jump cut a scene that jumps abruptly into another scene; the joining of two discontinuous shots.

mask a shield placed over a camera lens to give the illusion of peering through binoculars or a keyhole.

Massive a computer program that gives virtual life and random reactions to digitally created characters.

matte artist an artist who creates backgrounds for matte shots.

matte shot a special effect in which part of one scene is masked and combined with another to pro­duce a realistic depiction of something that is nor­mally too difficult or too expensive to shoot, for example, an astronaut filmed in a studio and melded into an image or photograph of space to produce an illusion of an astronaut floating in space.

mocap see motion capture.

morph to alter, or "metamorphose," the shape or appearance of an actor or object on screen through computer-generated special-effects techniques.

morphing a computer-generated special-effects technique in which actors or objects on screen can be altered in shape or appearance.