The American Dream

50's Timeline

Media Terms Glossary

Media Terms

Sound:

Pleonastic Sound - Sound that is rising or louder then normal

Asynchronous - Sound that is separate from the on screen action but is related somehow

Contrapuntal Sound - Sound that is the opposite of what is on screen

Sound Bridge - Sound that is a part of a transition between two scenes

Sting - A quick sharp sound

Other:

Mise-en-scène - Everything on screen / in the scene

180 degree rule - A rule commonly used in scenes where two characters are speaking to eachother face to face. The rule means that there is a 180 degree semicircle around the two characters ending at the back of each character and that the camera may only be positioned within that 180 degree arc to maintain the 'spatial relationship'. In simple terms this prevents confusion within the audience as it makes sure that the characters stay on the same side, facing the same direction the entire time

Low Key Lighting - Soft lighting that casts shadows and leaves much of the scene relatively dark, used commonly in black and white films such as those in the noire genre as they did not have the use of colour so shadow was a useful tool in film