74 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding MediaGlossary
35-millimeter fi lm – Th e standard size gauge of fi lm stock (abbreviated as
35mm), which contains four perforations on either side of the rectangular
frame.
Base – Flexible, sturdy substance typically made of cellulose acetate or
polyester, used in the fi lm roll.
Camera obscura – From Latin meaning “dark room.” In this enclosed space,
light is admitted through a small hole and falls on an opposite wall where
the image facing the hole is projected upside down.
Celluloid – Th e transparent, fl exible material—at fi rst cellulose nitrate and
later cellulose acetate—used as a base for photographic fi lm.
Chronophone – Early fi lm synchronization system of sound and picture
achieved by attaching the cinematograph and phonograph through coupled
electrical motors.
Cinematograph – Motion picture apparatus developed by Louis and Auguste
Lumière which served as a camera, projector, and developer.
Cross-cutting – Editing that cuts between shots that would otherwise make up
completely independent sequences, used to establish relationships between
diff erent events, usually occurring simultaneously events.
Cutaway shot – In a narrative sequence, this is a shot that “cuts away” from the
main action (in a distinct change of space or time) in order to indicate passage
of time or provide reference to the time, build suspense, show reactions, or
provide outside information, aft er which there is a cut back to the primary
sequence underway.
Daguerreotype – Th e fi rst widely used type of photograph in which the
image is recorded on a mirrored surface coated with silver halide particles.
A daguerreotype is actually a negative image that is viewed as a positive
because of the refl ected metal plate, but it cannot be duplicated to print
multiple images.
Digital video (DV) – Photography in which the images are recorded as digital
information—a series of binary information (zeroes and ones)—that does not
change from generation to generation. Th e overall topic of digital moving image
capture is commonly referred to by the term digital cinematography.
Emulsion – A coating of light-sensitive silver salts, held in gelatin, that forms
a layer on the base of a fi lm roll. See also Film roll.
Establishing shot – A shot that clearly identifi es the location of a scene, usually
shown as the fi rst shot of a sequence aft er a change in location.
Eyeline – Th e invisible line perceived between the eye of a person and what is
being seen by that person. An eyeline match is an edit in which spatial logic
dictates that the position of the eyes of a character in one shot matches the
subject being perceived in another shot, including looks between characters.Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).