BASIC FILM TERMINOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026
Shot - Answers a single piece of film uninterrupted by cuts.
Establishing Shot - Answers often a long shot or a series of shots that sets the scene. It is used to
establish setting and to show transitions between locations.
Long Shot (LS) - Answers a shot from some distance. If filming a person, the full body is shown. It may
show the isolation or vulnerability of the character (also called a Full Shot).
Medium Shot (MS) - Answers the most common shot. The camera seems to be a medium distance
from the object being filmed. A medium shot shows the person from the waist up. The effect is to
ground the story.
Close Up (CU) - Answers the image being shot takes up at least 80 percent of the frame.
Extreme Close Up - Answers the image being shot is a part of a whole, such as an eye or a hand.
Two Shot - Answers a scene between two people shot exclusively from an angle that includes both
characters more or less equally. It is used in love scenes where interaction between the two
characters is important.
Eye Level - Answers a shot taken from a normal height; that is, the character's eye level. Ninety to
ninety-five percent of the shots seen are eye level, because it is the most natural angle.
High Angle - Answers the camera is above the subject. This usually has the effect of making the
subject look smaller than normal, giving him or her the appearance of being weak, powerless, and
trapped.
Low Angle - Answers the camera films subject from below. This usually has the effect of making the
subject look larger than normal, and therefore strong, powerful, and threatening.
Pan - Answers a stationary camera moves from side to side on a horizontal axis.
Tilt - Answers a stationary camera moves up or down along a vertical axis
Zoom - Answers a stationary camera where the lens moves to make an object seem to move closer to
or further away from the camera. With this technique, moving into a character is often a personal or
revealing movement, while moving away distances or separates the audience from the character.
Dolly/Tracking - Answers the camera is on a track that allows it to move with the action. The term also
refers to any camera mounted on a car, truck, or helicopter.
Boom/Crane - Answers the camera is on a crane over the action. This is used to create overhead
shots.
High Key - Answers the scene is flooded with light, creating a bright and open-looking scene.
Low Key - Answers the scene is flooded with shadows and darkness, creating suspense or suspicion.
Bottom or Side Lighting - Answers direct lighting from below or the side, which often makes the
subject appear dangerous or evil.
Front or Back Lighting - Answers soft lighting on the actor's face or from behind gives the appearance
of innocence or goodness, or a halo effect.
Cut - Answers most common editing technique. Two pieces of film are spliced together to "cut" to
another image.
Fade - Answers can be to or from black or white. A fade can begin in darkness and gradually assume
full brightness (fade-in) or the image may gradually get darker (fade-out). A fade often implies that
time has passed or may signify the end of a scene.
Dissolve - Answers a kind of fade in which one image is slowly replaced by another. It can create a
connection between images.
Wipe - Answers a new image wipes off the previous image. A wipe is more fluid than a cut and quicker
than a dissolve.
Flashback - Answers cut or dissolve to action that happened in the past.
Shot-Reverse-Shot - Answers a shot of one subject, then another, then back to the first. It is often
used for conversation or reaction shots.
Cross Cutting - Answers cut into action that is happening simultaneously. This technique is also called
parallel editing. It can create tension or suspense and can form a connection between scenes.
Eye-Line Match - Answers cut to an object, then to a person. This technique shows what a person
seems to be looking at and can reveal a character's thoughts.
Diegetic - Answers sound that could logically be heard by the characters in the film.
Non-Diegetic - Answers sound that cannot be heard by the characters but is designed for audience
reaction only. An example might be ominous music for foreshadowing.
Shot - Answers a single piece of film uninterrupted by cuts.
Establishing Shot - Answers often a long shot or a series of shots that sets the scene. It is used to
establish setting and to show transitions between locations.
Long Shot (LS) - Answers a shot from some distance. If filming a person, the full body is shown. It may
show the isolation or vulnerability of the character (also called a Full Shot).
Medium Shot (MS) - Answers the most common shot. The camera seems to be a medium distance
from the object being filmed. A medium shot shows the person from the waist up. The effect is to
ground the story.
Close Up (CU) - Answers the image being shot takes up at least 80 percent of the frame.
Extreme Close Up - Answers the image being shot is a part of a whole, such as an eye or a hand.
Two Shot - Answers a scene between two people shot exclusively from an angle that includes both
characters more or less equally. It is used in love scenes where interaction between the two
characters is important.
Eye Level - Answers a shot taken from a normal height; that is, the character's eye level. Ninety to
ninety-five percent of the shots seen are eye level, because it is the most natural angle.
High Angle - Answers the camera is above the subject. This usually has the effect of making the
subject look smaller than normal, giving him or her the appearance of being weak, powerless, and
trapped.
Low Angle - Answers the camera films subject from below. This usually has the effect of making the
subject look larger than normal, and therefore strong, powerful, and threatening.
Pan - Answers a stationary camera moves from side to side on a horizontal axis.
Tilt - Answers a stationary camera moves up or down along a vertical axis
Zoom - Answers a stationary camera where the lens moves to make an object seem to move closer to
or further away from the camera. With this technique, moving into a character is often a personal or
revealing movement, while moving away distances or separates the audience from the character.
Dolly/Tracking - Answers the camera is on a track that allows it to move with the action. The term also
refers to any camera mounted on a car, truck, or helicopter.
Boom/Crane - Answers the camera is on a crane over the action. This is used to create overhead
shots.
High Key - Answers the scene is flooded with light, creating a bright and open-looking scene.
Low Key - Answers the scene is flooded with shadows and darkness, creating suspense or suspicion.
Bottom or Side Lighting - Answers direct lighting from below or the side, which often makes the
subject appear dangerous or evil.
Front or Back Lighting - Answers soft lighting on the actor's face or from behind gives the appearance
of innocence or goodness, or a halo effect.
Cut - Answers most common editing technique. Two pieces of film are spliced together to "cut" to
another image.
Fade - Answers can be to or from black or white. A fade can begin in darkness and gradually assume
full brightness (fade-in) or the image may gradually get darker (fade-out). A fade often implies that
time has passed or may signify the end of a scene.
Dissolve - Answers a kind of fade in which one image is slowly replaced by another. It can create a
connection between images.
Wipe - Answers a new image wipes off the previous image. A wipe is more fluid than a cut and quicker
than a dissolve.
Flashback - Answers cut or dissolve to action that happened in the past.
Shot-Reverse-Shot - Answers a shot of one subject, then another, then back to the first. It is often
used for conversation or reaction shots.
Cross Cutting - Answers cut into action that is happening simultaneously. This technique is also called
parallel editing. It can create tension or suspense and can form a connection between scenes.
Eye-Line Match - Answers cut to an object, then to a person. This technique shows what a person
seems to be looking at and can reveal a character's thoughts.
Diegetic - Answers sound that could logically be heard by the characters in the film.
Non-Diegetic - Answers sound that cannot be heard by the characters but is designed for audience
reaction only. An example might be ominous music for foreshadowing.
