CINEMATOGRAPHY TERMS
Aspect Ratio The relationship between the height and width of an image, expressed as a decimal ratio. It is calculated by dividing width by height. For example, an image 4" wide and 3" high has an aspect ratio of 4:3. (Note: Computer monitors, current TV picture tubes, and most stock film clips use this 4:3 aspect ratio. Wide-screen movies use the same film stock but stretch the image with special lenses or masking techniques.)
Cut (or Shot) The smallest individual piece of an animation. It may be a single frame or an entire sequence. A cut also refers to the edited version of the entire project.
Depth of Field That portion of an image that is properly focused. In photography, the aperture setting controls depth of field. In 3D graphics, depth of field is normally infinite, but some products offer control over it as part of the camera settings.
Dolly Also called a truck. In filmmaking, a wheeled platform that a camera is mounted on, and the process of moving the camera around the floor during the shot. In 3D software, it usually means a camera movement made toward, away from, or around a subject as though the camera were mounted on a wheeled tripod.
Field of View (FOV) The angle, in degrees, that encompasses everything that can be seen through a lens or virtual camera viewport.
Focal Length The distance in millimeters from the center of the lens to the image it forms of the subject (assumed to be an infinite distance in front of the lens). Short focal lengths produce wide-angle images, while long ones are used for telephoto shots.
Frame In filmmaking or animation, a single still image that is part of a sequence. Also, the visible portion of a scene when viewed through a camera or viewport.
Frame Rate The speed at which film, video, or animated images are displayed, in frames per second (fps).
Insert In filmmaking, a shot of an inanimate object used to bridge sequences or establish a new location.
Pan A side-to-side rotation of a camera around its vertical axis.
Roll To rotate a camera around its viewing axis, making the scene appear to spin.
Sequence A segment of the story. It usually has a beginning, middle, and end.
Scene A sequence or collection of sequences that takes place at a single location.
Storyboarding The process of visualizing a film or animation by breaking it down into a sequence of sketches that illustrate the key movements in the scene.
Tilt The vertical equivalent of a pan, created by rotating the camera up or down around its horizontal axis.
Title Safe The portion of the screen in which text should be contained if the image is to be output to video. Title safe is defined by an inner perimeter that can be superimposed on the viewport.
Track Usage varies, but this usually refers to movement of the camera along a single axis, be it horizontal or vertical. In filmmaking, it also refers to the physical tracks laid down on the floor for a camera dolly to roll over.
