Video Glossary Terms

Flash Frame:

A flash frame is a very short duration of several shots that appear in a sequence of images. There is an exposure of light separating each shot. This type of shot in the past would have been viewed as an editing error, but is now used as a creative style choice. Often times this shot is used in murder mysteries to showcase evidence in a crime scene.

Ellipses:

An ellipses is moving from an important shot to other important shots in order to avoid showcasing all the time it takes to get from one place to another, or to complete a long task. Ellipses are used to keep the action going within a story by compressing time and focusing on the exciting bits. Ellipses are often used in action movies to keep the mood of the film suspenseful. When ellipses is done right the viewer will still see the continuity of the story.

Cut Away Shot:

A cut away shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action with the insert of new content in a different shot. Most of the time the next shot after the cut away shot is a of the first content focused on again. A cut away shot is often used in action movies when fighting is occurring. It can be used to show someone observing the fight from the outside or to show an object that may be pertinent to the brawl in some way.

Pull-Back:

A pull-back is when a camera is backing away from a subject, usually while attached to a dolly to ensure smooth and steady camera movement. Similar to the pull-in, a pull-back is used to showcase some sort of emotion. Often times the pull-back is used to show the subjects relationship to their environment. This can mean the pull-back demonstrates how small a character is in a big world or how small they are when dealing with overwhelming internal problems.

Dolly Shot:

A dolly shot is when a camera is mounted on a dolly to create smooth movement while getting closer or farther away from a subject. A dolly is a piece of equipment that resembles a cart mounted on a track system. Putting a camera on a dolly is often done when the director wants to show a massive scene with lots of people and action occurring. That is why a dolly shot is used in lots of battle scenes. However, dolly shots can also be used to show slow moving worlds to, or to get closer to a subjects face. The dolly is used in all instances where the director wants smooth camera movement.

Trombone (Vertigo) Shot:

A trombone shot is accomplished by zooming in or out on a subject whilst moving a camera on a dolly the opposite way of your zoom or push-back. A trombone shot is used to create a vertigo affect. When the director wants the world to seem off-balanced or a certain character is freaking out, then a trombone shot is used. A trombone shot was used in ‘Jaws’ as the sheriff in the movie realized their was a shark near the shore of the beach.

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