Tv journalism notes

(1) Actual Sound:
(i) Environmental sound recorded during the filming of a scene on
location to provide authenticity
(ii) Dialogue and natural sound recorded during the shooting of a
scene and used in the film instead of voice over or dubbing
(iii) Any sound that derives from the action on the screen.
(2) Aerial shot: A shot taken from a plane or helicopter normally by means of a
special aerial mount.
(3) Ambient sound: The natural environmental noise that surrounds a scene.
(4) Angle-reverse-angle: A series of shots showing two characters engaged in
conversation, with the camera alternating between individual shots of each
performer who is facing in the reverse direction from the other.
(5) Aspect ratio: The ratio of width to height of the image both on film and
screen.
(6) Asynchronous sound: (1) Sound not directly from the image on the screen
but closely related to it – for example the distant sound of a train is heard
as a character wanders aimlessly down a deserted street.
(7) Background music: Music that accompanies the action of the film but
comes from no source within the film. Such music creates for the audience
a continuity to the film’s visual images and also heightens the emotional
quality of the various scenes.
(8) Backlight: A light behind and above the subject and in line with the camera.
Back lighting which is normally from the bright spotlight, outlives the
subject thus separating it from the background.
(9) Camera angle: The placement of the camera in relation to the subject of
the image. When the camera is placed below eye level, looking up at the
subject, a low-angle shot is achieved. When it is placed above the subject,
the result is high angle. An oblique angle results when the camera tilts to
the left or right and a dutch angle when the camera tilts horizontally and
vertically. High angle shots tend to diminish a subject, making a character
seems weak and vulnerable, while low angle shots tend to elevate and
heighten the subject, making it seem strong and dominant.
(10) Camera movement: Any motion of the camera that makes the image seem
to move, shift or change perspective. Camera movement can also lead the

audience’s attention to a different part of the scene or simply give the
audience another perspective of the same action.
(11) Cinema-verite: The term means “camera truth” in French and applies to a
series of documentary films which strive for immediacy, spontaneity and
authenticity through the use of portable and unobtrusive equipment and
the avoidance of any preconceived narrative line or concepts concerning
the material. It is different from Cinema Direct where there is no
directional intrusion and where the subjects are photographed and
recorded completely as their own, exposing themselves through
unprovoked though spontaneous speech and behaviour. In Cinemaverite,
the film maker questioning and probing those interviewed, provoking the
subjects to expose themselves in a spontaneous and truthful way.
(12) Close-up: A shot in which the camera seems to be very close to the subject.
The head of a person, a small object, or part of an object fills the screen.
The closeup is effective for converging to the audience a character’s
emotions, reactions and style of mind.
(13) Composition: The arrangement of all the elements within a scene, including
setting, props, lighting, characters and movement. Like a painting, the
frame’s composition must be seen in terms of masses, shapes, balance,
lives, rhythm, colour, texture, light and dark.
(14) Conflict: The struggle between two forces in a narrative that is frequently
the motivating factor in action and plot. Conflict may arise in a number of
ways: (1) between one person and another (2) between one person and a
group (3) between two groups (4) between an individual and external
natural forces (5) between conflicting elements in an individual psych.
(15) Crossing the line: Moving the camera across an imaginary line between two
or more performers so that the camera reverses its position.
(16) Cut: The instantaneous change from one shot to another by means of
splicing the two shots together (2) A piece of film containing a single shot.
(17) Cut-away: A shot away from the main action but used to join two shots of
the main action in order to (1) designate the passage of time (2) build
suspense by extending time (3) show the reaction of some one or some
group to the major action (4) bridge two shots that would form an
unwanted jump cut .
(18) Cut in: A shot that cuts into some small portion of the main scene; one that
shows, for example, an object such as a knife or gun, or part of a character
such as his eyes or hands.

(19) Deep focus: A style of photography that has great depth of field and brings
all plans of the image – foreground, background, and background -into
sharp focus. In shallow focus, the characters are set off from the
background and the audience’s attention is carefully guided, but in deep
focus the viewer is given the entire scene and allowed to discover for
himself significant action and information.
(20) Director: The individual responsible for putting a work on film and
sometimes for the vision and final realization of the entire film.
(21) Documentary: A film that deals directly with fact and not fiction, that tries
to convey reality as it is instead of some fictional version of reality.
(22) Docudrama: A term employed for any dramatization that seeks to recreate
actual people and event. Such a presentation uses performers and
sometimes alters events, but seeks to achieve an effect of authenticity and
credibility.
(23) Dolly: A mobile platform on wheels that supports the camera, camera
operator and often the Asst. Cameraman and allows the camera to make
noiseless, moving shots in a relatively smaller area.
(24) Dutch angle: A camera angle that seriously deviates from the normal
vertical and horizontal axis of the image to convey extreme subjective
states of mind or to produce in the viewer a sense of disequilibrium and
uneasiness.
(25) Editing: The entire process of putting a film together into its formal form,
which includes the selection and shaping of shots, the arrangement of
shots, scenes, and sequences, the mixing of all soundtracks; and the
integrating of the final sound tract with the images.
(26) Establishing shot: The opening shot of a sequence, which establishes
location but can also establish mood or give the viewer information
concerning the time and general situation. Establishing shots generally are
long shots or extreme long shots.
(27) Extreme close up: A shot very close to the subject so that only a small
portion or detail is shown or the entirety of a small object.
(28) Extreme long shot: A shot taken at a great distance from the subject,
frequently offering a wide view of a location.
(29) Fade-in/out: A gradual means of closing or starting a scene, often used as a
transitional device when one scene closes with the image disappearing
(fade out) and the next scene comes into view as the image grows stronger
and stronger (fade-in)

(30) Field of action / view: The circular area in front of the camera that is
accepted by the lens and recorded as the rectangular image within the
frame. Field size depends upon both the focal length of the lens and the
distance between the camera and subject.
(31) Genre: A group of films recognizably similar plots, character types, settings,
filmic techniques and themes.
(32) Imaginary Line, Line of interest, Action axis, centre line, screen direction,
stage line, director’ line:
A hypothetical line drawn between two or more actors to keep the camera
on a single side of the action so that if several shots with different distances
or angles are edited together, the viewer’s perspective remains constant. If
the camera should cross the line and turn around to record the action, the
viewer’s perspective would suddenly be reversed, causing a sense of
disequilibrium and confusion. The principle is also referred to as the 180o
rule.
(33) Invisible editing: Cutting from one shot to another so unobtrusively that
viewers are virtually unaware of the change in the camera’s position as they
watch the action.
(34) Jump cut: A cut between shots that seems abrupt and calls attention to
itself because of some obvious jerk in time or space.
(35) Key light: The major source of illumination for a subject or scene. The key
light is normally elevated, in front of and to the side of the subject.
(36) Master scene technique / Master shot technique: A technique of filming a
single scene whereby all the action is shot in a continuous take, generally in
a long shot that covers all the action and then parts of the scene are
repeated for medium shots and closeups that can later be edited into the
master scene.
(37) Mise-en-scene: A French term meaning “putting into the scene” that was
originally used to describe the staging of a theatre director, the way he or
she arranged all the visual components on the stage. “Mise en scene” in
discussion of film, refers to the composition of the individual frame – the
relation of objects, people and masses; the interplay of light and dark, the
pattern of colour, the camera’s position and angle of view, as well as the
movement within the frame.
(38) Montage: A technique of editing that condenses time and space, conveys a
great deal of information to the viewer in a short period, and may also
suggest a hallucinatory state of mind, a dream, or a character’s
remembrance of past events.

The term is taken from the French term “to assemble”. In Europe, the
process of editing a film of assembling all the shots, scenes and sequences
into the final motion picture. The term because of its special usage by
Russian film makers Pudovkin and Eisenstein has connotations that suggest
something more than the mechanical process of editing, that make the
process itself appear to be a creative act of assembling the pieces of film of
constructing the work of art from its building blocks with consideration of a
film’s immediate and total effect.
(39) Motif: A subject, idea, object, phrase, musical passage, compositional
effect, film technique or colour that reappears throughout a work to form a
definite pattern that imposes itself upon the viewer’s awareness.
(40) Objective camera / subjective camera: Camera movement whereby the
camera seems to be an objective viewer of the scene. Subjective camera is
the movement in such a way that the point of view of a specific character is
suggested.
(41) Over the shoulder shot (OSS): A shot that is made from over the shoulder
or a character, with the back of the head, the neck and the shoulder
generally seen at the side of the frame. The camera focuses part of the
character on some object or person that he or she is seeing. The shot is
frequently used in conversations between two people, either showing a
close-up of the speaking character from over the shoulder of the person
who is listening or a close-up of the reactions of the person who is talking.
The camera switches back and forth during the scene, giving the audience
the perspectives and reactions of the characters as they engage in the
conversations.
(42) Package: An edited, self contained videotape report of a news event or
feature, complete with pictures, sound bites voice over narration and
natural sounds.
(43) Pan: A shot in which the camera moves horizontally around a fixed axis to
survey an area.
(44) Parallel editing: Cutting between two or more related actions occurring
simultaneously at different locations or occurring at different times.
(45) Point of view shot: A subjective shot that shows a scene exactly the way a
character would see it, hence dramatizing his or her perspective and
putting us, at least for the moment in the character’s shoes.
(46) Post production: That part of film making that comes immediately after the
shooting is completed and includes editing, the addition of special effects
and the mixing of all sound tracks.

(47) Preproduction: The early stage in making a film / TV production preceding
the actual shooting, that includes casting, contracting performers’ and
production personnel writing the script, designing and building sets ,
scheduling the shooting and budgeting the entire production.
(48) Rack focus / shift focus: To change focus from one subject to another
during a shot, guiding the audience’s attention to a new point of interest
while the previous one blurs.
(49) Reaction shot: A shot of a character generally a close up, responding to
some one or something seen in the preceding shot. The shot is generally a
cut away from the main action.
(50) Screen Direction: The direction of a subject’s movement on the screen.
Movement from right to left or left to right should appear constant from
the perspective of the camera unless the character changes direction.
(51) Screenplay / script: The script generally contains all the scenes, dialogues,
action and sometimes including camera position and angles. It should be
considered a blueprint for the final film since many changes are taken place
during shooting and editing.
(52) Sequence: A series of related shots and scenes that form a single, coherent
unit of dramatic action. Such units of action are frequently unified by a
single general location and continuous chronology.
(53) Sequence shot / long take: A single shot that takes in a significant amount
of action and information. The camera may change its focus intermittently
to the various planes for important action or may follow characters as they
move about.
(54) Shot: The single uninterrupted operation of the camera that results in a
continuous action. A shot is considered the basic building block of a film,
much like a single world in language.
(55) Sitcom: A comic film / serial dependent on the interaction of a small group
of characters, often including the members of the same family.
(56) Slapstick comedy: Any comic drama or film with a good deal of aggressive
or violent action as the source of its humour. The term “slapstick” derives
from the object comprised of two pieces of wood hinged together that was
used by clowns to make a loud clapping noise when they apparently struck
one another.
(57) Soap Opera: A term originally from radio and now applicable to TV serials
that feature a good deal of sentimental romantic, melodramatic and
escapist events among a group of related individuals. Each character has his
or her own erotic and tragic story, with the various stories getting

extremely tangled as the action continues from day to day. The term
derives from the fact that the radio programmes were largely sponsored by
soap or detergent manufacturers.
(58) Social currency: Media content used as coins of exchange in everyday
interpersonal discussion.
(59) Sound perspective: The sense of appropriate distance between the sound
heard by the audience and its origin in the image; a sound must seem to
come from its source in the depth of the scene.
(60) Superimpose, super: To place two or more images over each other in the
same frame. The simultaneous appearance of two or more images over one
another in the same frame.
(61) Multi – camera shoot: Shooting a scene with two or more cameras, each
photographing from a different distance or angle (eg. for long, medium and
close-up shots). This method gives the producer a wide range of shots to
choose from when putting together a production and also avoids the re-shooting
of a different or expensive scene necessary with the single camera
technique when the original shot is faulty.
(62) Voice over: A voice heard concurrently with a scene but not synchronically
belonging to any character talking on the screen.
(63) Wipe: A transition from one scene to another in which the new scene
gradually appears while pushing or “wiping off” the old
(64) Zoom: A shot taken with a lens in which the focal length of the lens changes
from wide angle to long focus or the reverse so that the camera seems to
move into or away from the subject while the camera actually remains
stationary.

(1) Visual Composition : The placement and emphasis of visual elements on the
screen.
(2) Dissolve: A scene optically fades to black on top of another scene, which
optically fades from black to full exposure.
(3) Establishing shot: The shot used to introduce viewers to the story’s locale
or to the story itself.
(4) Medium shot: The shot that brings subject matter closer to the viewer than
a longshot and begins to isolate it from the overall environment.
(5) Extreme closeup : A shot of some detail, such as an actor’s eyes or a small
object.
(6) Montage: Something originally meant editing in general but now refers to
the kind of sequence that shows a process or passage of time.
(7) Point of view shot: A shot reproducing a character’s eye line view.
(8) Aerial shot/ Birds eye view: A shot taken from a camera mounted in an
aeroplane, helicopter or similar conveyance.
(9) High Angle shot: A shot taken with the camera looking down at the subject
(10) Naked live: A live television report that consists solely of a reporter taking
on camera from a remote location without supporting video or pre-recorded
interviews.
(11) Sound Bite: A shot excerpt from an interview, public statement, or
spontaneous comments that normally telecast as part of a news story.
(12) Demonstration standup: A reporter addresses the field camera while
engaging in an activity that helps visually prove and reinforce the story
being reported.
(13) Dollying: A shot made from a camera mounted on a wheeled conveyance
that is moved either towards the subject or away from it.
(14) Zoom: A shot produced from a fixed location with a continuously variable
focal length.
(15) Toss The introduction and hand-off from studio anchor to a reporter live in
the field.
(16) Cut away: A shot away from the main action but used to join two shots of
the main action.

(17) Para Social Interaction: The psychological connections that audience
establish with celebrities whom they learn about through the mass media.
(18) Ambience sound: Sound naturally occurring in any location. Even an
empty, quiet room has its own special atmosphere because no space is truly
silent.
(19) Head Room: Compositional space left above the heads.
(20) Angle: The physical relationship between camera and subject.
(21) Cut: The instantaneous change from one shot to another
(22) Frame: The basic visual unit
(23) Panning: A movement of the camera from left to right or right to left along
a horizontal plane.
(24) Scene: A dramatic unit composed of a single shot or several.
(25) Sequence: A dramatic unit composed of several scenes, all linked together
by their emotional and narrative momentum.
(26) Cut: Single piece of continuous action photographed by a single camera.

Tv journalism notes

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Tv journalism notes

Tv journalism notes