FILM & TV GLOSSARY
UKFILMNET FILM & TELEVISION PRODUCTION GLOSSARY
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scene | ||
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a segment in a narrative film that takes place in one time and space (or that uses crosscutting to show two or more simultaneous actions). | ||
screen direction | ||
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the right-left relationship in a scene, set up in an establishing shot and determined by the position of characters and objects in the frame, by the directions of movement, and by the character's eyelines. Continuity editing will attempt to keep screen direction consistent between shots. See axis of action, eyeline match, 180-degree system. | ||
screwball comedy | ||
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a type of comedy prevalent in 1930's and typified by frenetic action, wisecracks, and sexual relationships as an important plot element; usually about upper-class characters and therefore often involving opulent sets and costumes a visual elements; highly verbal as opposed to its predecessor, the slapstick comedy. Examples include It Happened One Night and Brining Up Baby | ||
segmentation | ||
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the process of dividing a film into parts for analysis. | ||
semiology, semiotics | ||
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theory of criticism pioneered by Roland Barthes in literature and Christian Metz, Umberto Eco, and Peter Wollen in film. It uses the theories of modern linguistics, especially Ferdinand de Saussure's concept of signification, as a model for the description of the operation of various cultural languages, such as film, television, body language, and written and spoken languages. | ||