Key Media Terminology

Key Media Terminology

Rule of thirds

The Rule of thirds is a guide of how to position characters or objects correctly in front of the camera. This rule focuses on what is the key part of the shot based on the positioning of the character or object. An example of the rule of thirds is the image below. the person on the bike is positioned slightly to the left to allow looking room. Therefore, the image is made more interesting and allows the audience to create questions.

180 Degree Rule

During conversation with two characters, you must only film on one side of the line, at 180 degrees, this means both characters must be in full view of the camera. Camera angles can be altered  to close ups, medium shots etc. Filming at 360 degrees can change the set making the audience disengage with the film, creating a sense of disorientation.

Match on Action

Match in action is shots which move continuously. Different camera shots of the same sequence creates diversions and makes the cuts less obvious to the audience. Therefore, the audience pay attention to the movement of the character and rather than the camera movements and shots used. An example of a match in action is from 'Kill Bill' (Dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2003).

Shot-Reverse-Shot

Changing shots from a close up of one person to the close up of another and alternates between them. A shot reverse shot allows the audience to establish that a conversation is taking place between two or more people due to the alternating different shot types. An example of a shot-reverse-shot would be from 'The Wolf of Wall Street' (Dir. Martin Scorsese, 2013).