Shakespeare on Page, Stage, and Screen--Steven Marx
Some Stage Vocabulary
stage : a temporal and spatial field within which everything signifies
script/text : what a speaker says
subtext : what the speaker means
scene : unit of text with beginning, middle and end, usually marked by entrance or exit
subscene : subunit marked by entrance or exit
speech : single speaker's uninterrupted performance
beat : interval in speech between pauses or changes of thought or mood; a mental breath
director : conductor of rehearsals; audience surrogate
blocking : positioning and movement of actors on stage; always visually perfect
exit/entrance : appearance and disappearance of character; point of emphasis
level : vertical elevation, which usually signifies relative power
stage left/right : location from actor's viewpoint
upstage/downstage : away from/ toward audience
cross : move horizontally on stage
pace : speed of action and speech
tension/release : poles of audience's emotional response
rhythm : pattern of changes in pace and tension
staging, mise-en-scene : the look of the performance
costumes and makeup
sets or setting
props and lighting and sound
stage manager : coordinates rehearsal and performance tasks; assists director
producer : arranges for production with money and organization
Some Film Vocabulary
shot : single piece of film or videotape, exposed continuously, without cuts
film tonality : graininess, sharpness, and other physical properties of image
perspective relations :
wide angle, telephoto : extremes of horizontal range of image
depth of field : range of distance from camera that subject remains in focus
framing : composition of the screen image
on-screen/offscreen relations
camera angle, height
distance from subject
extreme long shot : outdoor panoramic view
long shot : contains at least full figure of subject
medium shot : half-figure; two or three people
medium close-up
close-up : face shot
extreme close-up : detail
mobile frame (camera movement) :
zoom : change lens focal length like telescope
pan (panorama) : rotate on vertical axis
tilt : rotate on horizontal axis
track (or dolly or truck) : move camera as a whole
crane : make camera leave ground, travel forward and backward
edit : cut and paste shots to assemble film, affecting pace and rhythm, providing narrative continuity or disruption and other significant juxtapositions
cut : instantaneous change from one shot to another
fade-out ; fade-in ; dissolve : alternatives to cut