9 Film Terms You Should Know

Mise-en-scène

It has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term." The word literally translates to 'putting in the scene.' Everything we see – the performances, the milieu, how the actors are lit, the staging, makeup, props, etc. – makes up the mise-en-scène. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films are great examples of mise-en-scène. Here is a still from his 2002 film Devdas.

Aside

This term is used when a character breaks the 'fourth wall' and directly addresses the audience. An aside is usually a brief comment, rather than a speech, such as a monologue or soliloquy. The Marvel superhero film Deadpool (2016) uses this technique often for comic effect and to let the audience in on what's going on in the protagonist's mind.

Double Exposure

The method of superimposing two elements in one frame so that both images are visible. In this still from the song 'Dekha Ek Khwaab' from Yash Chopra's Silsila (1981), we see it used to portray the love between Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) and Chandni (Rekha).

Montage

The word comes from the French word meaning 'editing', 'putting together' or 'assembling shots.' Montage refers to a form of movie collage consisting of a series of short shots rapidly put together to convey meaning or a larger idea.

Chiaroscuro

It is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually affecting the whole frame. Before being used extensively during the Hollywood Film Noir period of the 1940-50s, it was also used heavily in German Expressionist films. This is a still Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949).

Deus ex machina

A plot device used to suddenly resolve a seemingly unsolvable problem by the unexpected intervention of of some new event, character, ability, or object. Towards the end of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999), thousands of frogs rain down from the sky, effectively influencing the actions of all of main characters in the film.

Freeze/ freeze-frame

When a single frame is repeated over several frames, giving the illusion of a still photograph in which the action has ceased, it is called a freeze or freeze-frame. One of the most famous uses of this technique was the final shot of François Truffaut's The 400 Blows (1959). Director Satyajit Ray, admittedly inspired by it, ended his film Charulata (1964) with a series of freeze-frames.

MacGuffin

It is a plot device that drives the logic or action of the plot. It appears extremely important to the film characters, but often turns out to be insignificant. Director Alfred Hitchcock popularized the term in the 1930s. In Quentin Tarantino's 1994 cult film Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are sent to retrieve a suitcase – however, we are never made aware of its contents.

Set-piece

It is usually a self-contained, elaborate scene or sequence that stands on its own eg. a dance routine, a car chase, a memorable fight, etc. It serves as a key moment in the film. In terms of production, it may also refer to a scene with a large set. This still is from a dance sequence in Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013).