The Director

Focal length· pick one

• 14mm

  An ultra-wide view: the room bends at its edges, near things loom and far things fall away fast.

  104° across. Reads as Wide-angle.

  “14mm lens inches from a climber's hand on the rock, the valley floor falling away far below behind it.”

• 18mm

  Very wide: a whole room in one frame, the depth between near and far stretched out.

  90° across. Reads as Wide-angle.

  “18mm lens in a narrow galley kitchen, the cook in the foreground and the whole room stretching to a window at the far end.”

• 24mm

  Wide: body and place at once, the surroundings pulling their weight in the frame.

  74° across. Reads as Wide-angle.

  “24mm lens on two friends walking toward camera down a busy market street, the stalls on both sides in view.”

• 35mm

  A little wider than the eye: natural, with room around the subject; the classic storytelling lens.

  54° across. Reads as Normal.

  “35mm lens on a woman at a cafe table, her face and the rainy street through the window behind her both telling the scene.”

• 50mm

  Close to how the eye sees: no stretch and no squeeze, proportions left honest.

  40° across. Reads as Normal.

  “50mm lens at eye height on a man reading a letter on a park bench, proportions natural, the trees behind him gently soft.”

• 85mm

  A portrait length: faces are flattered and the background falls soft and close behind them.

  24° across. Reads as Telephoto.

  “85mm lens close-up on a singer backstage, her face sharp and the crowded corridor behind her melting into soft shapes.”

• 135mm

  Long: space compresses, the background stacks up behind the subject and the camera watches from far off.

  15° across. Reads as Telephoto.

  “135mm lens on a man crossing a busy avenue, the traffic and buildings behind him stacked tight against his shoulders.”

• 200mm

  Very long: the world flattens into layers and the smallest move of the frame travels far.

  10° across. Reads as Telephoto.

  “200mm lens on a lone runner on a far hillside, the setting sun enormous and flat behind her.”

Glass· pick one

• Anamorphic

  Wide oval bokeh and long horizontal flares; the picture announces itself as cinema.

  “Anamorphic lens: a car's headlights at night stretch into long blue horizontal streaks across the frame, the street lamps behind it blooming into oval bokeh.”

• Vintage glass

  Old uncoated glass: highlights bloom, edges go soft and the colour warms a little; the image feels remembered.

  “Shot on vintage uncoated glass: a man in a 1970s living room, lamplight blooming softly around his face, the frame edges gently smeared and warm.”

Filters· pick any number

• Diffusion filter

  A mist filter in front of the lens: highlights bloom and halo, contrast lifts a touch, skin smooths; the whole image goes gentle.

  “Heavy diffusion filter on the lens: a couple under string lights, every bulb blooming into a soft halo and their faces glowing gently.”

• Streak filter

  A bright source catches the glass and scatters across the picture as streaks, rings or a wash; the camera admits it is there.

  “Streak filter: the low sun sits just inside the top of frame behind a cyclist, throwing a bright horizontal streak and a soft veil across the picture.”

• Fog filter

  A thin veil of glow over the whole frame; lights spread and the air looks thick.

  “Fog filter on a street lamp at night, its light spreading into a soft cloud around a man waiting beneath it.”

• Polarizer

  Reflections on glass and water drop away and skies deepen; colours read richer and surfaces clearer.

  “Polarizer on the lens: a lake at noon with the glare gone, the stones on the bottom clear through the water.”

• Extreme close-up

  A part of a face or a thing; the world reduced to one detail.

  “Extreme close-up on a single eye, the iris filling the frame as a candle flame flickers in its reflection.”

• Close-up

  The face fills the frame; nothing else is allowed to matter.

  “Close-up of an old woman's face as she hears the news, framed from chin to hairline.”

• Medium close-up

  Head and shoulders; the face leads and the body still signals.

  “Medium close-up of a courier at a doorstep, head and shoulders in frame as he waits for an answer.”

• Medium shot

  Waist up; a person's hands and face at once, the conversation frame.

  “Medium shot from the waist up of a barista pulling an espresso, her hands and face both in frame.”

• Medium wide shot

  Bodies from the knees or mid-thigh up; a group can act together and still be read.

  “Medium wide shot from the knees up of three friends leaning on a bar, the room visible behind them.”

• Wide shot

  Whole bodies and the room they stand in; geography before feeling.

  “Wide shot of a full figure crossing an empty gymnasium, the whole room held around her.”

• Extreme wide shot

  The place swallows the people; a body is a mark in a landscape.

  “Extreme wide shot of a lone rider crossing a salt flat, a tiny mark under an enormous sky.”

Height· pick one

• Worm's-eye view

  The camera looks straight up from the ground; the subject towers and the sky presses behind it.

  “Worm's-eye view straight up from the pavement at a businessman stepping over the camera, towers behind him.”

• Ground-level angle

  The camera sits on the floor looking along it; the ground fills the lower frame and the world rises from it.

  “Ground-level shot along a wet pavement as a pair of high heels walks toward the lens.”

• Low angle

  The subject gains size and authority; ceilings and sky enter the frame.

  “Low angle looking up at a basketball player at the free-throw line, the gym lights behind her head.”

• Eye-level angle

  The viewer stands with the character at their own height; no judgement is passed by the camera's position.

  “Eye-level shot of a teacher at her desk, the camera at her own height, meeting her as an equal.”

• High angle

  The subject is diminished; the ground and its pattern take over.

  “High angle looking down on a boy sitting alone in the middle of a playground.”

• Overhead shot

  The scene becomes a diagram; faces vanish and arrangement is everything.

  “Overhead top-down shot of a cook's hands over a chopping board, the ingredients laid out in a grid.”

Facing· pick one

• Frontal

  The subject faces the lens squarely, looking past it or through it; symmetrical, confronting, nowhere to hide.

  “Head-on shot of a runner charging straight at the camera down the centre line of an empty road.”

• Three-quarter

  The face turned partway from the lens; both eyes read and the face gains shape.

  “Three-quarter angle on a man at a bar, his face turned partway from the lens so both eyes read.”

• Profile

  The subject is seen exactly side-on; one eye, one line of the face, turned toward something off frame.

  “Strict profile of a woman at a train window, her face side-on and turned toward the passing fields.”

Foreground· pick one

• Over-the-shoulder

  The camera stands behind one person, their shoulder and the back of their head soft in the foreground, looking at who they face.

  “Over-the-shoulder shot from behind a detective, his shoulder soft in the foreground, on the suspect across the table.”

Point of view· pick one

• POV

  The camera is a character's eyes; the audience sees exactly what they see, and nothing they do not.

  “POV shot through a man's eyes as he opens a cellar door, his own hand on the handle and the dark stairs dropping away below.”

Tilt· pick one

• Dutch angle

  The horizon tips; the world is wrong and the viewer feels it before they can say why.

  “Dutch angle tilted twenty degrees on a man walking down a hotel corridor, the horizon leaning.”

• Shallow

  One plane is sharp and the rest dissolves; lights behind melt into soft discs and the eye is told where to look.

  “Shallow depth of field on a violinist's face, the orchestra behind her dissolving into soft blur.”

• Moderate

  The subject is sharp and the background softens gently but stays readable; the eye is guided without the place disappearing.

  “Medium depth of field on a chef at the pass, the kitchen behind him softened but still readable.”

• Deep

  Foreground and background hold at once; the frame can stage on several planes.

  “Deep focus on a boy at a kitchen table in the foreground while his parents talk, sharp, in the far doorway.”

Hold· pick one move

• Locked-off shot

  The frame holds and lets the action move inside it; every movement is the actors'.

  “Locked-off static shot of an empty kitchen table as a kettle begins to steam; the camera never moves.”

Turn· pick one move

• Pan

  The camera turns in place; it follows, reveals, or connects two things along a line.

  “Slow pan left across a harbour at dawn, from the moored boats to a fisherman mending a net on the pier.”

• Whip pan

  A pan too fast to read; the frame smears into a blur that stitches two moments.

  “A woman hears her name called; whip pan right from her face to a friend waving across the square, the frame smearing to motion blur.”

• Tilt

  The camera nods; it reveals height, or travels a body from feet to face.

  “Tilt up from muddy boots on a doorstep to the weathered face of the man wearing them.”

• Roll

  The camera turns about its own lens axis; the horizon swings and gravity loses its hold.

  “Camera rolls a slow quarter turn on its own lens axis as a woman lies back on the grass, the sky and treetops swinging over her.”

Push & pull· pick one move

• Push in

  The camera closes on the subject; attention narrows and pressure rises.

  “Slow push in from a medium shot to a close-up on a woman reading a letter at a kitchen table, the camera physically moving closer.”

• Pull out

  The camera backs away; the subject is placed in a larger truth, or abandoned.

  “Pull out from a close-up of a boy at a bus stop, the camera moving straight back until he is alone in an empty street.”

Travel· pick one move

• Trucking shot

  The camera slides sideways past the scene, keeping its angle; a short glide or a long pass, the world slips across the frame.

  “Truck right along a row of market stalls at walking pace, the camera sliding sideways past vendors and hanging lanterns.”

• Crane shot

  The camera rises or descends through space, straight up and level or lifting and carrying over something in the way; a change of scale in one gesture.

  “Crane up from a girl standing in a wheat field until the camera rises above the crop and the road beyond comes into view.”

• Arc shot

  The camera swings around the subject, part of the way or all the way round; the background turns while the face holds.

  “Arc left a quarter of the way around a woman at a window, the city behind her turning while her face holds centre frame.”

Track· pick one move

• Tracking shot

  The camera moves with a body or a vehicle through space; the world passes and the subject stays.

  “Tracking shot moving with a nurse as she walks the length of a hospital corridor, keeping her the same size in frame.”

• Follow shot

  The camera stays behind a moving subject and goes where it goes; the audience walks in its footsteps.

  “Follow shot from behind a hiker at shoulder height as she pushes through tall ferns toward a clearing.”

• Leading shot

  The camera retreats in front of a subject walking toward it; the face stays with us and what lies ahead stays hidden.

  “Leading shot moving backward in front of two colleagues walking and talking down a city street.”

Zoom· pick one move

• Zoom in

  The lens changes size without the camera moving; flattening, urgent, a little artificial.

  “Slow optical zoom in on a lighthouse across the bay, the camera fixed on the shore while the frame tightens and flattens.”

• Zoom out

  The lens widens while the camera stays put; the subject shrinks into what was around it all along.

  “Slow zoom out from a single red umbrella until the crowded square around it fills the frame, the camera never moving.”

• Crash zoom

  The lens slams from wide to tight in a heartbeat; the frame points and shouts.

  “Crash zoom onto a ringing phone on an empty desk, the lens snapping from wide to tight in a fraction of a second.”

• Dolly zoom

  The camera travels one way while the lens zooms the other, so the subject holds its size and the background stretches or collapses behind it.

  “Dolly zoom on a man at the end of a pier: his face holds its size while the sea and the town behind him rush away.”

Signature· pick one move

• Foreground wipe

  The camera moves forward past something close to it, uncovering what lies beyond.

  “Camera pushes forward past a rain-streaked window frame in the foreground to reveal a couple talking in the garden beyond.”

• Hyperlapse

  The camera travels a long way while time is compressed; hours and distance pass in seconds.

  “Hyperlapse moving down a city avenue at night, traffic and clouds streaking past as the camera travels block after block.”

Rig· pick one

• Handheld

  The frame breathes with an operator's body; immediacy, and a witness who is not sure.

  “Handheld shot of a man weaving through a crowded station, the frame breathing and jolting with each step.”

• Steadicam

  The camera floats with no footsteps of its own, on a Steadicam or a gimbal; effortless following, even through tight spaces.

  “Steadicam floats behind a waiter through the kitchen doors and out across a packed restaurant floor in one smooth glide.”

• Drone

  The camera flies on a drone; it rises, glides and travels over land and roofs at a scale no crane reaches, the human scale lost on purpose.

  “Drone gliding high over a coastal town at sunrise, rooftops and harbour passing slowly below.”

• FPV drone

  A small fast drone dives, weaves and threads through gaps; the camera moves like something alive.

  “FPV drone drops over a hillside and threads fast between pine trunks, banking hard around each tree.”

• Body-mounted camera

  The camera is rigged to the moving subject, on a body or a vehicle, so the subject holds still in frame while the world lurches around them.

  “Camera rigged to a cyclist's handlebars facing back at her, her face locked still while the road and trees lurch past behind.”

• Direct to camera

  The subject looks straight into the lens and speaks to the audience itself.

  “A bartender pauses mid-pour, looks straight into the lens and raises an eyebrow at the audience.”