A creak. Not from the hallway. From inside the PDF.

Another name for the Dolly Zoom (Vertigo Effect). A portmanteau of "Zoom" and "Dolly." Z-axis: The axis of depth in a frame (moving toward or away from the camera). Moving along the Z-axis changes perspective significantly compared to moving horizontally (X-axis) or vertically (Y-axis).

A wide shot, usually at the beginning of a scene, that establishes the location and context for the viewer (e.g., a shot of the Manhattan skyline before cutting to an office interior).

He tried to scream. But the sound was —wrong, distant, like a bad kung-fu movie.

This glossary is a closed loop. Every term defined, every trope fulfilled. To finish your film, you must become the final definition.