English & EAL

Part 2: Metalanguage Word Bank for Films

Remy Hannan

September 1, 2025

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If metalanguage is a new term to you, you need a refresher, or you simply need a more in-depth explanation of what it means, check out or blog What Is Metalanguage?

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Metalanguage is language that describes language. When you’re analysing a film (most likely for your Text Response), ‘metalanguage’ refers to the terminology you use to discuss film techniques and devices. You need to consider things like cinematography, sound and mise-en-scène (which FYI, are metalanguage terms) - the way the film is constructed and how this contributes to storytelling, mood and meaning. You can’t effectively analyse a film without using the correct metalanguage terminology, because you can’t effectively analyse a film without discussing film techniques and devices!

Filmic Devices

We’re going to take you through some examples of film techniques, but for a more comprehensive metalanguage word bank, keep reading until the end of the blog! We’ll put all of the relevant metalanguage in bold throughout the section below.

Camera Shots

This refers to the amount of space that is seen in one frame, which can be used to emphasise different aspects of the film’s setting or characters.

Example: An extreme close-up of a character’s face can be used to portray their emotions, while a long shot could be used to establish a character’s relationship to their environment or setting.

The close-up of Jeffries in Rear Window emphasises his curiosity about the action unfolding in his neighbour's home.
This long shot of Norma from Sunset Boulevard introduces her character as mentally and physically removed from the outside world, highlighting her detachment from reality.

Camera Angles

The way in which the audience is positioned to view the setting or character(s). This can enhance the audience’s understanding of the relationship between characters, or the way a character is feeling in a particular situation.

Example: a low camera angle can be used to demonstrate how a character is feeling empowered at a particular point in the film.

Mandela's triumph in successfully uniting a nation in Invictus is conveyed through the low camera angle.

Sound

Sound in film can be split into two main categories:

Diegetic sound is any sound that exists in the world of the film - it’s sounds the characters can hear. This includes dialogue, footsteps, doors opening and closing, or a radio playing in the background. 

Non-diegetic sound comes from outside the world of the film - only the audience can hear it. This includes things like background music or voice-over narration. You can analyse the way sound enhances the mood of the film; for example, a suspenseful backing track might build tension before a jump scare or dramatic reveal, while an upbeat song might create humour or undercut a serious moment.

Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène is a French term that more or less translates to “to put in the scene”. It refers to everything visible within a frame, and analysing mise-en-scène means looking at how the filmmaker has arranged these elements to convey meaning. This includes costumes, props, setting, lighting and even the actors’ performances.

In this shot from Sunset Boulevard, the setting of Norma’s home is cluttered with framed photographs of herself from her silent film days. Wilder uses these props to show that Norma surrounds herself with constant reminders of her youthful stardom, revealing her obsession with the past and her delusion that she remains as famous as she once was, as well as the isolated environment she has built to avoid confronting reality.

In the sections below, we’ve honed in on some key elements of mise-en-scène: lighting and costume.

Lighting

Lighting plays a key role in shaping how we interpret a scene. It can establish setting and time of day, suggest a character’s emotional state, or highlight key details within the frame. 

Lighting can create mood and atmosphere, and it can even be symbolic. For example, if a character is lit from the side, leaving half of their face in the shadows, it can suggest secrecy or moral ambiguity. 

Example: if the filmmaker has used low lighting, the scene might feel more eerie and suspenseful.

The low lighting throughout Rear Window creates a sense of mystery and suspense as Jeffries and his party spy on their neighbours. It gives us the impression that their actions are wrong because they need to keep their voyeurism a secret.
In Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the director used exclusively natural lighting, like sunlight, candles, and fireplaces. It creates a softer painterly aesthetic that immerses the audience in the setting of 1770 France. 

Costume

How a character is dressed in any given scene is very important; their clothes can say a lot about their present state of mind or their physical situation.

The costume design in Rear Window reveals Lisa’s evolving characterisation, as her transition from beautiful dresses to casual clothing shows how she is not simply the socialite Jeffries assumed her to be.
In this shot from Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Marianne stands in front of her painting of Orpheus and Eurydice, with Orpheus depicted in the same shade of blue she’s wearing in that moment. This deliberate costuming choice symbolises her identification with Orpheus, as an artist who grieves their lost love. 

List of Metalanguage Relating to Film

Here’s a list of metalanguage terms, organised by category, that should come in handy with your essay writing. All the terms below are examples of metalanguage, but the more specific you can be in your essays, the better - for example, don’t just describe ‘the director’s use of camera angles’, describe ‘the director’s use of a low-angle shot’.

This list of metalanguage terms is not designed to be exhaustive! There are absolutely more film techniques and devices out there in the wide world of film making, but this will hopefully give you a jumping off point. 

Cinematography 

  • Colour 
  • Composition: rule of thirds, symmetry, asymmetry, salient point, leading lines (or vector lines).
  • Exposure
  • Framing
    • Camera shots: establishing shot, extreme long shot, long shot, medium shot, medium close up, close up, extreme close up 
    • Camera angles: low angle, high angle, eye level shot, bird’s eye shot, ground level shot
    • Camera movement: static shot, zooming shot, panning shot, tracking shot/dolly shot, handheld shot
  • Shot Duration: long takes, short takes, quick cuts, pacing, rhythm

Sound

  • Diegetic sound: dialogue, ambient or background noise
  • Non-diegetic sound: background score, sound effects, voice-over narration

Mise-en-scène

  • Actors, performance, blocking
  • Costumes and makeup
  • Lighting 
    • Light quality: low light, soft light, hard light, natural light, chiaroscuro (highly contrasted) lighting
    • Light placement: backlighting, key lights, fill lights
  • Props
  • Setting

Story/Narrative Devices (some of these can also apply to written texts)

  • Character/characterisation:
    • Antagonist 
    • Extra
    • Protagonist 
    • Supporting character
  • Genre:
    • Adventure
    • Animation
    • Comedy
    • Documentary: observational, expository, participatory, reflexive, performative, poetic 
    • Horror
    • Musical
    • Mystery
    • Romance
    • Science Fiction
    • Thriller
  • Narrative: 
    • Narrative mode: linear narrative, non-linear narrative, first person perspective, third person perspective, third person limited, third person omniscient.
    • Narrative tense: past, present, future.
  • Plot: 
    • Anti-climax
    • Climax
    • Conflict
    • Denouement
    • Exposition
    • Inciting incident
    • Resolution
    • Subplot
  • Symbolism

It’s essential to use the correct metalanguage in your essays, because without it, you can’t effectively analyse how a filmmaker has constructed their film to convey meaning. Strong film analysis depends on metalanguage: if you’re analysing filmic techniques like cinematography, sound and mise-en-scène using the right metalanguage, you’ll develop much more insightful interpretations of your film.

Directors make deliberate choices to shape meaning, just as authors do with language. If you’re only analysing what is said, rather than how the story is told on screen, you’ll struggle to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the film. Using metalanguage allows you to unpack a director’s choices with precision and depth - a skill that is essential for success in Text Response essays.

If you want to learn more about the key metalanguage you should be using to analyse your film, check out this video!

This study guide was written by Remy Hannan and Lisa Tran.

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