A film frame, or just frame, is one of the many single photographic images in a movie. The individual frames are separated by frame lines. Normally, 24 frames are needed for one second of film. In ordinary filming, the frames are photographed automatically, one after the other, in a movie camera. In special effects or animation filming, the frames are often shot one at a time.

The term may also be used more generally as a noun or verb to refer to the edges of the image as seen in a camera viewfinder or projected on a screen. Thus, the camera operator can be said to keep a car in frame by panning with it as it speeds past.

The size of a film frame varies, depending on the film format. In the smallest 8 mm amateur format, it is only about 4,8 by 3,5 mm, while an IMAX frame is as large as 69.6 by 48.5 mm. The larger the frame size is in relation to the size of the projection screen, the sharper the image will appear.

The most common film format, 35 mm, has a frame size of 22 by 16 mm.

See also

• List of film formats

External link

• The image areas on a 35 mm film frame

Fotograma | Einzelbild (Film)