An iris shot is a technique used in

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

and sometimes television to emphasize a detail of a scene above all others, more commonly to end or open a scene. The film camera's iris is slowly closed or opened, so that what is visible on film appears in a decreasing or increasing circle, surrounded by black. The iris shot used at the start of a scene is an iris in and an iris out is used at the end of a film/episode or a particular scene. ''Iris in'' is also used after a previous ''iris out'' to allow different episodes or scenes to begin in a more natural way. Iris shots are also used to put emphasis on a particular aspect of film, usually something of importance. After the silent film era, the technique became less used, and has mainly been used only for ironic or comedic effect. An example of non-ironic iris shot as part of the grammar of film is found in "Life Lessons", the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

-directed segment of ''

New York Stories ''New York Stories'' is a 1989 American anthology film consisting of three segments with the central theme being New York City. The first is ''Life Lessons'', directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The ...

''. Non-silent era

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

and animation—such as that of

Red Skelton Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelto ...

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 18 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor and scriptwriter. He is best remembered for his television programme, ''The Benny Hill Show'', a comedy-variety show whose amalgam of slapstick, bu ...

, and the Warner Bros. Road Runner cartoons—sometimes employ or emulate the iris shot as an homage to the silent film era. In

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

cartoons, after the title card, they usually begin with an iris in and end with an iris out. In some cartoons and live-action films (and certain television shows like ''

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'' and '' Mike & Molly''), iris shots are used as a way to break the fourth wall, usually for comedic purposes or to allow characters to interact with the audience (as opposed to a simple fade out or cut to an end). Examples of this include characters trying to escape through the closing iris, addressing the audience with a one liner before the iris closes, or holding the iris open to try and continue a monologue. '' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' uses this technique at the beginning and end of the Neighborhood of Make Believe segments, usually when the Trolley goes through the tunnel on the left side of the Castle, and through the right side of Mister Rogers' house. Occasionally, graphic overlays are applied to an iris following it to achieve an effect like the iris tearing on the ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' segment "Frazzle" (the ripped paper image) used for the 1997 home video release. In rare cases, the iris stays closed to a fixed point for the entire shot. This is mostly used to make the audience feel like they are in the film watching them, or hiding watching something that they probably shouldn't. In '' The Truman Show'' (

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

, 1998), for instance, shots are presented as from hidden cameras positioned in small objects such as buttons on shirts. In some cases, the iris shot is used partially to make a more modern use of it. An example is '' The Tom and Jerry Show''. The 2014 show doesn't have an ''iris in'' but it has an iris out after the episode is over. This iris shot is seen twice on the show with the character Toodles requesting an iris out and when the characters discover they are on a live television set, the

cue cards Cue cards, also known as note cards, are cards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember what they have to say. They are typically used in television productions where they can be held off-camera and are unseen by the a ...

request an iris out.

References

Cartooning Film and video terminology {{film-term-stub

See also

References