Smashtrax.com - Film Terminology

Film Terminology

Action: "Action" is called during filming to indicate the start of the current take. See also cut, speed, lock it down.

Art Director: The person who oversees the artists and craftspeople who build the sets. See also production designer, set designer, set director, leadman, and swing gang.

Aspect Ratio AKA: Aspect, Academy Ratio

A measure of the relative sizes of the horizontal and vertical components of an image. "Academy Ratio" is 1.33:1, or 4:3.

Assistant Director: AKA: AD, First Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Director

An assistant director's duties include tracking the progress of filming versus the production schedule, and preparing call sheets.

Best Boy: AKA: Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Best Boy Grip, Best Boy Electric

The chief assistant, usually of the gaffer, but more often lately used as a general term for the second in command of a group. This term is likely borrowed from early sailing and whaling crews, as sailors were often employed to set up and work rigging in theatres. There are no "best girls" per se; female chief assistants are also called "Best Boys".

Black Comedy: A comedy in which the humour is derived from subjects which are typically considered "serious", or for which humour is usually considered as unsuitable. Common examples are death, war, suffering, and murder.

Bluescreen: A process whereby actors work in front of an evenly lit, monochromatic (usually blue or green) background. The background is then replaced in post production by chromakeying, allowing other footage or computer-generated images to form the imagery. See also greenscreen.

Boom Microphone AKA: Boom Mike, Boom, Fishpole, Giraffe A long pole with a microphone on the end. The boom is extended out near the actors. Ideally, the microphone at the end should be placed in the camera's safe area.

Boom Operator: A member of the sound crew who operates the boom microphone.

Call Sheet: A listing of which actors will be required for which scenes, and when they will be required. Call sheets are created by assistant directors and others.

Cinema Verité: Literally: Cinema Truth. A documentary style in which no directorial control is exerted. The term is frequently misused to describe new-wave "handheld" camera techniques.

Cinematographer AKA: Cinematography, Cin

A person with expertise in the art of capturing images either electronically or on film stock through the application of visual recording devices and the selection and arrangement of lighting. The chief cinematographer for a movie is called the director of photography.

Clapboard AKA: Clapper, Slate

A small board which holds information identifying a shot. It typically contains the working title of the movie, the names of the director and director of photography, the scene and take numbers, the date, and the time. It is filmed at the beginning of a take. On the top of the clapboard is a hinged stick which is often "clapped" to provide audio/visual synchronization. See also clapper-loader, continuity report.

Close-up AKA: CU A shot in which the subject is larger than the frame, revealing much detail.

Co-Producer: A producer who performs a substantial portion of a creative producing function, or who is primarily responsible for one or more managerial producing functions. A co-producer has less responsibility than a producer for the completion of a project. Note that if a project has more than one producer, it doesn't mean that these individuals are "co-producers" in the technical sense of that term. See also executive producer, associate producer, line producer.

Continuity AKA: Continuity Error The degree to which a movie is self-consistent. For example, a scene where an actor is wearing a hat when seen from one camera angle and not from another would lack continuity. A person is often employed to check that continuity is maintained since reshooting embarrassing lapses in continuity can be prohibitively expensive. See also continuity report. In modern times, some continuity errors can be corrected through digital compositing. See the Terminator 2: Judgment Day trivia entry for an example.

Craft Service: Responsible for maintaining a table of snacks between meal periods; sometimes they feed the crew or extras. (AKA Catering)

Cut: A change in either camera angle or placement, location, or time. "Cut" is called during filming to indicate that the current take is over. See also shot, action. A "cut" of a movie is also a complete edited version. On the web: IMDb Alternatve Versions Section

Dailies AKA: Rushes The first positive prints made from the negatives photographed on the previous day. During filming, the director and some actors may view these dailies as an indication of how the filming and the actors' performances are progressing.

Deepfocus Shot: A shot in which both the foreground and the background are in focus. In other words, a shot with exceptional depth of field.

Denoument: The concluding scenes of a movie where the story elements are finished and the characters' status after the climax is shown.

Depth of Field: AKA: DOF A measure of the range along a camera's line of site in which objects will be in focus. See also aperture, shutter speed.

Designer: Someone who creates plans for visual aspects of a production (e.g. costume designer).

Digital Compositing: A technique whereby separately filmed components are combined through digital editing. Contrast with optical printing.

Digital Editing: Editing a portion of a movie by digitizing one or more frames and altering them electronically or combining them with other digitized images, and then printing the modified frame.

Digital Theatre Systems AKA: DTS A company which has produced a digital soundtrack standard. Competitors include Dolby Digital and SDDS.

Director AKA: Dir, Helmer The principal creative artist on a movie set. A director is usually (but not always) the driving artistic source behind the process, and communicates to actors the way that he/she would like a particular scene played. A director's duties might also include casting, script editing, shot selection, shot composition, and editing. Typically, a director has complete artistic control over all aspects of the movie, but it is not uncommon for the director to be bound by agreements with either a producer studio. In some large productions, a director will delegate less important scenes to a second unit.

Director of Photography AKA: DP, DoP A cinematographer who is ultimately responsible for the process of recording a scene in the manner desired by the director. The Director of Photography has a number of possible duties: selection of film stock, cameras, and lenses; designing and selecting lighting, directing the gaffer's placement of lighting; shot composition (in consultation with the director); film developing and film printing.

Dissolve AKA: Lap Dissolve An editing technique whereby the images of one shot is gradually replaced by the images of another.

Documentary AKA: Docu A non-fiction narrative without actors. Typically a documentary is a journalistic record of an event, person, or place. See also: cinema verité.

Dolby Noise Reduction AKA: Dolby, Dolby Labs, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, Dolby 70mm, Dolby Stereo Dolby Laboratories, Inc has produced a number of noise reduction and sound enhancement processes. Competitors include DTS and SDDS.

Dolly AKA: Dolly Shot, Dolly Up, Dolly In, Dolly Back, Pull back A dolly is a small truck or cart which rolls along dolly tracks carrying the camera,some of the camera crew and occasionally director. "Dolly" is also the action of moving the camera towards (dolly up/in) or away from (dolly/pull back) the object that it is pointing at. The term often appears in screenplays. There is a subtle difference between the results of a zoom shot and a dolly shot. In a zoom, the relative positions and sizes of all objects in the frame remains the same, whereas in a dolly shot this will change as the camera moves. Alfred Hitchcock's much-imitated shot in Vertigo used a combination zoom-in and dolly back, resulting in a dramatic change in perspective

Dope Sheet AKA: Camera Report A list of scenes from the script that have already been filmed, or a list of the contents of an exposed reel of film stock. An accurate dope sheet is the responsibility of the assistant cameraman. See also clapboard, continuity report.

Dresser: A wardrobe assistant who helps actors with their costumes.

Driver: AKA: Transportation Captain A person who drives either equipment or passenger trucks, typically between location shootings, sets, and the studio. The chief driver is called the transportation captain. See also transportation co-ordinator.

Dubbing AKA: Dubs, Dubbed The technique of combining multiple sound components into one. The term is also used to refer to automatic dialog replacement of a new language.

Executive Producer AKA: Executive in Charge of Production A producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the filmmaking process, but who is still responsible for the overall production. Typically an executive producer handles business and legal issues. See also associate producer, co-producer, line producer.

Exterior: AKA: EXT Used in a slug line, indicates that the scene occurs outdoors.

Extra: A person who appears in a movie where a non-specific, non-speaking character is required, usually as part of a crowd or in the background of a scene. Extras are often recruited from wherever they are available. Contrast with non-speaking role.

Extreme Close-up AKA: ECU A shot in which the subject is much larger than the frame. Provides more detail than a close-up. The abbreviation is often used in a slug line.

Fade AKA: Fade To Black, Fade In, Fade Out A smooth, gradual transition from a normal image to complete blackness (fade out), or vice versa (fade in).

Film Noir; Literally: "Black Film"; describes a genre of film which typically features dark, brooding characters, corruption, detectives, and the seedy side of the big city.

Focus Puller AKA: B Cameraman A member of the camera crew who adjusts the focus of the camera during filming. See also assistant cameraman.

Foley / Foley Artist: The art of recreating incidental sound effects (such as footsteps) in synchronization with the visual component of a movie. Named after an early practitioner who started the art. Foley artists sometimes use bizarre objects and methods to achieve sound effects, e.g. snapping celery to mimic bones being broken. The sounds are often exaggerated for extra effect - fight sequences are almost always accompanied by loud foley added thuds and slaps (wounds that are known as "knaps").

Frame Rate AKA: Frames Per Second, FPS Movies are created by taking a rapid sequence of pictures (frames) of action. By displaying these frames at the same rate at which they were recorded, the illusion of motion can be created. "Frame Rate" is the number of frames captured or projected per second. The human optical system is only capable of capturing pictures 18-20 times per second; hence to give a realistic illusion of motion a frame rate greater than this is required. Most modern motion pictures are filmed and displayed at 24 fps. Earlier films used lower frame rates, and hence when played back on modern equipment, fast motion occurs due to undercranking. See also: slow motion, fast motion, undercranking, overcranking, judder, motion artifact.

Gaffer AKA: Chief Lighting Technician The head of the electrical department, responsible for the design and execution of the lighting plan for a production. Early films used mostly natural light, which stagehands controlled with large tent cloths using long poles called gaffs (stagehands were often beached sailors or longshoremen, and a gaff is a type of boom on a sailing ship).

Greenscreen: A newer technique similar to bluescreen, however utilizing a key green background. Research showed that substantially better results could be gained by filming on green instead of blue, as effects stock was more sensitive to separating key green from other (foreground) colors. See also chromakeying.

Grip: In the USA, a grip is a person responsible for the adjustment and maintenance of production equipment on the set. Their typical duties include laying dolly tracks or erecting scaffolding. In the UK, grips work exclusively with equipment that the camera is mounted on. Contrast with swing gang, see also key grip.

Insert: A close-up shot of an object, often produced by the second unit. The term probably came about to reflect the fact that this shot will be "inserted" into the final version of the movie during editing.

Interior AKA: INT Used in a slug line, indicates that the scene occurs indoors.

Jump Cut: A cut involving an interruption to the continuity of time.

Key Grip AKA: Key-Grip The chief of a group of grips, often doubling for a construction co-ordinator and a backup for the camera crew. Key grips work closely with the gaffer.

Layouts AKA: Blocking A person responsible for working out the action before filming begins, including where the characters should be, and the angles.

Letterboxing AKA: Letterboxed, Letterbox As the aspect ratio of movies are rarely the same as the aspect ratio of a television screen, when showing movies on TV it is necessary to make sacrifices. "Letterboxing" is a video mastering process whereby a film source with an aspect ratio greater than that of the video master (4:3 for NTSC/PAL and 16:9 for HDTV) is transferred to the video master in such a way that no film image is cut off to the left or the right, requiring the addition of (usually) black bars at the top and at the bottom of the image that it entirely fills the screen--in other words, the technique of shrinking the image just enough so that its entire width appears on screen, with black areas above and below the image. The advantage of this technique is that the film images are shown as originally intended by the film's creators, not interfering with their shot composition and artistic intentions. The disadvantage that the entire image must be shrunk, which makes viewing on smaller TVs more difficult. Contrast with pan and scan (for DVD, also anamorphic widescreen).

Line Producer: A producer who is responsible for managing every person and issue during the making of a film. Line producers only work on one film at a time. See also: unit production manager, associate producer, co-producer, executive producer.

Location Manager AKA: Assistant Location Manager A person who manages various aspects of filming on location, such as arranging with authorities for permission to shoot in specific places.

Non-linear Editing: The computer-assisted editing of a movie without the need to assemble it in linear sequence. The visual equivalent of word processing.

NTSC: The standard for TV/video display in the US and Canada, as set by the National Television Standards Committee, delivers 525 lines of resolution at 60 half-frames per second. See also PAL and SECAM.

Out-Take: A take of a scene not used in a movie. In some movies, out-takes are shown under the closing credits.

PAL AKA: Phase Alternating Line A standard for tv/video display, dominant in Europe and Australia, which delivers 625 lines of resolution at 50 half-frames per second. See also NTSC and SECAM.

Pan: The action of rotating a camera about its vertical axis. See also tilt.

Pan and Scan AKA: Panned and Scanned As the aspect ratio of movies are rarely the same as the aspect ratio of a television screen, when showing movies on TV it is necessary to make sacrifices. "Pan and Scan" refers to the technique of chopping off strips from one or both sides of the picture when displaying. The areas chopped off are typically changed on a shot-by-shot basis, depending on scene composition. The main advantage of this technique is that it allows detail to be seen, the disadvantage is that shot composition is sometimes destroyed. Contrast with letterboxing.

Post-Production AKA: Postproduction, Post Work performed on a movie after the end of principal photography. Usually involves editing and visual effects. See also production, pre-production.

Pre-Production AKA: Preproduction, Pre Arrangements made before the start of filming. This can include script editing, set construction, location scouting, and casting.

Producer: The chief of a movie production in all matters save the creative efforts of the director. A producer is responsible for raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. See also associate producer, co-producer, executive producer, line producer.

Production AKA: Production Date In the movie industry, this term refers to the phase of movie making during which principal photography occurs. Popularly, however, "production" means the entire movie project. See also pre-production and post-production.

Production Illustrator AKA: Storyboard Artist, Illustrator A person responsible for drawing the storyboards and anything else that needs to be drawn during the production of the movie.

Production Report: A daily report of actual progress versus the production schedule. Includes dope sheets, continuity reports, and call sheets, as well as extensive notes regarding on-set happenings, activities of the cast and crew, and explanations of unexpected events.

Production Schedule: A detailed plan of the timing of activities associated with the making of a movie, of particular interest to production managers.

Property Master AKA: Prop Master, Props, Property, Assistant Property Master A person responsible for buying/acquiring any props needed for a production. Contrast with set dresser.

Reverse Shot AKA: Reverse Angle A shot taken at a 120-180 degree angle from the preceding shot. When used in dialogue scenes, reverse-shot editing usually alternates between over-the-shoulder shots that show each character speaking. See also shot/reverse shot.

Rushes -See dailies.

Second Unit AKA: 2nd Unit A small, subordinate crew responsible for filming shots of less importance, such as inserts, crowds, scenery, etc.

Set Dresser: A person who physically decorates a set, placing elements such as curtains and paintings. Contrast with set decorator, property master.

Shot Composition: The arrangement of key elements within the frame. See also shot selection.

Shot Selection AKA: Camera Angle The location of the camera, and what can be seen with it. See also shot composition, POV, mise-en-scene.

Shot/Reverse Shot: A sequence of three shots: 1) a person's face; 2) what that person is looking at; and 3) the person again, giving the audience a chance to process the person's reaction to what (or who) s/he is seeing. See also reverse shot.

Slug Line AKA: slug A header appearing in a script before each scene or shot detailing the location, date, and time that the following action is intended to occur in.

Sound Designer: The conceptual chief of a movie's soundtrack, responsible for designing and creating the audio component of a movie.

Sound Mix AKA: Mix The process of re-recording multiple reels of track to produce one final soundtrack, which includes all dialogue, "looped" dialogue (ADR), music, sound effects and foley, and narration (if any), for each reel of picture. During this process, the sound mixer can adjust the volume and equalization of the sound units on the individual reels in relation to each other, as well produce effects such as fade-ins, fade-outs, and crossfades (the audio equivalent of a lap dissolve).

Steadicam: A camera attached to a camera operator via a mechanical harness which reduces or eliminates the unsteadiness of the operator's motion.

Stop Motion: A form of animation in which objects are filmed frame-by-frame and altered slightly in between each frame.

Storyboard: A sequence of pictures created by a production illustrator to communicate the desired general visual appearance on camera of a scene or movie.

Take: A single continuous recorded performance of a scene. A director typically orders takes to continue until he or she is satisfied that all of his or her requirements for the scene have been made, be they technical or artistic. A continuity report stores the status of each take.

Tilt: The action of rotating the camera either up or down. See also dutch tilt, pan.

Title Design AKA: Title Designer, Title Sequence, Titles The manner in which title of a movie is displayed on screen is widely considered an art form.

Tracking Shot AKA: Tracking The action of moving a camera along a path parallel to the path of the object being filmed. See also dolly tracks.

Trailer: An advertisement for a movie which contains scenes from the film. Historically, these advertisements were attached to the end of a newsreel or supporting-feature, hence the name. Doing this reduced the number of reel changes that a projectionist would have to make.

Two-Shot: A medium close-up shot of two subjects, usually framed from the chest up.

Voice-Over AKA: Voice Over, VO Indicates that dialog will be heard on a movie's soundtrack, but the speaker will not be shown. The abbreviation is often used as an annotation in a script.

Walla AKA: Rhubarb Background conversation. Historically, when a script called for "crowd unrest" or "murmuring", the extras would be required to mumble the word "rhubarb", as this produced the required effect.

Whip Pan AKA: Whip-pan An extremely fast pan, incorporating much motion blur. The term refers to the "whipping" action that the camera operator uses to move the camera.

Wipe: An editing technique in which images from one shot are fully replaced by the images of another, delimited by a definite border that moves across or around the frame.

Wrangler AKA: Animal handler A person who is responsible for the care and control of entities used on a set that can't be spoken with. This person is typically a professional, certainly with expertise in handling the item, often with expertise in handling the item on a movie set.

Wrap AKA: Windup, Wind To finish shooting, either for the day or the entire production. "Wrap party" is a party thrown at the end of the last day of shooting.

Zoom Shot AKA: Zoom, Zoom In, Zooming, Zoom Back, Zoom Out A shot in which the magnification of the objects by the camera's lenses is increased (zoom in) or decreased (zoom out/back). There is a subtle difference between the results of a zoom shot and a dolly shot. In a zoom, the relative positions and sizes of all objects in the frame remains the same, whereas in a dolly shot this will change as the camera moves. Alfred Hitchcock's much-imitated shot in Vertigo used a combination zoom in and dolly back, resulting in a dramatic change in perspective

http://sun.menloschool.org/mm/glossary.html

Article Added: Jan 25, 2006

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