Glossary of Terms
In case you’re not familiar with some of these wores and term, here’s some production lingo that might be helpful. (You’ll notice that many of these words have been used throughout the book.)
24-Frame Playback: because videotape runs at 30 frames per second and film runs at 24 frames per second, when you’re filming a scene of someone watching TV, the TV footage has to be converted to 24 frames per second so it remains in sync with the camera.
Abby Singer (The): the second-to-the-last shot of the day. Named after the legendary AD/production manager/producer Abby Singer, who would often call “last shot of the day” only to have the director ask for more takes.
Above-the-Line: referring to the uppermost categories of a budget that encompass any and all costs relating to the rights to the screenplay, writing, the producer(s), director and principal cast of a production.
Aerial Shots: footage captured from a crane or a camera attached to a helicopter.
Anamorphic: a method of creating a wide screen image using a special lens on the camera and projector that compresses the width of the image that’s exposed and then expands it when projected.
Answer Print: the first graded print of a film that combines sound and picture.
Ancillary Rights: contractual agreement in which a percentage of the profits are received and derived from the sale of toys, CDs, books, T-shirts, posters, etc.
Apple Box: various-sized wooden boxes used to raise the height of an individual or piece of equipment.
Armorer: part of the property department, the person responsible for weapons on the set of a film or TV show. This person would provide the correct weapons to fit the era and style of the show, advise the director on the use of the weapons, choose the correct blanks, teach actors to properly handle the weapons, make sure all weapons are properly licensed and ensure the safety of everyone on the set while the weapons are in use.
Assembly: an edited show
Automatic Dialogue Replacement (ADR): also referred to as “looping,” this is when actors rerecord dialogue on a sound stage performed to playback of edited picture in order to match lip movements on the screen. The purpose is to obtain a cleaner, more intelligible dialogue track and/or a better delivery or inflection of the dialogue.
B Camera: an extra camera and operator, usually needed for complicated action scenes. (“C” camera would be a third camera on set, and so forth.)
B-Negative: film that’s been shot but not printed.
B-Roll: behind-the scenes footage
Back End: profit participation in a film after distribution and/or production costs have been recouped.
Barndoors: blinders on the sides of lights used to keep the light directed.
Base Camp: the area at or near a shooting location where the company operates out of and where you’ll find parked vans, trucks and trailers containing any combination of: equipment, wardrobe, hair, makeup, craft service, cast dressing rooms, school room, the producer’s and the director’s trailer. Also: the catering truck and tent, at least one honeywagon and an extras holding area.
Below-the-line: referring to the lower portions of a budget which encompasses costs relating to the crew, extras, materials, rentals, props, sets, locations, catering, vehicles, office and legal expenses, etc.
Best Boy: there are actually two best boys on a crew — the best boy grip and the best boy electric, and they’re the seconds in command to the key grip and gaffer, respectively.
Blocking: decisions made by the director as to where the actors will be standing, how a scene will be lit and where the camera(s) will be placed.
Boom Mic: a long pole with a microphone on the end. The boom is extended out near the actors, and the mic is kept out of the camera’s vision. (A mechanically extendable and manipulated boom microphone is known as a “giraffe.”)
Box Office Receipts: what the theatre owner takes in from ticket sales to customers at the box office. A portion of this revenue is passed on to the studio/distributor in the form of rental payments.
Box rental: a fee paid to a crew member for use of his or her own equipment.
Breakdowns: schedules of individual elements needed for a show — extras, stand-ins, stunts, effects, second-unit requirements, picture vehicles, make-up/hair, special equipment, etc.
Bumpers: brief previews of stories to be covered later in a TV program — usually 2 to 15 seconds long and placed between a pause in the program and a commercial break.
C-Stand: a piece of equipment with a tripod base used by the grip department to hold flats, gels, bounce cards, and silks in front of light sources to block, direct or modify light. It can also be used to mount small lights and rig anything that can be made to fit on the stand.
Call Sheet: a game plan for what is to be shot the following day — who’s to work, what time and where they’re to report and what, if any, are the special requirements needed to complete the day. Included on the bottom of the call sheet is an advance schedule for the next couple of days.
Call Time: the time one is to report to the set.
Camera Car: a vehicle outfitted with camera, sound and lighting equipment designed to shoot a moving vehicle. The camera car is often attached to and drives the picture vehicle.
Camera Report: details of the footage shot for each roll of film (completed by the camera loader). Filled out in triplicate — one set accompanies the footage to the lab, one set goes to the Editor and the third remains with the respective Day File in the production office.
Camera Tape: cloth tape typically one-inch wide. It comes in different colors and is used for different purposes, such as the white tape, which is primarily used for labeling magazines and film cans.
Chief Lighting Technician: another name for gaffer.
Clapboard: also known as a “slate”, it’s a small board that holds information identifying a shot — the working title of the production, the names of the director and DP, the scene and take numbers, date and time. On the top of the clapboard is a hinged stick that is often “clapped” to provide audio/visual synchronization.
Color Correction: done via color timing in a motion picture film lab (as below) or produced digitally through a digital intermediate, this is a process of altering or highlighting the scene-to-scene color of a film.
Color timing: the manipulation of film’s three primary dye layers — red, green and blue — in a process of changing, complimenting or illuminating the scene-to-scene color of a film as it was shot. Supervised by a color timer, the cinematographer’s original intent is enhanced through a printing process conducted at a motion picture film lab.
Completion Bond: insures motion picture financiers against cost overruns in excess of their approved budget and that the film will be delivered in accordance with all specifications contained in the financing and distribution agreements.
Compositing: the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all elements are part of the same scene. Examples might be combining rendered CGI shots into filmed materials or extracting elements shot in front of a blue/green screen.
Contingency: an amount of money added to a budget (customarily 10 percent of the total negative cost) to cover unexpected expenses.
Continuity: matching actions, the movement of props, costumes, makeup, hair, etc. from one take to another, so when a scene is cut together, all details are flawless. (This is the responsibility of the script supervisor.)
Continuity Breakdown: tracks the sequence (or progression) of events throughout a script by day, scene and/or location.
Core: a plastic hub used to hold film without a reel.
Cover Set: an interior location scheduled as an alternate shooting site for bad-weather days when exterior shooting isn’t possible.
Coverage: shooting the same scene from different angles and setups. Different types of coverage would include a master shot, medium shot, two-shot, close-up, extreme close-up and over-the-shoulder shot. Coverage could also refer to script coverage (see below).
Craft Service: originally, this position was held by someone who serviced other crafts by cleaning up and serving snacks. It now refers the area on the set where you’ll find snacks, water, coffee, fruit, sandwiches, etc. It also refers to the food itself as well as the person (or department) supplying and taking care of the food.
Dailies: in the olden days, also known as “rushes,” this is footage that’s been shot, rushed to the lab to be processed and printed, or if applicable, transferred to videotape or a digital media for viewing the next day.
Day-for-Night: a shoot occurring during the day using filters, underexposure and other techniques to simulate night.
Day Player: an actor who works on a daily basis, or a crew member who is brought in for just a day or two.
Day-out-of-Days: a chart that denotes workdays, almost always referring to the cast. It’s also a handy way to chart schedules for stunt performers, extras, stand-ins, special equipment and anything that might pertain to your show.
Deal Memo: outlines the terms of one’s employment on a specific project.
Deferred Payment: when writers, directors, cast, crew or vendors accept some or all of their compensation later in order to reduce production costs. A deferred fee is generally paid from profits generated from a completed motion picture, and if a movie isn’t finished, or it doesn’t generate sufficient revenue, then the deferred payment holders may not be paid the monies owed them.
Dialect Coach: a person who trains an actor in diction and/or the use of an accent needed to portray the role he or she is playing.
Diffusion: changing the intensity of light by using a filter, gel, scrim or smoke.
Digital Imaging Technician (DIT): a person who provides onset quality control, image manipulation and color correction, production continuity, trouble shooting and consultation to assist in fulfilling the requirements and vision of the cinematographer in film-style digital production.
Digital Intermediate (DI): the electronically/digitally created original negative, which is now a standard in the industry.
Digitizing: the loading of material — videotaped footage, sound and music into a digital editing system.
Dissolve: the gradual fading out of one scene overlapping the fading in of another.
Distant Location: when a crew shoots in another location away from their home base, necessitating an overnight stay.
Dolly Shot: a moving shot that occurs while the camera is placed on a dolly.
Domestic Rights: usually defined as U.S. and English-speaking Canada.
Drive-On: permission left at a studio gate allowing a driver to enter the lot.
Drive-To: a form of mileage reimbursement paid to cast, crew and extras for reporting to a local location. The mileage is determined by calculating the distance from the studio or production office to the location and back and multiplying that distance by a specified amount per mile.
Dubbing: the process of duplicating a videotape, or as a film term, it can also be referred to as “mixing” — the blending of dialogue, music and sound effects.
Dupe (or Duplicate) Negative (or Internegative): a second-generation negative made from the interpositive for the purpose of striking additional release prints.
Effects: Visual effects are created when outside elements, such as animation, matte shots and computer-generated images (CGI) are integrated with original photography. The term visual effect also refers to the more familiar — reverses, dupes, flops, freeze frames, etc. Physical effects refers to the fabrication and development of models (miniatures); prosthetics; mechanically-operated vehicles, puppets, robots and creatures and the creation of specialty props. Special make-up effects, used in the preparation of prosthetics, is included in this category as well. Mechanical effects, better known as special effects, encompasses the recreation of rain, wind and snow; explosions; crashes; bullet hits, etc.
Emulsion: the composition of film — whether it’s fast, slow, grainy, fine-grained, black-and-white or color, daylight balanced for indoor shooting, tungsten balanced for exterior shooting, etc. The emulsion type is represented by a number. For Kodak, it’s a series of round numbers, and 35mm film always starts with the numbers 52.
End Credits: screen credits that appear following a show.
Establishing Shot: a shot that establishes the location or setting of a scene. An example would be a cityscape or the exterior of a particular building.
Exhibit G: a SAG time sheet performers are required to sign off on at the end of each workday.
Expendables: supplies such as tape, rope, lightbulbs and gels that are ordered for use on a show and used up during the course of the show.
First Team: the principal actors required for a scene.
Foley: a method of recording sound effects on a recording stage that involves physical movement recorded in synchronization with the picture (such as footsteps).
Football: the pouch, folder or envelope that holds the daily paperwork (during principal photography) that’s passed from the set to the office each night and back to the set the next morning.
Force Majeure: a superior or irresistible force. This is a clause in a contract that allows the suspension of certain obligations in the event that production is halted due to forces beyond anyone’s control, such as fire, earthquake, war or an “Act of God.”
Forced Call: a penalty paid when an actor doesn’t receive his or her requisite rest period (the time between being dismissed from the set one day and returning the next).
Four-Walling: renting a theatre and its staff for a flat fee, buying your own advertising and receiving all the revenue. The exhibitor is paid a flat fee regardless of performance and receives no split of box office receipts.
French Hours: union guidelines require a shooting company to break for a sit-down meal every six hours. Should it be inconvenient to stop for a meal break because of rapidly diminishing daylight, oncoming poor weather conditions or a desire to wrap a performer or a location by the end of that day — the company may continue shooting if 51 percent of the crew agrees to do so. If they do, food is continuously provided, but it’s food that can be picked up while working and walking around the set. Once French hours are agreed to, however, the crew can work no more than ten straight hours without a sit-down meal, or the company faces retroactive (massive) meal penalty violations.
Gaffer: the chief lighting technician responsible for lighting a set as per instructions from the director of photography. This individual supervises placement of the lights before and during filming and is head of the electric department.
Gaffer’s Tape: two-inch-wide cloth tape in black or silver made specifically for use on film shoots and designed not to leave a sticky residue behind.
Gel: a transparent, thin, tinted material placed over a light to change the color of the projected light.
Grace: if a scheduled meal break occurs during the shooting of a scene, a 12-minute “grace” period may be called in order to finish the work without incurring meal penalty.
Greenlight: to give the final “go” and commit the financing necessary to make a film.
Green Screen (or Blue Screen): a visual effects technique where actors are shot in front of a blue or green screen and the colored background is later replaced with another setting, thus transporting the actors to another location.
Greensman: a member of the crew that procures, places and maintains any vegetation on a set.
Grip: a member of the crew who adjusts scenery, flags, lights and operates camera cranes and dollies. Grips basically move, rig and alter anything essential to the set-up of a shot. A key grip is the head of the grip department, a best boy grip is his second in command and a dolly grip specializes in pulling and pushing the camera dolly.
Gross Participation: a portion of gross receipts without any deductions for distribution fees, expenses or production costs, although deductions for checking and collection costs, residuals and taxes are generally accepted. This is the most profitable type of participation an investor can have.
Gross Receipts: studio/distributor revenues derived from all media, including film rentals, television, home video and airline licenses, merchandising and ancillary sales.
Hiatus: a break in the normal shooting schedule of a series.
Hero: hero props-wardrobe-set dressing-vehicles, etc. are those items touched, used, worn, driven by, etc. the lead actors in a show (the “heroes”) and are thus established on-camera. Once established, these items are routinely saved for reshoots, inserts, sequels, marketing and archival purposes.
HMI (Halogen Metal Incandescence): a very bright, power-efficient light balanced for the color temperature of daylight.
Honeywagon: a tractor-pulled (long) trailer outfitted with individual dressing rooms (“bangers”) and restrooms.
Hot Set: a set where everything is in place, shooting is taking place and nothing can be changed or disturbed.
Hyphenates: individuals who fulfill two or more major roles/titles, such as producer-director, writer-director or actor-director.
Immersive: a computer display or system that generates a three-dimensional image that appears to surround the user.
Independent Film: a movie not produced by a major studio.
Insert: a close-up (or extreme close-up) shot used to clarify or emphasize an item or action in a scene, sometimes shot on an insert stage after principal photography.
Jib: the arm of a mechanical crane.
Lamp Operators: electricians who work under the supervision of the gaffer (or chief lighting technician).
Leadman (or Leadperson): the second in command to the set decorator and the person in charge of the set dressers (also know as the swing gang).
Letterbox: the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to a standard-width TV format while preserving the film’s original aspect ratio. This is done by matting the top and bottom of the screen with black bars.
Lighting Board Operator: a member of the electric department who runs a console that controls the level or intensity of the lights, creating a look for the show.
Loanout: pertaining to individuals who are incorporated. It’s when their corporation “loans out” their services to a production company, and their compensation is paid directly to the corporation.
Lock Up: a method of controlling unwanted or extraneous noise and activity immediately before and during the filming of a shot.
Looping (or ADR): the rerecording of production dialogue that has been deemed unusable for any number of reasons (airplane flying overhead during the take, unintelligible dialogue, etc.). The actors repeat the dialogue while watching themselves projected on a screen and listening to the sound track on earphones as it was originally recorded on the set. The new dialogue that’s being recorded must match the lip movement of the actor on the screen.
Magazine: an attachment to a camera with one or two lightproof chambers that hold 400 or 1,000 feet of film. One camera will usually have two or three magazines loaded ahead of time.
Magic Hour: the minutes just around sunset and sunrise, where light levels change drastically and quickly, lending a warm orange glow to earlier shots and a clearer blue in later minutes allowing a crew to shoot night scenes while light still remains.
Main Titles: the screen credits that appear before a show begins, or if no credits appear at the beginning, they’re the first set of credits that appear at the end of a show.
Majors (the): the major Hollywood studios — Twentieth Century-Fox, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal, Disney and MGM/UA.
Martini Shot: the last shot of the day’s shoot (because according to UPM legend, Abby Singer, the next “shot” is in a Martini glass).
Master Shot: a continuous wide shot take that encompasses the entire set and all of the actors and action associated with a specific scene.
Matte Shot: a photographic technique whereby artwork is combined with live action.
Meal Penalty: union guidelines require a shooting company to break for a hot, sit-down meal every six hours. If the meal is not provided, a meal penalty violation (fine) is paid and incrementally increases every half hour until a meal is served. A 12-minute unplanned “grace” period is allowed for production efficiency before a first meal, and a half-hour extension can be used at wrap to complete take(s) in progress at the end of a work day.
Medium Shot: a camera shot from a medium distance, usually showing the characters from the waist up, allowing the audience to see body language, but not usually close enough to see facial expressions.
Mobisode: an episode of a show adapted to view on a cellular phone. This could include previously viewed network shows or original material shot for this platform.
Modeler: a person who develops a three-dimensional object (either inanimate or animate) via specialized software in 3D computer graphics.
Montage: a collage of images — short shots edited (usually without dialogue), that convey an emotional response or passage of time. A montage is used to convey a feeling or passage of time while condensing time and information.
Motion Capture: an animation technique in which the actions of an animated object are derived automatically from the motion of a real-world actor or object.
Motion Control: a camera setup which records the motion of a camera during a shot, so visual effects can be easily synchronized with the photographed scene.
Movematch: the use of computer programs to combine and synthesize real footage with CGI effects. The person that makes the integration between CG and live action footage is called the “Matchmove artist,” “Matchmover,” “Integration artist” or “Camera tracking artist.”
Music Supervisor: the person who coordinates the work of the composer, the music editor and sound mixers as well as researches, obtains rights to and supplies songs for a production.
Negative Cost: the actual cost of producing a film, including the manufacture of a completed negative, not including the costs of prints, advertising or distribution.
Negative Cutter: a person who matches the film negative of a movie and conforms it to the final version of the cut film.
Negative Pickup: a contract entered into by a studio/distributor that agrees to purchase a completed film (finished negative) by a specific date and agrees to pay for prints and advertising and distribution costs. If the picture is not delivered on time and in accordance with the terms of the agreement, the studio/distributor has no obligation to license the film.
Net Profits: profits remaining after all allowable expenses have been paid and deductions taken.
No-Quote Deal: when a deal is made for talent, and the deal is kept confidential. The type of deal is usually made when someone works for a lower salary than he or she customarily works for and doesn’t want the terms and conditions divulged, so it won’t influence negotiations for future deals.
One-Liner (or One-Line Schedule): a short version of a shooting schedule indicating cast, page count and set description only.
Opticals: visual effects such as dissolves, fades, enlargements, etc. This may also include titles when they appear over action.
Option (as in optioning a script): an agreement that gives an individual or production entity the exclusive right to develop and shop a screenplay for a set period of time and for a negotiated price (it doesn’t have to be pricey as long as some money changes hands). If the project isn’t sold/bought within that time period, the rights revert back to the writer or former owner.
Out-Take: a take of a scene not used in a film or TV show. On some shows, out-takes are shown under closing credits or in gag reels at wrap parties.
Overcranking: the process of speeding the frame rate of a camera, so when the captured pictures are played at the normal frame rate, the action appears to be in slow motion.
Per Diem: a daily allowance given to cast and crew members working on a distant location to cover the cost of meals, laundry, etc. Travel and hotel accommodations are generally paid for directly by the production.
Perf (perforations): the sprocket holes along the sides of film.
Pick-ups: movies made by one studio that have been acquired by another. Also, any footage shot after principal photography — commonly referred to as “pick-up shots.”
Pipeline: a schedule of movie projects in production.
Picture Car (or vehicle): a vehicle that appears on-screen.
Photo Double: an extra performer who is actually photographed as a substitute for another actor, usually in a long or drive-by shot where his or her face can’t be clearly seen.
Poor Man’s Process: instead of shooting a vehicle driving down a street/road/highway, this is a “down-and-dirty” process that creates the illusion that a vehicle is moving when in fact it’s sitting on a stage (lit and gently rocked to simulate movement).
Previsualization: 3D animation tools to help design and conceptualize shots that include details such as lighting, lenses and camera angles. Seeing what the actual shots are likely to look like gives filmmakers the chance to make changes and solve potential problems during pre-production.
Principal Photography: the “shooting” period in which all scripted material covering all speaking parts is filmed.
Product Placement: the props, set dressing, vehicles and wardrobe donated or loaned to a production for on-air usage. It could also be a shot of a recognizable airline logo as a plane takes off or a banner or billboard advertising a brand name product. What manufacturers choose to donate, loan and often pay for the valuable exposure is determined once they (or their representatives) evaluate the script, cast and director of any particular project. Product placement is big business and can be a great way to defray production costs.
Production Report: the official record of what was shot on any given day in terms of scene numbers, setups, minutes, film footage and sound rolls; who worked and the hours they worked; the locations shot at; how many meals were served; vehicles and equipment that were used; and the delays, accidents or notable incidents that may have occurred.
Production Sound Mixer: the head of the sound department on the set and the individual responsible for recording the production sound on-set at the time of shooting. The mixer selects and operates the microphones and recording equipment used on the set, directing the boom operator, combining the sound captured by multiple mics, recording sound ambiance and room tone as well as wild track to aid the editor and sound mixer in matching different sound takes.
Props: anything an actor touches or uses on the set, such as cell phones, guns, glasses — even food. The property master is also responsible for the basic jewelry an actor wears on camera — a watch, wedding ring, necklace, etc. (whereas a hat or a pair of earrings that match a specific outfit would most likely be the domain of Costumes).
Prosthetics: three-dimensional “appliances” affixed to a body or to alter the performer’s appearance. This would include such things as: aging skin, scars, burns, mutilations, a sixth finger, a mermaid tail, a full creature or animal suit.
Purchase Order: the most valuable method of tracking and forecasting costs and used whenever possible for purchases, rentals and/or services.
Raw Stock: unexposed, unprocessed film.
Residuals: dictated by union and guild guidelines, these are payments made to directors, UPMS, assistant directors, writers, actors and musicians when a television show or film they’ve worked on is replayed. Payment amounts are based on the platform (TV, Internet, etc.) in which the show appears, and in most instances is calculated on a sliding scale based on the number of times it appears. (A typical example of residuals would be the payments received for television reruns.)
Rolling Stock: vehicles being shipped via ocean.
Rough Cut: a preliminary assembly of footage.
Scale: the minimum salaries permitted by a union or guild.
Second Team: the stand-ins (see ahead).
Second Unit: scenes shot without principal actors such as: establishing shots, certain stunts, car drive-bys, etc.
Scene: a segment of action that takes place in the same location over the same period of time.
Script Coverage: script coverage is sort of like a book report. It starts with the particulars: name of the project, writer, date of submission, genre, locale, time period, who it was submitted to and who it’s being read by. Under all these details, the “log line” is stated, which is generally a one-sentence description of the screenplay. Following the log line is a one-to two-page summary of the screenplay, highlighting the characters, plot line, etc., and this part is headed “Concept.” “Comments” come next, and this encompasses the reader’s personal opinion about the script. This could run anywhere from one paragraph to a full page. Last, the reader rates the concept, plot structure, characterizations, dialogue, resolution and commercial viability. The ratings run from “poor” to “fair” to “good” to “excellent.”
Shooting Schedule: a detailed schedule reflecting the scenes, actors, stand-ins, extras, number of pages, locations, special props, vehicles, wardrobe, equipment, animals, etc. to be shot each day.
Short Ends: remaining lengths of unexposed film left over after the exposed section has been cut off. Short ends can be loaded and used for short shots and inserts. Left-overs at the end of a shoot are generally sold and occasionally donated to students and low-budget filmmakers.
Sides: reduced-sized script pages that contain the scenes to be shot that day.
Skins: a list of extras to work that day issued by the background agency. Another definition is a piece or length of material containing an advertisement or logo that’s affixed to a car or truck that’s photographed in a shot. Skins are often used on local fire engines, police cars and ambulances.
Slug Line: a header appearing in a script before each scene description detailing whether the action is to take place inside (interior or INT) or outside (exterior or EXT), the location and the time of day (day, night, dawn or dusk) the scene is intended to occur.
Sound Designer: the person responsible for designing and creating the audio components of a show.
Sound Effects: the adding, replacing or enhancing of sounds of any kind that aren’t recorded during production or were recorded but deemed unusable. Sound effects can include anything from the sound of a kiss to that of a major explosion.
Source Music: music that originates from a source, such as an orchestra, band or radio, within a scene.
Spec Script: short for speculative, it’s a screenplay you’re not being paid to write but rather one you’re writing with the hope of selling.
Speed: “speed” is called by the camera operator on the set indicating to the director that the camera is operating at the correct speed. It’s announced just before the director calls for “action.”
Splinter Unit: a small group that shoots usually concurrently at some location while the main unit operates somewhere else. At times the splinter unit will shoot pick-up shots, establishing shots or shots that don’t require the main actor or actors to be present.
Spotting: in a screening with the composer, producer, director, editor and post production supervisor, this is when decisions are made regarding the placement and tone of music cues. Spotting is also done for sound effects and occasionally ADR.
Squib: a small explosive device, which, when detonated, will simulate the effect of a bullet/puncture wound or small explosion. When worn by actors, they typically include a container of fake blood that bursts upon detonation.
Stand-in: an extra used as a substitute for another actor (for the purpose of focusing shots, setting lights, etc.) and is not photographed.
Station 12: a SAG procedure to ensure that the actors cast to work on a show are in good standing with the guild prior to reporting for work.
Steadicam: a camera attached to a camera operator via a mechanical harness that reduces or eliminates the unsteadiness of the operator’s motion.
Stock Footage: shots in a show that have been duplicated from other sources (films, TV shows, documentaries, etc.) — often obtained from a stock film library.
Storyboard: a sequence of illustrations depicting specific scenes or planned shots.
Swing Gang: also known as set dressers, they dress and strike the set and work under the supervision of the set decorator and lead person.
Sync: the degree to which sound and picture are lined up.
Syndication: the distribution of films and major network TV shows to independent commercial television stations on a regional basis.
Taft/Hartley: a federal law that allows a nonmember of a union or guild to work on a union show for 30 days. At the end of that time period, the nonmember must join the union to continue working on that particular show or for another signatory company.
Take: a single, continuous shot or multiple versions of the same shot.
Telecine: the process of, or place where, film is transferred to video.
Timing: a process in which the color and density of the picture are balanced from one scene to another throughout the picture. It’s done at the lab with the lab’s color timer, the editor, and occasionally, the director of photography.
Tracking Shot: a shot where the camera is placed on a dolly and moved while filming — parallel to the path of the object being filmed.
Treatment: a detailed synopsis of a show’s story, with the action and characters described in prose form.
Turnaround: regulated by a union or guild, it’s the minimum rest period allowed from the time of dismissal one day until call time the next day. It also pertains to the time off from dismissal at the end of a week until call time on the first day of the following work week. A forced call is when a production decides to bring a cast or crew member back to work before their required turnaround.
Undercrank: to run the camera at a slower speed to produce a faster motion. (The term originated from a time when one could actually “crank” a camera.)
Video Assist: video cameras that allow instant review of a scene to monitor framing, focus and performance of a take. Both the system and the person operating it are referred to as video assist.
Video Village: an area on or next to a set where the director, DP, producers (or in the case of commercials — clients and agency reps) can view all on-camera activities from video monitors.
Walla: unintelligible background conversation, crowd noise and murmuring.
Wild Sound: non-sync sound recorded without the camera running” — usually recorded to supplement sync takes.
Wrap: to finish up, to complete as in “wrapping” the day or the shoot. To say you’ve wrapped or “It’s a wrap” infers that the work day or shoot has been completed. “Wrap it up” means to hurry up. A wrap party or wrap gifts would be something held/given at the completion of a show.
Here are some initials for you:
AD: assistant director
ADR: automatic dialogue replacement
AFCI: Association of Film Commissioners International
AFM: American Federation of Musicians
AFTRA: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
AMPAS: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
AMPTP: Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers
APOC: assistant production office coordinator
ASC: American Society of Cinematographers
BAFTA: British Academy of Film and Television Arts
BSC: British Society of Cinematographers
CAS: Cinema Audio Society
CGI: computer-generated image
CSA: Casting Society of America
CSATF: Contract Services Administration Trust Fund
CU: close-up
CSC: Canadian Society of Cinematographers
DAT: digital audio tape
DGA: Directors Guild of America
DI: digital intermediate — going from (shooting on) film to (post production on) digital back to (releasing on) film
DP: director of photography
DV: digital video
E&O: errors and omissions (insurance)
ECU: extreme close-up
EP: executive producer
EPK: electronic press kit
ESU: engineering set up
EXT: exterior
HD: high definition
HOD: head of department
IA or IATSE: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (union)
IN (or internegative): a copy of the original negative, made from an IP and used to strike release prints — also see Dupe Negative definition
INT: interior
IP: (interpositive) a fine grain positive print of a picture made from the cut negative and used to make a duplicate (dupe) negative.
L&D: loss and damage
M&E: music and effects track
MOS: without sound (or as it was famously mispronounced by a German director, “mitout” sound)
MPAA: Motion Picture Association of America
MPPDA: Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America
MPV: Meal Penalty Violation
NDB: Nondescript breakfast. If a performer has an early call for the purposes of hair, make-up and/or wardrobe, he or she is given a nondescript meal within two hours of call (for at least 15 minutes freed of all activity) to avoid going into meal penalty before the company breaks for lunch.
ND: nondescript
NG: no good
OT: overtime
P&A: prints and advertising
PA: production assistant
PDA: personal digital assistant
PO: purchase order
POC: production office coordinator
POV: point of view
PGA: Producers Guild of America
POC: production office coordinator
PR: production report
SAG: Screen Actors Guild
UPM: unit production manager
VO: voice-over
VTR: videotape record
WGA: Writers Guild of America
Note: you’ll find additional terminology defined as it relates to Chapter 27 on New Media and Chapter 30 on Post Production.