POST PRODUCTION GLOSSARY

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# 2-pop

Following on from the Academy leader, a single frame with a number '2' on it will appear that

has a short audio tone for its duration. This tone allows the film lab and sound editors to

correctly synchronize the audio to picture.

3:2 pulldown

Film is shot at 24 fps and NTSC video is displayed at 29.97 fps. In order to convert film to video

(for telecine or TV broadcasting for example), some frames will have to be repeated to prevent

the footage from speeding up. Thefields are repeated in a 3:2 pattern - field A three times, field

B twice, field C three times, etc. Where there is an odd number of fields, the last field will merge

with the first field of the next frame, blending them together.

3-point edit

A method used to insert a clip into a track by setting three edit points. This could be the in and

out points of the source media and the in point of the position in the sequence at which to insert

the clip. Alternatively, if you wish to fill a specific gap, it could be the in and out points of the

desired clip length in the sequence and the in or out point of the start or end in the source

media.

4-point edit

A method used to insert a clip into a track by setting the in and out points on both the source

media and destination sequence. If the selected range of the source media does not match the

selected range of the sequence, the clip's speed will be adjusted to fit exactly into the gap.

See also 3-point editing.

480i

A video mode with a resolution of either 720x480 or 704x480 pixels. The 480part refers to the

number of horizontal lines and the i part refers to interlacing. This video mode is used in

most standard definition televisions.

480p

A video mode with a resolution of either 640x480 or 854x480 pixels. The 480part refers to the

number of horizontal lines and the p refers to progressive scanning, the opposite of interlacing.

It is often offered on high definitiontelevisions but is not considered a high definition mode itself.

4K

A term used to describe video that has approximately 4000 horizontal pixels. The actual number

will depend on the aspect ratio but common resolutions are 4096x3112, 4096x1714,

3996x2160, 3656x2664.

720p

A high definition video mode with a progressive scan resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Some

cameras may shoot thin raster at 1280x720.

1080i

A high definition interlaced video mode consisting of 1080 horizontal lines. The most common

resolution is 1920x1080 but some cameras shoot thin raster at 1440x1080.

1080p

A high definition progressive video mode consisting of 1080 horizontal lines. The most common

resolution is 1920x1080 but some cameras shoot thin raster at 1440x1080.

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A Above The Line

The creative members of a production such as director, writer, producer and actors.

Academy leader

A countdown from 8 to 3 that allows the cinema projectionist to know when to turn on the lamp

in order to catch the start of the movie. See also 2-pop.

Accent light

A light positioned to emphasise a particular subject.

Action cut

A cut that uses the motion of an on-screen person or object as a distraction to hide the cut and

create a smooth transition.

Action safe area

A region of the screen where elements are guaranteed to be visible. The action safe area is

larger than the title safe area and runs right up to the edge of the viewable area. This is for

compatibility with older CRT TVs that did not display the full area of the image.

ADR

Automated Dialog Replacement. This process involves re-recording actors' dialog in a studio

and syncing it up to their moving lips on screen as if it was recorded on-set. This is usually

performed when dialog is recorded poorly or to change certain lines.

Aerial shot

A high angle shot taken from crane, a high stationary position or a helicopter or airplane.

Alpha channel

A channel in an image or movie clip that controls the opacity region.

Ambient light

General, non-directional light in a scene.

Ambient noise

Background noise specific to the shooting location. See also roomtone.

Analog

A continuously varying signal, as opposed to digital where information is captured periodically in

discrete samples. Due to its continuous nature, analog can be better at conveying small signal

fluctuations where a digital signal with a low sample rate would miss them.

Anamorphic

16:9 footage (widescreen) that has been stretched vertically in-camera or during the post

production process that results in the widescreen image filling up the whole of a 16:9 screen.

This is in contrast to non-anamorphic screen footage in which black lines appear at the top and

bottom of the image (known as letterboxing).

Angle of View

The viewable field covered by a lens, measured in degrees.

Animation

The process of creating a progressively altering image that gives the appearance of continuous

motion.

Answer print

The first film print of the movie, combining picture and sound for the first time. It is intended for

internal scrutiny and not for general release. Often color correction will need to be performed for

the release print.

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Anti-aliasing

Process for smoothing jagged lines in an image. Can also mean a method of filtering out

erroneous frequencies in an audio signal.

Aperture

A variable opening in a camera lens to control the amount of light that hits the film or image

sensor.

Apple box

Strong wooden boxes capable of holding heavy weights and used by a grip department for

supporting dolly tracks and other purposes.

Artifact

Undesired data in an image as a result of digital processing. See also noise.

ASA

See ISO.

Aspect ratio

The ratio of image width to height. 4:3 refers to standard definition television, whereas 16:9

commonly refers to widescreen. It can also be expressed in decimal form such as 2.35:1.

Associate Producer

Usually a person who liases between a production company and post production personnel.

Assemble edit

A linear method of editing in which new clips are placed one after the other in order to assemble

the edit. This is in contrast to non-linear editing in which you can assemble the clips in any order

to achieve the same result.

Assistant editor

An editor that handles the technical and logistical aspects of editing such as synchronizing

sound to picture, cutting in temporary sound effects and music, and overseeing the creation of

optical effects ("opticals") such as titles and fades.

ATSC

A digital broadcast standard that replaced the older analog NTSC standard. The standard

covers both standard and high-definition formats.

Attack

The time taken for a sound or musical note to rise to peak amplitude.

Attenuate

To reduce the strength of a signal.

Audible spectrum

The spectrum of frequencies audible to human ears, ranging from 20-15,000 Hz.

Auto conform

The process of automatically recreating the online edit from an EDL file created from the offline

edit.

AVI

Audio Video Interleaved. A common Windows movie file format developed by Microsoft. Rarely

used on Macintosh systems.

B Baby

Generally used to refer to a 1K light.

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Background Artist

A person who paints background art for the rear of the set. See also matte artist.

Backlight

A light mounted behind a subject to illuminate their hair and shoulders without affecting their

front.

Barndoors

Folding doors mounted to the front of a light to control the illumination intensity and direction.

Bed

Background music used underneath narration.

Below the Line

The technical production staff such as grips, electricians and script supervisors.

Best Boy

Assistant to the Key Grip.

Best light

A telecine transfer performed in one pass with one color correction setting applied to the whole

reel, as opposed to precise scene-by-scene correction.

Betacam

Analog video format using 1/2 inch tapes that is sometimes used for standard

definition broadcasting and acquisition.

Betacam SP

An advanced version of Betacam that allows for longer recording and an increased number of

audio channels.

Bin

Originally a storage bin for editorial film reels but now commonly used to refer to hierarchical

folders for storing clips in an NLE.

Black and code

Tapes that have been pre-recorded with blank data (a black screen and timecode) before they

are used. Another word for striped stock.

Black wrap

Black aluminum foil for wrapping lights and controlling spill.

Blocking

Plotting the placement and movement of the actors, camera and microphone in a scene.

Blue screen

A blue background that the subject stands in front of that will later be replaced with another

background in post production. See also blue screen compositing and green screen.

Blue screen compositing

The process of making all blue elements in an image transparent and placing a different

background underneath.

Boom

A telescopic arm used for mounting a camera or microphone.

Breakdown

A pre-production process where each scene is isolated into its component elements such as

props, costumes and actors.

Burnt-in timecode (BITC)

Footage with timecode permanently displayed on the image ("burnt in"). This can be used

during offline editing to correctly match shots for the online edit.

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Bus

An auxiliary audio track used for grouping several tracks together for processing. For example,

a reverb effect could be added to a bus in order to apply the reverb to every track in the bus.

C C-47

A standard clothespin used to affix gels to barndoors.

C Stand

A general purpose grip stand.

Call sheet

A list of scenes to be shot on a particular day and the cast, crew members and equipment

required.

Camera blocking

Plotting the placement and movement of the camera within in a scene.

Candela

A unit of light intensity equivalent to a single candle.

Canted frame

An angled frame that is not parallel to the horizon. Another term for Dutch Angle.

Cel

A single frame of an animation, normally drawn on transparent celluloid so that it can

be composited into an image.

CGI

Computer Generated Imagery. The process of generating and animating elements in a

computer to be seamlessly composited into a scene as if the elements were present when it

was shot.

Changeover cue

A visible mark on a film release print to tell the projectionist to change the reel.

Channel

One of several grayscale components used to make up a color image. RGB images are made

up of red, green and blue channels, with an optional alpha channel for transparency. Some file

formats support additional channels to contain extra information such as z-index data.

Chroma key

A compositing process that allows a selected color in an image to be made transparent.

Commonly used for green screen compositing.

Chrominance (chroma)

A video signal used for carrying color information.

Chyron

Text on the bottom of the screen that is used to describe the time, place or characters in the

scene.

Cinch marks

Scratches on a film roll that run parallel to its edge, commonly caused by improper film winding.

Cinemascope

An anamorphic system used for filming widescreen movies in the 1950s and 60s.

Claymation

The process of animating and filming characters built out of clay. Commonly used to create

fantasy creatures before the advent of CGI.

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Clip

A short piece of video or audio that is usually part of a larger recording.

Clipped whites

Peaks in the luminance signal that have been cut off at certain value to prevent them from

exceeding the limits of the video system.

Closed caption

Closed captions or subtitles allow a textual representation of a film to be displayed alongside it.

Useful for the hearing impaired, foreign language films and people in noisy environments.

Coaxial cable

An electromagnetically-shielded copper cable commonly used for video signal transmission.

Codec

A piece of software designed to encode and/or decode video data into a form readable by a

computer.

Color bars

A test signal recorded onto the start of every tape or reel that is used to synchronize the color

settings of the camera with those of the capture deck or output device.

Color grading

The process of altering or enhancing the color of an image to seamlessly blend cuts together in

a scene, remove unintended mistakes (e.g. overexposure of highlights) or for creative effect.

Also known as color correction or color timing for film projects.

Color space

A mathematical model of color. Color spaces differ in how they model color - for example, RGB

creates color from mixtures of red green and blue and CMYK creates color from mixtures of

cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Broader models such as YRYBY incorporate other factors

into their models in order to create more accurate models for the specific display or recording

device.

Color timing

See color grading.

Color temperature

The hue of the color, with lower ("colder") values towards the blue end of the spectrum and

higher ("warmer") values towards the red end. Measured in Kelvin (K).

Colorist

A person that performs color grading.

Colorization

The process of manually adding color to a black and white movie in post production.

Completion bond

An insurance policy that guarantees a film will be completed and delivered with the agreed

script, cast and budget.

Composite print

A film print with both picture and sound on it.

Component signal

An analog video signal with luminance, color and saturation values encoded separately,

resulting in greater picture quality than composite signals.

Composite signal

An analog video signal with the luminance, color and saturation values merged into one signal.

Lower quality than component video.

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Compositing

The process of combining multiple elements shot separately (still images, movie clips, CGI) into

a final image or sequence to give the impression they were all shot at the same time.

Compression

The removal of redundant information from a file or video signal in order to reduce its file size or

transmission rate.

Concept art

An illustration with the aim of conveying a style, idea or mood before it is incorporated into the

final product. Commonly used for period pieces in order to ascertain historical accuracy of

costumes and locations.

Contingency

Money set aside in a budget to cover unforeseen costs.

Continuity

The process of maintaining the consistency of the plot, characters, time period, objects, places

and events of the film in order to maintain the audience's suspension of disbelief.

Continuity Report

A detailed list of occurrences during the shooting of a scene with the aim of tracking, and

therefore compensating for, any changed elements that may affect continuity.

Contrast

The difference between the lightest and darkest elements of an image.

Cookie

See Cucoloris.

Coverage

The process of shooting additional footage and camera angles to cover the action in the scene

so that the editor has a greater range of choices when the film reaches the post

production stage.

Cribbing

Short pieces of lumber used for various grip purposes.

Cross-conversion

The process of converting from one high definition video standard to another. The opposite of

up- or down-conversion.

Cross dissolve

A video transition that fades the end of the preceding clip into the beginning of the next.

Cross cut

Cutting to another scene or set of events while an existing scene is taking place, to give the

impression that they are both occurring at the same time.

Crossfade

Lowering the volume of the preceding audio clip while raising the volume of the following clip at

the same time, with the aim of easing abrupt transitions between the two.

Crosstalk

A phenomenon where a signal in one audio channel causes noise in another.

Crushed blacks

Reduced detail in the shadow areas of an image caused by under-exposing the image or

compressing the lower section of the contrast range in grading.

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Cucoloris

A perforated material used to break up light or create a patterned shadow. Also known as a

cookie.

Cue sheet

A list of music used in a production for the purposes of obtaining usage rights.

Cut

To switch from one shot to another angle or scene.

Cutaway

Cutting to a shot of something other than the main focus of the scene. This can be used to hide

an edit or give significance to a particular object or hand movement, for example.

Cyclorama

A large colored background that is curved at the floor level to provide a seamless backdrop.

D D1

Uncompressed standard definition VTR format developed by Sony and operates at a resolution

of 720x486 (NTSC) and 720x576 (PAL).

D2

A lower cost alternative to D1, developed by Ampex. This format stores data as a

single composite signal rather than a component signal in order to save bandwidth but

compromising image quality at the same time.

D3

A format developed by Panasonic and designed to compete with D2. Like D2, it features an

uncompressed composite signal but it is lossless. It also uses smaller tapes than D2.

D4

The D4 tape format was never developed because the number 4 is considered unlucky in

Japan.

D5

A tape format developed by Panasonic that uses the same 1/2 inch tapes asD3. It can record in

both standard and high definitions. Standard definition footage is uncompressed but high

definition footage is compressed at a 4:1 ratio.

Dailies

Raw, unedited footage shot in principal photography. Also called rushes.

DAT

Digital Audio Tape. A low cost tape-based audio recording medium.

DAW

Digital Audio Workstation. A hardware and software combination for creating and working with

digital audio.

dB (decibel)

A unit of measurement for the intensity of a sound wave.

DCP

Digital Cinema Package. A series of files used for digital cinema projection.

Deal memo

A short contract that defines the terms of employment for a crew member.

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Decay

The time taken for a sound or musical note to go from peak amplitude (attack) to

the sustain level.

Decode

The process of reading data in one format and outputting it in another, usually for the purpose

of converting from a compressed format to one capable of being displayed on a monitor. See

also encode.

Dead spot

A place where sound waves are cancelled by out-of-phase reflections, resulting in silence or

poor audibility.

Deep focus

A technique where wide-angle lenses are used with intense lighting and small lens apertures to

maintain the focus of objects in both the foreground and background of the frame.

Depth of field

The distance from the camera lens at which objects are in focus. This range varies based on

the length of the lens or the zoom level.

Dialogue Editor

A sound editor that focuses purely on dialogue. His job is to assemble, synchronize and edit the

dialogue in a production, with the aim of producing the clearest dialogue possible for the sound

editor to work with.

Dialogue track

An audio track that carries diegetic speech.

Diegetic sound

Music or sound effects that appear to eminate from the world of the movie. This is in contrast to

the music score for example, which accompanies the movie but generally does not appear to

come from within it.

Difference key

A matte extraction technique that separates a subject from its background using pixel value

differences between the two.

Dimmer

A device for varying power to lights, allowing precise control of lighting intensity.

Digital Imaging Technician (DIT)

A person that works with a digital cinematographer on technical aspects such as workflow and

image manipulation to achieve the desired result.

Digital Intermediate

The process of digitizing a film, manipulating the color and other characteristics and then re-

outputting to film. It differs from the telecineprocess in that the final output is film, not tape.

Digitize

The process of converting analog video formats into a digital form that can be used with a digital

editing system.

Dissolve

Merging of one shot into another by gradually decreasing the opacity of the first shot while

raising that of the second.

DME

Dialogue, Music and Effects. A file with dialogue, music and effects split into separate stems for

foreign language dubbing or trailer editing.

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Dolby 5.1

Six channel (five speakers and one subwoofer for bass) digital surround sound system by

Dolby.

Dolly

A wheeled camera platform used for creating moving shots.

Doorway Dolly

A basic dolly that is slim enough to fit through a doorway.

Double-system sound

A technique where production sound is recorded on a separate device to the camera. This can

provide more maneuverability for the boom operator and reduce noise, however the audio and

video need to be synchronized in post production. Also called dual-system sound

Down-conversion

Converting from a higher quality format to a lower one.

Drop-frame timecode

Timecode that is modified to remain in sync when 29.97 fps NTSC video is broadcast at 30 fps.

In order to retain accuracy, the first two timecode frames of every minute are dropped, with the

exception of every tenth minute. Note that only the timecode references are skipped; not the

actual frames themselves. Drop-frame timecode is indicated with a semicolon before the frame

component (01:00:00;00) or between every component (01;00;00;00).

See also non-drop frame timecode.

Dropout

A brief loss of signal that results in a "blank" area of video or audio, or adds excess noise to an

image.

Dry-gate

A telecine process in which the film is scanned with no fluid present. The opposite of wet gate.

Dubbing

The process of copying a videotape.

Can also mean adding extra voice tracks to a soundtrack in order to change lines or prepare the

film for foreign markets.

Dust bust

The process of removing dust, dirt and scratches from a frame. This can be performed on the

film negative itself in a wet gate transfer or can be performed with a compositing package in

post production.

Dutch Angle

An angled frame that is not parallel to the horizon.

Duvetyne

Heavy black cloth used for blacking out windows and many other purposes.

DV

A standard definition tape and data format. Shoots at either 640x480 or 720x480 (NTSC

resolution).

DVD

An optical disc format that consists of microscopic reflective pits that are scanned by a laser.

The displacement of the laser beam allows the drive to work out if the pit represents a 1 or a 0

in binary code.

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Dynamic Range

The difference between the loudest and quietest portions of a sound or the lightest and darkest

parts of an image.

E Edge numbers

Numbers printed along the edge of a strip of film that allow the negative cutter to correctly

identify which frames to cut.

Edit Decision List (EDL)

A list of edits that describes how to piece together the sequence from the source footage. This

is useful for negative cutting, grading and online editing.

Effects animation

The animation of non-character elements such as explosions, smoke and rain.

Effects stock

Film stock optimized purely for shooting visual effects footage. It has very fine grain to allow

easier compositing and scaling.

Encode

The process of writing data to a different format, usually for the purpose of compressing to a

smaller size. See also decode.

Envelope

A measure of a sound's amplitude over time. Envelopes include a

sound'sattack, decay, sustain and release (ADSR).

Equalization

The process of balancing the frequency of a sound. This could involve raising the treble and

lowering the bass, for example.

Establishing shot

A shot generally shown at the beginning of a scene to indicate a change in location or time.

Eyeline match

A technique where the editor cuts to a shot of something that a character is looking at off-

screen.

F F-stop

A measurement of how much light is able to pass through a camera apertureopening. It is

inversely proportional so small numbers indicate wider openings and large numbers indicate

smaller openings. A higher number results in greater depth of field

See also T-stop.

Fade

A gradual transition from one image to another. Fade-In and Fade-Out refer to starting or

ending the fade with black.

Feather

A technique used for blurring the edges of a mask.

Full height anamorphic (FHA)

A method of recording widescreen video in a 4:3 frame by squeezing the image horizontally.

The image needs to be unsqueezed in order to be viewed correctly. This is a higher quality

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method of recording widescreen video than letterboxing, where data is removed at the top and

bottom of the image.

Field

Interlaced video is split into two fields: one comprising the odd-numbered scan lines, and the

other comprising the even lines. There are 60 fields for every second of NTSC video.

Filler

See slug.

Film grain

The visual texture of film, caused by particles of metallic silver present on the film strip.

Film stock

A term to describe film that is used for shooting and reproduction.

Filter

A software add-on to simulate a given effect upon the footage. Common filters include blurs, de-

grain and color correction.

Firewire

An interface standard that is commonly used for connecting hard drives and cameras to

computers.

Flag

A device used on set to block light.

Flat

A term used to describe a film that was not shot with anamorphic lenses.

Flex file

A computer-generated file that establishes the relationship between timecode,keykode and

often audio timecode. Flex files are important in the online editing process for movies that

originated on film. They have the file extension .flx.

Flip

To position an image upside-down.

Flop

To position an image back-to-front so that the left side is now positioned on the right and vice

versa.

Focal length

The distance from the center of the camera lens to the object of focus.

Focus pull

The process of refocusing a shot to keep an object in focus or to draw the audience's attention

elsewhere.

Foley

The process of recording sound effects on-the-fly in sync with the picture as it plays.

Foley artist

A person who records sound effects using the foley process. Also known asfoley walker.

Frames per second (fps)

The number of frames played every second. The standard film frame rate is 24 fps, with NTSC

video at 29.97 fps and PAL video at 25 fps. Shooting higher than these rates will result in slow-

motion footage and shooting lower will result in fast-motion.

Frame

One of the many still images that make up an entire movie. When several of these images are

played in sequence, they give the impression of motion. See also frame rate.

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Frame rate

The rate at which frames are played or recorded. See also fps.

Freeze frame

The repetition of a single frame of footage to give the effect that the action has stopped or that

the audience is looking at a still image.

Frequency

The number of times a signal changes in a second, measured in Hertz (Hz).

Frequency response

A measure of the sensitivity of a sound or video recording or playback system.

Fresnel

An efficient convex lens consisting of many small pieces of glass that allow large apertures and

short focal lengths.

Full field

A complete frame of video that is comprised of two fields.

Full raster

A full frame image that has not been squeezed to preserve bandwidth. The opposite of thin

raster.

Full screen

The modification of a widescreen movie to fit a 4:3 aspect ratio completely without letterboxing.

This can be achieved with a center crop or pan and scan process (cropping the image and

panning).

G Gaffer

The chief lighting technician on a production who is in charge of the electrical department.

Gaffer tape

A strong cotton-based tape similar to duct tape.

Gain

An increase in signal amplification. It also results in an increase in signal noise.

Gamma

A measurement of the intensity of midtones in an image. Adjusting the gamma adjusts the level

of the midtones while leaving the blacks and whites untouched.

Gamut

The entire range of colors capable of being displayed or recorded by the current input / ouput

device or file format.

Garbage matte

A matte designed to tell the compositing software which areas of an image to ignore or remove.

Gate

The rectangular opening where a film is exposed to light. This must be cleaned regularly to

ensure dust, hair and other debris does not make it onto the film during exposure.

Genlock

The process of matching the internal sync generator of a device such as a camera with an

external source. Commonly used on music video shoots to sync audio to a timecode slate or for

syncing cameras in a multicam shoot.

Go motion

Similar to stop motion, but more realistic due to the application of motion blur, achieved by

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moving the models slightly during exposure. Sometimes this is achieved through a series of

complex rods connected to a computer for precise movement, and sometimes it is achieved by

flicking or nudging the model so that it vibrates.

Gobo

A grip head used for clamping other equipment.

GOP

Group of Pictures. The ordering of intra- (I-frames or complete frames) and inter-frames (B-

frames or frames that contain only the changes from one frame to the next) in a compressed

video file. For example, MPEG-2 media is separated into groups of pictures no longer than

18 frames for NTSC or 15 for PAL. The length of the group determines how frequently an I-

frame (complete frame) will be shown.

GPRM

General Parameter. Space on a DVD player to store up to 16 1-bit numeric variables. These

allow the disc to remember certain actions and preferences such as languages and audio

formats, or to create interactive quizzes and games.

Green screen

A green background that the subject stands in front of that will later be replaced with another

background in post production.

Green screen compositing

The process of making all green elements in an image transparent and placing a different

background underneath so it appears that the subject is in a different location.

H Handle

Extra material beyond the in and out points to allow a clip to be extended and provide additional

material for transitions.

High definition (HD)

A general term for a video signal with a significantly higher resolution thanstandard definition.

HDMI

High Definition Multimedia Interface. Interface for transmitting high definition digital audio and

video data.

Headroom

The space between the top of a character's head and the top of the frame.

Hi-con print

A film print with the maximum contrast between light and dark elements.

High-pass filter

An audio filter that allows allows frequencies above a certain threshold to pass through while

stopping lower ones.

High-shelf filter

An audio filter that allows allows frequencies above a certain threshold to pass through while

reducing lower ones.

Hiss

Noise caused by imperfections in the recording medium.

HMI

An efficient mercury arc lamp.

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House sync

A timing reference signal used to synchronize devices in a post production facility to ensure

they are all operating at the same speed.

Hue

The shade of a color. This is the general color category that the color falls into, for example

pink, crimson and plum are different colors but they all fall under the hue of red.

I Illegal colors

Colors present in a video signal that are not supported by the current video playback system.

This can result in the image being displayed incorrectly and is especially important when

preparing content for TV broadcasts, as NTSC televisions have limited color support. See

also gamut.

In point

The timecode position at which a clip begins. See also out point.

Insert edit

The process of inserting a clip onto a timeline and pushing content aside to make room for it.

With this method no content is overwritten. See alsooverwrite edit.

Intercut

A technique where the editor cuts back and forth between two separate scenes as they play

out. This is commonly used to give the impression that the actions are occurring

simultaneously.

Interlace

An image that consists of two half-height fields that combine to create a full image. This is the

opposite of progressive scanning, in which the image is comprised of single frames.

Internegative

A duplicate negative create from a positive print of the movie. Commonly used for creating

release prints to prevent damage to the original negative.

Interpositive

A positive duplicate of a film used for further processing.

Interpolation

This is used in animation to calculate the motion in between two user-generated keyframes so

that each frame does not need to be animated manually. This speeds up the process and

makes the resulting animation smoother.

Intertitles

Titles that appear on their own between footage. Commonly seen in silent movies to substitute

dialogue but can also be used as chapter headings.

ISO

A measure of the recording medium's exposure sensitivity. Digital cameras often have

adjustable ISO settings.

J Jam sync

The process of using a timecode generator to synchronize timecode between devices. One

example would be synchronizing cameras to enable easier multicam sync in post.

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Jib arm

A counterweighted support arm mounted on a tripod or dolly to provide an increased range of

camera motion.

Jog

To move forward or backward through video by playing it one field or frame at a time.

Juicer

An electrician.

Jump cut

A cut in which the action does not completely match that of the preceding shot, causing

characters to "jump" to a slightly different position.

Junior

A 2K light.

K Kerning

The horizontal spacing between textual characters.

Keyframe

A frame that contains a record of specific settings (e.g. scale, rotation, brightness). By setting

multiple keyframes, you can adjust these parameters as the video plays to animate certain

aspects.

Keying

A term for compositing two images together using holes created by mattes.

Keykode

A Kodak-developed machine-readable edge code system to automate the creation of cut lists

while at the same time retaining human-readability.

Key Grip

The head of the grip department.

Key light

The main light on a subject.

Key numbers

See Keykode

Kick

An object with a shine or reflection on it from another object.

L Latitude

The range at which a film can be over- or underexposed and still produce usable images.

Lavalier mic

A small wireless microphone that can be hidden in clothing.

Layback

Transfer of the completed sound mix back onto the video master tape.

Leader

Extra information added to the beginning or the end of a reel for technical purposes. A leader

may include a countdown, information about the program and a 2pop to aid audio

synchronization.

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Leading

The vertical spacing of textual characters. Also referred to as line spacing.

Letterbox

The process of fitting a 16:9 image on a 4:3 screen by placing black bars at the top and bottom.

Linear editing

A form of video editing in which cuts are laid out sequentially, one by one, to produce the final

scene. This is in contrast to non-linear editing in which cuts can be performed in any order.

Log

A record of start and end timecode, reel numbers, scene descriptions and other information for

a specified clip.

Can also refer to logarithmic color space, which is a way of more accurately storing < a

href="#analog">analog color information in a digital file.

Lossless

A compression scheme that results in no loss of data from the file when it is decompressed.

Lossless files are generally quite large (but still smaller than uncompressed versions) and

sometimes require considerable processing power in order to decode the data. The opposite

of lossy compression.

Lossy

A compression scheme that discards data in order to lower file sizes. The opposite of lossless

compression.

Low-pass filter

An audio filter that allows allows frequencies below a certain threshold to pass through while

stopping higher ones.

Low-shelf filter

An audio filter that allows allows frequencies below a certain threshold to pass through while

reducing higher ones.

Longitudinal timecode (LTC)

Timecode recorded on one of the audio channels of video tape. It can only be read if the tape is

playing.

Luma key

The process of creating a matte from data related to the brightness of certain areas in an

image. See also keying.

Luminance

A measure of the brightness or intensity of each pixel in an image.

M Matchmove

The process of matching the motion of a computer generated object with the motion of the

camera or an object in order to blend it seamlessly within the frame.

Matte

An image mask that is used in visual effects to control which parts of the image an effect will be

applied to.

Matte Artist

A person who creates background art for use in a matte shot.

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Matte painting

The process of placing a glass-painted or digital background on footage in order to simulate a

different or larger environment.

M & E

Music and Effects. A file with music and effects split into separate stems for foreign

language dubbing.

Mickey

An open-faced 1K light. Also known as a Redhead.

MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A protocol for communicating between audio devices and

musical instruments.

Modeling

The process of creating 3D objects inside a computer.

MOS

Shooting without recording sound.

Motion artifact

Visual interference caused by the difference between the frame rate of the camera and the

motion of the object. The most common display of this is when filming a computer or television

screen. The screen will flicker or a line will scan down it, and is caused by the difference in

frame rates and a lack of synchronization between the camera and television.

Motion blur

The "streaking" effect caused when an object passes quickly across the screen. This is

because the object is in several different positions during the exposure of one frame of film.

Motion capture (mocap)

The process of digitally recording an actor's movement in order to apply this movement to a

computer-generated object. See also performance capture.

Montage

A self-contained sequence of short shots or images used to portray facts, mood or actions, that

is often used to indicate the passing of time.

Motion control

The process of controlling the motion of the camera by a computer in order to obtain precise

control over its movement. Commonly used to match up a model with a live-action shot in order

to composite the two together later.

MXF

Material eXchange Format. A professional cross-platform container format for video, audio and

metadata.

N Negative cutter

A person who physically cuts the film negative according to the cut list and then splices the film

together in the desired order, ready for the final print.

Negative print

A film print in which colors are reversed - black is white and white is black. It must be reprinted

as a positive before it can be projected. The reason for creating a negative is the reduced cost

of making extra prints.

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Neutral Density (ND)

A camera filter that reduces the intensity of the light reaching the lens without affecting its color.

NG (No Good)

Commonly seen on camera and editor reports to indicate a particular take is unusable.

NLE

Short for Non-Linear Editing system.

Noise

Undesired data in a video or audio signal that is not intended to be present. See also artifact.

Non-drop frame timecode (NDF)

Timecode that counts every frame and does not compensate for the innacuracies that occur

when 29.97 fps is converted to 30 for NTSC broadcast. See also drop frame timecode.

Non-linear editing

An editing system in which edits can be performed at any time, in any order. Access is random,

which means that the system can jump to specific pieces of data without having to look through

the whole footage to find it.

NTSC

United States broadcasting system for standard definition television. Has now been superseded

by ATSC.

O Obie

An eyelight mounted on a camera.

Offline edit

The process of editing a project at a lower resolution than the final output, in order to cut

equipment costs or reduce disk space - or in the case of film projects, to preserve the original

negative.

OMF

Open Media Framework. A file format intended for transferring media between different

software applications on different platforms. It is commonly used for transferring audio from a

video editing system to a DAW.

One light

Telecine transfer in which the film is color timed on the first shot and the settings are then

applied to the rest of the reel. Commonly used for gradingdailies.

Online edit

After an offline edit the sequence is reassembled using high resolution media for the final

output, normally using an EDL as a reference. This means that only the footage used in the final

output needs to be recaptured, thus saving on storage space.

Opticals

Shots composited in an optical printer to be output to film. Used to add fades and titles to film

releases.

Optical soundtrack

An analogue soundtrack printed on film that takes the form of a varying sound wave. It is limited

to stereo output only and is commonly used as a backup if the separate surround sound system

fails.

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Opacity

An inverse measure of the level of transparency in an image, which is of importance

when compositing. Opacity information is stored in an image'salpha channel.

Out point

The timecode position at which a clip ends. See also In point.

Overwrite edit

An editing method in which existing clips are overwritten when adding a new clip onto a

timeline.

P PAL

Phase Alternating Line. A standard definition broadcast standard in Europe. Similar to NTSC

but with a higher resolution and running at 25 fps instead of 29.97.

Pan

A horizontal movement of the camera on a fixed axis.

Pan and Scan

A method of converting widescreen images to a 4:3 aspect ratio. The video is cropped so that it

fills the entire screen and is panned into position to show most essential parts of the scene.

Perf

Short for perforation. Square holes in the side of a roll of film that are used to wind it through the

camera or projector's mechanism. Standard 35mm has 4 perfs per frame but sometimes a 3-

perf configuration is used. See alsosprockets.

Performance capture

Similar to motion capture but with an emphasis on capturing the intricacies of the actor's hand

movements and facial expressions rather than simply their overall motion.

Phase shift

The displacement of a sound wave in time. Severe shifting can cause dead spots.

Phantom Power

A technology for powering microphones directly through the camera to save the microphones

needing separate power supplies.

Pickups

Shooting certain shots at a later date to augment footage already recorded.

Pillarbox

The black bars displayed at the sides when a 4:3 image is shown inwidescreen.

Picture in Picture (PIP)

An effect where a small window of footage is superimposed over a larger window and the two

play at the same time.

Pixel

Picture element. The smallest unit of a digital image.

Pixel aspect ratio (PAR)

The ratio of the width of a pixel to its height.

Pixelation

The display of large, blocky pixels in an image caused by over-enlarging it.

Plate shot

An empty shot of a background with no foreground elements, often for removing certain

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foreground elements from the scene such as light stands, wires and rigging in the visual effects

stage.

Positive print

A film print created from a negative that is suitable for projection.

Post Production

The final stage of the filmmaking process, normally involving picture editing, sound design,

visual effects and outputting the film to a format suitable for release.

Post Production Coordinator

An assistant to the Post Production Supervisor who focuses on logistical aspects such as

scheduling, budgeting and ensuring the smooth operation of the Post Production department.

Post Production Supervisor

The person in charge of the entire Post Production department. They are in charge of seeing

that the director's requirements are met on time and on budget, and liaise with vendors such

as optical houses and sound facilities.

Practical light

A light that appears in a scene.

Pre-Production

The planning stage before shooting commences. This includes casting, location scouting and

budgeting.

Preamplifier

A device for boosting the strength of a weak signal.

Pre-blacked

See black and code.

Pre-roll

The amount of time needed to compensate for a VTR or camera to reach full speed, typically 3-

5 seconds.

Principal photography

The main period of filming in which shooting occurs with the main actors. This differs from visual

effects photography and B-camera shooting.

Print

A version of a film intended for projection.

Production

The stage at which principal photography occurs.

Production sound

Audio recorded on set. This is in contrast to ADR, foley and audio created by the Sound

Designer.

Progressive

Frame scanning technology that processes each frame as one complete image, as opposed to

two separate fields like the interlacing process.

Q QuickTime

Cross-platform video compression software developed by Apple and used extensively on the

Macintosh platform.

R

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Rack

A standardized storage area for computer servers and other equipment. They are 19" wide and

heights are measured by a proprietary measurement called a "U". 1U is equal to 1.75" or

44.4mm in height.

Reaction shot

A cut to a character as they react to the events of the scene.

Rear projection

An alternative to green or blue screen photography, in which the actor stands in front of a

screen and the background is projected onto the screen behind them.

Redhead

An open-faced 1K light. Also known as a Mickey.

Reduction printing

The process of transferring a film to a smaller gauge than the original (e.g. 35mm to 16mm).

Reel

A strip of film wound upon a disc for attaching to a projector. Reels are generally 15-25 minutes

in length.

Reference tone

An audio tone of fixed frequency and amplitude that occurs at the beginning of a tape or reel,

allowing the operator to set the correct audio level for playback.

Release

The time taken for a sound to go from the sustain amplitude level to zero.

Render

The process of calculating effects in an image for playback or final output.

Render farm

An array of computers that each process small segments of a large task in order to speed it up.

See also render.

Re-recording

The process of mixing all audio in a production for mono, stereo or multichannel output.

Resolution

The amount of data used to make up a digital video or audio file, specified as the number of

pixels (for video) or the number of sample bits (for audio).

Reverberation

A reflection of a sound from multiple surfaces. This is in contrast to an echo, where there is

generally only one surface reflecting the sound and the echoed sound is much clearer.

Reversal film

A film that produces a positive image after exposure.

Reverse angle

A shot positioned approximately 180 degrees from the preceding one.

RGB

The primary colors of light that are used to make images in monitors, cameras and digital

projectors.

RGBA

A file containing an RGB image plus an alpha channel for transparency information.

Rim light

A hard backlight on the subject that is generally more intense than the key light.

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Ripple edit

An editing technique where adjusting the length of a clip causes clips further down the timeline

to move to accomodate the change.

RMS

Root-Mean-Square. A measurement of sound pressure.

Roll edit

A method of shortening one clip and lengthening an adjacent one at the same time in order to

maintain the original length of the sequence.

Room tone

Background sound recorded on set for the purpose of enabling the seamless modification and

removal of audio in post production. See also ambience.

Rotoscoping

The process of tracing the outlines of live action elements frame by frame, normally used

for matte effects.

Rough cut

The first cut created by an editor.

Rushes

Another name for dailies.

S Scope

A term used to describe a film that shot with anamorphic lenses.

Score

The original-music composition for the film.

Scrim

A metal filter that fits onto a light to decrease its intensity.

Scrub

The ability of the editing software to play back audio samples as the playhead is dragged

across the timeline.

Standard Definition (SD)

Television broadcasting standard with a lower resolution than high definition. See also 480i.

Second Unit

A second photographic team that films shots that do not require the principal cast members,

such as stunts, establishing shots and B-roll.

Senior

A 5K light.

Set dressing

General decorative items in a scene that are not specifically referenced by the script.

Set up

A discrete position of the camera. Also known as shots or angles.

Shoot and Protect

A technique where widescreen footage is shot with the main action centered so as to provide

easier center crop conversion to a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Shotgun mic

A highly directional microphone commonly used to record production sound.

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Shutter speed

The amount of time it takes for the camera shutter to open and close. Faster speeds produce

crisp motion and slower speeds produce motion-blur.

Sight line

The line-of-sight between a subject and the object they are looking at.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

The ratio between the desired signal and the undesired noise in a recording.

Silk

A material used to diffuse or reflect light.

Single

A shot with only one subject in the frame.

Slate

A visual identifier placed in front of the camera before a take to communicate important details

to the post production department. Can also include a clapper for audio synchronization or

a timecode display.

Slow motion

A shot in which action takes place at a slower than normal speed. It is achieved by speeding up

the camera during recording and then playing back the frames at a slower frame rate.

Slug

A strip of film or digital effect used to fill in black areas on the timeline.

SMPTE

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. A film and television standards group that,

among other things, standardized the use of SMPTEtimecode.

Sound Designer

The person responsible for the overall sound of the film. Can also refer to a person responsible

for creating unique sounds from scratch.

Sound Mixer

A person responsible for recording and mixing production sound on set.

Specular

Highly directional "hard" light.

Spill

A term used to describe light falling where it is not wanted, such as green light being reflected

from a green screen onto a subject.

Splice

The process of physically attaching two pieces of film together using tape or cement.

Spline

A curve in 3D space defined by control points. Used for interpolation and smoothing.

Split cut (L-cut or J-cut)

An edit in which the audio starts before or after the picture cut. Can be used to ease the

transition from one scene or shot to another.

Split screen

Dividing the screen into two or more parts with different shots in each section.

Spool

A roll on which film is wound.

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Spotting

The process of analyzing a picture-locked movie to map out the sound, music and visual effects

work to be performed.

Sprocket

Geared wheels that attach onto the perforations on the edge of a film roll and wind it through a

mechanism into a camera or projector.

Stabilization

Similar to matchmoving but the entire frame is moved so that the elements of the scene stay in

the same place in order to eliminate unwanted frame movement caused by gate weave or

camera shake. This causes moving black borders at the edges of the frame that must be

removed by zooming in or recreating the missing areas.

Standards conversion

The process of converting from one television standard to another, such as from NTSC to PAL.

This normally requires frame rate and resolutionconversions.

Stem

A stem is a separate audio output for a group of tracks. In a DME separate outputs are created

for dialogue, music and sound effects.

Step

The act of moving forward or backward through video one frame at a time.

Stereo

Two-channel audio combined into a single track with outputs for the left and right speakers.

Stinger

An electrical extension cord.

Stock

A term for unexposed motion picture film.

Stock numbers

Edge numbers printed on film raw stock by the manufacturer.

Stop motion

A form of animation in which static objects are physically animated and photographed frame by

frame. See also go motion.

Strike

The process of breaking down a camera position, location or set.

Striped stock

See black and code.

Sustain

The amplitude of a sound or musical note while it is being held. This occurs after

the attack and decay phases.

Sweeten

Enhancing the sound of a recording with equalization or another signal processing device.

T T-stop

A more accurate measurement of light passing through a lens than an F-stopbecause it takes

into account light being absorbed by the lens.

Tail leader

A leader used to indicate the end of a reel.

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Tape grade

Color correction performed from a master tape rather than from film.

Technical grade

A telecine transfer which is adjusted to be as flat as possible so as not to lose any color

information. A tape grade will be performed later on to achieve the desired look of the film.

Telecine

The process of scanning film in real-time and outputting it to a tape-based format.

Thin raster

An image that has been squeezed horizontally to preserve bandwidth and then unsqueezed

before playback. Examples of thin raster image sizes include 1440x1080 (played back at

1920x1080) and 960x720 (played back at 1280x720). Thin raster video is lower quality than full

raster.

TIFF

Tagged Image File Format. A popular cross-platform still image file format.

Tilt

A vertical movement of the camera on a fixed horizontal axis.

Timelapse

A cinematography technique where the camera is set to capture one frame at a time with a

relatively large interval between captures. When played back at normal speed, the event

appears to be occurring much faster than it would in real life. This is useful for long-lasting

events such as flowers growing or clouds moving across the sky.

Timecode

An indexing system that provides a unique index for each frame of video, in the form

hh:mm:ss:ff. This makes it easy to locate and reference a particular frame.

Timeline

A visual representation of a movie over time, consisting of video clips laid horizontally across

the screen. This is a common interface in non-linear video editing applications.

Title safe area

A region of the screen where text is guaranteed to be visible. This is for compatibility with older

CRT TVs that did not display the full area of the image.

Track

A separate audio or video layer on a timeline.

Tracking

The process of tracing the movement of a particular pixel or pattern on screen in order to

determine how the camera or object is moving.

Transition

A method of juxtaposing two scenes. Transitions can take many forms including cuts, dissolves

and wipes.

Traveling matte

An evolution of the matte process that allowed the matte to animate its shape and position from

frame to frame.

U Underscan

A mode on cameras and broadcast monitors that allows you to see the entire screen area,

including areas normally cropped by standard television screens.

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Up-conversion

The process of converting a standard definition video to a high definitionformat.

V Vari-speed

Effect where the speed of the camera is changed mid-shot, normally to emphasise a certain

action on-screen.

Vertical interval

The time difference between between each video field in an analog broadcast. It can be used to

contain extra information such as captioning, timecode and copy protection data. Also known

as vertical blanking interval.

Vistavision

A 35mm film format with a large surface area and low grain. Sometimes used for visual effects

shots because its low grain and large surface area mean that there is very little noise when

multiple shots are composited together.

Visual Effects Supervisor

The head of the visual effects department who oversees all aspects of the visual effects

process.

Voiceover

A term used to describe off-camera narration that is not part of a scene (non-diegetic).

VTR

Video tape recorder, also referred to as a 'deck'. These are used for duplicating video tapes and

inputting and outputting from a computer.

W Wet-gate

Telecine process in which the film is immersed in fluid while being scanned. This removes any

dust, dirt or hairs that may be on the film and can cover up scratches and marks. See also dry

gate.

White balance

The process of adjusting a digital camera so that it interprets the brightest areas of the image as

pure white. This prevents unrealistic color casts.

Widescreen

A format in which the width-to-height ratio of the frame is greater than 4:3, so that it is

significantly wider than it is tall.

Wild line

A non-sync line of dialogue recorded by an actor without picture.

Wild track

A non-sync sound effect recorded without picture.

Wipe

A transition in which one image is moved off screen to reveal another beneath it.

Workprint

A duplicate film print intended for use in the editorial process.

X

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XLR

A microphone connection standard consisting of three or more connecting pins and an outer

locking shell.

Y YUV

A broadcast color space comprised of separate luminance (Y) andchrominance (UV) values.

Used in NTSC and PAL video systems. See alsoRGB.

Z Zoom

A shot where the image grows larger or smaller by adjusting the focal lengthof the lens instead

of physically moving the camera.