Alphabetical Glossary
Above the line – Costs on a budget that are related to acting, writing, producing, and directing.
Back light – Light that is behind a subject and helps make that subject stand out from the background.
Barndoors – Black metal flaps placed on a lamp housing to direct the light beam to a particular area.
Below the line – Industry jargon for craft and technical production personnel.
Best boy–A member of the grip crew or the electric crew whose additional duties include taking care of the administrative details of personnel and equipment for their departments.
Block–To rehearse with actors and determine how they will move within a particular shot; often this involves also deciding camera placement and movement.
Blue-screen – A process for creating different layers in a visual effects shot; an actor or object is filmed against a blue (or green) backdrop that can be electronically removed so that a different computer-generated background can be placed behind the object, producing a seamless effect for the various layers.
Boom–A mounting device for moving a camera up or down; the act of moving a camera up or down; a stand for holding a microphone so that it can move various directions without getting into the shot.
Boom arm – The part of a camera mounting device (usually a crane) that can be moved up and down so that the camera can be used for overhead shots.
C.G.–Stands for “computer generated.” A term used to discuss a visual effects shot that is produced using a computer.
Camera operator–The person who looks through the eyepiece of a camera to compose the shot and follow the action to deliver the shot designed by the director of photography and/or the director.
Chief lighting technician–The person who supervises the lighting of each shot to achieve the look desired by the director of photography; commonly referred to as the gaffer.
Cinematographer – The person who has the responsibility for making sure all shots of a movie or TV show are properly lit and composed; also called a director of photography.
Cinematography – The art of capturing the image for a movie or TV show.
Clam shells–Small portable monitors that directors of photography often use so that they can see how shots look as they are being photographed.
Crab mode–Setting the wheels of a crab dolly to all turn in unison so the dolly can move in any direction during a shot.
Crane–A large piece of rolling equipment with a long arm that holds the camera and its operator or a remotely controlled camera that can move out and up in many directions to achieve specific shots.
Cutter –A metal or wooden cutout pattern that can be placed in front of a light to produce a shadow effect, usually on the background; often referred to as a cookie cutter or a cucalorus.
Depth of field–The area in which objects located at different distances from the camera remain in focus; a shallow depth of field will have objects in a small area in focus while a large depth of field will have objects near the camera and far from the camera in focus.
Diffusion – Scattering light to make it softer and to show less detail in a picture.
Director of photography – The person who has the responsibility for making sure all shots of a movie or TV show are properly lit and composed; abbreviated DP and also referred to as a cinematographer.
Dolly – A wheeled cart on which a camera can be mounted so it can be moved smoothly in and out or from left to right during the shooting of a shot; also a term used to describe moving a camera and its supporting device backwards and forwards.
Dolly grip–The person who operates the dolly or the crane that the camera is mounted on.
1st assistant–A person who stands next to the camera operator and operates the focus control of the camera so that the shot being filmed has the proper sharpness; this person is often called the focus puller.
Flag – A rectangular piece of metal or opaque material placed between a light and a subject to create shadows or to keep the light from reaching certain areas.
Focus – To make an image look sharp and clean.
Focus puller–A person who stands next to the camera operator and operates the focus control of the camera so that the shot being filmed has the proper sharpness; this person is often called the 1st assistant.
Follow focus – Keeping someone in focus as they move and the camera moves.
Gaffer–The person who supervises the lighting of each shot to achieve the look desired by the director of photography; often referred to as the chief lighting technician.
Green-screen – A process for creating different layers in a visual effects shot; an actor or object is filmed against a green (or blue) backdrop that can be electronically removed so that a different computer-generated background can be placed behind the object, producing a seamless effect for the various layers.
Grips–People responsible for mounting and moving the camera—on a dolly, a crane, a car, or a platform—and reflecting and diffusing light.
Key grip – The person in charge of all the other grips on a movie or TV set.
Lens – The part of the camera that gathers light and focuses the image.
Loader–A person who (in a totally dark room) loads fresh film in the camera magazines then unloads and labels the film for shipment to the lab for development.
Long lens – A camera lens that magnifies a subject and foreshortens distance; it is physically longer than a lens that shows a subject as it appears to the eye.
Magazine – A separate piece of equipment that holds reels of raw film and can be attached to the top of a camera in a manner that ensures that the film will not be accidentally exposed.
Mark–The spot that an actor or camera is supposed to be on at a specific moment during a shot.
Matte – Placing one picture over another so that they look like they are one unified picture.
Panatape–An electronic device that the focus puller can use to help determine the distance of a subject from the camera and, therefore, help the focus puller to adjust the lens so that it keeps the shot in focus.
Practical – A light, such as a floor lamp or flashlight, that is visible in the scene and can be used as an apparent source of light for the scene even though the light is enhanced by lights that are not visible in the scene.
Prep – Stands for “preparation.” The time before an episode is filmed that is used to make sure everything is ready for the actual shooting.
Production meeting – A session where all the heads of the various departments involved with putting together a movie or TV show get together to discuss the needs of the production and exchange information about how to meet those needs.
Rigging – Stringing cables so that equipment (primarily lights) can be connected to these cables in order to receive electricity from a generator or household current.
Rigging crew – The people who string electrical cable well before a shoot is to begin so that when the electricians come to set up the lights they will have sources of electricity near where they need it.
Scene – A shot or series of shots presenting a unified action and occurring in a single place and time.
Scene numbers – Numbers that appear on a shooting script to identify each scene; these numbers are also put on slates and camera reels so that it is easy to organize material that has been shot.
Scouting – Looking for locations where scenes can be shot; often referred to as location scouting.
Script supervisor – A person who makes notes about each scene on a script and makes sure all parts of the script are actually shot and that continuity is maintained throughout the movie or TV show.
2nd assistant–A person who aids the camera operator, often by seeing that the camera is properly maintained and that all needed equipment is standing by; this person also manages the slate for each shot and handles the camera reports.
2nd unit–A film crew that shoots elements of a movie or TV show that usually do not involve the actors, such as stunt routines or establishing shots (e.g. the outside of an airport).
Shot – An element of a program that begins when the camera starts running and ends when it stops.
Silk–Large pieces of cloth in frames that are placed on a set in order to diffuse the light and make it softer.
Slate–A tablet that is held in front of the camera and filmed right before a shot is filmed; the slate identifies the shot by giving such information as the scene and take numbers, the production number, the director’s name, and the cinematographer’s name.
Slider–A short piece of equipment with horizontal rails that can be placed low to the ground so that a camera mounted on it can move from side to side or in and out to photograph actors sitting on the ground or to make camera moves where there is no room for a dolly.
Steadicam–A counterweighted camera body mount that smooths out hand-held shots.
Sticks – A term used to refer to a tripod that supports a camera.
Stop down – To adjust the iris of the camera lens so that it lets in less light; this is often done to increase the depth of field.
Storyboard – A series of drawings that show the main actions of a movie or TV program.
Take – An indication of the number of times a shot is filmed; take 1 would be the first recording, take two would be the second recording, etc.
Track – Pieces that look like a railroad track that are laid down so that a camera mounting device can be placed on them and then the camera can be moved smoothly for a shot that involves camera movement.
Visual effects – Parts of movie shots that are created in a computer.
