"A bee's dick" |
An expression for an exceptionally small
amount |
"Dark as a bat's arse" |
Expression for little to no light available
for filming. (Polite version: Dark as a bat's bottom.) |
"Go Hollywood" |
An instruction to spotlight operators to
sweep the lights around the room to create excitement -
sometimes called "balloo" in South Africa or UK. |
"Let's alter some Oxide" |
expression for "Roll Record" |
"Let's expose some Rust" |
expression for "Roll Record. |
16x9 |
The wide screen television format for HDTV
or std TV where the aspect ratio of the screen is 16 units wide
by 9 high as opposed to the 4x3 of normal TV. |
3:2 Pulldown |
In NTSC 60HzTV where 24 frames per second
film is stretched into a 30 frames per second video system. The
first frame starts with 2 video fields then the following film
frame is held for 3 fields resulting in a 3:2 fulldown sequence
of 3 fields, 2 fields, 3 fields, 2 fields, etc. |
4:2:2 |
The sampling ratio used CCIR 601 digital
video signal. For every 4 samples of luminance there are 2
samples each of R-Y (Red minus Luminance) and B-Y (Blue minus
luminance). |
4:4:4 |
A sampling ratio that has equal amounts of
the luminance and both chrominance channels. |
A & B Roll (FILM) |
An edited master of original film material
assembled into two separate rolls, one for the odd numbered
shots and one for the even numbered shots, so that dissolves
wipes and even supers can be overlapped and printed together,
or to hide slices on a print. |
A & B Roll (VIDEO) |
Two submaster tapes so that dissolves or
wipes can be achieved from the two sources and recorded onto a
third VTR. |
A.C.S |
Australian Cinematographers Society. The
initials ACS are placed after the name of accredited society
members. |
A.D.R |
Automatic Dialogue Replacement. Putting
words into Actor's mouths. |
A.F.M |
A method of recording audio signals as an
F.M. signal on the videotape using a video head. |
A.G.C |
Automatic Gain Control. An electronic
circuit that automatically controls audio or video input levels
during recording. |
A.S.A |
American Standards Association. In relation
to film ASA units of which are used to designate the
recommended sensitivity or speed of film - today refferred to
as EI Exposure Index |
AatonCode |
Aaton's ASCII-based proprietary in-camera
timecode system,exposed in the camera during filming, carries
data which is both machine and man-readable for its conversion
into SMPTE LTC |
Academy leader |
a leader placed at the head of release
prints containing information for the projectionist and
featuring numbers which are black on a clear background,
counting from 11 to 3 at 16 frame intervals (see SMPTE leader). |
Active Picture Area |
The part of a TV picture that contains
actual picture as opposed to sync or other data. Vertically the
active picture area is 576 lines for PAL and 487 lines for NTSC
and The inactive area is called blanking. |
AES/EBU |
The digital audio standard set by the Audio
Engineering Society and European Broadcast Union and used by
most forms of digital audio from CDs to Deva |
A-Frame Edit |
(for NTSC TV) A video edit which starts on
the first frame of the 5 video frame (4 film frame) sequence
created when 24 frame film is transferred to 30 frame video
(see 3:2 pulldown). The A-frame is the only frame in the
sequence where a film frame is completely reproduced on one
complete video frame. Here is the full sequence. (The letters
correspond to film frames.) A-frame = video fields 1&2, B-frame
= video fields 1&2&1, C-frame = video fields 2&1, D-frame =
video fields 2&1&2. |
Aliasing |
Defects in the picture caused by too low a
sampling frequency or poor filtering. Usually scene as
"jaggies" or stair steps in diagonal lines. |
Alternating Current: Or Voltage |
This may be at a frequency of 50 Hz (Europe)
or 60 Hz (USA, Japan and certain other countries.) |
A-Mode Edit |
An editing method where the footage is
assembled in the final scene order. Scene 1, scene 2, ... |
Analogue |
A signal that varies continuously. A digital
signal by contrast varies in discreet steps. |
Anti-aliasing |
The process of removing aliasing artifacts. |
Aperture |
Adjustable opening, known as the iris, which
controls the amount of light reaching the CCD tube or film
emulsion. It is calibrated in f-stops. |
Apple Box |
A wooden box for use on set. |
Arc (light) |
A light source similar to daylight generated
by the electrical burning of two carbon rods, as either a lamp
for direct illumination or for a film projector. |
Artifact |
A visual effect caused by an error or
limitation in the system. |
Aspect Ratio |
The ratio of width to height in a picture.
Theater screens generally have an aspect ratio of 1.85 to 1,
widescreen TV (16x9) is 1.78 to 1, and normal TV (4x3) is 1.33
to 1. |
Assembly Editing |
Electronic editing where Audio, Video and
Control signals are recorded sequentially. |
Attenuator |
A device for reducing the strength of any
electrical signal. |
Audio |
A general term for the sound portion of a
composite sound/video signal. |
Audio Head |
A magnetic recording head that records or
replays sound. |
Auto Assembly |
An edit in which the off-line edit decision
list is loaded into the on-line edit computer and all the edits
are assembled automatically with little or no human
intervention. |
Azimuth |
The angle of a given recording head in rela
tion to the video or audio track. |
B.B.C |
British Broadcasting Corporation, England's
own ABC. |
B.C.U |
Big Close Up. Shot framing only a small part
of an object. Tighter than CU. |
Babies |
Baby legs, very short tripod legs. |
Back light |
Light directed towards the camera on to the
subject usually to help separation from the background. |
Bandwidth |
The amount of information that can be passed
in a given time. The lager the bandwidth the greater the
picture detail |
Barn door |
A black metal flap fitted on hinges in front
of a lamp, that can be opened or closed to control light spill. |
Barney |
A soundproof bag that's put over a camera to
reduce it's noise or to protect it from bad weather. |
Barry box |
Box to raise the height of small
cinematographers to viewfinder, usually yellow. |
Bashers |
Simple floodlight in a dished reflector or
shade. |
Batboard |
Small foldable polly reflector. |
Batphone |
Mobile telephone. |
Bean Counter |
The Production Accountant. |
Best Boy |
The Gaffer's right hand man |
Betamax |
The Sony 1/2 Inch domestic video cassette
format. (Gone the way of nitrate filmstock). |
Big Close-up |
(abbr. BCU) a shot taken very close to the
subject (closer than would be necessary for a close-up),
revealing extreme detail. (i.e., part of the human face) |
Bit |
A single element (1 or 0) of digital
information. |
Bit Rate |
The amount of data transported in a given
amount of time, usually defined in Mega (Million) bits per
second (Mbps). Bit rate is one means used to define the amount
of compression used on a video signal. Uncompressed 601 has a
bit rate of 270 Mbps. Mpeg 1 has a bit rate to 1.2 Mbps. |
Bit Stream |
A continuous series of bits. |
Black Bag |
Film changing bag, lightproof. |
Black Berocca |
Coke (with bubbles - the 'after a heavy
night pick-me-up'). |
Black Box |
A term used to describe a piece of equipment
dedicated to one specific function, usually involving a form of
digital video magic. |
Black Level |
That portion of a video signal which
deter-mines pure black in the video image. |
Blacks |
Black dense cloth for absorbing light and
reflections. |
Blackwrap |
Trade name for anodised black aluminium tin
foil, used for lighting control. |
Blanking |
The part of the video signal that contains
no picture information. |
Blanking |
That period of time during the TV scanning
of the raster when the beam is shut off as it returns to scan
the next line on either camera tube or receiver |
Blondie |
Trade name for an lanero Blonde, a yellow,
open faced two kilowatt lamp. |
Blowfly or Blowee |
Derogatory term used by ABC film/video crews
to describe TV Journalists |
B-Mode Edit |
An editing method where the footage is
assembled in the order it appears on the source reels. Missing
scenes are left as black holes to be filled in by a later reel.
Requires fewer reel changes and generally results in a faster
edit session |
Books, the |
The freelance technician's agencies books. |
Boom |
Fishpole, stick with a microphone attached
to the end. |
Boom swinger |
Operator of the microphone boom or fishpole. |
Bottle |
Lens. |
Bounce |
Reflected light. |
Bounce board |
Reflecter board. |
Bridging shot |
a shot (cut) used to cover a break in time,
or other break in continuity. |
Broadcast Quality |
An nebulous term used to describe the image
quality of miniDV no matter how bad it looks. |
Bubble |
Globe for lighting fixture. |
Bug (1) |
A computer program error. |
Bug (2) |
Something that bites you on a camping trip. |
Burn |
Blemishes or spots on camera tubes caused by
pointing the camera at very bright lights or the sun. |
Burned in Time Code |
Time code numbers that are superimposed on
the picture. |
Bus |
One complete channel of a video or audio
system. Frequently used in switchers and Special Effects
Generators. |
Buzz Track |
Recording of ambient sound, atmosphere
track. |
BWF |
Broadcast Wave Format - the standard audio
file format in the PC digital-audio world, which can be read by
any MAC/OS or WINTEL machine. Wave is the basic file format
Aaton has chosen for InDaw digitization files.The EBU Broadcast
Wave Format (BWF) adds a chunk that contains the sequence
description and the date & time of recording. |
Byte |
8 bits. The combination of 8 bits into 1
byte allows each byte to represent 256 possible values. (see
Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terrabyte) |
C ('Cee') Stand |
"Century" stand, for holding small props &
lighting effects. |
C Mount |
A standard screw thread for 16mm cameras,
also found on video cameras with interchangeable lenses |
C.C.D |
Charge Coupled Device. A solid state
electronic silicon chip used as an imager |
C.C.U |
Camera Control Unit. |
C.O.H |
Comfortable Operating Height, precise
distance from the ground to cinemalograher's eye without
stretching or discomfort. |
C.R.I |
Colour Reversal Intermediate, a single
generation laboratory negative duping stock, now no longer
available. |
C.T.D.M |
Compressed Time Division Multiplex. A method
of processing two video signals into one. Used in the Betacam
recorder with playback through viewfinder for checking the tape
has recorded properly. |
C.T.R |
Cold Tinnie Run, A mission for liquid
(alchoholic) refreshment. |
C.U |
Close Up. Shot framing only a small part of
an object. |
Capstan |
The roller in the VTR that governs the speed
of the tape transport |
Cardioid |
A heart-shaped microphone response. |
CBR |
Constant Bit Rate. MPEG video compression
where the amount of compression does not change. |
CCIR 601 |
The standard for digitizing component video
in standard definition. |
Cel |
Transparent plastic sheet used as a base for
animation or titles. |
Chroma |
The saturation of colour in a video signal. |
Chroma-Key |
A television device for matting one image
over another, where one colour (usually blue or green) in a
given scene is electronically replaced by another video input. |
Chrominance |
The color part of a video signal. |
Circle of Confusion (1) |
The zone around the on set monitor that
contains the Client, the Account Director and the Art Director |
Circle of Confusion (2) |
it's a calculation you can use to give a
lens an acceptable range of focus, or depth of field. |
Clapper |
the sticks that are slapped together in view
of the camera for the purpose of synchronizing film sound.
These are usually, but not always, attached to the slate and
appear at the head or tail of a sync sound take. |
Clapper Loader |
A person who looks after the operation of
the clapperboard and loads the camera magazines. |
Clapperboard |
or clapper Slate, hinged board used to
identify shot and scene and to mark a sync point on vision with
sound. |
Claw, pulldown claw |
A precision metal prong in the gate of a
film camera or projector that engages into the film sprocket
hole and pulls the film down to the next frame. |
Cleanser |
A cold, refreshing or cleansing ale (or beer
- also known as Brown Milk.) |
Closed Set |
See "Hair in the Gate Shot." |
Close-up |
(abbr. CU) a shot taken very close to the
subject ( or with the subject of the shot very large in the
frame), revealing a detail only. (i.e., the human face, or
hands). |
Coaxial-Cable |
A single-grounded one-conductor cable
frequently used for video connections. It has an impedance of
75 ohms. |
Coding |
once the workprint and sound stock (mag)
have been placed in sync, the rolls are coded with matching
yellow edge numbers so they can be matched up later once they
have been cut up into pieces. |
Colour Bars 1 |
A visual line-up or test pattern at the head
of videotape showing both luminance and chrominance to ensure
proper replay of tape. |
Colour Bars 2 |
Pubs that permit patrons of all
nationalities. |
Colour Burst |
A very accurately phased burst of high
frequency at the beginning of each scanning line. This
determines the colour of the signal |
Colour Grader |
or Colouriser. The person who grades or
matches the colour and levels of film either for print in the
laboratory on in Telecine for videotape. |
Colour Temperature |
The measure of the colour of a light source
by relating it to a theoretically perfect black body source of
radiant energy, measured in degrees Kelvin (0K.) ie |
Component |
A colour video signal consisting of three
wires Y, R-Y and B-Y, providing higher quality than that of a
composite signal. |
Component Video |
A video signal in which the Luminance and
Chrominance signals are kept separate. This requires a higher
bandwidth, but yields a higher quality picture. |
Composite Sync |
The complete sync containing both horizontal
and vertical sync signals. |
Composite Video |
The luminance and chrominance signals are
combined in an encoder to create the common PAL, NTSC or SECAM
video signals. |
Compositing |
Layering multiple pictures on top of each
other. A cutout or matte holds back the background and allows
the foreground picture to appear to be in the original picture. |
Compression |
The process of reducing the size of digital
information, usually by throwing out redundant information. Too
much compression can seriously damage image quality. |
Compression Ratio |
The ratio of the amount of data in the
original video compared to the amount of data in the compressed
video. The higher the ratio the greater the compression. |
Conforming |
the cutting of the OCN to match the final
cut of a film. |
Contact print |
a print made in a contact printer where the
original element and duplicate element actually are pressed
together at the point of expose (no lens involved). Workprints
and "dirty dupes" are made this way. |
Continuity of motion
|
the flow of action from one shot to the next
as it is placed on the screen at the cut point. Placing the
significant action at the end of a shot in the same area of the
screen where the significant action will begin in the next
shot. |
Contrast Ratio |
The range of brightness between the lightest
and darkest objects in a given scene. |
Control Track |
A signal recorded on video tape, similar in
principle to the sprocket holes on film, to allow the tape to
play back at a precise speed in any VTR. |
Cookie |
Cucoloris, a flag with cut-outs, to throw
patterns through a light path. |
Cross-cut |
the intercutting of shots from two or more
scenes so the fragments of each scene will be presented to the
viewers attention alternately. - see parallel action |
Crosstalk |
Unwanted breakthrough of signal from an
adjacent channel. |
CRT |
Cathode Ray Tube is the tech name for a
picture tube or the scanning tube in a flying spot telecine. |
Cucoloris |
See Cookie. |
Cut |
in editing, a single unbroken strip of film |
Cut (1) |
Stop shooting. |
Cut (2) |
An instant switch from one TV or film shot
to another. |
Cut (3) |
Old expression for TV executive expression
for loosing staff - see "Downsizing" |
Cutout |
(see under matte/chroma key) |
Cynch Marks |
Horizontal scratches on film usually caused
by poor winding. |
D.A.F |
Done, Arranged, Fixed. |
D.B.O |
Dead Black Out. |
D.C |
Direct Current. |
D.C.C |
Dynamic Contrast Control. A circuit on CCD
cameras for obtaining detail in an overexposed scene. |
D.C.M |
Don't Come Monday, subtle way of being told
your services are no longer required |
D.F.I |
Different or dumb F... Idea. Term used by
1st Assistant to indicate the Director has changed his mind
again. |
D.O.P |
Director of Photography. |
D1 |
It doesn't exist, so don't worry about it -
apparently D4 means something really bad in Japanese. |
D5 |
Digital video tape format using CCIR 601,
4:2:2 video and uses the same cassette as D3. |
D5HD |
HDTV recording format similar to above but
with 4:1 compression. Now regarded as the world standard for
HDTV programme interchange. |
D6 |
Toshiba / Philips HDTV uncompssed digital
component videotape |
D7 |
DVCPRO Digital component video tape - in
25mbit or 50mbit 4:1:1 or 4:2:2 on 6mm tape |
D9 |
JVC Digital S Digital component video tape -
on 1/2" tape |
DCT |
Discrete Cosine Transform. A widely used
method of video compression. Also an Ampex CCIR 601 digital VTR
using DCT to compress the video before recording it to tape. |
DDR |
Digital Disk Recorder. A digital video
recording device based on high speed computer disk drives.
Commonly used as a means to get video into and out from
computers. |
Decibel |
A logarithmic unit which expresses ratios of
powers, voltages and currents. The scale is.logarithmic. It is
commonly used for signal-to-noise ratios and for the evaluation
of sound volume. |
Dedolight |
Clever little 12 volt, fresnel light named
after its German inventor. |
Depth of Field |
The range of distances within which a
subject is in acceptably sharp focus at any given aperture and
focal length. See circle of confusion. |
Digitach |
Electronic box for controlling film camera
speeds. |
Digital (1) |
A form in which everything is defined by a
series of ones and zeros. |
Digital (2) |
A popularly overused word that if used often
enough makes the user appear up with the latest technical
trends |
Digital Betacam |
Digital video tape format using the CCIR 601
standard to record 4:2:2 component video in compressed form on
1/2" tape. |
Digital Betacam SX |
Digital component videotape in highly
compressed MPEG form (10:1) on 1/2" tape. |
Digitizing |
The act of taking analog video and
converting it to digital form. In 8 bit digital video there are
256 possible steps between maximum white and minimum black. |
Director |
The boss on a shoot, answerable only to the
Producer. |
Dissolve |
An optical transition where one scene fades
out over another scene fading in. |
Dissolve |
a gradual merging of the end of one shot and
beginning of another produced by the superimposition of a
fade-out onto a fade-in of equal length. |
Dolby |
Brand name for a noise reduction system for
film sound and audio. |
Dolly |
A device with wheels used for moving the
camera during a shot. |
Dolly shot |
a shot taken while the camera is in motion
on a dolly. |
Dope Sheet |
Cameraman's instruction sheet. |
Double System |
General expression for sound being recorded
separately to vision. |
Dropout |
A defect of tape or signal that causes
momentary interruption to audio or video. |
Dubb |
A copy from a master. |
Dubb Chart |
A sequential list of sounds, durations and
their sources used in sound mixing. |
Dubbing Mixer |
A sound engineer / artist who mixes the
soundtracks together. |
Dupe negative |
a negative element printed from a positive
print (an inter-positive). Release prints are printed from a
dupe negative. |
DVD |
Digital Video Disk. A compact disc format
for puting video on a 5" CD using MPEG-2 compression, with 5.1
surround sound digital audio. |
DVE |
Digital Video Effects. A device that can
manipulate the video image to create effects such as
spinning,page turns, picture resizing etc. Commonly used in
live broadcast applications |
E.B.U |
European Broadcast Union, a working group of
TV stations. |
E.E |
Electronics to Electronics. When the video
input of a VCR is connected to the output. |
E.F.P |
Electronic Field Production. The use of
small. high quality recording equipment for purposes other than
news gathering. |
E.N.G |
Electronic News Gathering. |
Earth Station |
A dish for reception of satellite
communication. |
Edge Numbers |
Eye readable numbers printed on the edge of
negative film 16&35 foot which allows frames to be easily
identified in an edit list. |
EDL |
Edit Decision List. A list of edit decisions
made during and edit session and usually saved to floppy disk.
Allows an edit to be redone or modified at a later time without
having to start all over again. |
Encoding |
Electronic circuitry which combines three
colour signals into one composite video signal. |
Erase Head |
The head on a recorder (either static or
rotating) which erases a previous signal on a tape during
recording. |
Ergs & Ohms |
Highly technical expression for things
electric. |
Establishing shot |
a shot used near the beginning of a scene to
establish the inter-relationship of details to be shown
subsequently in closer shots. |
Eurovision |
The EBU TV network which links all of its
members. |
F. Stop |
Number which indicates the relative aperture
of a lens at different iris settings. The higher the f-number,
the smaller the iris setting. |
F.A.C.T.S. |
Federation of Australian Commercial
Television Stations |
F.C.C |
Federal Communications Commission, the
regulatory body of American telecommunications. |
F.F.C |
Film Finance Corporation. Government film
funding body. |
Fade-in (1) |
(n.) a shot which begins in total darkness
and gradually lightens to full brightness. |
Fade-in (2) |
(v.) To gradually bring sound from
inaudibility to required volume. |
Fade-out |
the opposite of a fade-in.. |
Fang (1) |
Eat. (Let's have a Fang...). |
Fang (2) |
Drive quickly to somewhere (Fang over
to...). |
Field |
One half of a video frame - containing
either allthe odd or even scanning lines of the picture. |
Field |
Half of a complete TV picture. Two fields
when interlaced combine to make one frame. |
Fill (light) |
A light, not as strong as the key light,
that 'fills' in the shadows created by the key light. |
FireWire |
A digital I/O for miniDV into a computer for
editing |
Fishpole |
Microphone boom pole, a long stick with a
microphone attached. |
Flag |
Opaque, black piece of wood or metal used to
stop stray light hitting the lens or to modify lighting. Also
known as a French Flag when hanging off the camera. Flexfill |
Flyback |
The period during scanning when the electron
beam returns rapidly to the beginning of the next line. |
Flying Erase Head |
An erase head which is incorporated in the
rotating drum of a recorder. Essential for perfect electronic
editing. |
Focal Length |
The distance between the optical centre of a
lens and the surface of the CCD tube or film emulsion when the
lens is set at infinity. |
Focus Puller |
Person in charge of keeping the picture in
focus. |
Fog (1) |
Smoke used for effect & to lower contrast. |
Fog (2) |
Filter to simulate fog. |
Fog (3) |
Looking at a film before it's processed. |
Foley |
Creating sound effects in post production.
Named after Mr. Foley. |
Foley Boy |
US name for the union person on a movie set
that moves the greenery, and plants or foliage. |
Foofer Valve |
A highly technical description of an
electrical part that is unkown (ie: It has blown a Foofer
Valve). |
Foot Candles |
Light measurement. The illumination from one
candle power falling on one square foot of pure white surface
at a distance of one foot. |
Force process |
See Push (processing) |
Frame |
One complete video image. There are 25
frames in one second of PAL video, 30 frames in a second of
NTSC |
Frame (1) |
A single static picture on a film or tape. |
Frame (2) |
The border around a picture that sets a
'frame.' |
Frame Rate |
The frequency at which frames appear. |
Free Run (F. Run) |
When the timecode generator is running
continuously. Usually for time-of-day code. |
Freelance |
Unemployed. Your best mate at industry
parties. |
French Flag |
Rectangular black metal sheet for protecting
lens from stray light. |
Frequency |
The number of times an electrical signal
vibrates per second expressed in Hertz (Hz.) |
Fresnel (lens) |
A lens that acts similarly to a piano/convex
lens, but is thinner and lighter due to steps on the convex
side |
Fresnel (light) |
A luminaire embodying a lamp and a fresnel
lens with or without reflector, which has a soft beam edge. The
field and beam angles can be varied by changing the spacing
between the lamp and the lens. |
Front Porch |
Period of time in the video signal which
precedes the line sync pulse. |
G & B in the B.G |
"A bit Green and Boring in the Back Ground"
(Production Designer term). |
Gaffer |
Person or crew in charge of the lights. |
Gaffer Tape |
A sticky tough material tape used
universally for fixing everything, including medical
applications such as in-grown toenails. |
Gain |
The degree of amplification of an electrical
signal. |
Gate |
"Check the gate." The aperture and mechanism
that holds the film in a camera or projector during exposure or
projection. The check is to see that it is clear of foreign
bodies such as hairs. |
Gate's Clear |
The camera gate has no hair. |
Gel |
Gelatin. Commonly used for filters in light
and colour correction. |
Generation |
The fidelity of any recording is described
in times or number of duplications from the original, eg:
first, second or third generation, etc. |
Genlock |
The locking or enslaving of one or more
cameras to the sync of the master camera or SPG. |
Get More Men |
The jobs too big. Gaffer term. |
Gigabyte |
1 Billion bytes. |
GMT-S |
Optional device on set - ultra-small,
standalone 1ppm timecode generator designed to add frame
accurate timecode capability to digital audio recorders,
timecode slates, inserters and other less accurate timecode
devices |
Gobo |
A flag usually opaque that can be made with
diffusing material. An opaque diffusing cookie. See Cucaloris. |
Gofer |
A general term for a person on set who's job
it is to do (almost) anything that's asked. "To go for." |
Grade (colour) |
The colourimity of a scene and the
correction of this. |
Grip |
Person responsible for camera support &
tracking. |
Ground station |
A receiver and / or transmitter that can
recieve and/or transmit TV signals to a satellite. |
Guard Bands |
The gaps between video tracks on a tape
which prevent "crosstalk." |
H.H |
(Harold Holt) Hand held. |
H.M.I |
An acronym for Hg (Mercury), M (Medium Arc)
and I (Iodides). |
Hair in the Gate |
When the camera aperture or gate is
obstructed by a foreign object (such as hair). Checks usually
done at the end of each take. |
Hair in the Gate Shot |
Scene involving nudity and/or sexual
activity, real or simulated, often on a "closed set." |
HDTV |
High Definition Television. A TV format
capable of displaying on a wider screen (16x9 as opposed to the
conventional 4x3) and at higher resolution. |
Helical Scan |
Method of video recording in which a
rotating drum records a long diagonal series of tracks across
the videotape. |
Hertz(Hz) |
The frequency per second of any electrical
signal. Kilohertz (kHz) is one thousand Hertz, Megahertz (MHz)
is one million Hertz. (Also a Rent-a-Car Company). |
Hi Hat |
A bowl for fitting tripod head for low shot. |
Horizontal Resolution |
The number of vertical lines that can be
observed by camera or receiver in a horizontal direction on a
test chart. |
Horizontal Sync |
The sync pulses that control the
line-by-line scanning of the target. |
I.B.A. (1) |
Independant Broadcasting Authority, the
regulatory body of commercial British TV and radio. |
I.B.A. (2) |
Israeli Broadcasting Authority. |
I.S.B.R.M. Standards |
International 'She'll Be Right Mate'
Standards. |
Incandescent (lamp) |
Light produced by a conventional tungsten
filament lamp |
InDaw |
Computer-based audio sync station which
digitizes field DAT and 1/4" tapes to hard drive, JAZ and/or
CD-ROM to perform instant, on-the-fly audio sync transfers in
telecine |
Inkie |
100 watt fixture also known as a dinkie. |
Insert |
The replacement of part of one video image
by another. |
Insert Edit |
Electronic editing when either/or Video
signals are edited to an existing tape using existing CTL
signals. |
Interlace |
A process in which the picture is split into
two fields by sending all the odd numbered lines to field one
and all the even numbered lines to field two. This was
necessary in the early days of TV when there was not enough
bandwidth to send a complete frame fast enough to create a
non-flickering image. |
Inter-positive print (IP)
|
a fine grain print made from the conformed
original negative which retains the orange cast of the OCN. The
IP is used to produce subsequent dupe negatives. |
Iris |
The diaphragm in the lens which controls the
intensity of light reaching the CCD tube or film emulsion. |
ISDN |
Integrated Services Digital Network. Allows
computers to communicate over existing phone lines using a
digital telephone network at much higher speeds than are
possible with an analog modem. |
It's Just the Monitor |
Excuse used by crew when the client doesn't
like what he's seeing. |
Jeckelhead |
a country TV expression for a person of
inferior intelligence. |
Journo |
a drunk, a failed novelist. |
Journo (1) |
a reporter |
JPEG |
Joint Photographic Experts Group. A standard
for compressing pictures. |
Jump cut |
A cut which breaks the continuity of time by
jumping forward from one part of an action to another. |
Junket Pump |
Extension eyepiece. |
Kelvin Degrees |
The unit of measurement of colour temperatu
re 0K. |
Key (light) |
The main lightsource on a set providing the
moulding and basis for the scene illumination. |
Keying |
The matteing of one video image over
another. |
Keykode |
A barcode on the edge of motion picture film
thats the machine readable version of the film's edgecode which
can be read and inserted into video and an edit list. (flexfile
Aatonbase file) This info is for generating a negative cut list
from a video off-line EDL. |
KeyKode |
an extension of the latent edge numbers
whereby each frame is given a number. These numbers are
recorded as a barcode on the negative and can be read by a
special reader in the lab or transfer house. |
KeyLink |
a computer-based telecine device which reads
Keycode and AatonCode off the film during transfer, burns these
codes as windows and/or VITC on the video images, stores all
events related to the transfer in a database, and automatically
syncs the AatonCoded images to theirtime-correlated sounds. |
Kicker |
A lamp used to simulate the visible known
key source but not providing the actual key modelling light. |
Kinescope |
A film of a videotape. |
L.N.G |
Longitudinal Tracks in which audio, timecode
and control track signals are recorded. |
Lab roll |
rolls of OCN compiled by the lab for
printing which may consist of several camera rolls. |
Lag |
Image retention on a camera CCD tube when
shooting at low levels of illumination. |
Latent edge numbers
|
numbers that are printed onto the edge of
the negative by the manufacturer. These numbers print through
onto the workprint and are used by the negative matchers
(conformers) to match the OCN to the final cut of the picture. |
Legal effects |
the lengths for fades and dissolves which
can be executed by most printers (16, 24, 32, 48, 64 and 96
frames). |
LEMAC |
Camel backwards. |
Letterbox |
Placing a wide screen image on a
conventional TV by placing black bands at the top and bottom of
the screen. |
Library shot |
a shot used in a film, but not originally
taken for that film. |
Line Frequency |
The number of horizontal lines scanned in
one second 15.625 kHz in UK and Europe, 15.75kHz in USA. |
Long Shot |
The entire scene in which the action of a
particular sequence takes place in which the subject appears
distant from the camera. |
Long shot (abbr. LS)
|
a shot taken from a considerable distance.
Often the LS serves as an establishing shot. (i.e., a human
figure taken so it is shorter than the height of the screen) |
Low-Con print |
a print that is made on a print stock which
has been flashed evenly white light prior to the image being
exposed on it. This yields a lower contrast print (brings up
the black levels) which in turn yields a more attractive video
transfer. |
LTC |
Linear Time Code. Time code recorded on a
linear analog track on a video tape. |
Luminance |
The black and white, or brightness, part of
a component video signal. |
Lux |
One lumen per square metre (1 foot candle
equals 10.76 lux.) |
M.O.E |
Massive Operator Error. |
M.S.T.O. or M.S.O |
Machine Smarter Than Operator. |
Macro Lens |
A close-up lens capable of very high
magnification. |
Mag stock |
magnetic sound recording stock which has
edge perforations that match those perfs. on the picture stock,
thereby allowing it to be pulled along with the picture at the
same speed and relative position. |
Married print |
a positive print which carries both picture
and sound on it. (sometimes called a composite print). |
Master Basing |
A popular tape editors term or habit. |
Master shot |
a shot which covers an entire piece of
dramatic action (usually a long shot, or wide shot). |
Matte (1) |
A cut out placed in a mattebox to create an
effect or to protect lens from stray light. |
Matte (2) |
A black & white high contrast image that
suppresses or cuts a hole in the background picture to allow
the picture the matte was made from to seamlessly fit in the
hole. |
Mattebox |
A device on the front of the camera to
contain filters or other special effects devices, protects the
lens from flare, and also contains mattes. |
Meat |
Deroggatory term for actors. |
Medium close-up (abbr. MCU)
|
a shot between a MS and a CU. (i.e., a human
figure taken from the chest up) |
Medium Shot |
Shot taken at normal viewing distance
usually from the waist to just over the top of the head. |
Medium shot (abbr. MS)
|
a shot between a LS and a MCU (i.e.,. a
human figure taken from the waist up) |
Megabyte |
1 million bytes. |
Mistracking |
Incorrect tape-to-head contact or tape-path
contact causing picture distortion as bursts of noise on
replay. |
Mixer |
A device for combining several audio or
video inputs. |
Modulation |
The process of adding video and audio
signals to a pre-determined carrier frequency. |
Monapod |
A single legged camera support for hand held
cameras |
Monkey Cam |
A form of wobblecam - a US developed method
by Dave Letterman Show where they strap a small camera on a
monkey and let him loose into the audience, lighting grid, or
anywhere else he wants to go. |
Montage (1) |
the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated
shots or scenes which, when combined, achieve meaning (as in,
shot A and shot B together give rise to an third idea, which is
then supported by shot C, and so on), |
Montage (2) |
a series of related shots which lead the
viewer to a desired conclusion (as in, shot A leads to shot B
leads to shot C... leads to shot X; shot X being the outcome of
the sequence). |
MPEG |
Moving Picture Experts Group. A standard for
compressing moving pictures. MPEG 1 uses a data rate of 1.2
Mbps (Mega Bits per Second), the speed of CD-ROM. MPEG 2
supports much higher quality with a data rate (also called bit
rate) of from 2 to 10 Mpbs. MPEG 2 is the format most favored
for video on demand and DVD. |
Mute (shot) |
Shot taken without sound, picture only. |
Mute print |
a positive print which carries the picture
only (silent print). |
N.B.C |
National Broadcasting Company, a major
U.S.A. TV network. |
N.B.G |
Abbreviation for No Bloody Good. |
N.D. Filter |
Neutral Density Filter. A filter which
reduces the brightness of a scene without affecting its colour
balance. |
N.H.K |
Nippon Hoso Kyokai, Japan's largest public
broadcaster. |
N.L.E. |
Non Linear Editor - ie Avid Lightworks |
N.T.S.C. (1) |
National Television Standards Committee of
the Federal Communications Commission. The colour TV system. in
the U.S.A., Japan and other countries. Consists of 525
horizontal lines at a field rate of 60 fields per second. (Two
fields equals one complete Frame). Only 487 of these lines are
used for picture. The rest are used for sync or extra
information such as VITC and Closed Captioning. |
N.T.S.C. (2) |
Never Twice the Same Colour, what US TV
looks like to a PAL viewer |
Nagra |
legendary 1/4" Tape analogue audio recorder. |
Namatjira |
"Every Frame a Namatjira". Australianised
version of "Every Frame a Rembrandt." An expression used by the
D.O.P. to describe the poignancy of the moment captured on
celluloid or oxide. (Mr A. Namatjira being one of Australia's
greatest painters.) |
Nancy Light |
Work Light |
Negative |
Opposite image to positive, whites are
black, blacks are white. |
Negative film |
Filmstock when processed as a negative
records the reverse to the positive scene photographed. |
Ni-Cad |
Nickel Cadmium, type of rechargeable
battery. |
Noah's Ark |
Shark. This term used only on underwater
shoots. |
Noise |
Video tape grain. |
O.B |
Outside Broadcast. |
Off-Line Editor |
A low resolution, usually computer and disk
based edit system in which the creative editing decisions can
be made at lower cost and often with greater flexibility than
in an expensive fully equipped on-line bay.. |
OMF |
Format - Avid's Open Media Framework
database format for audio |
One for Kodak |
Another extra take for the sake of it after
you've just done your best one. |
On-Line Editor |
An editing system where the actual video
master is created. An on-line bay usually consists of an
editing computer, video switcher, audio mixer, 1 or more
channels of DVE, character generator, and several video tape
machines. |
Optical |
any device carried out by the optical
department of a lab using an optical printer. (i.e.,.
dissolves, wipes, double exposure effects). |
Optical printer |
used in printing the image from one piece of
film onto another by means of a lens. |
Optical Sound |
A photographic sound track, not magnetic,
printed down the edge of the film, either as a variable area or
variable density track. |
Opticals |
General term for effects on film from fades,
freeze frames, dissolves, superimpositions, split screens,
wipes, double exposures, title sequences, squeezing and
stretching. |
Original camera negative (OCN)
|
the negative film originally passed through
the camera. |
OriginC+ |
masterclock, timecode comparator and
independent 1ppm timecode generator; used for initialization
and monitoring of timecode equipment during a production. |
Oscilloscope |
An electronic test device used to view
voltage waveforms using a cathode ray tube. |
Oxide |
The magnetic particles that record sound and
vision on conventional tape. Now being replaced by metal and
metal-evaporated formulations. |
P.A.L. (1) |
Phase Alternating Line, the TV system of
Australia, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore
and other countries. Consists of 625 horizontal lines at a
field rate of 50 fields per second. (Two fields equals one
complete Frame). Only 576 of these lines are used for picture.
The rest are used for sync or extra information such as VITC
and Closed Captioning. |
P.A.L. (2) |
Perfection At Last. |
P.B |
Play Back. |
P.I.R.O |
Instruction to remove an object immediately
from the set, ie "PIRO that chair" Standing for "Piss It Right
Off." |
P.O.V |
Point of View shot. |
Painters, Patchers & Thatchers |
Final checks for make up, wardrobe & hair. |
PALplus |
A widescreen (16x9) television standard in
use in Europe that is compatible with existing 4x3 TV sets.
Non-16x9 TVs show the picture in a letterboxed form. |
Pan |
Shot taken by a camera pivoting from a fixed
position. |
Pan |
to rotate the camera about on its vertical
axis. |
Pancake (1) |
Type of flat makeup. |
Pancake (2) |
Flat but wide box. |
Parallel action |
a device of narrative construction in which
the development of two pieces of action are presented
simultaneously. |
Park the Tiger |
See Protein Surge. |
Parrot on a stick |
Red Head |
Picture Search |
The rapid scanning in vision only of a
recorded tape. |
PillarBox |
Is the term used for when you insert a full
frame 4x3 image into a 16x9 image - you have a black band on
the right and left side of frame. |
Pitch (film stock)
|
the spacing between perforations. |
Pitch (perforation) |
The distance between two successive
perforations on a film. |
Pixel |
Short for Picture Element. The basic unit
from which a video or computer picture is made. Essentially a
dot with a given color and brightness value. |
Plastic Cam |
Derogatory term for video camera. |
Poignant |
Term used by D.O.P. to best describe the
indescribable. Also see Namatjira. |
Poly |
Short for Polystyrene foam - sheets are used
for bouncing light. |
Portapak |
A portable, cheap and simple videotape
recorder. |
PPM |
Parts-per-million - refers to the accuracy
of the electronic crystal inside each timecode capable device
on set. The lower the number, the more accurate over time the
device. The more accurate the device, the less timecode drift
will occur over time. |
Pre Roll |
The process of running two tapes in sync in
preparation for an electronic edit. |
Prince of Darkness |
D.O.P. who uses excessive amount of lights. |
Producer |
He or she that is to be obeyed. |
Protein Surge |
Throw up. Also known as "Park the Tiger." |
Pull (processing) |
Underdeveloping film to decrease the films
effective speed, ASA. |
Pup |
500 watt lamp. |
Push (processing) |
Overdeveloping film to increase the films
effective speed, or ASA. |
R.A.I |
Radiotelevisone Italiana Italian public
service TV. |
R.F |
Radio Frequency. |
R.F. Adaptor |
A modulator for converting video and audio
signals into radio frequency for replay on a conventional
receiver. |
R.Run |
Record Run. When the timecode generator is
running only during record. |
R.S. (2) |
Rat shit. |
R.S. (3) |
Unbelievably bad or broken. |
R.S.(1) |
Really stuffed. |
Raster |
The pattern formed by the scanning spot of
an TV system. |
Redhead |
800 watt, open faced Q.I. light. |
Reflex (viewfinder) |
The cameras viewfinder allows the operator
to view a scene through the actual taking lens while filming. |
Registration Pin |
A pin that holds the film steady and still
in exactly the same position in the camera gate during each
exposure. |
Relational editing
|
editing of shots to suggest association of
ideas between them. |
Resolution |
Something film has lots of - the ability to
distinguish definition. |
Resolution Independent |
A term to describe equipment that can work
in more than resolution. Most equipment can do video resolution
some can do film resolution, but not both. Resolution
independent equipment can work in both. |
RET |
Return. A switch on the lens that allows a
return video signal to be displayed in the viewfinder. |
Reversal |
Filmstock that after reversal processing
delivers a positive image similar to the scene photographed. |
RGB |
Red, Green, Blue. The primary colors of
light. Computers and some analog component devices use separate
red, green, and blue color channels to keep the full bandwidth
and therefore the highest quality picture. |
Rock & Roll |
The ability of a projector and sound
follower/s to operate in sync in forward or reverse, usually
for the purpose of sound mixing. |
Rough cut |
first assembly of a film which the editor
prepares from selected takes, in script order, leaving the
finer points of timing and editing to a later stage. |
Rushes |
prints made immediately after a day's
shooting so they can be viewed the following day. (a.k.a.
dailies) |
Rushes (dailies) |
The unedited or selected go takes of the
film or videotape. |
R-Y/B-Y |
Red minus luminance/Blue minus luminance.
See Component. |
S.B.D |
Silent But Deadly. Unmentioned bad smell on
set. |
S.B.S |
Special Broadcasting Service, Australia's
ethnic broadcasting network. |
S.E.G |
Special Effects Generator. Unit in video
production to mix, switch or process video signals. |
S.N.A.F.U |
Situation Normal All F... Up. |
S.O.N.Y |
Abbreviation for Soon, Only Not Yet |
S.P.G |
Sync Pulse Generator. An electronic device
which generates reference sync pulses or colour black. |
S/N |
Serial Number. |
Sampling Frequency |
The number of sample measurements taken from
an analog signal in a given period of time. These samples are
then converted into numerical values stored in bytes to create
the digital signal. |
Saturation |
The intensity of colour in an image. |
Scene |
action that occurs in one location at one
time. |
ScriptLink |
PC based software programme for laptops,
designed to correlate script and slate related information
(film title, scene, take,camera roll, sound roll, camera ID,
good/no good take, and two comment fields) locked to to
AatonCode. |
SECAM (1) |
Sequentiel Couleur a Memoire. The French
colour TV system used in France, Russia and other countries. |
SECAM (2) |
Something Essentially Contrary to the
American Method. |
Sequence |
a series of shots or scenes which has a
beginning, middle and end (like a chapter in a book). |
Shakes-spear! |
Camera assistants lingo for "gates clear" |
Shot |
a recording of a single take. |
Signal to Noise (S/N) |
Signal to Noise Ratio. The ratio between the
video or audio signal and noise or interference. The higher the
S/N ratio the better the quality. |
Single System |
Sound recorded either optically or
rnagnetically on the one strip of film, simultaneously with the
picture. |
Skew |
Tape Tension. Incorrect skew results in
distortion at the top of the picture. |
Slate |
a board upon which key information about a
shot is displayed (i.e.,. scene and take numbers, title of the
show, whether it is day or night, sync or MOS...). This board
is held in view of the camera either at the head or tail of a
shot to identify it to the lab and to the editor. If it appears
at the tail of a shot, it will be held upside |
Smidge |
A smidge - to move a little bit. More than a
bee's dick. |
SMPTE |
Society of Motion Picture & Television
Engineers |
SMPTE leader |
a leader placed at the head of release
prints containing information for the projectionist and
featuring numbers which are black on a medium density
background. These numbers count down from 8 to 2 at 24 frame
intervals ending at the first frame of the "2" followed by 47
frames of black. |
SMPTE Timecode |
Society of Motion Picture & Television
Engineers industry standard format for video timecode
containing synchronizing data, hour, minute, second, frame data
and 8 groups of users bits. |
Sound stripe |
Stripe of magnetic oxide coating along the
edges of a film where magnetic sound can be or is recorded. |
Soup (1) |
Processing baths. |
Soup (2) |
Force Processing. Ie To soup one stop. |
Spanish Archer |
Elbo, remove from the set |
Splicer |
Device for joining film or tape. |
Split (1) |
See video split. |
Split (2) |
A split is where focus is set at a mid point
between two objects, using depth of focus both will be sharp. |
Spot meter |
A reflected light exposure meter with an
extremely narrow field of view that allows light readings to be
taken from a distance. |
Spun |
Material clipped in front of a lamp to
diffuse light. |
Stripes and noise |
TD talk for Bars and Tone |
Strobing |
or "Picket Fencing." A disturbing jumping
effect in an image, usually caused by panning or moving the
camera too quickly. |
Sub Carrier |
The frequency on which colour information is
modulated in a colour TV system: 4.43 MHz in UK/Europe, 3.58
MHz in USA/Japan. |
Suit |
The term for TV or Advertising Executive. |
Switcher |
A device for cutting from one video input to
another. |
Sync |
Synchronisation. The maintenance of one
operation in step with another, the vertical and horizontal
pulses that co-ordinate the TV scanning system. |
Sync pop |
a single frame tone placed on the sound
track so as to correspond with the "2" frame on the SMPTE
leader. |
Synchroniser |
A device used for keeping separate rolls of
film, filmsound or videotape and audiotape in sync with each
other. |
Synchronize (sync)
|
to place sound and picture in their proper
relationship. |
T. Stop |
T = Transmission. the effective 'f' stop of
a lens taking into consideration the light lost in its path
through the lens to the film plane. The 'T' stop always will
open the aperture wider than its corresponding 'f' stop. |
T.B.C |
Time Base Corrector. A device that corrects
mechanical and electrical errors from a VTR. |
T.C |
Time Code. An 80 bit digital signal used to
identify each frame of the videotape. |
T.D |
Technical Director. The person who looks
after the technical quality of the video image during
recording, usually uses the CCU. |
Tad |
A considerable amount more than A Bee's
Dick. |
Tail Slate |
Or End Slate. A device used by location crew
to annoy Film Editors. |
Take |
a recording of a single shot. |
Talkback |
An intercom system between cameras and the
director. |
Tally Light |
The light on a camera which indicates that
it is in use at a given moment. |
Tap |
Video split or video viewfinder on film
carnera. |
Tearing |
A distortion caused when horizontal sync is
lost or distorted. |
Technical tap |
Preliminary technical fault finding using
index finger. |
Techo |
See Wire Bender. |
Telecine |
The system or machine for transferring film
to videotape. (Often referred to as Telecine Chain). |
Telecinegog |
The place where film worshipers go to
transfer their film to videotape. |
Terrabyte |
1 trillion bytes. |
That way! |
Camera right DP direction. |
This way! |
Camera left DP direction. |
Tilt |
to turn or rotate the camera up or down in
shooting.. |
Time Code |
A time reference recorded on tape to
identify each frame. |
Timing |
the process of adjusting the color balance
for the printing of each scene once the negative has been
conformed. (also called grading) |
Tongue |
Travel sideways from a central axis point on
a camera crane. |
Treatment |
An outline of how the subject or storyline
of a film is to be presented. |
Tungsten Halogen Lamp |
Or Quartz Iodine lamp in which the
evaporating filament burning in halogen gas is redeposited on
the filament itself rather than on the quartz walls surrounding
it. This creates a longer operating life with less
discolouration and maintains better colour temp. |
Tweek |
Minute adjustment. |
U.H.F |
Ultra High Frequency. (300 to 3000 MHz).
Also used to refer to coaxial cable connectors. |
U-Bit |
Users Bit. A portion of the timecode signal
which allows the user to program alpha-numeric information. |
Ultimatte |
A trade name for a television matting
process especially suitable for film work. |
V.H.F |
Very High Frequency. Commonly referred to as
30 to 300MHz. |
V.H.S |
Video Home System. The 1/2 inch cassette
format developed by JVC. |
V.U. Meter |
Volume Unit Meter - a guage for measuring
audio levels. |
Vapourware |
Software or hardware that is talked about,
but may never actually appear. |
VBR |
Variable Bit Rate. MPEG video compression
where the amount of compression can be varied to allow for
minimum degradation of the image in scenes that are harder to
compress. |
VCR |
Video Cassette Recorder. |
Vectorscope |
An oscilloscope that only displays the
chroma information of the video signal. |
Vertical Sync |
The sync pulse which controls the
field-by-field scanning of the target area. |
Videotape |
A strip of polyester coated with magnetic
oxide. |
VITC |
Vertical Interval Time Code. Timecode stored
in the vertical interval of the video signal. It the advantage
over LTC of being readable by a VTR in still or jog. V.T.R:
Video Tape Recorder. |
W.I.F.T |
Women In Film & Television. |
Warm Props |
Actors: 1st AD term. |
Waveform Monitor |
An oscilloscope designed to show the TV
Waveforms. |
Wet Gate |
A device used on a film printer to emerse
the negative and print stock in fluid to reduce or hide
scratches on the subsequent print. |
Whoopy Cushion |
Flexfill Collapsible Circular Reflector. |
Wipe |
The term in special effects when one image
replaces another on the screen with a hard-edged boundary
between the two. |
Wire Bender |
Or Wire Twanger. An Electronics Technician
(Techo). |
Wobble Cam |
Fashionable shakey cinematography. |
Wrap |
It's a Wrap, or to Wrap: The call at the end
of a shoot to pack everything up, the moment the crew longs
for, the moment the crew all ring their agents. |
X.Y. Zoom |
Horizontal and vertical panning featuree of
a digiscan telecine chain. |
Y |
The symbol for the luminous portion of a
colour video signal. See Component. |
Zed |
A quick kip between shots |
Zoom Lens |
A lens of variable focal length and
therefore variable angle of view. |