As with any professional group, film and video people tend to speak their own language. This glossary should help clarify the "buzz-words" when reading through proposals, treatments, and scripts, and when conferring with media production folk.

• ADO - Abbreviation for "Ampex Digital Optics", a trade name of Ampex Corp. A 3-D video digital special effects system. The name is often used generically to identify digital special effects.
• Aerial projection - A technique for producing visual effects in film.
• Aerials - Any shot made from a helicopter or airplane. A shot of a factory from the air would be an "aerial".
• AFTRA - Abbreviation for "American Federation of Television and Radio Actors", a bargaining organization for performing talent.
• Ambiance - The sound that is all around us. Our ear tunes it out, but not the microphone. A sound engineer will record location ambiance for use when assembling the soundtrack. See also "room tone".
• Animation - The creation of moving images graphically, without using live photography. Although much animation is still produced by drawing artwork on a frame-by-frame basis using cels, computer-generated animation is becoming more prevalent as system costs drop and quality improves.
• Answer print (film term) - The first print made by the lab from the edited film. The answer print serves as a check of the soundtrack, visual effects, and technical corrections (exposure, color, etc.), before release prints are made.
• Arri - The nickname for the Arriflex, a popular make of film camera.
• AVID - A digital non-linear video editing system that allows great flexibility in the assembly and reassembly of visual and audio elements of a presentation.

• Baby legs - See "lowboy".
• Barn doors - The flat metal plates on either side of a light, used to control the spill of the light.
• Bars - See "color bars".
• Bed music - A term which refers to music used continually under the narration.
• Beta SP - A videotape format used for video field production because it uses light, compact equipment, while producing high- quality images.
• Beta testing - Field testing of a CD-ROM prior to release to ensure there are no problems loading and running the program, and that it performs as designed.
• BG, bg. - Abbreviation for "background". With reference to music, the music is kept low, in the background. As a visual description, BG refers to anything in the background behind the main action.
• Broad - A lighting device which provides a wide source of soft light on the set.
• Burn, burn-in - A term sometimes used in place of "superimpose". As a video term, burn indicates an area of the picture that is too bright, causing a washout of the image.

• C-G - Abbreviation for "character generator".
• Camera original - The film or tape that actually passes through the camera when a shot is made. See also "field tape" and "raw footage".
• CD-ROM - Abbreviation for "compact disk, read only memory". A computer storage device using laser technology to store text, images, sound, etc. "Read Only" refers to the fact that the information can be accessed from the disk, but not altered. CD-ROM is used extensively for the distribution of interactive programs for information, training, and entertainment.
• Cel - The traditional piece of artwork used in animation. A cel is usually a sheet of clear acetate on which is drawn the cartoon character or other animated artwork. It may take 12 to 24 cels or more to cover one second of animated screen time. The generation of animation art is quickly becoming a computer-based activity.
• Character generator - An "electronic typesetter" which produces words that appear on the video screen. Character generators can produce a wide range of type styles in a variety of colors. See also "C-G", "Chyron".
• Chroma key - A system of mixing the images from two video cameras so it appears the action from one camera is occurring over the image from the other. (The evening weather report on TV is a good example of this technique. The map behind the weather person is inserted using chroma key.)
• Chyron - The trade name of a popular character generator. Many people use this as a generic term for any electronically- generated text. See also "C-G", "character generator".
• Clapperboard - See "slateboard".
• Close up - The camera appears very close to the subject; just the head of an actor, for example. Used to show detail, or to evoke emotional response from viewer. A close-up shot tends to draw the audience into the action. Abbreviation: "CU".
• Color bars - A series of vertical bars covering the entire color spectrum that are electronically generated on a video screen to check the color response of the system. Bars are usually laid down at the beginning of each videotape to serve as a guide to matching color when assembling shots from different tapes during editing. Also referred to as "bars".
• Component - A video format that records the various electronic elements of a shot onto separate information tracks. Referred to as "D1".
• Composite - A video format that combines the various electronic elements of a shot into a single information track. Referred to as "D2".
• Conforming - The process of editing the camera original so that it agrees, frame-for-frame, with the workprint. See also "negative cutting".
• Control track - An electronic signal recorded on each videotape cassette during shooting. The control track allows the editing machines to synchronize with one another.
• Cookie - See "cukaloris".
• Crawl - The superimposed words that move across a picture from side to side (such as a weather bulletin as seen on TV).
• CU - Abbreviation for "close up".
• Cukaloris - A large, flat piece of wood or metal with irregularly shaped holes cut in it. Placed in front of a light, it is used to create shadow patterns to break up large flat surfaces such as a wall behind the talent. Sometimes called a "cookie".
• Cut - A command used on the set to stop filming or taping. Also a script and editing term to describe the abrupt transition from one shot to the other.
• Cut away - A shot edited into the main action that is not, in itself, part of that action. Example: a reaction shot of someone watching an instructor performing a task would be a cut away.
• Cut in - A shot edited into the main action which is part of that action and used to show greater detail or a different aspect. Example: a cut in would be a close-up shot of a tool in the instructor's hand as a task is being performed.
• Cutting - A term used to describe the editing process. In film, the act of physically cutting the film. (In England, the editor is often referred to as the cutter.)
• Cyc - Abbreviation for "cyclorama".
• Cyclorama - A method of set construction that eliminates any seam between walls and floor. Properly lit, a cyclorama has infinite dimension: the action seems to take place in a void. See also "limbo set".

• D1 - See "Component".
• D2 - See "Composite".
• Digital editing - Editing of video and audio using digital technology. The process offers many advantages over analog systems: no loss of quality through progressive generations, flexibility in manipulating and rearranging material, etc. Such systems are often referred to by the manufacturer's name, e.g., AVID.
• Digital video effects - The term used to identify the broad range of special video effects created using digital electronics. Abbreviation: DVE. While the generic name of "digital effects" is preferred, many still use the older trademarks, such as "ADO" and "System 10", which are no longer being manufactured.
• DISS - Abbreviation for "dissolve".
• Dissolve - A visual effect in which one scene seems to melt into another.
• Double-system sound - A film term. Refers to the method of recording sound on a tape recorder separate from the film camera. See also single-system sound.
• Dub - A duplicate of a video or audio tape. (Film duplicates are referred to as prints.) Also refers to the practice of substituting new audio for that originally recorded during shooting; as to "dub in" a foreign voice.
• Dulling spray - An aerosol spray used to tone down the glare from a shiny surface.
• Dutch tilt - An off-level camera angle that makes everything in the frame appear tilted. First used by German directors in the 20s. (The term is a distortion of the word Deutsch for "German".)
• DVE - A trade name of NEC Corp., and also used generically to refer to any digital video effects.

• ECU - Abbreviation for "extreme close up".
• EFP - Abbreviation for "electronic field production".
• EFX - Abbreviation for "effects" or "special effects".
• Electronic field production - A term which goes back to the early days of video production to describe shooting on location as opposed to shooting in a studio. Abbreviation: "EFP".
• Extreme close up - A camera position used to show a high degree of detail. Abbreviation: "ECU''. A shot through a microscope, or one showing only an actor's eyes would be examples of an "ECU".

• Fade up - The image gradually appears from blackness until it establishes itself fully on the screen. An alternative technique is to fade up from white to establish the image.
• Fade, fade out, fade to black - The image seen on the screen gradually fades away.
• FG - Abbreviation for "foreground".
• Field production - See "electronic field production".
• Field tapes - The tapes that were actually recorded during videotaping. Similar to "camera original" in film production. Sometimes referred to as "raw footage".
• Film-style shooting - The practice of arranging scenes from the script so that they can be shot in the most efficient sequence.
• Fisheye lens - An extremely wide angle lens which creates a distorted circular image.
• Flatbed - A film editing machine that allows editing on a horizontal plane, as opposed to the more traditional vertical arrangement.
• Focus puller - A crew member who adjusts lens focus during a shot as the camera-to-subject distance changes.
• Format - Generally refers to the size of the recording medium used to record and assemble the elements of a presentation. 16mm film is an example. Video formats include VHS, Beta, super VHS, U-matic, 1-inch.
• Freeze, freeze frame - The image immediately stops moving, or freezes. The technique can be used for dramatic impact, or to clarify the action for training. Freeze frames with titles super- imposed are also very popular.

• Gaffer - A crew member who handles lighting. The term comes from the long pole with gaff hook used to adjust lights.
• Gel - Colored plastic material that is put over windows to balance daylight with interior lighting. Without a gel, a shot seen through a window from inside would appear blue.
• Gobo - A device attached to a light to control shadows.
• Graphics - Generally, drawn visuals as opposed to photographed images. A broad term referring to such things as text on screen, video effects used as transitions from shot to shot, and other electronic visual manipulation.
• Grip - A crew member generally in charge of props.

• High hat - A camera support comprising a tripod head only, generally attached to a piece of plywood, allowing the camera to get as close to the ground as practical.
• Hot switching - The process of assembling shots on a videotape by switching among more than one video camera during the actual shooting, thus saving on editing time. Sometimes called "live switching".

• "In the can" - A term that refers to a film or tape project being complete or just about wrapped up.
• Inset, insert - A visual effect in which a second image is inserted over a portion of the primary image. As an example, we are watching someone perform a task on camera. Suddenly we see the upper left quarter of the image replaced by an inset of the instructor talking about the scene we are watching.
• Interlock (interlock screening) - A film term. During the assembly of a film, the workprint which has no sound of its own is electro-mechanically synchronized with the soundtrack which is on a separate piece of film so that the two can be examined together.
• ITVA - The abbreviation for the International Television and Video Association, a professional group representing people in non-broadcast videotape production.

• Jimmy jib - A remote camera platform that enables the camera to shoot high- and low-angle scenes, and perform other camera moves relatively inexpensively.
• Jump cut - An editing term used to describe a visual discontinuity. For example, if 6 frames were removed from a picture of a person running, and the film or tape was respliced, the abrupt change in action caused by the removal of those frames would be a jump cut.

• Legs - A nickname for the tripod on which the camera is mounted.
• Library footage - Film or video footage purchased from a library specializing in such a service. Library footage is sometimes less expensive than having to go on location for the shot, but there is often a creative compromise made. Sometimes called "stock footage".
• Library music - Pre-recorded music that can be purchased or leased for use in films and videotapes. Library Music is usually less expensive than having original music written for the project; however, some degree of creative control is often lost. Don't be surprised if "your" piece of music shows up in a TV commercial or someone else's corporate production! Sometimes called "stock music".
• Limbo set - A set that seemingly has no dimensions; it appears to be infinitely large. See also "cyclorama set".
• Linear editing - Whether digital or analog, an editing system whereby each shot is assembled in a sequential manner, as compared with non-linear systems that allow for random assembly of image and sound.
• Live switching - See "hot switching".
• Locked camera - A shot where the camera does not move (no pans, tilts, zooms, etc).
• Long shot - A camera angle which covers a great deal of area. A shot of an entire football field would be considered a long shot. Abbreviation: "LS".
• Lowboy - A special tripod that allows the camera to be mounted very low to the ground. Also called "baby legs".
• LS - Abbreviation for "long shot".

• MCU - Abbreviation for "medium close up".
• Medium close up - A shot such as a person from head to mid-chest. Abbreviation: "MCU".
• Medium shot - A shot roughly halfway between a long shot and a close up. Abbreviation: "MS".
• Mix, mixdown - The combining of all the elements of the soundtrack (dialogue, music, sound effects) to make one master track.
• Montage - A term to describe a series of short scenes (or sounds) that meld into one another. A montage is a good way to show the passage of time or to cover a great many activities on screen in a short period of time.
• Morphing - From the Greek word relating to form. A visual effect in which one image changes to another: an egg smoothly transforms into a chicken, for example.
• MOS - A term meaning to shoot without sound. "Mit out sound" came from the German directors during the early sound days in Hollywood.
• Mosaic - A video special effect where an image is converted into small squares resembling mosaic tiles.
• Moviola - The trade name for a popular film editing machine.
• MS - Abbreviation for "medium shot". See also "medium close up".
• Music under - The music becomes softer than it was, receding into the background "under" the narrative, for example.
• Music up - The music becomes louder than it was, taking a prominent position on the soundtrack.

• Nagra - The trade name of a popular sound recorder used in the film and video industry.
• NARR - Abbreviation for "narrator" or "narration".
• Negative - As a film term, the "negative" is generally the camera original footage from which prints will be made. As a visual term, a negative image is the reverse of a normal image: black becomes white and white becomes black.
• Negative cutting - The process of editing the camera original film to match the workprint. See also "conforming".
• Noise - in video, a term that describes the presence of small white particles that appear in the image on the screen. Noise can be caused by too low a lighting level, or by electronic interference. Noise also refers to unwanted sound picked up during a recording.
• Non-linear editing - A system that provides great flexibility in assembling and reassembling the visual and audio elements of a presentation. See "AVID".
• NTSC - The videotape scanning system used in the United States. Videotapes made here for use in foreign countries will have to be converted to the PAL or SECAM systems, depending on their destination

• O - Abbreviation for "on camera".
• On camera - A descriptive term that means the person speaking appears in the picture. Abbreviation: "O/C". See also "voice over".
• 1-inch - A term that refers to videotape width. 1-inch tape is often used for high-resolution video production intended for broadcast or wide distribution.
• Opticals - A broad generic term for any visual special effects. Used primarily in film. Dissolves, super-impositions, and split frames are examples of opticals.
• Oxberry - The trade name of a popular film animation system. The name is used generically today for almost any film animation camera system.

• Page turn - A special effect in which the image appears to be turned, like a page of a magazine. See "squeeze frame".
• Paint box - An electronic special effects generator capable of producing a wide range of colors and hues.
• PAL - A video scanning system used in some foreign countries. See also "SECAM".
• Pan - A camera move from left to right or vice versa.
• Post-production - The activities involved with completing a film or video- tape once shooting is finished.
• Posterize - A special visual effect that produces a cartoon or poster-like image from a continuous-tone photographic image.
• Pot - An abbreviation for potentiometer, a device used to adjust the level of sound. "Pot the voice up" would mean to make the voice louder.
• Pre-production - All the activities involved with planning and organizing a film or videotape prior to shooting.
• Pull focus - The process of adjusting the lens during a shot to maintain focus as the camera-to-subject distance changes. See also "focus puller".

• Radio mic - Same as "wireless mike".
• Raw footage - The unedited original film or video footage. See "field tapes" and "camera original".
• Release prints - Duplicate prints made from the edited original film footage. (Copies of videotapes are called dubs.)
• Roll film, roll tape - A term used by the director to tell the camera crew to begin the shot.
• Rolling titles - A long list of words that "roll" across the screen, usually from bottom to top. See also "scroll".
• Room tone - A recording made of the ambient "quiet" sound in the recording studio. Room tone is used when editing the soundtrack, to maintain the level of ambiance during periods of no narration or dialogue. See also "ambiance".
• Rough cut - A term used to describe the first rough assembly or edit of a film or videotape.

• SAG - The abbreviation for Screen Actors Guild, a bargaining organization to which many performing talent belong.
• Scrim - A device to control the flow of light. Black scrims absorb light and are used to tone down reflections. White scrims can be used to create special moods.
• Scroll - Superimposed words that appear to move from bottom to top across the frame. See also "rolling titles".
• SECAM - A video scanning system used in some foreign countries. See also "PAL".
• Set - The location where a film or videotape is to be shot. A set can be in a studio or on location.
• SFX - Abbreviation for "sound effects".
• Shooting ratio - The ratio of the actual film or tape footage that goes through the camera to that which ends up in the final production. On average, corporate films and videotapes are shot with shooting ratios in the region of 4:1.
• Shotgun microphone - A long, rifle-shaped microphone that can pick up sounds from talent or objects 10 or 15 feet away. Useful when shooting documentaries and for interviews.
• Single-system sound - A film term that refers to an older system of recording sound and picture simultaneously on the same piece of film. See also "double-system sound".
• 16mm - The film format widely used for industrial films.
• Slate, slateboard - A board held in front of the camera just before action begins. The camera takes a picture of the board, which contains the shot number and other identifying data. In film, the slate also has a narrow hinged board on top that is brought down to make a loud, sharp sound, used to synchronize the soundtrack with the picture. Also called a "clapperboard".
• Sound effects - A general term to describe all audio other than voices and music, such as the sound of vehicles, weather, machines, etc. Abbreviation: "SFX".
• Speed - The word spoken by the sound or video technician to tell the director that cameras and recorders have stabilized and the shot can begin.
• Split frame - A visual effect that divides a frame into sections, with each containing a different image. A four-way split, for example, would divide the frame into four quadrants. Each quadrant may have a set of images or action inde- pendent of the other three.
• Squeeze frame - A special effect which gives the impression that the image is flipping or turning. See also "page turn".
• Steadicam - A trade name for a stabilized camera platform that permits the camera to be manually carried during filming and still produce a steady image.
• Sticks - A nickname for a tripod.
• Stock footage, stock library footage - See library "footage".
• Stock library music - See "library music".
• Storyboard - A large piece of art board containing a series of simple sketches that depict major scenes from the script. A very useful tool for explaining the media concept to a client, the talent, and the crew.
• Straight cut - An editing term to describe the splicing together of two shots so that the action moves abruptly from one to the other without any special effects, such as a dissolve or fade.
• Super impose, Supers - A technique which lays words or another image over the picture in a double exposure. Also called "burn-in". "Supers" is slang for "super imposed".
• Swish pan - A rapid camera move from left to right or vice versa, resulting in a blur. The technique is often used as a transition from one scene to another.
• Sync, sync up - Abbreviation for "synchronize".
• Synchronize - A term which refers to the interlocking of sound and picture, usually during filming and editing. Abbreviation: "sync".
• System 10 - A trade name of NEC Corp. for their video special effects system.

• Talent - A broad term which refers to actors, actresses, or anyone who performs for the camera or microphone.
• Talking head - A term used to describe a film or videotape featuring little more than a medium shot of a spokesperson. The term is not complimentary.
• Tape splice - The method of splicing film using perforated self-adhesive tape. Tape splices can be peeled off to make changes quickly.
• TelePrompter - A device which fits over the lens of a video camera and displays the script so that the talent can read the lines while looking straight at the camera.
• ¾-inch tape - A videotape format popular at one time for industrial productions. See also "U-Matic". This traditional format is being superseded by newer, smaller video formats.
• Treatment - A brief written description of the flavor and content of a media presentation. The treatment is prepared before the script is written.
• Trucking shot - A camera move. The camera moves along with the subject, keeping it centered in the frame, more or less.
• Turnkey operation - The term refers to having a production house handle the entire project, from concept through release prints and often distribution. Also referred to as "full service".

• U-Matic - A trade name registered to SONY Corporation for their ¾-inch videotape system.

• V/O - Abbreviation for "voice over".
• VHS - Abbreviation for "video home service", the prevalent 1/2 inch videotape viewing system.
• Voice over - A descriptive term that means the person speaking does not appear on camera. Abbreviation: "V/0".

• Wide shot - Same as long shot. Abbreviation: "WS".
• Wild sound - The sound recorded during shooting that is not frame-synchronized to the picture. Wild sound is generally used for ambiance and background.
• Wipe - A visual effect in which one image appears to push, or "wipe" another image off the screen. See also "squeeze frame".
• Wireless mike - A microphone that transmits its sound by means of radio waves rather than using a wire. It provides great mobility for the performing talent who doesn't have to worry about tripping over a mike cord. Also called a "radio mike".
• Workprint - A film print made from the camera original footage and used for editing, so that the original film can be kept safe from handling and scratching.
• WS - Abbreviation for "wide shot".

• Zoom lens - A single lens covering a wide range of focal lengths which permits framing a shot without having to physically move the camera.
• Zoom, zooming - The effect achieved by running a zoom lens through its focal range while shooting: the camera appears to move closer to, or farther away from the subject. Zooming, however, changes the perspective qualities of the picture and is used sparingly as a substitute for physically moving the camera.