Glossary of Film Terms

Straightforward, student-friendly definitions. Use the A–Z buttons to show only terms that start with that letter. Click All to reset.

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Film Production Roles and Stages
Cinematography
Lighting & Color
Editing & Post-Production
Sound & Music
Screenwriting & Storytelling
Distribution & Release
Set Lingo

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Film Production Roles and Stages

From idea to release: pre-production, production, and post. Who does what, and when.

1st AC (Focus Puller): Sets and pulls focus; maintains camera and lenses.
1st AD / 2nd AD: 1st AD runs the set and schedule; 2nd AD builds call sheets and manages base camp.
2nd AC (Clapper Loader): Slates shots and manages media/cards or film mags.
A-/B-/C-Camera: Primary and additional camera units on multi-cam shoots.
Above the Line / Below the Line: Creative leadership costs vs. the rest of the crew and resources.
Armorer/weapons master: Manages all real and prop weapons; enforces safety.
Backlot: Outdoor standing sets on studio property.
Base Camp / Unit Base: Staging area for trucks, makeup, wardrobe, and holding.
Background Actor / Extra: Performs non-speaking roles to fill scenes.
Blocking: Planned actor and camera movement in a scene.
Call Sheet: Daily plan with call times, locations, and contacts.
Call Time: When each person must be on set and ready.
Camera Operator: Physically operates the camera under the DP.
Casting Director: Finds and auditions talent with director and producers.
Cast: All actors in the film, from leads to background.
Cinematographer / Director of Photography (DP): Crafts the look with lenses, framing, and lighting.
Clapperboard: A clapperboard (often called a slate) is the board you see at the start of a take that shows key info like production title, scene, take, date, and camera/sound roll. The hinged “clap” sticks at the top get snapped shut to create a sharp visual and audio spike.
Composer: Writes the original score.
Coverage (Shooting): Extra angles and sizes to give the editor options.
Craft Services: Snacks and drinks between meals for cast and crew.
Crew: Behind-the-scenes workforce across all departments. Often divided into below-the-line and above-the-line crews.
Dailies (Rushes): Footage from that day reviewed by key creatives.
Day Out of Days (DOOD): Chart tracking each cast member’s workdays.
Day Player: Actor hired for a single day or a short run of days.
DIT / Data Wrangler: DIT manages image pipeline and on-set color; wrangler backs up and tracks media.
Director: Leads the creative vision and performances.
Dolly Grip: Builds and operates the dolly and track for moving shots.
Executive Producer (EP): Top-level financier or partner; oversees deals and big-picture choices.
Film Editor: Assembles and refines footage into the final cut.
Gaffer / Key Grip / Best Boy: Heads of lighting and grip; their lead assistants.
Greenlight: Official go to finance and make the project.
Grip: Builds rigs, lays track, and moves or supports camera gear.
Line Producer (LP): Runs the budget and day-to-day operations.
Lockup: Crew controlling an area so sound and picture are protected.
MOS: Shooting picture without recording sound.
Post-production: Editing, sound, color, VFX, and delivery.
Pre-production: Planning the script, budget, casting, locations, and schedule.
Principal Photography: Main period of shooting with lead cast.
Producer: Oversees financing, logistics, schedule, and delivery.
Production: The shoot phase when scenes are filmed.
Production Assistant (PA): Entry-level crew supporting departments, paperwork, runs, and lockups.
Production Designer: Builds the film’s visual world: sets, locations, props, and style.
Production Pipeline: Steps from development through delivery.
Production Value: On-screen polish created by resources and craft.
Prop: On-screen object handled by actors
Propmaker: propmaker builds custom items.
Prop master: The head of the props department.
Screenplay / Script: The written blueprint of dialogue and action.
Screenwriter: Writes the screenplay.
Screener: Advance copy sent to press, voters, or partners.
Script Supervisor: Tracks continuity, dialogue, and notes for editorial.
Showrunner (TV): Head writer–producer with final creative authority on a series.
Sides: Printed script pages for the day’s scenes.
Slate (Clapperboard): IDs the shot and syncs picture to sound.
Sound Designer: Plans and builds the film’s audio world.
Storyboard: Drawn panels that plan shots and action.
Tail Slate: When you film the clapperboard at the end of a take, instead of at the start. It’s also called an end slate or end board. On set, the slate is often held upside down as a quick visual signal to the editor that it’s a tail slate, not a normal “head” slate.
Test Screening / Pre-screen: Early audience showing to gather feedback.
Wrap: End of the shoot day or end of production.

Cinematography (Camera & Visual Elements)

Know standard shots, camera moves, lenses, and visual language.

American Shot: See Cowboy Shot
Anamorphic vs. Spherical: Anamorphic squeezes wider images and flares; spherical is cleaner and standard.
Apple Box: Wooden box to boost talent, props, or crew reach.
Aspect Ratio: Image width to height, e.g., 1.85:1 or 16:9.
Bird’s-eye Shot: Overhead view from high above the subject.
Bounce Board: Reflective surface to bounce and soften light.
C-Stand (Century Stand): Heavy stand for flags, nets, and diffusion.
Camera Angle: Position and angle of view:
- Eye Level: Neutral, at subject’s eye height.
- High Angle: Looks down; subject feels smaller.
- Low Angle: Looks up; subject feels larger.
Camera Left / Camera Right: Directions from the camera’s point of view.
Check the Gate: Old film check for hairs or debris after a take.
Close-Up (CU): Tight on face or detail for emphasis.
Composition: Placement of elements inside the frame.
Cowboy Shot (American Shot): Mid-thigh up to the top of the head, framed to keep the holster/weapon area in the shot (classic Western framing). It overlaps with 3/4 shot and MLS, but the “cowboy” idea is that the holster/hip area stays visible.
Crane / Jib: Arm that moves the camera smoothly in space.
Deep Focus: Foreground to background sharp at once.
Depth of Field: Range that appears in focus; shallow vs. deep.
Dolly Zoom (Vertigo Shot): Zoom opposite a dolly move to warp perspective.
Dutch Angle (Canted Angle): Tilted horizon to create unease.
Establishing Shot: Usually wide to set location and context.
Extreme Close-Up (ECU): Very tight on a small detail.
EWS / ELS (Extreme Wide / Long Shot): Very wide view; subjects are tiny or absent.
Follow Shot: Camera moves to keep a moving subject framed.
Frame: Single image (or the image borders and composition).
Freeze Frame: Hold one frame to pause action.
Full Shot (FS): Frames a person head-to-toe.
Gate (Camera Gate): Opening where image hits film or sensor.
Gobo / Cucoloris (“Cookie”): Cut-out shaping or breaking light.
Handheld Shot: Operator-held camera for a raw, urgent feel.
Insert: Tight shot of a key detail or object.
Lens Flare: Streaks or blooms when strong light hits the lens.
Long Shot / Wide Shot (LS / WS): Full body plus environment.
Long Take (Oner): Unusually long shot without a cut.
Master Shot: Covers the whole scene from one angle.
MCU: Medium Close-Up, chest/shoulders-up. Sometimes referred to as a 3T shot (set slang) = a tight chest-up framing. The “T”s are slang (commonly explained as teeth, throat, tits)
Medium Shot (MS): Waist-up framing for balance of subject and context.
Mise-en-scène: Everything placed in front of the camera and how it’s arranged.
MLS: Medium Long Shot, knees-up (often overlaps with 3/4 / American / cowboy shot in some vocab lists)
Normal Lens: Mid focal length; natural perspective.
Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS): Over a shoulder toward the subject.
Overcranking / Undercranking: Record faster or slower for slow or fast motion.
Pan: Horizontal pivot from a fixed position.
Pan-and-Scan / Pillarboxing: Reframe widescreen for narrow screens / add vertical bars.
Point-of-View Shot (POV): What a character sees.
Prime vs. Zoom Lens: Fixed focal length vs. variable focal length.
Push-In / Pull-Back:Camera moves closer to or away from the subject.
Rack Focus: Shift focus between subjects in one shot.
Scene: Continuous action in one place or time.
Sequence: Linked scenes that form a unit.
Shot: Continuous view from one camera setup.
Static Shot: Locked-off camera with no movement.
Steadicam / Gimbal: Stabilizers for smooth motion.
Take: One recording of a shot.
Telephoto Lens: Long focal length; compresses space and isolates.
Three-Shot: Frames three characters together.
Tilt: Vertical pivot from a fixed position.
Time-lapse: Capture at intervals so long changes play quickly.
Tracking Shot / Dolly Shot: Camera moves through space on a path.
Two-Shot (2S): Frames two people together.
Whip Pan (Swish Pan): Very fast pan that blurs between subjects or scenes.
Wide-Angle Lens: Short focal length; expands space and deepens perspective.
Worm’s-eye View: Very low angle looking up.

Lighting & Color

Use light to shape depth, mood, and clarity.

Available / Ambient Light: Light already present at the location.
Back Light: From behind to separate the subject from the background.
Barn Doors: Metal flaps to shape a light’s beam.
Butterfly: Placing the key light above and close to being centered in front of the subject, angled downward. That causes a distinct “butterfly‑shaped” shadow beneath the nose.
Chimera (Softbox): Fabric box that diffuses a light into a soft source.
Color Correction: Fix and balance color to a natural baseline.
Color Grading: Adjust color and contrast in post to set the look.
Color Temperature: Warmth or coolness of light (Kelvin).
Colorization: Adding color to black-and-white footage. Early films used hand-painting or stencils. Today, digital tools and AI apply color automatically. Used in the past to attract viewers. Now used for restoring old films, updating archives, and making historical footage feel more current.
Day-for-Night: Shoot in day and light/grade to look like night.
Fill Light: Softer light that reduces shadows from the key.
Gel: Colored or diffusion sheet placed on a light.
Hard Light / Soft Light: Crisp shadows vs. diffused shadows. See also diffused lighting.
High-Key Lighting: Bright, even light with low contrast.
Key Light: Primary light on the subject.
Low-Key Lighting: Strong contrast with deep shadows.
Redhead / Blonde: Open-face tungsten lights (~800W / 2K).
Rembrandt Lighting: Small triangle of light on the cheek.
Three-Point Lighting: Key, fill, and back light setup.
Top Lighting: Light from above to sculpt or separate.
Tungsten Lighting: A warm, indoor-balanced light source that reads neutral at 3200K white balance and looks orange if you white-balance for daylight.

Editing & Post-Production

This is where rhythm, clarity, and structure lock in.

30-Degree Rule: Shift the camera ≥30° between similar shots to avoid a jumpy cut.
180-Degree Rule: Stay on one side of the axis of action for consistent screen direction.
Axial Cut: Cut straight in or out along the lens axis.
B-roll: Supplemental footage intercut with main shots.
CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery): Computer-made visuals added to the film.
Continuity Editing: Seamless, clear progression across cuts.
Cross-Cutting / Parallel Editing: Alternate between separate actions to link or build tension.
Cross-fade (Video): Overlap fade between shots; a type of dissolve.
Cut: Instant change from one shot to the next.
Cutaway: Brief cut from main action to a related detail, then back.
Director’s Cut: Edit to the director’s preferred vision.
Dissolve: One shot fades out as the next fades in.
Eyeline Match: Cut matches a character’s look to what they see.
Fast Cutting: Many short shots to raise pace or energy.
Fade In / Fade Out: Image appears from or disappears to black.
Final Cut: Locked, release version of the film.
Green Screen: Shoot on green for later background replacement.
J-Cut / L-Cut (Split Edit): Audio leads or lags the picture across a cut.
Jump Cut: Skip forward within a continuous shot.
Letterboxing: Black bars added to preserve wider aspect ratios.
Match Cut: Cut linked by similar action or shape (e.g., match on action).
Match Moving: Track camera motion so the CGI fits live-action plates.
Montage: Short shots cut together to condense time or ideas.
Picture Lock: Edit is final; only sound and color remain.
Reaction Shot: Cut to a character’s response.
Rough Cut: Early assembly to judge flow and structure.
Rotoscoping: Frame-by-frame tracing to isolate and actor (fx with the roto brush tool) or animate elements (rotoscope animation).
Screen Direction: Keep left–right movement consistent across cuts.
Shot–Reverse Shot: Back-and-forth coverage for dialogue.
Smash Cut: Abrupt cut to a contrasting scene.
Special Effects (SFX): Practical or digital tricks to sell the illusion.
Split Screen: Two or more images share the screen.
Timecode (SMPTE): Frame-accurate timestamp for syncing and logs.
Wipe: New shot replaces the old with a moving edge.

Sound & Music

Sound sells space, tone, and clarity.

ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement): Studio re-record of dialogue.
Ambient Sound / Atmosphere: Background noise that sets place.
Boom Pole: Pole used to position a mic above action.
Dialogue: Spoken lines between characters.
Diegetic Sound: Sound from the film’s world that characters hear.
Foley: Performed sound effects recorded to picture.
Lavalier (Lav): Small mic clipped or taped to talent.
Location Sound (Production Sound): Dialogue or ambience recorded on set.
Non-diegetic Sound: Sound added for the audience (score or narration).
Off-Screen Sound: Diegetic sound from a source not in frame.
Score: Original background music composed for the film.
Shotgun Mic / Boom Op: Directional mic on a pole and the operator who runs it.
Sound Editing vs. Sound Mixing: Editing builds and arranges; mixing balances and blends.
Sound Effects (SFX): Audio added to enrich or emphasize action.
Sound Editor: Builds dialogue, effects, and backgrounds.
Sound Report: On-set log of takes, mics, notes, and issues.
Soundstage: Sound-controlled stage for clean recording.
Soundtrack: The film’s collection of music and overall audio.
Sync Sound / Double-System: Picture and sound recorded separately and synced.
Voice Acting / Voice Actor: Performance using voice only.
Voice-Over: Narration heard over the scene.
Wild Track: Clean background sound recorded without camera.

Screenwriting & Storytelling

Write with clear structure, goals, and visual action.

Antagonist: Character or force opposing the protagonist.
Axis of Action: Imaginary line that keeps screen direction consistent.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Character speaks directly to the audience.
Climax: Peak of tension when the main conflict breaks.
Cold Open: Scene before titles to hook viewers.
Conflict: Central struggle driving the story.
Exposition: Background info that sets up the story.
Genre: Category defined by style, form, or content.
Hook: Catchy core idea that makes people want to watch.
Kuleshov Effect: Meaning created by placing two shots back-to-back.
Motif: Repeated element that supports a theme.
Narrator: Voice or character who tells the story.
Pitch: Short verbal sell of the project’s core idea.
Plot Device: Tool that moves the story forward.
Point of View (POV) in Storytelling: Perspective the story follows.
Protagonist: Main character driving the plot.
Resolution: How the conflict settles; the new normal.
Reveal: New info that changes what we think we know.
Spec Script: Uncommissioned script written to sell the idea.
Suspension of Disbelief: Audience willingness to accept the fiction.
Symbolism: Object or action that represents a larger idea.
Theme: Central idea the story explores.
Three-Act Structure: Setup, confrontation, resolution.

Distribution & Release

How films reach audiences.

Distribution: Getting the finished film to audiences across platforms.
Feature-Length: Long enough to be the main program (about 75+ minutes).
Limited Release / Wide Release: Small regional rollout vs. nationwide launch.
Trailer: Short promo that teases story, tone, and stakes.
Trailer House: Company that cuts trailers and marketing spots.

Set Lingo

Short, common set phrases and radio calls.

Radio Protocol & Phrases

10-4 / Copy: Message understood.
20: Location (e.g., “What’s your 20?”).
[Name] for [Name] / Go for [Name]: “Chris for Sarah” to reach someone; “Go for Sarah” to respond.
Eyes On: Subject spotted or asking if someone sees the subject.
Flying In: Person or item is on the way.
Go Again / Come Back On That: Repeat the message.
Keying: Holding the talk button by accident.
On It: Task acknowledged and in progress.
Out: Finished communicating.
Over: Awaiting reply.
Radio Check / Walkie Check: Test your radio; reply “Good check” or “Loud and clear.”
Rolling / Speed: Camera and sound are recording and at speed.
Stand By: Wait.
Standing By: Waiting for instructions.
Switching: Changing radio channel.

Breaks

10-1: Quick bathroom break.
10-2: Longer bathroom break.
Going Off Radio: Turning off the radio.

Recording a Shot

Final Checks / Last Looks: Last chance to fix hair, makeup, wardrobe, or props.
Going for a Take: Preparing to record.
Lock It Up: Secure the area for sound and picture.
Reset / Back to One: Return to starting positions.
Roll Camera / Turnover: Start recording.

Additional Lingo

Bogies: Unwanted people on set.
ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
First Team: Principal actors.
Hot Brick: Fully charged battery.
Kill: Turn something off.
Second Team: Stand-ins for principal actors.
Stepping Off: Leaving set or going off radio.
Stinger: Extension cord.
Strike / 86: Remove an item or person.
Traveling: Requested person or item is on the way.

Common Terms for Shot Setup

Abby Singer: Second-to-last shot of the day.
Baby Legs: Short tripod legs.
Choker: Tight close-up.
Four-Banger: Trailer with four doors: production room, dressing room, bathroom.
Hot Points: Warning that grips carry something with pointed ends.
Martini: Last shot of the day.
Pick Up: Retake that starts part-way through the beginning.