The Glossary of Cinema

Jargon BustersThe language of cinema is universal but most of it was coined in the US and UK. Here's an idiot's guide to understand cinema jargons. We list the most common glossarys but please feel free to add and suggest more jargon busters.

TERM DEFINITION

B-Movie

Low-budget feature film. The term was first used in the 1930s in the United States to refer to films shot quickly and cheaply, often back-to-back, and consequently lower in quality than major productions.

Boom
Adjustable pole that supports the microphone, for use in film, television, and radio production.

Cameo

Supporting role that brings added significance to the film, or enhances its prestige, due to the expertise or reputation of the actor.

Camera Operator

Technician who, following the instructions of the director and director of photography, uses the camera to shoot the film, often aided by one or more assistants.

Cast and Crew Personnel who take part in the making of the film. Cast refers to the actors and performers appearing in front of the camera; crew to the technical staff-for example: the director of photography, the camera operator, the editor, the make-up artist.

Casting Search for and selection of the leading and character actors, and the extras, who make up the cast of the film.

Celluloid Highly flammable plastic used in the manufacture of film stock.

Clap

Immediately after the camera and sound recorder have started running, identifying information is spoken in a loud voice by the clapper person and the bar on the clapperboard is snapped shut, making a clap sound, which can later be used to synchronize the image and sound.

Clapperboard

Wooden or plastic board with a hinged bar, used to make a clap sound and to indicate the shot number and other important information, so that each take may be identified correctly in the editing phase.

Close-Up Image showing the head and shoulders only. A big close-up shows the face in closer detail, or a part of the face or body.

Direct Sound

Sound that was recorded at the same time as the shooting, used in the final version of the film without resort to post-production dubbing.

Director Principal creative decision-maker behind the film, sometimes called an auteur in film theory, responsible for the creative and logistical choices that combine to produce the finished film.

Director of Photography

Head of the camera department, responsible for achieving the visual style and lighting effects in accordance with the shooting script planned with the director.

Dolly

Apparatus consisting of a wheeled chassis and a mount upon which the camera is supported. The dolly allows complex shots to be achieved through fluid forward, backward, and sideways movement.

Dubbing

Replacement of original dialogue with alternative sound recorded after
filming has been completed. Dubbing, carried out in a dubbing theatre,
is used to provide translated versions of films for distribution in
foreign countries or in order to improve recordings of poor quality.

Editing

Selection and assembly of the shots taken during the course of filming.
The editing is essential to the outcome of the film, determining its
narrative structure and rhythm.

Extras
Non-actors who appear alongside the cast in non-speaking roles.

Fade

Gradual emergence or disappearance of the image from or to black. The
effect is achieved by opening or closing the aperture of the camera. A
transition between two images may be made by means of a dissolve,
where the end of the initial image overlaps with the beginning of the
next, the one fading away as the other gradually appears.

Film Studio

Purpose-built space, designed with optimum acoustics and fitted with
lighting equipment for the recording of audio visual material.

Flashback

Introduction of a scene that breaks with the chronological sequence of
events, depicting incidents from the past. Flashbacks can be put to
many varied uses and enhance the film's narrative structure.

Frame

A film is made up of a succession of still pictures, each called a
frame, projected at a rate of 24 frames per second. The speed with
which these images follow, one after the other, creates the illusion of
movement.

Hand-Held

Shot taken by the camera operator using the camera alone, without any
additional equipment-such as a tripod or a dolly. Hand-held photography
is often used when time or equipment are scarce, but it can also be an
artistic choice, to give the film a realistic feel.

Location

Any place used for filming, other than a studio. The choice of location
involves many logistical issues-for example: the ease of transporting
technical equipment, the effect on the mood and look of the film, and
the difficulty of obtaining permission.

Medium Long Shot
Image that shows the human figure from the knees to the top of the head.

Pan
Shot that reveals space through the horizontal turning of the camera on a tripod.

Point-of-View Shot

Shot that coincides with the perspective of a particular character. In
most cases shots are objective, portraying the scene in a direct and
unmediated way, however in the point-of-view shot the gaze of the
spectator is identified with that of the character.

Projectionist

Technician who projects the film. The projectionist is responsible for
the operation and maintenance of the projector, and ensures that the
film runs smoothly and without interruption.

Reel
Spool around which the finished film is wound, stored in a flat metal can.

Remake

Term used to refer to a modern version of an already existing film. The
director reinterprets and adapts the story, taking the original version
as his starting point.

Reverse Shot
Shot taken from the opposite point of view to the one that preceded it, frequently used for shooting dialogue.

Rough Cut

In editing, the first assembly of all the shots into their appropriate
scenes, and the scenes in the order laid down in the screenplay.

Rushes

First print made of the day's filming, viewed by the director and
creative team to assess the results and decide if any reshooting is
required.

Screen Test
Short test film of a prospective actor made by the director to aid in casting decisions.

Screenplay

Written blueprint for the film. The screenplay contains all the
required information for the shooting of the film, including the
dialogue, and a detailed description of what happens in each scene.

Sequence
Succession of shots juxtaposed in terms of narrative, space, and time, beginning and ending in cuts or fades.

Set

Space designated for the staging and shooting of a film. The set may be
constructed in a studio, to represent interiors or exteriors, and is
built by a team of stage designers.

Shot (1)
Size of image to be filmed, corresponding to that in the viewfinder of the camera. Long shot or wide shot indicates a frame that encompasses a wide perspective; medium shot or medium long shot where the human figure fills the frame. The terms out of shot or off screen refer to people or objects outside the frame.

Shot (2)

A single unit of filmed uninterrupted action. During editing, several
shots are assembled in order to make a sequence. In contrast, the plan-sequence is composed of only a single long take.

Slow Motion

Effect produced in the camera and seen on screen when the film is
projected, whereby movement appears slowed down. This is achieved by
increasing the rate at which the film camera operates, above the normal
24 frames per second.

Soft Focus

Visual effect achieved by placing a special filter over the lens of the
camera, often to give a dream-like quality, or hide wrinkles in
close-up shots.

Soundtrack

Part of the film on which the sound elements are recorded, such as
dialogue and music. More commonly, 'soundtrack' is used to refer to the
film's music, which can be composed specifically, or made up of
previously recorded material.

Steadicam

Mechanical apparatus for supporting the camera, consisting of a frame
that is worn on the body leaving the camera operator great freedom of
movement, and resulting in extremely fluid shots.

Storyboard

Graphic representation of the screenplay, made in advance of the
shooting to aid in the composition of the shots and in the choice of
equipment to realize the film.

Synopsis

Written outline that contains the essential elements of the film's
plot. The synopsis is the written nucleus of the film and the starting
point for the writing of the treatment and screenplay.

Tracking Shot
Shot achieved by moving the camera forwards, backwards, vertically, or laterally, from a moving trolley (called a dolly), usually resting on metal tracks.

Trailer

Short advertisement, composed of key scenes edited together to give a taster of a coming film, to aid in its promotion prior to release.

Treatment

Written exposition of the film's plot, more detailed than the synopsis,
giving a detailed account of the events, characters, atmosphere, and
some examples of dialogue.

Voice Over

Words spoken as part of the film's dialogue or as a commentary when the
speaker is not visible in the shot. The function of the voice over can
be to give the film a literary feel or to clarify unclear elements of
the plot.

Zoom

Lens, with a variable focal length, that can increase the size of the
image being filmed without the camera having to be moved nearer to the
subject.