Glossary

Acoustic the amount of resonance in a room.

Acquired material anything included in the production that you have not recorded or shot yourself.

Action cue used by the director to cast or presenter to start once the camera is rolling.

Actuality sound in radio the sound naturally occurring in a location.

Ambient sound the sound or ambience of a room – this could just be the silence.

Aperture the setting on a camera which controls the size of the iris and changes the amount of light coming into the camera.

Backlight a light behind the object in a camera frame. Gives depth to the image.

Big close up(BCU) very close shot of a person or object.

Blocking the process of setting the action in a scene, usually drama.

Camera left/right position of an object in the frame of a camera from the point of view of the camera.

Camera microphone a microphone that is either mounted on top of a camera or is integral to the camera.

Cans headphones.

Caption on screen text.

Cardioid microphone microphone that picks up more sound from the front and side than from the rear.

Casting choosing actors for roles.

Close up (CU) close shot of a person or object.

Closed questions questions that only invite a very short answer.

Colour balance method of combining the three primary colours correctly.

Commentary narration added to a programme.

Continuity the process of ensuring that props, costume and positions of objects and people remains consistent throughout the filming of a scene.

Continuity editing the process of editing in such a way that the viewer perceives the action as continuous.

Contrast the difference in the brightness of a scene.

Copy term used in advertising to describe the written/spoken element of the advertisement.

Copyright the rights that an individual or company might hold to reproduce written work, artistic work, recorded material, stills or music.

Crash zoom using the zoom lens at high speed.

Credits list of people involved in a production.

Cross-fade/dissolve gradual mix of one shot or audio track to a second shot or audio track.

Crossing theline moving the camera across an imaginary line of action and disrupting the viewer’s sense of the geography of a scene.

Cut two different shots put together in an edit.

Cutaway shot that takes the viewer away from the main action. Often a shot that shows some detail or illustrates the main action.

Cue signal to start action.

Dead acoustic acoustic with little or no reverberation.

Depth of field the measure of the areas of a shot that are in sharp focus.

Dissolve/cross-fade gradual mix of one shot to a second shot.

Dolly camera equipment used for moving the camera while in use.

Dubbing mixing and laying the soundtrack for a TV programme.

Edit cutting different pictures and sound together.

Establishing shot wide shot giving a general view of a location.

Exposure the amount of light entering the camera. Usually expressed as an f/stop.

Exterior any filming or recording done outside.

Eye line the height or direction of a person’s gaze on camera.

F/stop the mechanism on a camera that changes the amount of light through the lens by changing the size of the aperture.

Fade in/fade out gradually bringing in or taking out of an image or sound.

Fade to black gradually fading out an image until there is only a black screen.

Feedback response to your production from teacher/peers.

Feedback (audio) howling noise from a microphone.

Fill light diffuse light used in conjunction with a key light to fill out shadows.

Fine cut the polishing stage of an edit.

Focal length the distance over which images remain sharp in a shot.

Following action filming technique of filming the action as it happens rather than directing it.

Frame single image of a video field.

Framing composition of an image.

Freeze frame shot from a video that is used as a static image.

FX (sound effects) sound added to a programme that is neither spoken word nor music.

Guide track rough version of commentary or music laid during the edit as a `guide’.

Gun microphone very directional microphone.

GVs (general views) shots used in factual programmes to show the viewer the location or subject of the programme.

Handheld shots shots that are taken without having the camera mounted on a tripod but held on the hand or on the shoulder.

Handles a few sections of a static shot at the beginning or end of a move.

Hard lighting the type of lighting that produces strong shadows.

Hazard something that might be a safety risk on a shoot or recording.

Headroom framing a shot so as to ensure that the person in the shot has enough space above the head and is also not too low in the frame.

High angle shot in which the camera is above the object looking down on it.

Hyper-cardioid microphone directional microphone picking up a small range of sound than a cardioid microphone.

Incidental music music added to create mood or drama in a scene, not heard by the characters.

Ingest process of loading footage or recorded material onto the edit package.

Interior any filming or recording done inside.

Interior monologue inner thoughts of a character in a drama, not heard by the other characters.

Jump cut cut between two shots of the same subject that make it appear to jump around the screen.

Key light the main light used in any set up.

L-shaped editing mostly used for editing dialogue, the practice of cutting to a character speaking slightly after their dialogue has started.

Lapel microphones (Lavalier, neck microphones) microphones that can be clipped onto a person and if necessary hidden.

Line of action (180 degree line) imaginary line connecting the characters in a scene that serves as a guide as to where to place shots in order to keep the geography of a scene clear in the mind of a viewer.

Links commentary used to link one section of a programme to the next.

Live acoustic acoustic with a lot of reverberation.

Location any place you are recording or filming that is not a studio.

Logging process of watching or listening to rushes and making notes.

Long shot (LS) a shot of a person that shows their whole body.

Looking room framing a shot so that a character has space to the left or right in which to `look’ and is not perceived by the viewer to be too close to one side of the frame.

Magazine programme type of TV or radio programme that contains a number of different items linked by a presenter or presenters.

Medium close up (MCU) shot that shows the head and shoulders of a person.

Mid shot (MS) shot that shows the head and torso of a person.

Mix the mixing together of sound.

Mood music music that has been specially composed to be used as incidental music.

Mute shot shot taken without any sound.

Oblique angle (Dutch tilt, canted angle) shot composition that involves tilting the camera to one side.

Observational documentary type of documentary that `observes’ the subject rather than narrates a story.

Ominidirectional microphone microphone that is not directional and records all sounds equally.

Over-the-shoulder-shot camera angle that shows action from the point of view of a character or person in a scene and which also shows a small section of their head and shoulder.

Pan swivelling the camera horizontally.

Popping distortion on the microphone caused by exhalation of breath.

POV shot (point of view) camera angle that shows the action from the point of view of a character or person in a scene.

PTC (piece to camera) piece of commentary delivered by a presenter in vision.

Radio microphone wireless microphone connected to the recording device by transmitters.

Reaction shot during dialogue a shot of the person being spoken to. It could also be reaction to some action or event they are watching.

Recce visit to a location prior to a shoot or recording.

Reflector/bounce card or screen used to reflect or bounce light back onto the subject in a shot

Reveal shot that `reveals’ something to the audience as it develops

Reverse shot shot that creates a reverse angle to the previous shot.

Right of reply term used in news and factual programming to give each side of a controversy the opportunity to put forward their point of view.

Risk assessment document detailing the perceived risk associated with a shoot or recording and the proposed action to mitigate the risk.

Rough edit/cut the first assembly of an edit.

Rule of thirds photographic term referring to the guideline that if a picture is divided horizontally and vertically into three, then the eye is most easily drawn to the intersections between the horizontal and vertical lines.

Rushes unedited material that has been filmed or recorded.

Schedule document that details all the information needed for a shoot or recording.

Shooting ratio the ratio of material that has been collected to material shown in the finished programme.

Shotgun microphone highly directional microphone.

Singles hots that depict just one person.

Soft light a light that does not cast strong shadows.

Sound level the volume of sound.

Spot FX/foley sound created and added to a particular point in the action of a drama.

Stills photographs that are incorporated into a programme.

Stops settings for the aperture on a camera.

Storyboard set of drawings that outline the sequence of shots in a scene.

Sync term used in editing for interviews, vox pop where the speaker is in vision.

Take attempt to film a shot.

Tease term used in factual programmes to refer to the opening section designed to grab the audience’s attention.

Telephoto lens lens with a long focal length that allows you to film objects in the distance.

Tilt swivelling the camera vertically.

Time code digitally encoded signal that uses hours, minutes, seconds and frame number to identify individual frames.

Timeline timetable for the production allocating periods of time to specific tasks.

Track/dolly moving the entire camera while filming.

Transitions moves/effects between shots or scenes.

Treatment outline of a programme which describes the main elements but which is not the finished script.

Tripod a mounting for the camera, usually three-legged with adjustable height.

Two shot shot that depicts two characters.

Voice-over commentary from a narrator when not in vision.

Vox pop practice of getting a series of short unprepared comments from the public on a subject.

Whip pan Swivelling the camera horizontally at speed.

White balance the process of allowing the camera to correct the colour in accordance with the lighting conditions. Achieved by allowing the camera to focus on something white.

Wide angle lens lens that creates a wide view of a scene.

Wide shot (WS) shot that shows all the action of a scene.

Wild track ambient sound that is recorded separately from the pictures or the main recording and is used in the final edit.

Zoom lens lens that can vary the focal length.