location A preexisting place chosen for shooting
location manager Department head whose job it is to find potential locations and, once they are chosen, to negotiate the deal and oversee the interaction between the shooting crew and the site
locked down Physically fixed camera, makes it impossible to move the frame
logline A sentence that summarizes the plot
looks Refers to the direction, right or left, in which the actor is looking
loop groups Actors who create specific background voices for each scene
looped Dialog replacement or augmentation process
M
make a cross When an actor as the character moves from one place to another in a scene
make a deal Agree on dates and/or money; usually pertains to hiring or renting equipment
make the day Complete the scheduled work on time and on budget
makeup and hair designers Crew members responsible for hair and makeup; the behind the scene psychologists, as they help the actors face the day with confidence
marks Locations the actors have to stand on in each shot, usually marked in tape
martini shot The last shot of the day
massage the cut In editing, finding the absolute best place for the cut
master A shot that holds all the actors in the frame, it is usually shot first
match To repeat, usually referring to the actors repeating their movements and actions from the master shot
meal penalty A payment given to union members for exceeding the negotiated amount of time allowed between meals
meat of the day Biggest and hardest scene
mini-master A smaller grouping of actors within the same scene, from the same camera position as the master
mislead/turn Joke that deliberately sets up one expectation then delivers another
mix The assembled sound components; same as dub
moleskin Flesh-colored cloth adhesive used to cover an actor’s private areas
montage A storytelling device of putting nondialog shots together, usually accompanied by music scoring
motivated Driven by organic character impulse
motion-capture Tracking and recording movement for a digital model
moving on Instruction the director calls that a scene is completed
N
new information Details of the plot that are revealed and must lead logically into the next scene
NLE Nonlinear editing or editor; software used by the editor to assemble the film or teleplay or the editor himself
notes The comments given to the showrunner by the network executive or studio
O
O track Original track
objective How one describes the shot when it is observing as a nonparticipant
obstacle Circumstance that gets in the way of the protagonist fulfilling his intention
offer only In casting, when an actor is offered a role rather than auditioning for the role
on the day When the shot is actually accomplished
on the nose Dialog that too obviously refers to the subtext of the scene
one-liner A short version of the shooting schedule, it lists for each day: the scene numbers, page count, scene description, actors needed, and what script day it is in the continuity of the story
one more for fun An extra take once the director knows that she has a good take; generally free of performance pressure for actor
one-offs Episodes that stand alone without further installments
oner Shooting all the coverage for a scene in one shot
operative word The word in a sentence that should be stressed
organic Correct because it feels natural
over the cut When a sound continues from one shot into the next
over-the-shoulders (OS) A camera shot in which the camera looks over the shoulder of one actor toward the other actor
overlap To do it again; repeating a movement or dialog; used to make an edit appear seamless
P
pace The rate at which an actor speaks or a scene’s moments progress
pack a suitcase To have details of the character in mind
pan A move of the camera from side to side
pattern budget The cost of a typical episode
payoff The punch line of a joke; the turn of the joke in a mislead/turn
permit A license that allows shooting in a public location
pickup Starting the scene somewhere in the middle to achieve the element the director believes is missing
picture up What the director says when ready to shoot
pilot The first episode of a series
pipe (laying the pipe) An area where the writer has had to share a lot of information
pitch A potential solution, fix, or suggestion; helpful to have ready if you have a criticism
plate Background image that is photographed to be composited with another image that has more foreground information
playing the end at the beginning A trap that actors fall into when they know more than their character does and play the scene as if they already have the information
point of view (for actor) Way of being within the world created by the script; the character has an opinion about his emotional starting point for the scene
point of view (POV) When the camera sees what a character sees
practical The real thing, referring to a location that is not a built set, or a
prop that actually works (a lamp that turns on)
prelapping Hearing the dialog of the next character that speaks before the image of that character appears
preread Preliminary audition
principal An actor in a major role
print To forward a completed shot to the editor
print and move on Move on to the next scene instead of going for another take
print it Instruction from the director that the take is useable
private rehearsal Rehearsal with actors away from most of the crew
procedural A show with a tried-and-true formula that is the spine of every story, usually in the law or police genre
proscenium The archway in theatre that defines the front of the stage, the action usually plays upstage of it
producer session The audition where producers are present; usually the second or third round of casting
production design Everything in the frame that is nonhuman; the “look” of a production that is cohesive and artful
production designer Person who supervises several art departments; a pivotal link between the ideas in the director’s head and the realization of them on the finished product; uses architectural and artist skills
production draft Version of the script the writers feel comfortable sharing with the entire production team; it is the one (with subsequent revisions) that will be shot
production report An accounting of what took place during the day by the 2nd AD, distributed to accounting, production, studio, and network
production value Quality of the production, often higher with more money; the value seen on the screen
prop master Person who provides the things that actors physically touch or use in a scene
protagonist The central character of the story who is always a series regular
pull out The shot becomes wider as the camera moves away from the actor
pull the plug To end production suddenly, often due to poor shot planning; a decision made by the producers based on the budget
pulling up When the editor is lessening the space between the characters’ dialog from the amount it was during shooting
punch (visual) A straight cut in, from a wider shot to a tighter one, of the same subject in the same angle without first going to, or editing in, a reverse shot
punched Stressed lightly
push in The shot becomes tighter as the camera goes toward the actor
Q
quote The amount of money that an actor was last paid
raise the stakes A direction to give an actor to have him play his intention or use his obstacle more strongly
reaction The nonverbal or verbal response that an actor has when listening
read through Having the actors just read the lines, without any movement or commitment to an intention
recur Appear again, referring to a character that appears in multiple episodes, usually for a specific story arc
reverse A shot looking in the opposite direction from the previous shot
rhythm Timing an edit to feel a beat
rig To prepare or assemble for use
rising action The part of the story that builds to a climax as complications arise once the audience is engaged
rock into coverage What an actor does to begin a shot by stepping into his mark rather than already being on his mark
roll the carts Moving the handcarts that store equipment and can be wheeled short distances
rolling Signal from the first assistant camera operator that the camera is on
room tone The ambient sounds that exist in a room when nobody is speaking
running the tape Measuring the distance between and actor and the lens to ensure the shot is in focus; done by first AC
running time How long the project or episode is for broadcast
runs Rhythmic jokes that have three elements
S
scout A trip organized to see potential locations
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) One of the actors’ trade unions
script coordinator Person who types and issues the version of the script for all departments
script day The day it is in the world of the script, kept track of for continuity purposes
screen direction Whether a character is looking right to left or left to right, whether object entering frame is moving right to left or left to right
script supervisor’s notes The blueprint for finding and retrieving the information about all the footage shot and especially about the footage that the director printed
second meal When the crew is fed after shooting has exceeded 13 hours
second team The stand-ins who stand on the actors’ marks while the set is being lit
serial A story that plays out over many episodes
series regular The actors that appear in each episode
set A room, building, or area designed and created specifically for a shoot
set background Placing the daily hires of extras that populate the frame to create the human environment of the film, usually supervised by the 2nd AD
set decorator Person who turns a set from bare walls to a finished room, doing the job of an elite scavenger hunter who finds or selects just the right pieces
set-piece A scene that requires additional manpower or equipment, and is therefore outside the pattern
setups Individual shots
SFX Sound effects; added in post-production
shared card credit A name on the screen with others
shot list How the director plans to break down the scene into individual shots
shoot out To finish coverage on one actor (usually a minor) first
shooting schedule A list of the order of shooting; job of the 1st AD after the first concept meeting; it tells everyone involved in the production what is to be shot each day and what elements are necessary
showrunner The person who is the boss of the show; usually the creator of the show and supervisor of the writing staff
sides Script pages for the day
single card credit A name on the screen alone, often given to the top of show guest star, placement negotiated depending on their TVQ
single shot A tight shot of a character, it has no one else in the frame; also called a close-up
slate The board that is slapped shut to identify and signal the beginning of the take; the slapping sound enables picture to be synced with the separately recorded sound; to identify the scene on the slate either at the beginning or end of the scene
snap-zoom When the zoom is done quickly for effect
soundstage A hangar-like building used for shooting motion pictures that hopefully eliminates sound from outside
special needs chart Section of the shooting schedule which shows what special equipment or personnel need to be ordered for each day that the company does not normally carry
speeding Signal from the boom operator that the sound recorder has reached the appropriate speed
SPFX Special effects; done during production to create unusual events like explosions
stage directions The instructions the writer has left in the script that nearly always lead to the truth about the characters, may include references to the set, props, etc.; what the writer “saw” in her head as she wrote
staging area Place where equipment can be kept while waiting to be used
stakebeds Smaller trucks that can move small pieces between multiple locations
stand-in An actor who watches blocking and replaces first team for lighting purposes
standing set An already existing, previously constructed, and used set; sets that remain standing for use in each episode
start and stop Point when the music begins and ends
starting point Where the characters begin in each scene
Steadicam A handheld device for moving the camera, the operator wears a harness and the camera is attached to a floating head
still rolling … reset Cue from the director that the actors have finished the scene for the first time and that the director wants to do the scene again without cutting
sting A short music cue, usually at the end of an act
stop-and-go rehearsal Rehearsal where you stop whenever an issue needs addressing
storyboard Visual depiction of how each shot should look
story point A plot point
straight cut in Direct cut closer
studio teacher A teacher (often also a social worker) who instructs child actors as required by law and is responsible for the child’s well-being while at work
stunt casting Hiring a huge celebrity for a small part on a TV series in hopes the guest appearance will jump start the fortunes of the show and sometimes the celebrity
subjective How one describes the shot when it is depicting the feelings of the character
subtext Meaning under a line of dialog; the story under the story, what is really going on in a scene and is not revealed in plot or dialog
sweeten To clean up and enhance sound
swing set A set that is designed specifically for the needs of an individual script
swingle When the camera pans from one character in close-up to the next
synced When the film element and separately recorded sound element are put together
T
tag To dip the camera down to see an integrated insert
tail The end of a shot
take a pass Look over the script, done by the showrunner, who sharpens it up
take Version of the shot
Teamster Union driver
technical scout A trip back to the chosen locations in which other crew members participate to discuss how to make the location ready for the shoot
temp tracks Temporary placeholding music
theme What the show is about, and every scene should help illuminate the concept
throw a cue To deliver a line that directly precedes another actor’s line
throw away To underplay; technique employed by actors in both comedy and drama
tighten To make the pacing sharper
tilt A move of the camera up or down
title card A screen image with the movie title that hopefully captures the essence of the story
titles Credits
tone meeting Meeting with the writer at which he reveals the important elements of story and/or style in episode; opportunity for director to ask questions or make suggestions
top of show Where the biggest guest stars are listed, as opposed to
the end credits; refers to the basic union salary cap
tracking shot Shot that moves with the actor
trailers Portable dressing rooms and offices on location
transitions How the frame looks from the end of one scene to the beginning of the next
transportation coordinator Responsible for picture cars (those that appear as part of production design) and transporting the company and its equipment during the process of production
trim To edit a small section out
turn around Have the camera look in the opposite direction
turnaround The amount of time off between completing work on one day and beginning work on the next day (union actors are given at least 12 hours off)
turning around Cue called by director that the AD repeats on the radio for the shot to be filmed in the opposite direction
TVQ T.V. quotient, or how well known an actor is
two-shot Two people are in the frame
two-t shot Two tits are at the bottom of the frame
U
under 5s Roles with five lines or fewer
underscore Music played along with a scene to lend emotional impact
unit production manager (UPM) The person in charge of the day-to-day operations of the crew, with direct supervision of those below the line
upstage The part of the stage furthest from the audience from the actor’s point of view; so named because when stages are raked (angled) this area is highest
V
VAM Video assembled master; the original footage from an episode used for postproduction
VFX Visual effects; added in post-production to augment or change the image shot in production
video village Where the monitors are, directors chairs are grouped there to enable people to view the shot directly from a camera feed
viewfinder A small handheld lens that the cinematographer looks through to compose the shot; it sees what the camera sees
vision board A board full of pictures and words from magazines or other sources that illustrate an aspect of a character and provide a reference point for discussion
visual aids Visual examples of exactly what one is talking about
W
waist shot Waist is at the bottom of the frame
walk ’n’ talk Scene in which the actors walk while talking
walk the sets To look at the sets with an eye toward camera blocking
Directors Tell the Story Page 33