TRANSLATED / TRADUCIDO / ÜBERSETZT / TRADUIT / TRADOTTO
2/S: Two shot; shot of two characters.
Action code: Pattern of characters that provides the viewer with information through actions.
Analog sound: Sound recorded on magnetic tapes.
Axis: Imaginary line between the different characters in a scene.
Back lighting: Light directly from behind; part of three-point lighting.
BCU: Extreme Close Up; shot of the head or part of the head.
Body mice: See channels.
Breakdown Meeting: Meeting of heads towards the end of the pre-production period where plans are discussed scene by scene.
Cash flow schedule: Calendar on which the financial transactions for a production are planned.
Casting: Testing and selecting actors.
Connotation: Unintended psychological connotation of a sign.
Connotation code: Pattern of characters that provides information to the viewer through connotation.
Crane: Crane on which the camera is moved; term indicating that the camera is moving diagonally.
CU: Close up; shot of the head and shoulders.
Cultural code: Pattern of characters that provides the viewer with information based on cultural connotations.
DAT recorder: digital audio tapes; recording equipment.
Day For Night: Effect that makes daytime images with filters look like nighttime.
Decoupage: Dividing a scenario into shots.
Denotation: Intended psychological meaning of a sign.
Deep focus: Wide depth of field.
Goal: That which a character wants to achieve.
Dolly: Rails on which the camera is moved; term to indicate that the camera is moving horizontally.
Three-point lighting: Standard technique for illuminating a scene, with light from the left, right and back.
Dutch angle: Shot from an intentionally skewed angle.
Enigma Code: Narrative structure that drives the plot; based on a pattern of dramatic questions.
Establishing shot: See WS. F-stops: Unit in which the opening of the iris is measured.
Fill light: See fill light. First Assistant Director: See Recording Director.
Front lighting: Light directly from the front.
Physical Meaning: That which a sign is literally.
Gaffer: Head of the light team. Lined Script: Scenario in which lines indicate which portion of a scene will be filmed by a camera angle.
Sound Blankets: Pieces of cloth that dampen sound.
Greenlight: The moment when it is definitively certain that a film will be made.
Guide track: Audio tape under a film that is used as a guide for sound post-processing.
Handheld: Camera is operated manually.
Heads: Head of a department on a movie set.
High angle: Camera films the character from above eye level.
High-key: Variation on three-point lighting with strong fill light.
Main light: Dominant light in a shot; coming from a motivated source; part of three-point lighting.
Ins: Insert; close-up of an object in the place of the face.
Iris: Hole in the camera that lets light through on the film
Key light: See main light. Color Temperature: Heat that radiates light; measured in degrees Kelvin.
Lecture: Moment during rehearsals where the actors read the scenario aloud together.
Site Manager: Person who manages the site on behalf of the production.
Location Scout: Person looking for locations for a movie. Low angle: Camera is below eye level.
Low-key: Variation on three-point lighting with strong main light and back lighting.
LS: Long shot; full body shot. Master shot: See WS. MCU: Medium close-up; shot of the head.
Metaphorical Meaning: Psychological meaning of a sign based on an equation.
Metonymic meaning: Psychological meaning of a sign based on an association.
Mise-en-scene: The way in which actors relate to each other and their environment in a scene.
MLS: Medium long shot; shot to the knees.
Mood board: Board on which the production designer gives an impression of the atmosphere he wants to evoke in a film by means of a collation of images, sketches and colors.
MS: Mid shot or medium shot; shot to the waist.
ND filters: Filter that dims the amount of light entering the lens.
Non-actors: Actors with no experience or professional training who are cast based on their similarities to the character.
Normal lens: Lens that creates an image similar to the human eye.
O/S: Over the shoulder; shot that is rotated over the character's shoulder.
Omni Microphone: Microphone that records sound over a wide area.
Shooting director: Person with practical guidance on a film set.
Shooting Schedule: Scheduling the order in which scenes of a movie are recorded.
Fill light: Light in the shot intended to soften the main light.
Pan: Camera moves sideways from fixed point.
POV: Point of view; shot from a character's perspective.
Property master: Manager of the props on set.
Props: See props. Psychological Meaning: Meaning