Film jargon

As part of my initial research, I decided to look at jargon I didn't understand when it comes to filmmaking, this will be really helpful when it comes to my trailer as I can clearly explain the scene to my actors. I can also use this jargon in any planning sheets, call sheets or research in the future on this blog to make my work more cohesive. I obtained the list from Empire magazines website.
 
 ADR: (Additional Dialogue Recording)  re-recording lines after shooting to replace poor-quality sound or slightly alter line delivery. Often used to eliminate swear words to gain that audience-friendly PG-13. Occasionally used to re-dub one actor’s voice with another.

Back projection: An age-old technique where pre-recorded footage appears behind the actors being filmed, often used for driving scenes. Now, it’s largely been replaced with green screen.

Blocking: The process of running through a scene prior to filming to decide where the actors will move and where lighting and cameras should be placed.

Boom: The large fuzzy microphone on the end of a pole . It floats above the actors, close enough to pick up dialogue but, ideally, far enough up or down that it doesn’t appear in the shot.

Call sheet: A list, usually created by the first assistant director, of actors who will be required on set for each day’s shooting, what scenes are scheduled and which locations will be used.

Change pages: If a script is altered while filming is underway, any changes are handed out onset in the form of “change pages”. These are normally a different colour to the original script.
Clapper: A board displaying key information about the scene being filmed (scene number, take number, film name), filmed by the camera before each take. On top (or bottom) is a piece of wood on a hinge (traditionally painted in black and white stripes), which claps down to the board, allowing for audio-visual synchronisation.

Clean speech: A take in which there were no errors with dialogue recording.

Continuity report: A list specifying everything that happened when a scene was filmed, including weather conditions and camera settings. This is meant to prevent continuity errors creeping in between takes or during reshoots. Also known as the “continuity script”.

Dailies: The prints of footage shot the previous day, often viewed by the director and producers at the end of each day to monitor progress. Also known as “rushes”. Can cause side-effects ranging from nervous breakdowns to over-confidence back at the studio.

Dolly: A small platform for the camera, designed to roll along special tracks. Although Steadicams have reduced their use, dollies have certain unique strengths.

Dope sheet: A list of scenes that have already been filmed, usually compiled by the assistant cameraman.

Foley: this is the art of simulating certain noises in post-production to enhance particular moments. Foley artists might smack a piece of leather to get a good punching sound, or snap a carrot when a bone is broken.

Gate: When shooting on film, you’ll often hear the assistant director shout, “Cut! Check the gate!” This is to ensure that the camera and film is free of any impurities or blockages  that would render what’s been filmed unusable or call for another take.
Greenscreen: A technique where actors perform in front of a stark, monochromatic background, usually bright green or blue. This is then replaced with a background image, often with CGI. Also known as “bluescreen” or “chromakeying”..

Insert: A close-up, often filmed by the second unit, usually of an object.

Magic hour: The short time just before sunset when light levels change dramatically and very quickly, enabling golden shots that will look “very Terrence Malick”. See the opening shot of Hot Fuzz or virtually any Michael Bay movie.

Matte shot: A shooting technique where painted artwork (ordinarily on glass) is combined in-shot with live action, to create the illusion of a grand backdrop. It’s old-fashioned, but still used by Peter Jackson and others for those invaluable epic visuals.

Pick-ups: Footage filmed after shooting wraps, usually of minor shots. In the case of something like The Lord Of The Rings, however, pick-ups were major and essential.

Print: Along with “Check the gate!”; “Print it!” is a fun but antiquated catchphrase on film sets. It means that the latest take of a scene was good, that everyone’s happy they have the shot needed and that it should be developed.

Re-shoots: Footage filmed after shooting wraps, re-doing scenes from the film rather than adding additional scenes or minor reaction shots etc. The existence of re-shoots is often seen as evidence that a film is in trouble, so filmmakers will go out of their way to describe re-shoots as pick-ups.

Shot list: A planned list of the scenes and angles to be shot that day, including details such as location, and which actors and departments are involved.

Shutter speed: The length of time a frame of film is left exposed in the camera, or that the shutter is open on a digital camera. Varying this means that you vary the amount of light that enters the camera. If the speed is slower, this allows more light but also more motion blur.

Steadicam: A specially designed harness attached to the camera operator, which stabilises the camera as they move it. Invented by Garrett Brown, the Steadicam eliminates the need for dolly tracks.

Stills photographer: An official photographer who will snap on-set pics while scenes are being rehearsed or shot, for use in promoting the film.

Rhubarb: Background conversation by extras. So-called because extras were often asked to mutter the word “rhubarb” to produce the effect of genuine conversation, with their mouths moving convincingly.

Whip-pan: When the camera pans particularly quickly, resulting in motion blur. This is often used to sneak in a hidden cut, as in the lengthy opening shot of Serenity.

Wrap: End of shooting. As in, “That’s a…”