The schedule for crew members over the course of production. This informs each department and their members when to arrive on set, and other crucial information. It also provides lists of what actors are appearing in which scenes.

A brief appearance in a film by a famous actor, director or celebrity, who is not already cast in it. For example, Stan Lee was a frequent cameo in his Marvel films.

The point of view for the shot that the camera operator chooses to photograph or film. Some basic angles include high, low, dutch, and eye-level.

The line of printed text that describes or translates the action or dialogue onscreen. Usually found at the bottom of the screen, captions are common in foreign language films shown in North America, and as an option in online streaming services for movies and TV shows. These are great resources for anyone deaf, hard-of-hearing, or simply wanting a descriptive experience of the media

The point in a film’s climax where the audience collectively experiences a release of emotional tension that has been building throughout the plot, giving relief and restoration. A moment of catharsis can be when the hero becomes triumphant over the villain and the danger has been subdued.

This is a hand drawn sheet that represents a single frame of animation, and usually is made of a clear material such as cellulose.

Computer-generated content that can be special effects, entire characters, settings, creatures, and much more. With the rise in computer technology, CGI has become both more affordable and more realistic, leading film producers to lean more heavily on it for their productions.

This term refers to the introductory footage at the beginning of a TV series episode to overview what took place in the previous episode.

The person with expertise in the art of capturing images on film stock or electronically, through the application of visual recording devices and the selection and arrangement of lighting systems. The chief cinematographer for a film is called the director of photography.

This is an approach to documentary film production which originated in France. It was made possible by the development of lighter-weight cameras and portable recording equipment that allow for smaller and portable crews. Instead of the director imposing their own views on the documentary production, the subject is allowed to speak and control the flow of narrative. This is a highly reflexive and self-conscious manner of documentary filmmaking which can acknowledge the presence of the director in the film as well as the subjects.

Most commonly envisioned as the classic black-and-white board with a moveable arm at the top, this board is used to show information about the shot being filmed. Typically, the clapperboard contains the director’s name, title of the film, and the take being shot. Even though the traditional clapperboards can still be utilized, electronic ones have become more in style. These are also called slates or sticks.

This type of editing is popular in Hollywood filmmaking, where the cuts and transitions are not invisible to the viewer, but are designed to be unobtrusive so that the audience does not necessarily notice them. Editing in this manner preserves a sense of narrative continuity but also allows for using cuts for emotional and dramatic purposes which do not necessarily advance the action.

A method of filming figurines and models created out of clay or other moldable material, often through the use of stop-motion.

A detailed shot where the subject is larger than the frame, zooming in.

The act of digitally altering a black and white film to a color film.

This is a term for a film that shows the journey of young people as they traverse into adulthood, through rites of passage that the audience can relate to. Typical hallmarks of these films include the loss of innocence, defining sexual identities, childhood dreams, and the determination of personal identity as the characters move from being children to adults.

This refers to the arrangement of all the elements of a shot in relation to the frame and the framing of the set.

Referring to action moving through various locations without interruptions.

A type of editing to ensure the story and action flows as seamlessly as possible, uninterrupted.

A shot taken from a crane, a device resembling a large mechanical arm. This crane carries the camera and cameraman and is incredibly mobile, able to move in just about any direction.

This is the process of alternating two different scenes, typically in different locations, to suggest the idea of parallel action. Also called inter-cutting or parallel editing.

The process of one scene fading out and the fade into the next scene, with a moment of interruption between the scenes.

This term refers to a change in camera angle or placement, location, or time. “Cut” is also called by the director during the act of filming to indicate the current take is complete.

A short duration shot that is supposed to take place at the same time as the main action but is not directly involved in the main action of the film.

This refers to cutting from one shot to another view that either carries or matches a movement and gives the impression of a continuous time span. Because the action begins in one shot and is carried over to the next shot, a visual bridge is created that distracts viewers from noticing the cut in action.

A floor-to-ceiling, curved backdrop used on set to create a background for the scene, typically used to represent the sky on studio sets.

This term refers to the rough, unedited cuts of the day (or from the previous day), where the director reviews them and decides if he wants to schedule a re-shoot or not.

A type of lighting where the scene is shot in the daytime with daylight, and then through the use of filters the scene is darkened to look like night.

When objects in the immediate foreground, the midground, and far distance or background, all appear in equally sharp focus at the same time.

An exceptionally deep field for a particular shot.

In the world of the film’s story and narrative, this term refers to all events that characters are aware of or that have taken place in the history of the story, including spaces that are not shown on screen.

Any speech, sound effects, or music that originates from a source within the world of the film’s story and narrative.

The process of putting materials in front of the light source to reduce its harshness, such as filters, glass, mesh, etc.

Emphasis on what is important in the shot by the use of lighting.

This is an approach to documentary filmmaking popularized by American filmmakers in the early 1960s. In this type of film production, the filmmaker simply observes and records the subjects and action and allows the meaning to evolve out of the footage. It is also characterized by use of natural lighting, a shoulder-mounted camera, and direct sound. One example of this is Frederick Wiseman’s “High School”.

The sound that is captured and recorded during the filming. If used to refer to a style, these films do not add components like sound effects or dialogue on the postproduction stage.

The principal creative artist on the film set, typically the driving artistic force behind the film process, and is responsible for communicating to the actors how the particular scene should be played.

This is the first fully-edited version of a film, before any outside parties like film studios have intervention.

This refers to the slow fade-out of one shot and the gradual fade-in of the next shot. The two images typically merge as a superimposition of images at the midpoint.

This is a style of nonfiction film that explores, documents, and records the real world and utilizes actual events and real people as its raw footage.

This is the shot taken from a moving vehicle, or from a hand-held travelling machine, giving a smooth and fluid movement shot.

This refers to a camera shot that is composed by having the horizon not being parallel to the bottom of the frame.

This stands for a digital versatile disc or digital video disc. A DVD is an optical disc that functions as data storage for a film.

The method of narrowing and widening of the frame to fit into a specific ratio for the scene being filmed.

Referring to any periods of time left out of the film’s onscreen narrative. Special editing transitions indicate the passage of time for this eliding, often using a fade or dissolve transition.

A long shot that introduces the spatial relations among important characters, objects, and settings in an entire film or in a scene. Often an aerial shot that orients the audience for the next scene.

This is the person in charge of production and oversees all of it, though not involved in technical aspects. They are usually involved in the business and finance realm of filmmaking.

This term refers to the technical process of subjecting photographic film stock to light intensity for a given time, resulting in an image once the film stock has been processed.

A shot that is incredibly close-up and pictures a portion of the subject. Often used to showcase actors’ eyes, mouth, or other part of them.

A shot where the camera is placed at an extreme distance from the subject or object.

This is a shot taken at the subject’s or the director’s eye level, normally between 5 and 6 feet, but will change according to the director’s discretion and cultural or narrative contex.

This filming method creates the illusion of a character looking at an object or subject by cutting between two shots.

This filming method creates the illusion of a character looking at an object or subject by cutting between two shots.

Any action that appears faster on screen than it could occur in real life. This is a special effect shot that is achieved by undercranking, or at less than 24 frames per second in sound, or 16-2 frames per second in silent film.

Focusing or highlighting a specific action, object, or subject in a shot.

This refers to the width of a piece of film stock and is measured in millimeters. Typical film gauges are as follows: home movies tend to be 8mm or super-6mm, low-budget films are usually shot in 16mm, feature films are usually shot in 35nmt, and some big-budget films are released in 70mm.

The medium in a camera where photographic images are recorded.

This is an extreme wide-angle lens that distorts the edges of an image, causing them to seem warped into a sphere.

The technique in storytelling that allows a character to recall events previous to that moment in the film.

Referring to a very swift shot that has a nearly subliminal effect, these shots can be as short as one frame.

This type of lighting does not have contrasts in brights and darks.

This term refers to the degree of sharpness of an image, as well as the adjustment of the lens to create a sharper image. Further focus techniques are classed as deep focus, shallow focus, soft focus, follow focus, and rack focus, and all refer to different types of focusing.

The method of recreating incidental sound effects like footsteps or door closing in sync with the visual components of the film.

The camera might have to be refocused during a shot if the camera or subject moves, in order to keep the subject in focus. When done smoothly, the moving subject will always stay in focus, and a zoom lens is often used to make this happen.

An imaginary plane that separates characters and action of the film from the audience. When the character ignores this boundary, it is known as breaking the fourth wall.

This refers to the manner in which the shot is composed, and how the subjects and objects on set are framed by the film image itself. The camera works to adjust to the character’s movements and keep them onscreen, centered, and in the frame.

Referring to the rate at which film stock passes in front of the camera aperture during filming. Higher frame rate shots appear slowed down during projection, and lower frame rate shots appear unnaturally fast during projection. This is also known as frames per second (FPS).

This is a special effect shot that gives the effect of a halt in action or still photo, accomplished by printing one frame multiple times with an optical printer.

A camera setting that specifies the aperture of the lens for a particular shot and represented by using a table of f-numbers. The “f” refers to the focal length of the lens.

This person is the head electrician or lighting technician on a film set, responsible for the design and execution of a production’s lighting plan for the film.

Types or categories of film, used to classify films by theme and tone, such as musicals, thrillers, science fiction, Westerns, etc.

Images placed back-to-back to frame an object in successive shots. This was used in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, where the camera cuts from the character Marion Crane’s eye line to the shower drain, and the circumference and location of these two spheres in the frame are identical. Shots may dissolve into the next (plastic dissolve) or placed back-to-back (plastic cut).

The go-ahead term for a film to begin production and be made.

This is the person responsible for the adjustment, set-up, and maintenance of all the production equipment on set.

A shot made by a camera that is held in hand or mounted on the cameraman’s shoulder, rather than using a stabilizing fixture.

Named for Will Hays, this was a series of rigorously enforced from the mid-1930s to the late 1960s.

The scene is filmed from above, often to make the subject or subjects look smaller on screen.

A shot that films the scene from above, often to make the subjects or objects appear smaller.

When you use beams of light for illuminating particular aspects of a subject or object.

This is an actor’s term for moving in the correct positions on set, during rehearsals and camera takes. Using marks, or pieces of crossed tape on the ground, makes it easier for the camera to track and record the action.

A large-screen film format that is around 10 times larger than the traditional cinema screen format, giving you a screen that is about eight-stories high. This type of screening produces incredibly high-definition sharpness for films.

This is a shot that contains a particular visual detail that is inserted into a scene for informational purposes or to provide dramatic emphasis. The shot is almost always a close up shot.

This type of editing uses justaposition or collision of contrasting shots or sequences to generate the idea of a greater relationship in the viewer’s mind. Intellectual montage was often used in the works of filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. For example, if a shot of a man juxtaposes with a shot of a peacock, it could infer the idea of a vain person.

This usually refers to a series of shots, consisting of two simultaneous events, that are alternatively cut together to create suspense.

Referring to when an object or person moves into the picture without the camera moving, similar to a character coming on stage during a play.

This is when you end a scene with a closing circle or vignette that comes in from the edges of the screen, a transition similar to the look of an eye’s iris contracting.

An abrupt transition that breaks up a continuous shot. It has the effect of disorientating the scene and disrupting the narrative, and when the action returns it has noticeably advanced in time.

This refers to the main or primary light on a subject, often angled and off-center that selectively illuminates various prominent features of the image to produce such specific things as depth and shadows.

A ground-breaking or revolutionary film, either for its technical or performance artistry. These types of films are recognized by the National Film Registry.

The method of transitioning between two scenes by fading out of the first scene into the next one.

This is an optical disc format for analog video. This format was replaced after the introduction of a DVD in 1997, and by mid-2000 most studios and distributers stopped deploying their films in Laserdisc format.

The optical device used by the camera equipment to focus an image onto film stock.

This is the process of shrinking the film image just enough so that its entire width appears on TV screen, with black areas above and below the image, emulating the widescreen format seen on TV screens.

Lighting is often dependent of what type of film stock is being used, or the theme and tone of what the film’s narrative is trying to convey.

This person is responsible for managing all people and expenses while the film is being produced.

This is the synchronization between the sound and its source in the film, and they are out of sync if they do not match.

Any place a film is shot, other than in the studio or on the studio lot. When shooting is done in actual real world settings, shooting is called on location.

The method where a scene is filmed by a fixed camera to keep the image motionless

A short, introductory summary of a film’s story usually found on the first page of the screenplay. This is read by executives, judges, agents, producers and script-readers, and is important for writers to sell their scripts.

A shot that reveals the subject in their entirety, with them filling most of the frame.

This is a shot of an unusually long duration, a significantly longer take than the average. Historically, the average shot length was 8.4 seconds, and Robert Altman’s “The Player” and the opening shot of Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil” utilize long takes.

When a scene is filmed from below to make the subject or subjects appear larger on screen.

A term coined by Alfred Hitchcock for a plot element or device that drives the action or logic of the plot. It is extremely important for the characters, but it is often ignored once it serves its purpose, such as the sled in “Citizen Kane”.

This refers to the long take of an entire scene, a long shot that that allows for later inspection of the components of the scene.

A cut or transition between two unrelated objects to establish physical or metaphorical continuity or comparison.

A mask that obstructs some amount of light that passes through the camera lens. Mattes can take the form of a specific shape, such as a keyhole or star, which can then be imposed on the film as a blank area while the images are exposed. Instead of being mounted directly onto the camera, mattes are mostly produced with laboratory or technical methods.

This camera shot is taken from medium distance and typically shot above the waist. This angle lets viewers see body language but not facial expressions.

Referring to the arrangement of all set elements in front of the camera to be filmed. This includes the settings, props, costumes, makeup, lighting, arrangement of actors, etc.

This refers to a film technique for putting together a series of short shots that create a composite picture. Montages are often used to show the passage of time in action.

The acronym for the Motion Picture Association of America, an organization that looks out for the interests of lead film studios, and is also responsible for film ratings.

Describing the combination of audio, video, graphics, etc. An ambiguous term that includes presentation, editing, and interactivity.

Narration is important to film storylines, as it gives supplemental information to the audience by a voice offscreen. The narrator can either be a character in the movie or an omniscient presence.

This refers to the organization of a film’s narrative building blocks based on the order of scenes in the screenplay. Screenwriters often utilize a three-act structure for narrative construction—the setup, the complications, and the resolution.

A form of media technology or communication that enhances, alters, or surpasses already-existing technology. For example, DVD and digital technology was built off analog technology such as VHS and Laserdisc.

Any sounds, such as underscored music on the soundtrack, that is not part of the world of the film’s narrative. In other words, the characters in the story do not hear it, and only the audience can.

This is random-access editing of film or audio on a computer rather than physically editing the film by cutting the stock. Non-linear editing systems include Media 100 and AVID, whereas non-linear software packages include Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere.

Referring to when an actor has completely learned their lines, and no longer needs to hold a script on set.

This is dialogue spoken by a diegetic character not seen on set in a specific shot, but different than a voice over.

The process of speeding up the frame rate in a camera, so that when the images are played at normal frame rate the action appears in slow motion. The term has its roots in early film making where the cameras used a crank handle to roll the film.

This refers to a type of shot that has more light than other types, resulting in a washed-out, blinding effect. It is typically used for dream or flashback sequences.

Useful in dialogue scenes, this is a medium shot that allows one actor to be filmed head-on from over the shoulder of another actor.

Camera movement around the imaginary vertical axis that runs through the set and camera location, either from right to left or from left to right.

The schedule of movie projects in production.

This type of shot is taken from the vantage point of a character in the film, and can also be known as the first person camera.

The original light image captured on film.

An epilogue or throwaway scene that comes after the end credits of a film. These are famously used in Marvel movies, where an extra scene after the credits creates hype for the next installment in the franchise.

This refers to the to the work performed on a film after the conclusion of principal photography, usually involving picture and sound editing and effects.

A single focal-length.

The shot where the camera physically moves away or zooms out from the subject or object to reveal the entire context of the scene.

The opposite to a pull back, this is a shot where the camera moves in closer or zooms into a subject or object.

The switching of focus during a shot from one subject or object to another, for instance filming a conversation between two actors that are in the same frame, but in different areas of foreground and background.

When the timespan of the film’s plot is the same of the running time of the film itself, it is known as real time. This is contrasting to filmic time where intervals can be sped up or slowed depending on what the plot needs.

The technique where all elements of the set are in front of a translucent, blue, or green screen on which a picture is projected from behind, like in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Vertigo”.

This term refers to self-consciousness in a film that draws specific attention to its own construction. Such films try to remind the audience that they are indeed watching a film, so that they can focus on formal, social, or political implications of the film.

This refers to a shot from the opposite side of a subject. And in a dialogue scene, it is usually a shot of the second participant in the conversation.

Referring to screen action that runs backwards.

These workers are responsible for the setting up of lighting equipment and scaffolding structures on film sets.

The process of slowing the camera’s frame rate, so that when the images are projected on screen at a normal frame rate the action appears to be in fast motion.

The script written to be made into a film

Whatever direction the subject or object is looking at or moving towards, as described from the audience’s point of view.

Duration of an action as allocated by editing, as opposed to real time.

The writer who either writes screenplays or adapts stories for film.

A dramatic unit comprised of shots or scenes linked together by a common idea or image, sequences can span varying times and locations as long as the dramatic structure and elements remain intact.

When subjects or objects on only one plane are in focus, with the others in the background or foreground are out of focus to the camera.

This is the term used for the final script used for the filming process.

This refers generally to the camera distance with respect to the subject within the shot. There are 7 basic types of shots that are quite self-explanatory, including extreme close-up, close-up, medium close-up, medium shot, medium long shot, long shot, and extreme long shot or distance shot.

The list provided to the film crew that describes all the shots that the director wants to get done that day, often given out the day before shooting.

Referring to the length of time in which a single frame of film is exposed. A traditional shutter angle is 180 degrees, while the film itself is exposed for 1/48 second at 24 frames.

Referring to the length of time in which a single frame of film is exposed. A traditional shutter angle is 180 degrees, while the film itself is exposed for 1/48 second at 24 frames.

The visual effect that uses filters or shooting with an out-of-focus lens, in order to produce a blurry shot.

This is a large area (usually within a studio) where elaborate sets can be built and maintained during film production.

A non-commissioned script sent to studios for their consideration.

The shot created by using an immobile camera.

This refers to previously recorded footage that can be edited into the film. Footage can include historical events or animal shots.

This is a form of animation where objects are filmed frame-by-frame and moved slightly between shooting each frame, in order to create the illusion of the object’s movement.

A sequential series of sketches or stills that show what will happen in the film, providing both a rough synopsis and an outline of what shots and angles the camera lens will be filming.

The process of replacing the mesh covering of a boom microphone.

The manner in which a film conveys theme, tone, ideas, and attitudes towards the material in cinematic terms. There are broad style types like realism, expressionism, surrealism, etc., but each filmmaker will interpret the script they are working with in their individual style and make their own directorial choices. A film’s style is also influenced by budget, country, artistic choices, time period, conventions, and mode of production.

Multiple exposure where two or more images are visible over each other simultaneously.

This refers to sound that is matched with the movements that occur in the images filmed, like when dialogue corresponds to lip movements on the screen.

A short sentence or phrase that summarizes the film to a general audience, teasing what the film is about and is usually quite clever and memorable. For example, in “Alien”, the tagline for the film is “In space, no one can hear you scream.”

A take is one run of the camera as it records a single shot. Typically, each of these shots are filmed multiple times, and the best version or take of each shot is chosen for the final film.

A specific camera lens of a long focal-length with a narrow angle of view. This lens condenses space being filmed, flattens depths, and brings distant subjects and objects close.

The overarching idea a film tries to convey, as opposed to the plot of a film which conveys the action of what happens.

This is the philosophical or aesthetic model applied to cinema that tries to explain the characteristics and nature of film in general or of a particular film.

The close-up shot of a subject or object

This type of shot follows a subject or object, and often involves mounting a camera onto a dolly and moving it along a dolly track.

This term refers to an abridged script that is longer than a synopsis, consisting of summaries of each major scene in the film, and might include pieces of dialogue.

The process of slowing the camera’s frame rate, so that when the images are projected on screen at a normal frame rate the action appears to be in fast motion.

The process of slowing the camera’s frame rate, so that when the images are projected on screen at a normal frame rate the action appears to be in fast motion.

The unreliable narrator is a character whose perspective the viewers follow for the narrative, but who also lacks credibility. Unreliable narrators could either lack the entirety of the information needed to tell the story, or they have a complete bias.

This camera technique was created by Alfred Hitchcock during the filming of his classic “Vertigo”. This shot involves the camera tracking backwards while zooming in at the same time, making the subject or object seem stationary while their surroundings on set change swiftly.

This refers to the picture portion of a TV picture signal or the electronic signal that makes up a TV picture. Video formats include Beta, Digital Video, HIS, Mini-DV, and VUS.

Anything added to the film that was not contained in the original shot falls under the classification of special effects. Either through CGI or special techniques, visual effects are a common phenomenon in modern filmmaking.

This refers to having dialogue, usually narration, that comes from offscreen and is an unseen voice, narrator, or character.

A minor role in film that is a single, brief appearance onscreen without dialogue, and not appearing in the credits. Different than extras, who are typically onscreen for longer.

A generalized term for the costume department for films and film sets. Wardrobe can also be used to refer to an individual actor’s costume and all the accoutrement that goes with it.

A specific camera lens of short focal-length with a broad angle of view, exaggerating depth of space.

This is a shot from a particular camera lens that is able to capture a wider field of view than a regular lens. Such shots work to exaggerate the disparity, depth, and distance between background and foreground, while keeping all objects in focus and in perspective.

The term that refers to the completion of shooting, either for the single day or for the entire production. This term has its roots in the earlier days of filmmaking, where cameramen would say “wind, reel, and print”, which later became abbreviated as “wrap”, and is still used today.

This is the movement of a lens of variable focal length, able to be altered during shooting. This enables a smooth transition from wide-angle to telephoto shots without actually having to move the camera.

The shot that plays with the magnification of subjects or objects by increasing (zooming in) the focus of camera lenses or decreasing it (zooming out).

This rule essentially keeps the camera on one side of the action, keeping characters grounded compositionally on one side of the frame.

3-D film uses a three-dimensional, stereoscopic form that creates the illusion of depth and a more immersive film experience.