Glossary

Baby:
Usually a reference to a 1K light unit. It is also used to describe any light unit which is smaller than a standard size unit of comparable intensity (i.e. baby 1K, baby 2K, baby 5K, etc.). For grips, it refers to anything with a 5/8 inch stud (i.e. baby plate). (Grip/Lighting)
Baby Legs:
A short tripod.
Baby Plate:
A steel plate with a baby pin (5/8 inch pin) welded on to it. These plates are used for mounting lights or grip heads on a wall, box, or other surface.
Backing Track:
Prerecorded accompaniment for a singer or voiceover actor who then listens through headphones to a replay as he/she performs. Generally, the two signals are ultimately mixed to produce the final recording.
Backlight:
A light which is generally mounted behind a subject to light the subject's hair and shoulders without illuminating a subject's front.
Barndoors:
Folding doors which are mounted on to the front of a light unit in order to control illumination. (Lighting)
Bed:
Background music used underneath a narrator or foreground dialog. Primarily applied to commercial radio or television spots.
Beef:
The output of a light. (Lighting)
Beep:
A short duration sound track tone aligned to a point on the film for precise reference in synchronization in the editing and printing processes.
Below the Line:
Refers to the technical elements of the production staff. Literally, these are the budget elements that appeared below a bold line on a standard production budget form. (Production)
Best Boy:
The assistant chief lighting technician or the assistant to the key grip. (Grip/Lighting)
Bin:
Related to a film and/or directory from which stored shots or sound segments are selected for use.
Bit:
A minor acting role in which an actor may only speak a few lines.
Black Wrap:
Black aluminum foil which is used for wrapping lights, to control light spill, and for making small flags. (Grip/Lighting)
Blocking:
Plotting actor, camera and microphone placement and movement in a production or scene. (Production)
Bobbinet:
Black mesh cloth which is used for grip scrims. It also is available in rolls for darkening windows. (Grip/Lighting)
Boom:
A telescoping arm for a camera or microphone which might be available in a variety of sizes from the very small handheld types to the very large, which might be transported as an integral part of a motor vehicle. (Production)
Bottom Chop:
A flag or cutter which is used to keep light off of the floor or the lower part of a scene. (Grip/Lighting)
Bounce Card:
A white, or colored card used for bouncing direct light onto the subject. Bounce cards are used in-studio and outside.
Breast Line:
A guide line attached to anything being hauled up on a crane or by a pulley. (Grip/Lighting)
Broad:
A rectangular open-faced light which is used for general fill or for cyc illumination. (Lighting)
Burn-in Time Code:
A videotape in which a "window" displaying the time code count on the tape is superimposed over part of lhe picture.
Bus:
A mixing network that combines the output of two or more channels. (Electronics)
Butt Splice:
A film splice in which the film ends come together without overlapping. (Film Editing)
Butterfly (Butterfly Kit):
Assorted nets, silks, solids, and grifflons which are used for light control; usually 5' x 5', or 6' x 6' frame size. Commonly a 12' x 12' or 20' x 20' is called a butterfly kit, however, it they should be called an overhead kit. (Grip)
Butthead:
A producer who thinks he knows more about a film technicians job than the tech himself knows. (Film) Someone who changes lanes without looking. (General)
C-47:
Ordinary wooden clothespins which are used to secure gels to barn doors. They are also known as a #1 wood clamp. (Grip/Lighting)
C Stand (Century Stand):
A general purpose grip stand. (Grip/Lighting)
Call Sheet:
A form which refers to all of the scenes to be filmed and all of the personnel and equipment required for shooting on a particular day. (Production)
Camera angle:
The view point chosen from which to photograph a subject. (Cinematography)
Camera Blocking:
The process of notating the changing position of the camera, lens size, and focus during a particular scene. (Production)
Camera Log:
A record sheet giving details of the scenes or shots photographed on a particular roll of negative or tape.
Cam-Lok:
A feeder cable connector which is similar to a Tweco, but with a more positive locking mechanism which is easier to disconnect. (Grip/Lighting)
Candela:
A unit of light intensity, a standard candle. (Lighting)
Canted Frame:
Often described as a 'Dutch angle' or 'Dutching'. This is a device or process whereby the camera is angled so that the horizontal frame line is not parallel to the horizon. (Production)
Capacitance:
An electrical component's ability to store electrical charges. (Post Production)
CC Filters:
Color compensating filters made in precise density values of the primary and secondary colors. (Cinematography)
Clipping:
The phenomenon where an input signal exceeds the capability of electronic or digital equipment to reproduce the signal. This results in an audible distortion (analog) or an incomprehensible noise (digital). (Sound)
Compander:
Refers to a device that compresses an input signal and expands the output signal in order to reduce noise. (Sound)
Completion Bond:
An insurance guarantee that principal photography on a given film will be completed. It indemnifies a production against the unforeseen costs of any type, whether or not they result from problems which are covered by other types of insurance.
Composite Print:
A motion picture print with both picture and sound on the same strip of film. (Laboratory)
Compression:
The reduction of a span of amplitudes done for the purpose of limiting the reproduction of those amplitudes. (Post Production)
Condenser Microphone:
The simplest type of microphone in which the capacitance (electrical charge) is varied by sound, causing movement in one plate (diaphragm) in relation to a fixed backplate. (Sound)
Contingency:
A designated amount of a budget which is added in anticipation of potential cost overruns.
Cookie (Cucoloris):
A perforated material which is used to break up light or create a shadow pattern. also known as a cucoloris. (Grip/Lighting)
Cover Set:
A location which is kept in reserve to serve as an alternate shooting site in case the chosen shooting site is unusable. It is most commonly used in the context of shooting planned for an out of doors location. (Production)
Cribbing:
Short pieces of lumber which are used for various grip purposes. (Grip/Lighting)
Crossfade:
The gradual mix of sound sources accomplished by the simultaneous manipulation of two or more mix console faders. (Post Production)
Crossover:
The frequency at which a signal is split in order to feed separate parts of a loudspeaker system. (Sound)
Crosstalk:
In stereo, this is the breakthrough between channels measured as separation (in decibels) between the wanted sounds of the desired channel and the unwanted sounds from the second channel. (Sound)
Cueing:
A term with a broad range of meanings depending on the particular context. For Voice-Over Narration or Dialogue Replacement: The marking of the cue point in a way which will permit a signal to be given to the 'talent' to begin each element of work at the appropriate time. In General: any system used by a second person to signal 'talent' that recording should begin.
Cup Blocks:
Wooden blocks with a dish or indentation in the center which are used to keep the wheels of light stands from moving. (Grip/Lighting)
Cutaway:
A single shot inserted into a sequence of shots that momentarily interrupts the flow of action, usually introducing a pertinent detail. (Production/Editing)
Cyan:
A blue-green color which is the complementary color to red.
Cyc Lights:
Row lights for evenly illuminating a cyclorama or other background. (Lighting)
Cyclorama:
Permanent background built in a studio which is nearly always coved or curved at the floor line to create a shadowless, unending backdrop. (Grip/Lighting)