The film industry has its own language. Even within this language, there is slang and acronyms galore. While knowing the basic vocabulary will not make you stand out, not knowing it will make people wonder if you just wandered onto the set. Below are some important and often used filmmaking terms and lingo to help you fit in with your peers. Take a second to learn the ones you don’t already know and bookmark this to come back for when you need a refresher.
Script/Screenwriting Terms
Shot list
This is the document that breaks down a script into every camera shot that needs to be filmed. This is decided in the collaboration between the director and cinematographer and details the shot number, shot size (Wide, Medium, Close-up, etc.), movement (dolly, crane, Steadicam, etc.) as well as many other pieces of information. This helps the production team know how to organize the actual shoot. You can also use our article, How to Make a Shot List, to begin the process.
Action
This is the header that describes the scene as well as what is happening in the scene. Movement, sounds, what the characters are doing in their environment are all aspects of the action section of a screenplay.
Dialogue
This is the written version of what the characters end up saying on screen. Dialogue can move the plot forward, reveal character traits, show differences, and express the full range of human emotion.
Monologue
A monologue is a longer speech given by one character. The character is usually thinking their thoughts out loud, either to themselves or to other characters. Actors often love monologues as monologues often are pivotal points in the script and it gives them a lot screen time where they are the focus and may be very challenging.
Beat
A pause in the dialogue is called a beat. It can be between lines or in the middle of one. “Beat” can also be shown with ellipses “…”
Flashback
A flashback is a scene or sequence that takes place in the past. This is usually denoted in the slug line (see below) and potentially in the next numbered scene when the movie may return to the PRESENT DAY.
Slug Line
The slug line is a brief description of the location and time of day. It is always displayed in ALL CAPS.
- INT. means interior
- EXT. means exterior.
An example is INT. JACK’S PUB – NIGHT
Montage
Montage is a French word that means “to assemble.” It is a quick-cutting sequence that can accomplish several goals, such as advancing and compressing time. A very common use of montage is seen in the training sequences in “Rocky.”
Parenthetical
Parentheticals are used to give an actor notes on how the line(s) should be delivered. These are most often used when the writer has a specific (and likely not easily guessed) reading of a line.
O.S. (Offscreen)
As you may guess, this is when a line is delivered by a character while they are not being shown. This is denoted by placing “O.S.” next to the name in the script.
V.O. (Voiceover)
Mostly used for narration, a voiceover is when a narrator or character reads lines of dialogue that are divorced from them being in the scene taking place.
Spec Script
When a script isn’t commissioned by a studio, or paid for ahead of time, this is called a spec script. The writer is writing a script on his own time, likely with the hopes of selling it once completed.
Crawl
The most famous crawl has to be the ones that open Star Wars. A crawl is text that moves either up, down, left, or right. The purpose of this text is often to catch the viewer up with some useful information to give the story some background.
Cut to
The simplest edit is a straight cut. A “cut to” is telling the reader of the script that there should be a direct cut to transition from one scene to another, or to a specific person or item within the same scene.
Storyboard
When the script is finalized and the director/cinematographer have decided which shots will be used for every scene, there can be a graphical representation of these shots. This is called a storyboard. This helps pre-visualize the look of each shot and how they flow together. A great storyboard can also give many different departments information on what they will need to do.
Filmmaking Terms
Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio is the height and the width of the film frame. There are a few commonly used aspect ratios in film and television. When looking at a video on your phone or monitor, if the video fills the screen, it is likely that the aspect ratio is 16:9. If you divide 16 by 9, you get 1.78 (more commonly written as 1.78:1). This means the width is 1.78 times wider than the height.
Other common aspect ratios are 2:35:1 (also known as CinemaScope). The aspect ratio of 4:3 is what all TV used for broadcast before the advent of HD televisions. There are many different aspect ratios that can serve a story differently.
Bird’s Eye View
Also known as an “overhead shot,” the birds eye view is a shot that is looking down on the subject from an elevated position.
Bridging Shot
Bridging shots are used to connect two disparate film moments. They can link either space or time seamlessly so that the audience doesn’t get lost. Edgar Wright is a master of bridging shots.
Close-Up
There are many different shot sizes. The wide shot gives you the most information about the surroundings while your character may be small in the frame. The medium shot splits the difference, giving you more information about your character while still showing their surroundings. The close-up focuses exclusively on your character, or some detail, with the surroundings being disregarded. The most common close-up is on a character’s face and is used sparingly.
Cross-Cutting
Cross-cutting involves cutting back and forth between two events that are occurring simultaneously in the story. This is a very useful tool, often used to build tension or to show complex events in a more understandable way.
Cross-Fade
A cross-fade (also known as a dissolve) is when one shot fades down in opacity and another shot fades up to become the shot we are now watching. There can also be cross-fades of audio, which is the same idea. The sound from the outgoing clip reduces in volume and the sound of the incoming shot becomes louder at the same time.
Dolly Shot
If you have watched any behind the scenes of big film sets, you have surely seen tracks on the ground with a camera atop a cart that runs along those tracks. A dolly shot is a tracking shot that can follow forwards, backwards, or alongside the subject being recorded. This gives the viewer the feeling of being there and walking along with the subject.
Depth of Field
Depth of field is a camera term that refers to how much of the image is visibly in focus. Shallow depth of field means that a small piece around the area of focus will be sharp and the rest will be blurry. A large depth of field is the opposite, with much of the image being acceptably in focus.
Frame Rate
A frame is an individual picture of a shot. When a sequence of these pictures move past your eyes at a certain speed, you will no longer see them as individual pictures. Your eye will be tricked into seeing continuous motion. The frame rate is how many of these pictures are being recorded or displayed per second.
The normal frame rates for cinema is 24 frames, or images, per second. When you see slow motion, the number of frames recorded is higher than that — say 120 frames per second. A shot will play out slower when displayed at a standard frame rate of 24 frames per second.
Focal Length
How much of an area of a given scene is captured is determined by the focal length of a lens. A lens with a wide field of view (capturing a lot of the area in front of the camera) will have a focal length that is a small number, such as 24mm or even less. A focal length of 35 to 50mm is considered a “normal” lens and is close to the field of view of the human eye. A telephoto lens will have a focal length above that — say 85mm and above — and starts to show less of the scene and magnifies objects that are in the distance.
Establishing Shot
An establishing shot gives you context for where you are in space and time. This is generally a wide or extremely wide shot. A very wide shot that shows a city skyline at night establishes that the scene is taking place in an urban environment.
Jump Cut
A jump cut is an editing technique that moves you forward in time by removing some of the action of the sequence and cutting it together. Think of a person hitting a heavy bag. You can show them hitting the bag, then cut out the snap back and show them hitting the bag again.
Mise-En-Scene
The mise-en-scene represents everything that you see that sets the mood of the shot. This includes how the set design looks, to the lighting, and even the actors.
Superimposition
When two images are playing at the same time and overlapping, this is called a superimposition. A famous superimposition is the opening scene of “Apocalypse Now” when you see the burning jungle superimposed over the image of Cap. Benjamin Willard (played by Martin Sheen). This is often used to link two different shots that give a meaning greater than each on their own.
Zoom Shot
In order to perform a zoom within one single shot, you need to have a zoom lens. A zoom lens is a lens that can change the focal length from a shorter focal length to a longer one (i.e. 24mm to 70mm or the other way around). A zoom shot is not a naturalistic shot. It isn’t something a human can do since our eyes can’t zoom in.
Equipment Terms
Camera Rig
A camera rig is the combination of equipment you add to your camera to give it greater functionality. You can mount a cage around your camera. This not only gives it some protection, but also has many modular mounting points so you can add different accessories such as a wireless video transmitter and a follow-focus system.
Boom Pole
A boom pole is a pole that has a microphone attached to the end of it. It is used to record audio from characters in the scene while staying out of the camera’s field of view, even when it is moving.
Lavalier
A cavalier is a microphone you clip to your talent so that you can get audio from as close to the actor’s mouth as possible. Usually the lavalier is a part of a wireless audio.
Shock Mount
A shock mount isolates the microphone from getting any noise when being handled. Microphones are extremely sensitive. They can pick up the smallest noise — say, a tiny vibration from an operator of a boom pole. A shock mount helps reduce or eliminate those sounds from being picked up.
Steadicam
The steadicam is a camera stabilizer that absorbs the shocks of handheld operation to produce extremely smooth tracking shots. It is a vest system that is attached to a specially trained operator. So, it is free from the dolly track and can follow anywhere your subjects need to go. A great example of this is the scene from “Goodfellas” when you are taken through the back of the restaurant.
XLR Cables
XLR cables are a standardized — and very common — pin-based connector system used for audio and lighting equipment. When used for audio, they provided a balanced audio connection and are much more reliable than their 3.5mm alternative.
Hard Drives
Hard drives store the digital recordings from the camera and audio departments. They are used in editing and also commonly seen on set. As cards are taken out of the camera, they are downloaded to at least two hard drives to ensure that, if one drive fails, you don’t lose any footage.
Gaffer Tape
Gaffer tape is the industry-standard tape. It is a very strong tape that is used on set in so many ways that it has its own memes. The benefit of gaffer tape, sometimes also known as gaff tape, is that it removes fairly easily without leaving as much of a sticky mess as duct tape.
Electronic Viewfinder
An electronic viewfinder (also referred to as EVF) is used to compose the shot. Before EVFs there was a mechanical system that used a mirror to show what exactly the lens was seeing. That has been replaced on modern digital cameras by an electronic system that can be brighter and provide much more camera information.
CTB, CTO and CTS
These are color-balancing gels used to correct lights that have fixed color temperatures. CTB, or “color temperature blue” gel, is used to match a light such as Tungsten which is around 3200 Kelvin and very warm. CTB makes lighting look more like the blue daylight temperature of 5600 Kelvin.
CTO and CTS are similar to each other and are used to balance daylight-based lighting fixtures — such as an HMI, which has a color temperature similar to daylight at 5600K. It brings it down to be used with other lighting sources that are 3200K. CTO stands for “color temperature orange” and CTS stands for “color temperature straw.”
Expendables
When mentioned in pre-production or on set, these are non-reusable items such as the many different kinds of tapes used on set.
Acting Terms
Character
These are the people, animals, or beings who the film will center around. They can be the protagonist, antagonist, best friend, unicorn, or any creature that has a role to play in the story.
Background Actor
Also known as an “extra,” a background actor is a non-speaking role and are usually in the background to give a scene a world to exist in.
Reel
There are several uses for this term. The first one is a film reel that is a circular frame used to hold film.
Another common film use of this term is as a video file that is a display of the best work a person has done to be shown as a way to get more work.
Call Sheet
A call sheet contains all the information that is needed for that specific day of shooting. It includes a lot of information, including the timing of the day, who is required to be on set and when, the locations that will be used and their addresses, the weather, and a host of other useful information.
Buyout
A buyout is when you receive a lump sum for your services as an actor in exchange for the right to use your likeness in any future screening of the work you are in.
Residuals
Unlike a buyout, residuals are compensation that are paid to actors whenever a movie or show is broadcast or sold.
Voucher
For every day you work on set, you receive a stub that shows the hours you worked as a background actor or as an actor. In order to get into the actors union (known as SAG-AFTRA, in the U.S.), you need three vouchers from union-run sets to join the union.
First Position
This is the physical space where you will start a scene. As an example, you can start out sitting in a chair and then get up and walk around the room. The first position is sitting on the chair. You will also hear people say, “back to one.” This means return to your first position.
Holding Area
This is the location where background actors wait until they are needed on set. As there can be many extras, this helps keep the set running smoothly.
Rehearsal
A rehearsal is a practice run of a scene. This allows the actor(s) to practice their scene as well as gives the rest of the crew the opportunity to see how a scene will play out. It also gives the director an opportunity to see if the way the scene is playing out matches his vision for the scene.
Wrap
This is often yelled at the end of a shoot. “That’s a wrap” means the shooting is done for the day, or potentially that the whole shoot is over. People usually clap and cheer. However, once a day is wrapped for some, there is still quite a lot of work to do for many departments.
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