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100 Essential Film Industry Terms Every Filmmaker Should Know (Part II)




There are so many terms we use in the film industry. Here is Part II of our essential film industry terms every filmmaker should know.


51. Speed

This is part of the cadence when the 1st AD asks to roll sound and camera. Sound will respond with, "Sound speeds" or "Rolling". When camera is asked to roll camera, the 1st AC will call out, "Speed". This term comes from the film days when the camera actually needed to get up to speed to reach 24 frames per second.


52. Beat

A small, but unspecified amount of time. This can refer to performance, focus pulling, camera move, etc.

 

Ex. Director of Photography says to the Steadicam operator, “Can you stay on the TV a beat longer before you pan over to her reaction.”


53. Cheating

This is to manipulate something to make it look better for the camera. This could be moving furniture, props, people or the camera. For example, two people could be standing in front of each other for a profile two shot. When you move into the over the shoulder, there are things that could cause problems making it less visually appealing. You can “cheat” someone by moving them around to create a better frame.

 

Ex. “Can we just cheat her over a couple steps to the right and get the window in the frame for more depth?


54. Crossing

This is usually said to announce and warn others that you are going to be blocking the cameras view for a quick moment. Normally, you should try to avoid walking in front of the camera, but sometimes there are tight spaces and you can’t help it.

 

Ex. Camera Assistant says, “Crossing!” and passes in front of the camera.


55. Dirty vs clean

Dirty refers to something in the foreground partially obscuring the frame. A clean frame is when nothing obscures the frame.

 

The Director of Photograph asks the Director, “Okay, for this over the shoulder do you want it to be dirty or clean?” The DP is asking the director if they want the shoulder in the frame, or just be on the other person without the shoulder in frame.


56. Do we die here

This is asking if the last scene of the day will end here.





57. Flip the world

This refers to moving the camera, lights, etc to the other side of the room to get the other side of coverage. Going back to a two shot, if you got coverage of one person talking, you need to “flip the world” to get the coverage of the other person talking.

 

Ex. “Okay, this is the last setup before we flip the world!" shouts the 1st AD.


58. Is that a buy?

This is usually a term used in conversation with the DP if they are in the process of making a decision and decides on something.

 

Ex. The DP is using the viewfinder on the 85mm. She lowers it and looks at the set and contemplates. 1st AC asks, “Is that a buy?” The DP nods.


59. Lock off

This means the camera is totally locked in the frame and should not be touched. Lock off’s happen if the creatives are making a choice to not move the camera, if they need to shoot a plate, or if VFX is involved.


60. New York/Chicago/Los AngelesI personally dislike using the cities to communicate the height of the apple box because I find it inefficient than saying shortest or highest. But for those who like to call things by unique names, here is the explanation. 3 - New York - tallest height for full apple box to stand2 - Chicago - medium height for full apple box to stand1 - Los Angeles - shortest height for full apple box to stand


61. NFG

No f**king good. This is a term that is used when something breaks, you label it NG or for fun you can name it NFG. It’s usually a label for broken gear so it doesn’t go back into rotation. Ex. 1st AC hands battery to 2nd AC, "That's a bad battery. You can mark that NFG"


62. On/off DP’s will ask their lighting team to on/off lights to see what the light is doing or not doing.

 

Ex. “Hey, can you on/off the LiteMat?”


63. On the day This phrase refers to when it comes time to go, that will be the plan.

 

Ex. DP says, “On the day, we will move this desk out of the way so we can put camera here”


64. Go to bed

This refers to an item that is done for the day.

 

Ex. “After this shot, the probe lens can go to bed. We don’t need it anymore.”


65. Just fell off the truck

This is to communicate that the piece of gear just arrived on set but has not been given a final position.

 

Ex. 1st AC says to dolly grip, “Is this where our first shot is?” Dolly Grip responds, “Oh, I don’t know yet. This just fell off the truck.”


66. Wide f**king open (WFO)

People just like adding F’s to things for fun. This means the aperture is at the widest opening which means the depth of field will be very narrow and a difficult focus pull for the focus puller.

 

Ex. 2nd AC asks 1st AC, “What’s the F-stop on this setup?” 1st AC grumbles, “WFO”


67. Woof

A sound people make to communicate to stop at a certain point.

 

Ex. DP says, “Can you turn the intensity up on that light? Keep going… keep going… okay, woof.”


68. Coffin

This refers a bin that stores the pre-built camera with accessories so it does not have to be broken down at the end of every shoot day to help save time.

 

Ex. “Is the coffin on the camera truck?”


69. Eye mark

Usually a piece of tape for the actor or subject to use so the eyeline looks good for camera and continuity.

 

Ex. 1st AD says, “Can we get an eye mark for our actress?”


70. Mark

Mark can be used in a lot of different scenarios. For the most part, it is usually referring to using tape or T-marks on the ground for an actor to know where they need to stand. Marks can also refer to getting points of distance for the focus puller. If it’s a difficult focus pull sometimes the 1st AC will ask for marks. You can also mark the ground for dolly moves or where furniture was if you need to move it back.

 

Ex. "Can we get a mark for our actor?"


71. Get sharps

This is a phrase usually used exclusively for the 1st AC. They may be busy or not by their station and the camera moves without their knowing… so they may be out of focus.

 

Ex. DP says to 1st AC, “Hey, can we get sharps?”


72. Go deep

This is another phrase exclusive for the focus puller. Sometimes the depth of field is so narrow, you don’t see what’s going on in the background, but sometimes people need to see back there while everyone is setting up.

 

Ex. DP asks the 1st AC, “Hey, can you go deep so we can see if the ladder is in the shot?”


73. Hold the roll

This means to NOT roll. Since we have transitioned from film to digital, some people have confused using this phrase to mean “keep speeding” which is not the case. This means to DO NOTHING.

 

Ex. 1st AD says, “Roll cam—wait, wait. We can see the mic pack, let’s hold the roll.”


74. MOS

There’s debate where MOS originated from, but essentially it is a take without sound. There are different procedures for a take that is MOS. Sound does not have to roll and the slate is slated differently.

 

Ex. 2nd Assistant Camera asks, “Is this going to MOS?”


75. Punch in

This refers to moving the camera closer to get a tighter shot size. It can also refer to digital punch ins.

 

Ex. “Let’s get this two shot and we’ll punch in for the close”


76. Spraying

This is what the stylists (or sometimes make-up) will normally announce out loud if they are in front of the camera with the actor and need to use a spray. It’s a courtesy announcement to let camera team know that particles will be in the air that could potentially get on the lens. Camera team will either point the camera away, stand in front of the camera, or put the eyebrow down to cover the lens.

 

Ex. Hair stylist calls out, “Spraying!”


77. Sticks

This term is on here because for newer people, when I have said sticks, they look at me confused. Sticks are essentially a tripod, but beefier. Sticks typically refer to the O’Connor Standard Sticks or O’Connor Baby Sticks.

 

Ex. DP says to 1st AC, “Can we get baby sticks?”


78. Swinging the lens

This refers to changing the lens.

 

Ex. 1st AD says, “How long is that going to take?” DP responds, “We just need to swing a lens and we’re good.”


79. Feather

This refers to a movement and typically is relevant to camera moves. Feathering means to end or begin the move softly so it’s smooth and not abrupt. This can also be true for moves on the dolly moves, dana dolly, steadicam, etc.

 

Ex. DP says to the Dolly Grip, “On this next one, let’s feather into the boom.”


80. Bounce

This refers to a technique of reflecting light off a surface. There are a few reasons you would want to bounce light. If you want the quality of light to be different, if you need some extra fill light, or if you want a little eye light you can bounce it into the eye.

 

Ex. DP says, “Hey can we get a bounce to fill some of the shadows under his eyes?”


81. Clipping

If an image is clipping it means the highlights/blacks are no longer within the dynamic range and will register as pure white or pure black. This can be a problem because if you are coloring, those areas that are clipping will not adjust within the image because it did not capture any information since it exceeded the dynamic range.

 

Ex. “The sky is clipping, let's add some ND.”


82. Hot/Spicy

This term is usually more for discussion about the exposure being too bright.


 Ex. The DP says to the gaffer, “The splash on the background is just a little too spicy”


83. Dance Floor

This refers to 4 x 8 masonite that is used on uneven ground so the dolly can move around freely with no track.


Ex. “Do we have time to set up the dolly on track or should we just use dance floor?”


84. Dolly In/Dolly Out

Dolly in refers to the camera moving forward (can also be dolly forward) and dolly out refers to the camera moving backward (can also be dolly back). Push in and pull out are words use to mean the same thing. Using the word "dolly" can be more understood to mean a smooth move pushing in or a smooth move pulling out in comparison to pushing in with handheld.

 

Ex. “Once her date gets up from the table, let’s dolly in from a two shot into a close up”


85. Truck Left, Right, Forward, Back

This is also a direction for communication. The language is used as if you were the perspective of the object. Truck usually refers to the dolly and the perspective is typically based on the camera.

 

Ex. “Let's truck forward 10 feet.”


86. Lamp left/right

Another way to communicate is to say “lamp right” or “lamp left” which is still referring to the perspective of the object. The orientation is determined by the direction the lamp is pointed.


Ex. “Walk the unit lamp right 3 feet”


87. Pan & Tilt

There is a difference. People make fun of directors for not knowing the different axis. Pan is left and right. Tilt is moving up or down. You can use these terms for lights as well.


Ex. “Let’s pan right a little on the HMI."


88. On axis

This is another term used for communication. When someone says “on axis” they mean if you were to make an imaginary a line from the object to where it is pointing, that is the axis people are referring to. This can be for camera, lighting or grip gear. Sometimes can also be used on regular objects if the context is right.

 

Ex. “Can you push the camera in on axis about two feet?”


89. Single (1/2 stop)

To put it simply, when working in camera, lighting, or grip, we are constantly working together to manipulate the light to be captured a specific way. This can be done with manipulating actual light as well as considering what camera settings to use. Stops are a big part of this process. I won’t go into what stops are, but in G&E you may hear the word “single”.


A single refers to a scrim or net designed to cut the output of a lamp by 1/2 of a stop. They can come in various sizes and usually have a green edge.


Some items are: single scrim, 2x3 single net, 4x4 single net, 8x8 single net. Verbally these things would be said with a short hand.


Ex. "Can we get a four by single in front of the 4k, an eight by double outside the window and drop a single in the tweenie"


90. Double (1 stop)

This is the same idea as a single, but a double cuts the output of a lamp by 1 stop/a full stop of light and has red edges. Some items are: a double scrim, 2x3 double net, 4x4 double net, or 8x8 double net (all marked in red lining) and that will cut the light a full stop.


Ex. "Let's drop a double on the key light"


91. Duvy

Duvy is short for duvetyne. It is a black cloth used to block or absorb light. You can use it to hide reflections, black out windows, or even a last minute shoulder pad for the camera operator.


Ex. "Do we have any scrap duvy to make a should pad?"


92. Furn-y

Furn-y is short for furniture blanket. It has multiple uses. Furniture blankets can be set on the floor to protect locations that have wood floors, can be rigged up to absorb sound so it’s less echoey, can be used as padding for camera coffins, used to protect leather on a car, or it can be used to be rolled up into a burrito for the camera operator.


Ex. “Hey can we get a few furnies flown in for the car seats?”


93. Hollywood

A term used to describe a person holding something during a take. More often than not, this refers to a last minute method when there is no luxury of time allowed. Other times it’s because it’s a moving shot and it is not possible to set a stand up to hold the grip or light item up.


Ex. The DP asks for bounce and the grip holds it up to audition for the DP and he likes it. Time is running out and the AD wants everyone to start rolling. DP asks the grip, “Can you just Hollywood it? It’s just this one take.” The grip obliges.


94. Shake up

When working outside, G&E may be using shiny or mirror boards to bounce the sunlight into where we are shooting. Because the sun moves, the angle of the board will have to also move once in awhile for consistency. If it isn't already done, the DP may ask for the board to be repositioned so the light can bounce into the scene.


Ex. "Can we shake up the shiny?"


95. Stinger

In the regular world, a lot of people would call it an extension cable. Stingers typically come in 25’, 50’, or 100’ in length. Stingers typically have a heavier gauge wire than a regular extension cable you would buy from Home Depot.


Ex. “Hey, can we get a stinger to crafty?”


96. Striking

You would should “striking” as a courtesy warning to anyone around to let them know to not look into the light.


Striking can also refer to taking something down


Ex. "Striking, watch your eyes!"


97. Splashing

This is a term called out as a courtesy warning to anyone below that something is dropping and to watch out from above. This can happen on location when someone is on the second level needing to have a cable out the window or from the stairs, or on location when lights are rigged up high.


98. Waste

When the DP asks to waste the light, they are asking you to turn the light away so they can use less of it. You are literally wasting the photons by having the light on, but only utilizing a portion of it.   


 Ex. “Can you waste the 2k off?”


99. Greeking

This means to hide or manipulate a logo to avoid infringing on copyright or trademark laws.


 Ex. “I think I can see the logo on the bottle. Let’s make sure to Greek that before we go.”


100. Room Tone

Room tone is very important for post work. It is the base sound layer in case post needs to do ADR or manipulate some of the sound. Without room tone, it gets difficult to hide things in post. All room tone is unique for each room. This is because the presence of people, lights, and furniture make sound bounce around differently. If you do room tone after everyone leaves, it will not be a good base layer for post and will sound different. This is why room tone needs to be done right after the scene is over and why everyone needs to stay for it. Sound will ask for room tone and everyone will awkwardly stand around trying to not make creaky chair noises or cough for 1 minute.



We did it! Made it through all 100 terms. There is so much unique lingo in the film industry and as you continue to work more often, it won't feel so daunting.


 

Stay organized with FreeMe! As you familiarize yourself with the essential lingo, don’t forget that communication is just one part of staying on top of things. Tracking information and keeping up with your work schedule can feel just as overwhelming as learning the language of film. That’s where FreeMe comes in. Our app helps streamline these tasks, so you can focus on honing your skills and becoming a more efficient crew member. Whether you're just starting out or well into your career, FreeMe keeps the admin work simple, so you can spend more time doing what you love on set.


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