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215 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Backstory
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Information that allows the viewer to understand important events that occurred before the story takes place.
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Character POV
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A story told from the perspective of a character in the story.
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Direct cinema
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A documentary style that concentrates on the story and less importance is placed on the equipment and crew.
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Fiction
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A fabricated story based on imagination that is usually designed to entertain.
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First-person POV
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A story perspective in which there is indirect communication from a character to the audience.
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Foreshadowing
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Hints or clues about what may happen later in a story.
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Genres
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Identifiers that help group programs into specific categories, such as drama, comedy, or news.
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Inciting incident
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The event that causes the story action to begin; it introduces the main conflict and keeps the audience interested in the story.
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Instructional design
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A systematic approach to the design of a program, including goals, process and evaluation.
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Interrotron
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A device used by filmmaker Errol Morris during interviews. The interviewee looks directly into the camera through a teleprompter and sees Morris as if he were in front of him.
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Logline
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A short summary that describes the story in an interesting manner.
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Mise-en-scene
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A French term for the designing and staging of the production space.
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Mobisode
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Video programs designed to be viewed on a cell phone or other mobile device.
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Non-fiction
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A factual story.
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On-axis interview
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A process where an interviewee talks directly to the camera as if conversing with the filmmaker or the audience.
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Plot
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The events that shape a story.
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Point of view (POV)
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The perspective used to tell a story.
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Product placement
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A practice in which a commercial company pays to have its products appear in a production.
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Second-person POV
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A story perspective in which there is communication from the talent directly to the audience, usually by having the talent look directly into the lens.
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Sound bites
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Quotable statements, usually short, from an interview.
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Spec project
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A video project that is pitched without having financial support.
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Teleprompter
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A device that mounts in front of a lens and uses a mirror and video monitor to displays text or other images for talent to read or view.
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Third-person POV
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A story perspective in which the audience is an observer.
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Treatment
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A detailed summary of a story used to market or sell a production.
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Webisode
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An episodic video program designed to be viewed on the web.
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Additive color
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Method used to reproduce color for video. An image consists of three primary colors: red, green and blue, which result in white when mixed together at full strength.
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Alpha channel
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An 8 bit black and white channel that defines transparency in video.
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Analog signal
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Audio or video recording that constantly varies according to the stimulus that creates it.
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Aspect ratio
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The ratio of screen width to screen height.
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Binary code
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Digital language in which every bit of information is represented by a series of numbers using only the digits 1 and 0.
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Blanking
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A process that turns off the electron beam at the end of each scan line and at the end of the first field as a video image is being created on a TV monitor.
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Brightness
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Attribute of color that defines the luminance of a color. Also known as lightness.
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Caching
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A video camera feature that constantly stores video data.
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Charged coupled device (CCD)
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A computer chip that converts light to electrical energy.
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Chroma key
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An electronic effect in which a specific image or part of an image replaces a colored background in a video shot.
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Chrominance
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The color part of the video signal.
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Color
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Visual property of an object defined by three attributes: hue, saturation, and brightness.
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Component
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Video signal that separates luminance and chrominance information into separate signals.
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Composite
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Video signal that combines luminance, chrominance, synchronizing, and blanking information together in one signal.
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Compression
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Reducing the amount of information and/or bandwidth requirements of a digital audio or video file.
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Analog signal
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Audio or video recording that constantly varies according to the stimulus that creates it.
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Aspect ratio
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The ratio of screen width to screen height.
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Binary code
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Digital language in which every bit of information is represented by a series of numbers using only the digits 1 and 0.
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Blanking
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A process that turns off the electron beam at the end of each scan line and at the end of the first field as a video image is being created on a TV monitor.
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Brightness
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Attribute of color that defines the luminance of a color. Also known as lightness.
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Caching
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A video camera feature that constantly stores video data.
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Charged coupled device (CCD)
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A computer chip that converts light to electrical energy.
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Chroma key
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An electronic effect in which a specific image or part of an image replaces a colored background in a video shot.
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Chrominance
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The color part of the video signal.
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Color
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Visual property of an object defined by three attributes: hue, saturation, and brightness.
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Component
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Video signal that separates luminance and chrominance information into separate signals.
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Composite
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Video signal that combines luminance, chrominance, synchronizing, and blanking information together in one signal.
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Compression
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Reducing the amount of information and/or bandwidth requirements of a digital audio or video file.
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Compression rate
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A ratio, such as 5:1 or 10:1, to express how much information is reduced in size when compression is applied.
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Data rate
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The speed measured in bits per second, at which data are allowed to move through a computer system. Also known as bit rate.
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DVcam
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Sony's version of the standard digital video format that samples at 4:1:1.
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Electromagnetic spectrum
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A range of frequencies in which all wireless communication signals are sent. A cordless phone, a garage door opener, the remote for a television or stereo are all examples of devices that use the spectrum to communicate.
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Encoding
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The process of compressing a video file to create video and audio suitable for internet streaming.
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Federal communications commission (FCC)
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The primary governmental agency that handles and allocates space in the electromagnetic spectrum.
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Fire wire
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One method for connecting cameras or disc drives to a computer. Also known as IEEE 1394.
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Hue
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The actual shade of a color.
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IEEE 1394
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One method for connecting cameras or disc drives to a computer. Also known as fire wire.
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Interlaced scanning
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A process to compose a video picture in which a TV monitor electronically draws all odd-numbered lines in an image first, then draws the even-numbered lines.
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Lightness
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Attribute of color that defines the luminance of a color. Also known as brightness.
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Luminance
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The black and white or brightness part of a video signal.
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Metadata
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Data about data, such as a camera setting used during a recording or the location of the video shoot.
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National television systems committee (NTSC)
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The group that developed the current analog television system in the United States.
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Optical disc
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A video recording medium similar to a DVD, that uses blue laser technology to store material on the disc.
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P2
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A video recording system in which audio and video are stored on specially designed flash memory cards.
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Pan and scan
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A technique for animating a still picture in a video program; also, a method for fitting widescreen content into a 4 X 3 aspect ratio in which the widescreen material is cropped to fit and then panned to eventually show the full width of the material.
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PCMCIA
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Expansion card commonly used to expand the capabilities of many laptop computers.
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Persistence of vision
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The phenomenon that describes how humans perceive motion from a series of rapidly sequenced still frames.
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Pillarboxing
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Vertical black bars that appear when placing 4:3 images in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
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Pixel
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The smallest unit of visual information. A combination of the words picture and element.
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Progressive scanning
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A process to compose a video picture in which a TV monitor electronically draws line 1 and sequentially scans the remaining lines of the image.
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Prosumer
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Description of video equipment that has some professional features, but retains some consumer features as well.
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Proxies
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Low resolution versions of video clips.
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Quantization
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The precision of digital samples or the number of discrete levels at which a digital sample may be recorded such as 16 bit audio which yields 256 discrete levels.
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Sampling
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Process by which analog information is measured in order to convert the signal to digital.
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Saturation
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Attribute of color that defines the richness or strength of the color.
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SD
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A secure digital card used as a storage device in a variety of electronic equipment.
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Solid state
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Device with no moving parts, such as a solid-state hard drive.
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USB
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Universal Serial Bus is a method for connecting cameras or disc drives to a computer.
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XDcam
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A video recording system that uses an optical disc to store images and sounds.
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180 degree rule
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A compositional rule that dictates camera placement during a scene to ensure consistent screen direction.
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Aperture
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The opening created by the iris that allows light through the lens of a video camera.
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Aspect ratio
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The ratio of screen width to screen height.
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Blocking
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A procedure in which the director, videographer and other relevant personnel resolve camera positions, movement in the frame and other issues prior to shooting a scene; also as it relates to compression of video, an artifact that consists of the appearance of small squares in an image that look like tiles.
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180 degree rule
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A compositional rule that dictates camera placement during a scene to ensure consistent screen direction.
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Aperture
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The opening created by the iris that allows light through the lens of a video camera.
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Aspect ratio
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The ratio of screen width to screen height.
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Blocking
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A procedure in which the director, videographer and other relevant personnel resolve camera positions, movement in the frame and other issues prior to shooting a scene; also as it relates to compression of video, an artifact that consists of the appearance of small squares in an image that look like tiles.
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Chin room
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In a video shot, the space from a person's chin to the bottom of the frame.
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Complex shot
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A video camera shot in which the subject moves as well as the camera lens and the pan and tilt head.
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Depth of field
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The range of distance over which objects in a video shot will remain in critical focus.
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Developing shot
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A video camera shot that involves subject movement, lens movement, pan and tilt head movement and movement of the entire camera support.
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Dutch angle
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A video shot in which the frame is tilted or canted.
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Dynamic
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A video camera shot in which either the camera or an object in the frame moves.
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Essential, or safe action, area
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The inner 85-90 percent of the video frame that will be accurately portrayed on the home television set.
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Extreme close-up (ECU)
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A shot when the camera lens is zoomed to a very tight shot of the subject, or a long focal length.
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F-stop
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A number used to indicate how much light is coming through the aperture of a lens.
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Filter
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An optical device that mounts in front of the lens and alters the look of an image; also, an effect such as desaturation or mosaic, applied to a clip or series of clips; also, a device that attenuates specific bands of frequencies.
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Fluid head
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A tripod mount in which a sealed system uses a viscous liquid between the moving and non-moving parts of the head.
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Focal length
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The distance between the optical center of the lens to the plane where the image is focused, measured in millimeters.
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Focus assist
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A system that aids a videographer in focusing a high definition cameras: a production assistant whose responsibility is to maintain camera focus during a shot.
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Focus puller
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A person who operates the focus control on the camera during a video shot.
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Fog filter
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An optical device mounted on the camera lens that softens the contrast and sharpness of a video image and adds a misty or fog-like quality to the image.
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Friction heads
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A tripod mount in which a sealed system uses grease between the moving and non-moving parts of the head.
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Geared heads
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A tripod mount that uses gears and hand wheels to smoothly move the camera.
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Graphic vectors
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Stationary objects or elements in a video frame that guide the viewer's eyes in a particular direction.
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Graticule
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An overlay in a camera viewfinder.
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Headroom
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In a video shot, the space between the top of a person's head and the top of the frame.
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High angle shot
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A video shot in which the camera is looking down at a subject.
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Index vectors
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Lines or directional indicators in the video frame created by people or objects that point in a particular direction.
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Iris
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A mechanical device that controls the amount of light entering a video camera.
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Lead room
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Space left in the video frame for a person to talk or look in a particular direction; also known as nose room or look room.
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Leading lines
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Elements in the video frame that provide a path for the viewer to visually navigate across the frame.
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Linear perspective
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A method for creating depth in the video frame in which horizontal lines in the frame are placed along the z-axis rather than parallel to the lens.
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Look room
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Space left in the video frame for a person to talk or look in a particular direction; also known as lead room or nose room.
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Low angle shot
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A video shot in which the camera is looking up at a subject.
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Macro lens
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An optical device that allows a video camera to focus on objects closer than the minimum distance.
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Matte box
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Attachment for a video camera lens that reduces glare and is capable of holding lens filters.
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Motion vectors
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Lines or directional indicators in the video frame caused by movement in the frame; also, as related to MPEG compression, a description of the direction and distance of pixel movement in predictive and bidirectional frames.
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Neutral density filter
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An optical device mounted on the camera lens that will reduce the amount of light entering the camera without affecting the color temperature of the light.
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Nose room
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Space left in the video frame for a person to talk or look in a particular direction; also known as lead room or look room.
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Overlapping plane
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A method for creating depth in the video frame by using an object in the foreground of the shot to frame or partially mask something in the background.
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Pan and scan
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A technique for animating a still picture in a video program; also, a method for fitting widescreen content into a 4 X 3 aspect ratio in which the widescreen material is cropped to fit and then panned to eventually show the full width of the material.
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Point of critical focus
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A central object or subject of a video shot that must be in focus.
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Polarizing filter
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An optical device mounted on the camera lens that is designed to reduce glare.
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Prime lens
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A fixed focal length lens.
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Rack focus
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A method for shifting audience attention or emphasis in the video frame in which the videographer changes focus from one object on the z-axis to another object. Also a method to create depth in the frame.
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Rule of thirds
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A compositional rule in video that suggests dividing the video frame into thirds vertically and horizontally. Important actions in the frame should be placed on the intersections of these lines. Also, dominant horizontal and vertical elements should follow the lines.
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Selective focus
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A method for creating depth in the video frame when one object along the z-axis is in focus while other objects are blurry.
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Sequence
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A series of continuous shots that relate to the same activity.
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Shoot and protect
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A video shooting philosophy in which the videographer shoots in 16 X 9, but ensures that all content will fit a 4 X 3 frame.
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Simple shot
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A video camera shot in which only the talent in the frame moves.
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Static
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A video camera shot without movement in the frame.
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Steadicam
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A video camera harness with a series of counter-balances that provides smooth and fluid movement.
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Vector
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A screen force that leads the audience through the frame.
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Waveform
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A graphical representation of an audio or video signal used to make adjustments for optimal signal.
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Waveform monitor
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A device that displays an electronic representation of the video image. Useful for checking exposure and associated video signal levels.
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Wide shot (WS)
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A shot when the camera lens is zoomed out to a wide angle, or short focal length.
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Z-axis
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An imaginary line that extends from the front of the camera lens to the horizon.
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Zebras
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A diagonal overlay on a video camera viewfinder that appears when the image you are shooting is brighter than a preset waveform level.
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Amplitude
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A measure of volume or loudness.
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Automatic gain control (AGC)
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An audio circuit that averages and controls audio input levels during recording.
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Balanced audio
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A method of connecting professional audio equipment in which the ground wire is separated from the others.
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Bass
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Lower audio frequencies.
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Boundary or PZM
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A microphone that detects sound pressure level changes between direct and reflected sound. Used in situations such as during a meeting when multiple users must use a single mic.
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Cardioid
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A microphone pickup pattern that picks up sounds in a heart-shaped area around the front of the mic.
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Condenser microphone
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A powered microphone that uses the movement between two electrostatically charged plates to transduce energy into sound waves.
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Decibel (db)
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A unit of measurement used for sound levels.
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Dynamic microphone
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A rugged microphone that electromagnetically transduces energy into sound waves.
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Frequency (or pitch)
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The relative tonal quality of an audio signal measured by the number of waves per second measured in Hertz (Hz).
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Impedance (z)
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Electrical resistance to signal flow.
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Inverse square law
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A rule of physics that states that as the distance from microphone to talent doubles, the sound level reduces to one-quarter of its intensity; also a rule about lighting that states: if the distance doubles between the subject and the light, the intensity of the light will drop to one-quarter its original value.
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Lavaliere (lav)
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A clip-on microphone that is attached to the talent.
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Limiter
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An audio circuit with a predetermined output level that cuts off all extremely high amplitude sounds.
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Line level
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Mid-level audio signals normally found in equipment such as vcr's and CD players.
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Mic level
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Low voltage audio signals produced by microphones.
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Monaural/mono
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A single channel of audio with no directionality.
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Mult box
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A device that offers a direct audio feed from one source to multiple outlets.
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Ohms
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A measure of impedance.
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Omni-directional
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A microphone pickup pattern that is sensitive to sounds from all directions.
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P.A. level
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High voltage audio signals used to drive speakers.
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Patching
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Connecting the output from one piece of equipment to the input of another.
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Perspective
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An audio aesthetic in which the sound matches the framing of a shot. The sound source from a person or object 5 feet away should be distinctly different from the same sound source 100 feet away.
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Phantom power
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An external power source used to provide voltage to a condenser microphone.
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Pickup pattern
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The direction from which the microphone will pick up sounds.
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Pitch
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A face-to-face opportunity to sell a production idea to a potential buyer or funding agency.
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Ribbon microphone
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A delicate microphone that uses a diaphragm to transduce energy into sound waves.
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Sampling
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Process by which analog information is measured in order to convert the signal to digital.
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Shotgun
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A highly directional microphone.
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Stereo
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Two linked channels of audio with left and right directionality.
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Surround sound
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Multiple linked channels of audio that surround the listening environment.
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Transducers
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A device that that converts one form of energy into another.
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Treble
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Higher audio frequencies.
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Uni-directional
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A microphone pickup pattern that picks up sounds from a narrow area in front of the mic.
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Wireless microphone
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A microphone system consisting of a transmitter and receiver and eliminates the need for a direct cable from the talent microphone to the recorder.
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Background light
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A light placed so that it casts light in the area behind the subject.
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Backlight
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A light used in the three-point lighting scheme to create the illusion of depth by separating the subject from the background.
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Barn doors
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Metal flaps attached to a lighting instrument used to prevent light from hitting certain parts of a scene or to direct light.
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Cameo lighting
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A lighting technique that isolates the talent from the rest of the frame causing the viewer to ignore the screen space and concentrate on the talent.
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Chroma key
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An electronic effect in which a specific image or part of an image replaces a colored background in a video shot.
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Color temperature
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The relative redness or blueness of light as measured in degrees Kelvin. The higher the color temperature, the bluer the light.
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Contrast
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The difference between the darkest and brightest part of the video image.
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Cookie
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A metal pattern such as a window frame, mini blinds or abstract design placed in front of a light to create a pattern on a surface in a video scene. Also known as a cucalorus.
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Cucalorus
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A metal pattern such as a window frame, mini blinds or abstract design placed in front of a light to create a pattern on a surface in a video scene. Also known as a cookie.
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Dichroic filter
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A blue colored glass that mounts in front of a light to match the color temperature of that light to the sun.
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Diffusing
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A method for softening a light source.
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Falloff
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In lighting, the change from light to shadow, generally described by how quickly the change happens.
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Fill light
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A light used in the three-point lighting scheme that reduces but should not eliminate shadows created by the key light.
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Flag
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A device used to block or shape light before it hits an object.
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Flooded
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A condition that exists when a light source is at its widest, least intense position.
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Frosted gel
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A white, translucent material placed in front of a spotlight to diffuse the light source, similar to tough spun and grid cloth.
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Gel
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A polyester-based material placed in front of a lighting instrument to cast a certain color, to match color temperatures or to reduce light intensity.
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Grid cloth
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A white, translucent material placed in front of a spotlight to diffuse the light source, similar to frosted gel and tough spun.
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Hard light
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A illumination source that produces a distinct beam of light with sharp shadows and fast falloff.
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Incident reading
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A light meter reading that indicates how much light is falling on a scene.
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Inverse square law
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A rule of physics that states that as the distance from microphone to talent doubles, the sound level reduces to one-quarter of its intensity; also a rule about lighting that states: if the distance doubles between the subject and the light, the intensity of the light will drop to one-quarter its original value.
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Key light
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The main light source in a three-point lighting scheme.
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Kicker
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A light placed opposite the key light to add a modeling effect on the subject. Can be used in conjunction with a backlight.
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Metal scrim
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A device composed of a metal screen that is used for diffusing light.
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Neutral density gel
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A gray gel placed in front of a light to reduce the intensity of the light while not changing the hardness or color temperature of the light.
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Reflected light
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A light meter reading that indicates how much light is bouncing back or reflecting back from the scene to the camera.
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Reflector
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A device used to bounce light from a light source toward the subject.
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Silhouette
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A lighting technique in which the foreground is dark, causing the audience to see only an outline of the subject.
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Soft light
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An illumination source that produces a diffused beam of light creating subtle shadows and slow falloff.
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Softbox
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A lighting instrument that consists of a spotlight enclosed by highly reflective fabric that diffuses the light.
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Spotted
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A condition that exists when a light source is focused to its most intense, narrow position.
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Three-point lighting
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The basic configuration used for television lighting in which three lights are placed in a triangular shape around the subject. Also known as triangle lighting.
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Tough spun
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A white, translucent material placed in front of a spotlight to diffuse the light source, similar to frosted gel and grid cloth.
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Triangle lighting
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The basic configuration used for television lighting in which three lights are placed in a triangular shape around the subject. Also known as three-point lighting.
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Umbrella
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A reflective device, attached to a spotlight that diffuses and reflects the light in a scene.
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