CRITICAL VIEWINGVOCABULARY LIST

FILM LINGO

CELLULOID

- Thin strip of transparent, plastic coating or a slang term for a film

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GREENLIGHT

-The go-ahead for a film to be made

Casting Couch

-a term that implies the trade of sexual favors to a director or producer to obtain a film role.

Screen Test

-A filmed audition to determine an actor’s sustainability for a film role.

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Ballyhoo

- an Irish term which denotes hype publicity regardless of the film’s actual merit

Story board

-a comic-style illustrated chart which virtually maps out the shot-by-shot sequences as they will be filmed.

Blocking

-the mechanical movements that a director coaches an actor to make, ensuring they are caught effective on film in coordination with camera action.

Clapboard or Slate

- a small black or white board or slate that displays identifying information for each shot in a movie

Closed Set

- filming done with only the essential crew present, usually to secure privacy or secrecy

Boom

- a pole-like device for holding the microphone in the air, out of camera range.

Dolly

-a trolley on which a camera can be horizontally moved about on tracks during shooting.

Steadicam

- a hand-held camera with a special mechanical harness that allows the camera operator to take relatively smooth and steady shots.

Subtitles

-an alternative to dubbing, a printed English translation of foreign dialogue at the bottom of a frame.

Voice Over

-a character’s voice heard over the action of a film for narrative effect.

Pre-production

-the planning stage in a film’s production after the project is greenlighted and before principal photography or actual shooting commences.

Rough Cut

- often used in focus group screening, an early edited version of a film with all the pieces of the film assembled; also known as first cut.

Post-Production

-the final stage in a film’s production after principal photography , involving editing, the addition of SFX, musical scoring, etc.

Gaffe

-an error that remains in the theatrical release of the film, not to be confused with “outtakes” and “bloopers.”

Final Cut

-the last edited version of the film as it will be released; also referred to as “in the can.”

Product Placement

-advertising space within a film sold to name-brand companies for their products to appear in a film as a way for a producer to fund some film production costs.

Rushes or Dailies

- a day’s shooting on film which is quickly developed in the lab, viewed by a director and staff to determine if retakes are needed.

Shot

-an uninterrupted section of film produced by a single running of the camera.

Scene

- a series of shots that together compromise the smallest narrative unit of film.

Sequence

- a series of several scenes that together create a major emotional narrative in a film.