Glossary of Production Terms.

Creative leadership roles on a production — director, producer, writer, DP, and key talent. Named for their position on traditional budget sheets. ATL costs are typically negotiated as flat fees or day rates rather than hourly.

A lens and shooting format that squeezes a wide image onto a standard sensor, then de-squeezes it in post. Creates distinctive oval bokeh, horizontal lens flares, and a wider field of view at a given focal length. The 'cinematic look' many associate with feature films.

The proportional relationship between image width and height. Common ratios: 16:9 (standard HD/UHD), 2.39:1 (cinemascope/anamorphic widescreen), 1.85:1 (flat widescreen), 9:16 (vertical video for TikTok/Reels/Shorts), 1:1 (square for Instagram).

Secondary footage that supplements the primary (A-roll) footage. In an interview, the interview itself is A-roll; the cutaway shots of the product, location, or action are B-roll. Essential for visual variety and covering edits.

Technical and support crew — camera department, grip, electric, sound, art, wardrobe, hair/makeup, PAs, and post-production. BTL labor is typically paid hourly or daily with overtime. Represents 50-65% of most production budgets.

The planned movement of actors and camera within a scene — where people stand, when they move, and how the camera follows or anticipates that movement. Good blocking is invisible to the audience but essential to visual storytelling.

The daily production document distributed to all crew the evening before a shoot day. Contains: call times for every department, location addresses, parking instructions, weather forecast, scene numbers being shot, and key contact information.

Director of Photography — the head of the camera, lighting, and grip departments. Responsible for the visual look of the production: composition, lighting, camera movement, lens choice, and color palette. The DP translates the director's vision into technical execution.

Compression/decompression algorithm for video files. Professional codecs (ProRes, DNxHR, RAW) preserve image quality for editing and grading but produce very large files. Delivery codecs (H.264, H.265/HEVC, AV1) compress aggressively for streaming but lose quality. The choice of acquisition codec is one of the most important technical decisions in production.

The process of adjusting and enhancing the color, contrast, and overall look of footage in post-production. Creative grading establishes mood and style; technical grading ensures consistency across shots and compliance with broadcast standards. Performed by a dedicated colorist using DaVinci Resolve, Baselight, or similar systems.

Shooting a scene from multiple angles to provide editing options. Standard coverage includes: master (wide shot of the entire scene), medium shots of each character, and close-ups of each character. More coverage = more editing flexibility but longer shoot days.

The raw footage from a day's shoot, reviewed by the director, DP, and key creatives — typically the evening after wrap. Named because film literally needed to be developed overnight. Digital dailies are available within hours via DIT workflow.

The distance range in front of the camera that appears acceptably sharp. Shallow depth of field (blurry background, sharp subject) is achieved with large apertures (T1.4-T2.8) and is associated with cinematic looks. Deep depth of field (everything in focus) uses small apertures (T8-T16).

The on-set specialist responsible for data management, color pipeline, and image quality control. The DIT backs up footage to multiple drives, creates editorial proxies, applies on-set LUTs for monitoring, and flags any technical issues before the crew wraps.

Chief lighting technician — designs and executes the lighting plan under the DP's direction. The gaffer selects fixtures, positions them, shapes the light with modifiers, and manages the electrical team. The gaffer-DP relationship is one of the most critical on-set collaborations.

Chief rigging technician — manages camera support (tripods, dollies, cranes, gimbals), lighting modifiers (flags, diffusion, reflectors), and non-electrical equipment. The key grip works closely with both the DP and gaffer to execute the visual plan.

A mathematical transform that maps one color space to another. On set, LUTs preview how log/flat footage will look after grading. In post, LUTs provide the starting point for the final grade. A 'show LUT' is designed for monitoring; a 'technical LUT' converts between color spaces.

A flat, low-contrast recording format that preserves maximum dynamic range and color information for grading. Log footage looks gray and washed out before grading — this is intentional; it's capturing more image data than a standard video profile. Common log formats: S-Log3 (Sony), C-Log2 (Canon), V-Log (Panasonic), LogC3 (Arri).

A shot filmed without sync sound — 'Mit Out Sound' (allegedly from a German director's pronunciation of 'without'). Used for B-roll, montages, slow-motion, and any shot where production audio isn't needed. Common call: 'This one's MOS — sound can stand down.'

Neutral Density filter — reduces the amount of light entering the lens without affecting color. Essential for shooting wide apertures (shallow depth of field) in bright conditions. Professional cinema cameras have internal NDs; stills/mirrorless cameras require external ND filters.

All work after principal photography wraps: editing, sound design/mix, color grading, motion graphics, VFX, music composition/licensing, and final delivery mastering. Post typically takes 2-8 weeks for commercial work and represents 15-25% of the total production budget.

All planning work before cameras roll: scripting, storyboarding, location scouting, casting, crew booking, equipment rental, set design, permits, insurance. Thorough pre-production is the single biggest predictor of a successful, on-budget production.

The number of pixels in a video image, expressed as width × height. Common resolutions: 1920×1080 (1080p/Full HD), 3840×2160 (4K UHD), 4096×2160 (DCI 4K/Cinema 4K), 6144×3160 (6K), 7680×4320 (8K UHD). Higher resolution provides more detail and reframing flexibility but requires more storage and processing power.

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists — the labor union representing professional performers. Working with SAG talent involves session fees, usage fees (based on how/where the spot runs), and pension/health contributions. Union talent is more expensive but brings professional training and experience.

The detailed breakdown of every camera setup for a production day — shot number, description, lens, camera movement, estimated setup time, and which scene/script page it covers. Created by the director and DP during pre-production; the 1st AD uses it to build the daily schedule.

The board filmed at the start of each take showing scene, shot, and take numbers. The 'clap' creates a visible frame and audible spike that syncs picture and sound in post. Also used to record lens, filter, and technical notes for the editor and colorist.

The actual light transmission measurement of a lens (vs. F-stop, which is mathematical). Cinema lenses are rated in T-stops because consistent exposure between lenses matters more than theoretical aperture. T2.8 on one cinema lens matches T2.8 on another; F2.8 may not.

Digital manipulation or creation of imagery in post-production — compositing, CGI, set extensions, wire removal, screen replacements, and more. VFX range from invisible cleanup (removing a logo, a stray wire) to full digital environments. The best VFX is the kind the audience never notices.

The camera's color temperature reference point, measured in Kelvin. 3200K = tungsten (warm/orange indoor light), 5600K = daylight (neutral), 6500K+ = cool/blue. Correct white balance ensures white objects appear white, not orange or blue. Creative white balance deviations are used intentionally for mood.

The end of filming — either for the day ('That's a wrap on day 1!') or the entire production ('That's a picture wrap!'). Picture wrap means principal photography is complete. Post-production wrap means the project is fully finished and delivered.