Glossary

180 line / 180-degree rule = refers to a standard of shooting that ensures that subjects who are on screen right, facing left, stay on screen right, facing left (and vice versa), and do not go jumping all over the screen, facing any which way (which might disorient the viewers), if you cut to a new take or angle or FOV; this is achieved, basically, by keeping your camera within a set 180-degree semi-circle of your subject's line of vision (i.e., the line of vision sets the 180 line, which must not be crossed).

Aspect Ratio = Refers to the screen shape - how wide to how tall.  Traditional television until recently has been 4 x 3 (slightly wider than tall). HD-TV is 16 x 9, which is closer to what you see most theatrical movies in (though not quite as wide). 

B in the C = see "C, in the" below

C, in the = This stands for "in the can," which is an old film expression meaning "finished" - the film was in the can - a can - literally, when it was sent off after shooting for developing.  Somehow, on one frustrating, long day, Christine started saying "let's get this b*tch in the can!" I'm not wild about the use of the "B word," so we started abbreviating, and then other "B" & "C" words were sometimes substituted, with much eventual drift -- this became one of those of-the-moment inside jokes on the set.

Capture scratch = Designation for the folder where your computer stores video data once you upload it (i.e., "capture" it) from your camera or other original source to the computer.  A way to lose your clips and your mind if managed imperfectly.
 
Cheat = Cheating is quite legal and expected in film work. This is when you purposely stage something in a particular (fake) way in order for it to be more 'readable' to the camera/viewer -- usually involving turning something more towards the camera than it truly would be in "real" life. For example, in real life, people look at each other face to face when they talk, but often in film, actors are asked to "cheat a little," i.e., to turn their bodies and/or faces more toward the camera than would truly be "natural." They stand at more of a 3/4 angle to each other. Once you look for this, you see it a lot in TV sitcoms especially.

Continuity = the matching of various elements from one shot or angle to another, even though these are recorded at different times; e.g., a burning candle might actually get taller in the final edit (or taller and then shorter and then tall again) because the same moment of a scene is shot more than once in different "takes;" the editor might like some of it from take 1, some from take 4, and then like the ending from take 2. Drink levels, ice, ICE CREAM and curled hair are potential continuity problems because of their tendencies to change.

Coverage = The amount and ways you shot a scene, how many angles or FOV you used to capture the moment(s).  In other words, how you "covered" the scene:  one WS, two MS from different angles, some O/S and a couple CU.  That's a lot of coverage. 

CU = Close-up (tighter/closer than a MCU)

DP = Director of Photography (a.k.a. cinematographer) - They are in charge of "lights and lenses," or, as on small sets, they are the "camera operator" as well. 

ESP = Extra-Sensory Perception -- I use this term somewhat loosely.  For Marissa and Larry it includes both the sometimes involuntary perception of other people's thoughts, as well as the ability to focus and "see" in their minds material realities that are not immediately available to their traditional five senses, e.g., they could tell you what you held behind your back or whether there was milk in the fridge because these things are "true."  Also, if you are dialing Marissa on the phone, she may go to her phone to answer it before it rings, as happens on one scene. 

Establishing shot = Usually a wide shot; usually the opening shot of a scene or sequence; used to show the viewers the context in which the action/dialogue is taking place, especially after a change or lapse in time. This is very common on sitcoms - think of Seinfeld and the outside shots of the diner; this means - next dialogue in diner.

Final Cut ("Pro" or "Express") / (FCE or FCP) = computerized video editing software and cruel torture device

FOV = "Field of View"  This refers to how much of a subject your camera is revealing.  A close-up (CU) is a FOV, as are medium shots (MS), wide shots (WS), etc.

IMDB = Internet Movie Database, a huuuuge repository of film and television info

In the C = see "C, in the"

Letter-box(ing) = When a film is shot in a wide format and must screen on a square-ish TV, for example, one can preserve the integrity of the film by shrinking the picture down so that the width is the same as your TV.  This produces blank spaces (usually black) above and below the picture, which are occasionally mistakenly believed to be covering something up.  Letter-boxing is much preferable to chopping off the sides of the picture (which, believe it or not, the director actually wanted there) to make it appear to be the same shape as your TV. 

M2 = Medium two-shot. This is a shot of two people, from approximately the thighs, up.

MCU = Medium close-up (wider than a CU, but not as wide as a MS)

MS = Medium shot. This is about half a person, more or less (other rules may apply)

Negative Space = Basically, outside of the niggling arguments of academe, this is all the space in your frame where there isn't a Thing:  the hole inside the donut and and the air all around it.  Artistically, one can use it to help convey meaning (visual metaphors) and/or for compositional/graphic balance.  One must be careful with it, so as not to communicate something with its abundance or paucity that one did not mean to communicate (e.g., a person in a WS, surrounded by a lot of negative space, may appear lonely or isolated). 

OS = Off-screen.  A character or object is in the scene and is making noise or performing some action in the scene, but is not currently being shown to the viewer.  Nudity, sex and violence are commonly OS in order to get past censors; characters often speak from OS when it's another character's reaction to what they're saying that is what the director wants to show to the viewer.  Not to be confused with "O/S" or "VO."

O/S = "Over-the-shoulder" shot.  This is usually a close-up shot of your subject, but must include a piece of the back of the person your subject is talking to.  Not to be confused with "OS".

PEDL = Preliminary Edit Decision List (the notes I made, marked by time code, shot by shot, while viewing the footage the first time through in 2002-2003)

Product Placement = when corporations pay to have their products specifically named or clearly visible in movies and TV shows (a form of advertising)

QT = "QuickTime" - a brand name for software used to format and screen digital video; some people loosely use "QuickTime" or "QT" to refer to any video clip that is a discrete file (like people say "Kleenex" for "facial tissue") but this can be very problematical when formatting is an issue. 

See and Be = Seeing and Believing (our movie)

Squeezed = When a film or video has been shot in a widescreen format, but forced to screen in a narrower venue, it will seem to have been squished from the sides, making subjects taller and thinner and distorted.  For some reason "squeezed" became the word for this, not "squished," although I like "squished" better.  This is solved by letter-boxing.

Title Card = When you have a blank screen with words on it for the viewer to read.  Title cards are commonly employed in silent films to clarify character thoughts or provide short bits of dialogue.

VO = Voice Over -- a narrator who is not seen on screen; can be a character from the film or a magically Other person (not to be confused with "O.S." or "off-screen")

WS = Wide shot. This is generally a person's whole body, often much more; frequently used to establish a setting and physical context for the action, sometimes used to frustrate people with small TVs.