mogul the head of a movie studio.
Moviola an editing machine.
MOW movie of the week; a made-for-television movie.
nickelodeon an early form of American movie theater, with admission costing a nickel.
novelization a novel adapted from a movie.
on location of filming, in an actual setting, such as an airport, rather than in a studio mockup or set.
optrack an optical soundtrack on a married print; it is composed of a photo image of sound modulations on the side of the film.
outtake a portion of film deleted by the editor.
overlap sound dialogue or sound that continues as the scene fades out. Also, dialogue or sound that begins before the scene fades in.
Panavision wide-screen process that supplanted Cinemascope.
Pan-Cake a makeup used on actors to darken skin.
pickup a motion picture produced and shot by one studio and purchased by another.
pitch a verbal presentation of a story or movie idea from writers to producers.
postproduction any additional elements that must be performed or added after the principal film has been shot, most notably editing and special visual effects.
postsynchronization the recording of the soundtrack after the film has been shot.
practical set a studio set, such as a bedroom mockup, with parts that actually work, such as doors, windows, and so on. Also, any on-location set.
premiere the first public showing of a movie.
prequel a movie featuring a story line that precedes in time the related story line of another movie already produced and shown.
print the physical movie or film itself, or a reel of a movie.
producer the person who secures financing, purchases the script, hires artists and technicians, and oversees a film's production.
production assistant an all-around assistant who performs a wide variety of odd jobs on a set.
production manager a budget supervisor in charge of purchase orders and the hiring of crew.
product placement an appearance of a commercial product, such as a name-brand soda or beer, in a motion picture as a passive paid advertisement and prearranged by the producer and advertiser.
prompter a person who helps the actors with their lines.
prop any object used in a film, for example, a chair, table, inkwell, gun, or elephant.
property a film story.
prosthetic appliance a fashioned piece of latex or gelatin attached to an actor's face or body, as when playing an alien.
rough cut the first cutting and splicing of a film by the editor, in which scenes are placed in the correct general order according to the script.
rushes see dailies.
scenic artist a set artist who paints, textures, plasters, letters, creates signs, and more.
score the music composed for a film.
screening the showing of a movie on a screen or in a theater.
screenplay a film story, with dialogue and descriptions of action in the script.
screen test an audition of an actor in front of a camera.
screenwriter a script writer.
script supervisor the person in charge of film continuity, for example, making sure details in one shot (such as which side the actor's hair is parted on or whether a jacket is zipped or unzipped) match those in another shot, even though filmed days or weeks apart. Formerly known as the script girl.
Sensurround a gimmicky movie sound system in which stereo speakers are placed in front, in back, and sometimes on the sides of a theater.
set the location where a film is being shot.
shooting script a script having directions for camera angles, shots, and so on, as well as dialogue.
slate see clapper.
sound effects all sounds, other than music or dialogue, added to film after shooting.
sound stage a building in which sets are built and dismantled for filming.
soundtrack the optical or magnetic track on the side of a film; it contains the music, dialogue, and sound effects.
spaghetti western a European western, usually made in Italy or Spain, popular in the 1960s.
spec script a movie script written on speculation, as opposed to an assignment, with the hope of landing a sale to a producer or studio.
splice to join two pieces of film.
spotting session a meeting in which the director, composer, and editor decide where the music will play in the film.
stand-in a person who takes the place of an actor on a set while a shot is being set up.
Steadicam a special, handheld, waist-supported camera that provides smooth, shake-free shots on a par with dolly shots.
still a photo or enlarged frame from a film, used for publicity.
stock footage existing film borrowed or purchased from a film library and used in a new film.
storyboard a series of captioned drawings showing planned camera shots.
streamer a long line drawn on a film to cue an actor that a scene to be dubbed with dialogue is coming up. Also used to cue conductors for accurate placement of music.
sword and sandal slang for biblically based movie epic, named after the costumes and props used.
sword and sorcery slang for a fantasy epic.
take a recording of scene. The director may order several takes of the same scene to make sure everything works as planned.
test screen to screen a movie in front of a test audience to measure reaction. If reaction is poor, parts of the movie may be reshot before nationwide release.
track the rails on which the camera rides in a tracking shot.
treatment a detailed description or outline of a film idea, as given by the author.
turnaround a process in which a script that has been purchased and has gone through preproduction fails to get made and is made available for sale to other studios.
typecasting the casting of a character type to fit a specific character role.
walla a sound effect of a murmuring crowd.
wild shooting shooting a film without simultaneous recording of the sound.
wild sound sound recorded apart from the actual filming.
wild walls on a set, temporary walls that can be assembled and disassembled quickly.
wrangler an animal handler. Also, a handler of all kinds of nonanimal items. The person responsible usually has a certain amount of expertise with the item.
wrap the end of shooting for the day.
Special Effects and Camera Techniques
animatronics electronically or radio-controlled puppets of animals, humans, monsters, etc.
back projection the projection of a still or moving background through a translucent screen behind the actors, now largely outmoded by front projection and other techniques. Also known as rear projection.
blue screen a process employing a blue screen and color filters to produce matte shots. Also known as a traveling matte. In television, it is performed electronically at the touch of a button and is known as chroma-key.