Glossary of Video Production Slang — Crystal Pyramid Productions
By: Crystal Pyramid
Tags: Cinema, Video Production, Slang, Video Production Company, Glossary

It’s amazing to think that the Crystal Pyramid Productions crew has participated in thousands of video productions over a span of nearly forty years. Here we are, San Diego’s longest-serving video production company (established 1981).

Along the way, I’ve been jotting down on a series of small notebooks the video production slang used in both the broadcast and corporate video production worlds. Many of these glossary items are colorful and unique. Some will give you a smile. Some may surprise you. I discovered how videographers from other countries have different ways of expressing ideas. For instance, in the USA we call audio captured during B-Roll gathering “nat sound.” Brits call it “wild sound.” If you have any slang not covered below, please feel free to send it our way.

Enjoy this Glossary of Slang Filming Terms!

Air Gap — When two cables are not connected

Apples — Apple boxes

At Speed — The camera rolls for a short period of time before talent begins talking (harkens back to days of film, to roll until well past the beginning of the film which could be problematic such as scratches, overlighting, etc.)

Back to the Top — Restart at the beginning of a teleprompter script

Bio Break — Time to go to the bathroom at a designated time that does not disrupt the shoot

Bird — Satellite

Black Duvie — Black fireproof cloth called Duvetyne that is used to block windows and sometimes placed on floors near talent for less echoey sound

Blonde — In lighting, a 2000W light

Boom — The microphone attached to the end of a pole that is raised above talent to collect sound; the boom is typically seen with a furry windcover

BTS — Behind the Scenes

C-47 — aka “Bullets” or “Pins” — A clothespin that can be used as a clamp to secure gels to light fixture barn doors; the lofty term “C-47” was applied by a video production gear sales team to justify charging exorbitant price per clothespin

Cable Management — The grip is usually tasked with making sure cables are tidy and out of the way, or gaffed down so that nobody can trip over them

Call Sheet — Paperwork sent to crew members and talent prior to a shoot, apprising them of video production dates, locations, itinerary and personnel with contact information

Clapper — clapperboard aka slate with shooting information that crew member holds up and claps between takes

Clap the Stix — Crew member holds up clapper prior to a scene and claps it

Cowboy Shot — MCU, where bottom of gun in a hoster would sit

Cue — Informing the talent that it’s time to begin

Cut — DOP’s direction to talent to stop, end scene. Also, in post production when an editor slices a piece of video

Ears — Headphones

Gary Coleman — A short C-stand

Golden Hour — First sunlight at dawn and last sunlight at dusk

Gremlins — Little things that go wrong on set

Grip Milk — Beer after the shoot

Hard Out — Talent or crew member needs to leave no later than a particular time; “He has a hard out at 3PM.”

Honey Wagon — Porta potty on remote location

Human C-Stand — The person who holds up a boom pole, light fixture or foamcore during a lengthy shoot when a C-stand could have done the job better

Idiot Check — Checking the location after all equipment has been wrapped, to make sure nothing is left behind, like a phone charger in the wall, or SanDisk with today’s footage on it

Impact Repair — Banging on a piece of equipment until it works

In the Can — All footage for the show has been collected — harkens back to the days of film cans

It’s a Wrap — All shots have been gathered for the day and/or the project; it’s time to tear the equipment down and go home

Jump Cut — When a single shot is broken with a cut that makes the subject appear to jump instantly forward in time.

Lilliput aka “Small Redhead” — In lighting, a 300W light

Look Down the Barrel — Look into the camera

Luke Strike Walker — Someone who leaves the scene before striking the set, leaving everyone else to literally pick up the slack

Magic Hour — What UK production teams call “Golden Hour”

Martini Shot — The last scene videotaped in a day’s shoot

Mickey Rooney — A camera move — a “slow creep”

Nat Sound — Natural ambient sound

One-Take Wonder — A talent who gets their lines right in the first take

Rack — Camera’s soft focus

Recce (ˈrɛki) — (UK, Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Malaysia) Scouting out a location for a shoot to determine suitability for shooting

Redhead — In lighting, a 800W light

Rolling — The camera is operating and ready to capture video

Room Tone — The camera operator records 30 seconds of silence after conducing an interview, for use by the editor

Run ‘n Gun — Typically a news crew that races from one scene to the next, gathering footage

Scratching the Boom — Testing sound on the boompole mic

Settle — Quiet on the set

Shoot for Safety — One more additional take just to be sure there is one good, clean take

Spray the Room — Most commonly used by videographers shooting corporate Candids videos, when videotaping B-Roll in break-out sessions in hotel conference rooms at conventions

Stage Cactus — Someone who leaves butterfly latches open and then you bang your shin on it

Sticks — Tripod aka “Legs” (UK jargon)

Stinger — Extension cord

Strike the Set — Tear down equipment after the shoot is completed

Video Village — Typically during a corporate event such as an annual awards dinner; the crew may be stationed behind a curtain operating IMAG, teleprompters, camera operation, Power Point slide shows, etc.

Woof — Director of Photography directs crew as they set up lighting, or dress the set, etc.; meaning “Stop; that’s perfect.”

____________________________________

Patty Mooneyis a VP, Video Producer, Sound Technician, Teleprompter Operator and Video Editor at award-winning Video Production Company,Crystal Pyramid Productions, established in San Diego in 1981.