Essential Television & Film Production Terminology

Posted on Sep 10, 2025 in Arts and Humanities

Television & Film Production Terminology

Understanding TV Programs & Series

Sitcom
A humorous television series centered on the lives of fictional characters.
Documentary
A television program that chronicles real-life events.
Makeover Show
A program designed to help people change their lifestyle or image.
News Program
A show that reports world events as they unfold.
Soap Opera
A long-running television drama, often with many episodes per week, focusing on the daily lives and relationships of a group of characters.
Broadcast
A term used to indicate when or where a television program is shown or transmitted on TV.
Fictional Program
A type of TV show where the story has been invented by somebody and is not real.
Series
A program that has different parts, with one part typically shown once a week for between 6 to 24 weeks.
Commercials
Advertisements shown on television where businesses try to sell their products.
Episode
Each single part of a television series.
Comedy
Fictional TV shows which are funny and aim to make people laugh.
Factual Program
A type of TV show which presents real stories and situations, without inventing what is said or done.
Season
When a TV series or show lasts for many years, this refers to all its parts within each year, or a set of related episodes shown over one single period of weeks or months.
Rerun
When a TV show is shown for a second or third time on television.
Season Finale
The name for the last episode in a season of a TV series.
Miniseries
A type of TV series which has been made to run for only one season, with the story concluding in the last episode.
Channel
The name for the place on television, like BBC, CBS, or CNN, that shows TV programs.
Specials
Extra episodes which TV series have for occasions like Christmas or Halloween.
Drama
Fictional TV shows which are not funny and do not aim to make people laugh.
Genres
A different way to say ‘types’ when talking about a TV program.

Common Misconceptions in TV

  • Game of Thrones is not a reality TV show.
  • You Are What You Eat is not a cookery show.
  • American Idol is not a cartoon show.
  • QVC is not a TV drama.
  • Coronation Street is a soap opera.

Camera Shots & Framing Techniques

Extreme Long Shot
Contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location. This is also known as an establishing shot.
Long Shot
Contains landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of the setting. A long shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.
Full Shot
Contains a complete view of the characters, from head to toe. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and it may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters.
Medium Shot
Frames a subject’s head and cuts off around mid-chest.
Close-Up
Contains just one character’s face. This enables viewers to understand the actor’s emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character.
Extreme Close-Up Shot
Contains one part of a character’s face or another object. This technique is quite common in horror films. This type of shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer.
Tight Shot
A shot where the subject fills the whole frame.
Head-On Shot
A shot where the action comes directly at the camera.
Choker Shot
A tight close-up, usually only showing a subject’s face.
Cutaway Shot
A shot that is related to the main action of the scene but briefly leaves it, such as an audience member’s reaction to a show.
Freeze Frame
A shot that results from repeating the same frame so the subject appears frozen.
Reaction Shot
A close shot of a character reacting to something off camera.
Cameo Shot
A shot in which the subject is filmed against a black or neutral background, often to isolate them.
Flash Shot
A very brief shot, often for shock effect.
Boom Shot
A shot filmed from a moving boom, incorporating different camera angles and levels.
Reverse Angle Shot
A shot that is the opposite of the preceding shot, such as two characters in conversation.

Film & TV Production Crew Roles

Executive Producer
The person who provides the funding necessary to produce the program.
Producer
Purchases materials and services in the creation of a program.
Director
The person who is in charge of the creative aspects of the program and interacts with the entire staff.
Production Manager
Supervises the physical aspects of the production, including personnel, technology, budget, and scheduling.
Location Manager
Oversees the locations department and its staff, typically reporting directly to the production manager or assistant director.
Casting Director
Chooses the actors and actresses for the characters of the film.
First Assistant Director (1st AD)
Assists the production manager and director.
Second Assistant Director (2nd AD)
Is the chief assistant of the 1st AD and helps carry out those tasks delegated to the 1st AD.
Director of Photography (DOP)
Is in charge of the visual look of the “frame” of the movie shots, hence the name “photography.”
Assistant Camera (AC)
A member of a film crew’s camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain image sharpness on whatever subject or action is being filmed.
Clapper Loader
Is part of a film crew whose main functions are loading the raw film stock into camera magazines, operating the clapperboard (slate) at the beginning of each take, marking the actors as necessary, and maintaining all records and paperwork for the camera department.
Focus Puller
A member of a film crew’s camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain image sharpness on whatever subject or action is being filmed.
Gaffer
Is the head of the lighting department, responsible for the design of the lighting plan for a production.
Best Boy
Is the chief assistant to the gaffer.
Grip
Report to the key grip and are responsible for lifting heavy things and setting rigging points for lights.
Sound Designer
Is in charge of the post-production sound of a movie.
Sound Recordist
A mechanism that records sound tracks for sound motion pictures on a separate film from the picture film.
Boom Operator
First assistant sound, responsible for utilizing microphones on the end of boom poles held above actors’ heads during a scene to capture dialogue.
Production Designer
Is responsible for creating the visual appearance of the film – settings, costumes, character makeup, all taken as a unit.
Art Director
Reports to the production designer, and more directly oversees artists and craftspeople, such as the set designers, graphic artists, and illustrators who give form to the production design as it develops.
Special Effects Artist/Team
Creates illusions or visual tricks used in the film, television, theatre, video game, and simulator industries to simulate imagined events in a story or virtual world.
Costume Designer/Department
Is responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn by all the actors that appear on screen.
Property Master/Prop Department
Formally known as (theatrical) property, an object used on stage or on screen by actors during a performance or screen production.
Makeup Artist
The person responsible for applying cosmetics to the talent’s face and body.
Editor
The person responsible for putting the various pieces of the entire program together.
Dubbing Editor
A post-production process used in filmmaking and video production in which additional or supplementary recordings are “mixed” with original production sound to create the finished soundtrack.

Lighting Fundamentals & Equipment

Ambient Light
The light already present in a scene, before any additional lighting is added.
Incident Light
Light seen directly from a light source.
Reflected Light
Light seen after having bounced off a surface.
Color Temperature
A standard for measuring the characteristics of light, measured in Kelvins.
Contrast Ratio
The difference in brightness between the brightest white and the darkest black within an image.
18% Gray Card
A gray-colored card which reflects 18% of the light that falls upon it. Used as a reference to calibrate light meters and set exposure.
Ballast
A device used to control the electrical current in a light.
Lighting Consoles
Hardware and software systems which control lighting. Operated by the lighting technician, consoles coordinate lighting displays on stages, studios, etc.
Light Meter
A tool used to measure light and indicate the ideal exposure setting. Also known as an exposure meter.
Reflector Board
A specially designed reflective surface used to act as a secondary light source. The board is lightweight and flexible, and is normally folded up for transport in a small carry case.
Gels
Materials which are placed in front of a light source to alter its characteristics, e.g., color temperature or dispersion.
Spectrometer
A professional-level instrument which measures the spectrum of light. Technically speaking, a spectrometer analyzes the electromagnetic spectrum and measures the intensity of radiation as a function of wavelength.
Stand Clamps
Systems used to support lights and hold them in the correct position.
Hard Light
Light directly from a source such as the sun, traveling undisturbed onto the subject being lit.
Soft Light
Light which appears to wrap around the subject to some degree, producing less shadows or softer shadows.
Spotlight
A controlled, narrowly focused beam of light.
Floodlight
A broad beam of light, less directional and intense than a spotlight.
Tungsten Light
Light from an ordinary light bulb containing a thin coiled tungsten wire that becomes incandescent when an electric current is passed along it. Tungsten color temperature is around 2800K to 3400K. Also known as incandescent light.
Halogen Lamp
A type of lamp in which a tungsten filament is sealed in a clear capsule filled with a halogen gas.
Fresnel Light
A light which has a lens with raised circular ridges on its outer surface. The Fresnel lens is used to focus the light beam.
Incandescent Lamp
Incandescent lamps produce light by heating a filament.

Three-Point Lighting System

Three-Point Lighting
Refers to the classic use of at least three lighting elements to light a subject in a scene.
Key Light
The main light on the subject, providing most of the illumination and contrast. It acts as the primary light illuminating the subject and is often the brightest light on the subject.
Fill Light
A light placed to the side of the subject to fill out shadows and balance the key light. It illuminates the subject and fills in the shadows created by the key light. The amount of fill light used can create a more dramatic or a softer, more romantic effect on the subject.
Back Light
A light placed at the rear of a subject to light from behind. It is aimed at the subject from behind them, casting a light on the subject’s hair and shoulders in order to keep the subject from blending into the background.

Film Genres & Industry Roles

Horror Film
A film designed to scare you.
Science Fiction Film
A film set in the future, or an imaginary world and time.
Action Film
A film with lots of chases, violence, and strong heroes.
Comedy Film
A film that makes you laugh.
Drama Film
A film about human relationships and life.
Thriller Film
A film that keeps you excited.
Period Drama
A drama set in a definite historical period.
Romantic Comedy
A comedy that is also a love story.
Psychological Thriller
A thriller that has a lot of suspense and fear.
Film Review
A report about a film, usually with an opinion.
Film Critic
A person who writes film reviews.
Film Premiere
The first time a film is shown in a country.
Film Star
A famous actor from films.
Filmmaker
A person who makes films; a film director.
Film Festival
A special event when many different films are shown.
Film Buff
Someone with a very detailed knowledge of films.
Filmgoer
Someone who regularly goes to the cinema.