Film Production Terminology: A Comprehensive Glossary

Posted on Feb 28, 2025 in Arts and Humanities

Film Production Terminology

Sequencer: A series of scenes unified by a shared action.
Setting: The time, place, and circumstances in which the action of a film takes place.
Shot: A unit of film in which the camera does not stop filming.
Still: A photograph of a shot from a film.
Tilt: A shot in which the camera points up or down from a fixed base.
Tracking shot: A shot taken with a moving camera, usually forward or backward, and sometimes on an actual track.
Boom: A camera’s upward or downward movement through space.
Close-up: A shot of one object or face.
Establishing shot: The first shot of a sequence that provides essential information.
Extreme Close-up: A shot of a small object or part of a face that fills the screen.
Eye-level: Shot at the level of human vision.
High-angle: A shot in which the camera looks down on what is being filmed.
Level camera angle: An angle in which the camera lens is even with the subject.
Medium shot: A shot between a long shot and a close-up that might show two people in full figure or several people from the waist up.
Pan: A rotational movement of the camera.
Dolly: A platform that runs over railway, the camera follow the action.

Cast: The group of actors who perform in a film.
Character: A person in a book, play, or film.
Cinematographer: The person who is responsible for the camerawork.
Crew: The people who make and produce the film; the subordinate members of a production.
Editor: The people who select the best takes.
Filmmaker: Director, producer, editor; important people in film.
Lead: The most important character.
Minor role: A small part in a film.
Portray: To act the part of a particular character in a film.

Subtext: The hidden meanings in a conversation, not expressed by words.
Subtitle: A printed translation of the dialogue of a foreign-language film at the bottom of the screen.
Dialogue: Words that the characters say in a film.
Dub: Insert a new language in a film.
Lip-synching: The matching of lip movements with recorded speech.
Underscoring: Music of the soundtrack.
Voice-over: Voice of a narrator.
Closed-captioned: Accompanied by captions that can be seen only on a specially equipped receiver.

Cut: The abrupt transition from one shot to another.
Dissolve: A gradual change of scene, in which the end of one scene is superimposed over the beginning of a new one.
Edit: To assemble the film.
Fade out / Fade in: A technique in which one scene gradually goes dark and a new one gradually emerges from the darkness.
Flashback: A sequence that goes back in time to show earlier action in a film.
Frame: A single picture; a photo.
Freeze-frame: A still picture from a videotape; a pause.
Intercut: The act of cutting from one shot to the next to see characters engaged in dialogue.
Outtake: A piece of film that is not being used at the time but is saved in case it may be needed for use at a later date.
Wipe: A device used for quick changes of scene.

Solution: The way to solve a problem or how characters deal with a difficult situation.
Strap-line: The line written under the title.
Theme: A general subject, topic, or message that runs throughout the film.
Action: Any movement in front of the camera.
Plot: The argument.
Mood: The general impression that a film gives to the viewer.
Genre: A type or class of film.
Documentary: A non-fiction film without actors.

Screenplay/Script: Written description of the dialogue.
Transcript: A written copy of the dialogue that is spoken in a film; it’s written after the film.
Treatment: A written summary of a proposed film.
Cinematography: Motion picture photography.
Print: A copy of a film.