Film production glossary
Set terminology explained for planning, not for an exam.
- BriefingThe briefing bundles goal, audience, message and constraints of a film project. Every shot…
- TreatmentA treatment tells the finished film as present-tense prose before a script exists. How…
- Script BreakdownThe script breakdown pulls every prop, role, vehicle and effect out of the script, scene by…
- Shot ListThe shot list is the numbered plan of every shot: size, angle, movement, content. It decides…
- StoryboardA storyboard shows the planned film frame by frame as drawings. It settles framing, order and…
- AnimaticAn animatic cuts storyboard frames to length with sound, turning a stack of drawings into a…
- MoodboardA moodboard collects images, colors and textures that define the intended feel of a film, so…
- LookbookA lookbook pins down how the film will actually look: framing, light, palette, wardrobe…
- Shooting ScheduleThe shooting schedule sorts scenes by location, cast and light instead of story order. It is…
- StripboardOn a stripboard every scene is a colored strip sorted into shooting days. Rearranging strips…
- Call SheetThe call sheet compresses one shooting day onto one or two pages: calls, scenes, addresses…
- Call TimeCall time is when your working day starts on set, not when you reach the parking lot. Why…
- Wrap TimeWrap time is the planned end of the shooting day — and the number that decides overtime, rest…
- Production BookThe production book collects every approved document of a shoot: contacts, schedule, boards…
- One-PagerA one-pager condenses a film project to one page: logline, idea, tone, key facts. The…
- Concept FilmA concept film demonstrates idea, tone and style of a planned project in short form — shot to…
- Director's TreatmentThe director's treatment answers script or briefing with a concrete vision: tone, look…
- Shooting BoardA shooting board draws every planned shot exactly as framed, with lens and movement notes —…
- Floor PlanA floor plan maps the set from above: walls, furniture, actor paths, camera and light…
- BlockingBlocking choreographs actors and camera in space: paths, marks, turning points. Settled in…
- CoverageCoverage is the set of shots that captures a scene from enough angles to edit it. Too little…
- Shooting RatioThe shooting ratio compares recorded material to final runtime, like 10:1. It shapes…
- SetupA setup is one camera position with its lighting state. Days are measured in setups, because…
- Company MoveA company move relocates the whole unit to another location mid-day. Packing, driving…
- SceneA scene is continuous action in one place at one time. Scripts, breakdowns and schedules all…
- ShotA shot is one uninterrupted stretch of recorded image. Shot lists, storyboards and slates all…
- TakeA take is one recorded attempt at a shot. Takes get numbered on the slate, commented in the…
- SequenceA sequence groups scenes into one narrative arc — a chase, a heist, a wedding. Planning in…
- Montage SequenceA montage sequence compresses time through quick, connected images — the training, the road…
- Master ShotThe master shot records the entire scene in one continuous framing. It anchors continuity and…
- Insert ShotAn insert isolates a detail inside the scene — the note, the ring, the trigger. Cheap to…
- CutawayA cutaway leaves the main action briefly — a listener, a clock, the street outside — and…
- Establishing ShotThe establishing shot opens a scene wide and answers where and when before the story…
- POV ShotA POV shot shows exactly what a character sees. It needs its shot pair — the look before, the…
- Over-the-Shoulder ShotThe over-the-shoulder frames one speaker past the other's shoulder. It glues a conversation…
- Two-ShotA two-shot holds two characters in one frame and shows their relationship through distance…
- SingleA single frames exactly one character. Clean or dirty, it is where performance lives — and…
- Close-upThe close-up fills the frame with a face and turns thought into image. Used sparingly it…
- Extreme Close-upThe extreme close-up isolates a fragment of the face or an object edge. Maximum intensity per…
- Medium ShotThe medium shot frames a person from about the waist up — close enough for the face, wide…
- Wide ShotThe wide shot puts figures inside their surroundings so the location reads as clearly as the…
- Full ShotA full shot holds the whole body from head to toe with a little air at the edges. It is the…
- Detail ShotA detail shot isolates one small thing — a hand, a switch, a label — so the audience cannot…
- High AngleA high angle puts the camera above the subject and looks down. What that really does to a…
- Low AngleA low angle looks up at the subject from below eye level. It changes the silhouette, and it…
- Bird's-Eye ViewThe bird's-eye view looks down on a scene from far above. What it shows that no other angle…
- Dutch AngleRolling the camera sideways tilts the horizon and unsettles the frame. Also called Dutch tilt…
- EyelineThe eyeline is the direction an actor looks and the height they look at. Get it wrong and two…
- 180-Degree RuleTwo people talking share an invisible axis. Keeping the camera on one side of it is what…
- Crossing the LineCrossing the line means moving the camera to the other side of the axis. Characters swap…
- Screen DirectionIf a car leaves frame right, it should enter the next shot from frame left. Screen direction…
- ContinuityContinuity is the promise that props, costume and action match from shot to shot, even though…
- Prep DayA prep day is a paid working day before the shoot in which a department builds, checks or…
- Tech RecceOn the tech recce every head of department walks the locked location and turns creative…
- Location ScoutingLocation scouting is the search for places that fit the script and still work as a set. It…
- Location ReleaseA location release is the owner's written consent to shoot on their property and to use the…
- Filming PermitA filming permit is official permission to shoot in public space. It comes with conditions, a…
- CastingCasting turns a character description into a booked performer, through breakdown, self-tapes…
- Street CastingStreet casting looks for faces outside the agency system. It buys authenticity and costs time…
- Talent ReleaseA talent release is written consent to record someone and to use their image and voice…
- Day Out of DaysThe day out of days is a grid of cast against shooting days. It shows who starts, works…
- Availability CheckAn availability check asks crew, cast or suppliers whether a date range is free. It reserves…
- Hold DateA hold reserves a date without booking it. First option gets right of refusal, second option…
- Weather DayA weather day is a reserved spare shooting day for exteriors that rain can kill. It is…
- Cover SetA cover set is an interior kept ready so the unit can switch to it when the exterior falls…
- Backup LocationA backup location is a second place that can carry the same scenes if the first one falls…
- Golden HourGolden hour is the window with the sun just above the horizon: warm, low and directional. Its…
- Blue HourBlue hour runs after sunset and before sunrise, with the sun below the horizon. The sky…
- Magic HourMagic hour is the loose term for the fast-changing light around sunrise and sunset. It covers…
- First LightFirst light is the earliest daylight you can expose for, before the sun is up. Call times are…
- Last LightLast light is the final usable daylight after sunset. Exteriors are scheduled against it, and…
- Sunrise ShotA sunrise shot has the sun itself crossing the horizon in frame. You get one pass per day, so…
- Day for NightDay for night shoots a night scene in daylight, then underexposes and grades it dark. It…
- Night ShootA night shoot works in real darkness, with its own lighting package, surcharges and…
- Split DayA split day starts in the afternoon and runs past dark. It bridges a unit from day work into…
- Turnaround TimeTurnaround is the time between one person's wrap and their next call. It decides how early…
- Rest PeriodThe rest period is the uninterrupted break an employee is entitled to between two working…
- OvertimeOvertime is every working hour beyond the agreed day. It is a producer's decision, it is…
- Meal PenaltyA meal penalty is the surcharge a production pays when the crew's break comes late or not at…
- Prep and WrapPrep and wrap are the working hours around a shooting day: unloading, rigging, derigging and…
- Focal LengthFocal length sets the field of view and the feel of a shot — from wide context to compressed…
- Prime LensA prime lens has a single fixed focal length — usually faster, sharper and smaller than a…
- Zoom LensA zoom covers a range of focal lengths in one housing. Where variable framing saves setups —…
- Cine LensCine lenses add geared rings, long focus throws, T-stops and matched housings to the glass…
- T-StopA T-stop states how much light actually reaches the sensor, transmission losses included. Why…
- F-StopThe f-stop is focal length divided by pupil diameter — a geometric measure of aperture. What…
- ApertureThe aperture is the adjustable iris inside the lens. It sets exposure, depth of field and…
- Depth of FieldDepth of field is the zone around the focus point that reads as sharp. The four levers that…
- Hyperfocal DistanceFocus at the hyperfocal distance and everything from half that distance to infinity reads…
- Circle of ConfusionThe circle of confusion defines how large a blur spot may grow before it stops reading as…
- Focus PullA focus pull shifts the plane of sharpness during the shot, live, by hand. Why an entire crew…
- Rack FocusA rack focus throws sharpness from one subject to another inside a single shot. How the move…
- Follow FocusA follow focus is the geared wheel unit that lets the 1st AC turn the focus ring precisely…
- BokehBokeh describes how a lens renders the out-of-focus parts of the image — smooth, nervous…
- AnamorphicAnamorphic lenses squeeze a wide view onto the sensor and get unsqueezed in post — bringing…
- Spherical LensSpherical lenses project the image without squeeze — the default optical path for most…
- Sensor SizeSensor size sets which lenses cover the image, how focal lengths behave and how the format…
- Super 35Super 35 is the sensor format matching classic 35mm film — around 24.9 by 18.7 millimeters…
- Full FrameFull frame uses the 36 x 24mm stills format for cinema — wider lenses for the same view…
- Large FormatLarge format covers cinema sensors bigger than Super 35 — full-frame class and beyond. What…
- Crop FactorThe crop factor converts focal lengths between sensor sizes — a 50mm on Super 35 frames like…
- Field of ViewField of view is the angle of scene a lens-and-sensor pairing captures. Why it, not the…
- Frame RateFrame rate counts the images captured per second — 24 for cinema feel, higher for broadcast…
- Shutter SpeedShutter speed is how long each single frame is exposed. In film work it is chained to frame…
- Shutter AngleThe shutter angle states exposure time as degrees of a spinning disc — 180 exposes half of…
- 180-Degree ShutterThe 180-degree rule exposes each frame for half its interval, producing the motion blur…
- Motion BlurMotion blur is the streaking of moving subjects within each frame's exposure. It glues 24…
- Rolling ShutterA rolling shutter exposes the sensor line by line instead of all at once — bending fast…
- Global ShutterA global shutter exposes the entire sensor in one instant — no skew, no torn flashes. What…
- ISOISO rates how a camera maps light to brightness — digitally, a gain setting that shifts noise…
- Native ISONative ISO is the sensitivity a sensor was built around: best noise floor, widest usable…
- Dual Native ISOSome sensors carry two hardware base sensitivities instead of one. What the second one buys…
- Dynamic RangeDynamic range is the span of stops a sensor holds between clipped highlights and noise. What…
- ExposureExposure is the total light that reaches the sensor, set by stop, shutter, ISO and lamps. Who…
- OverexposureOverexposure means highlights have passed the point where the sensor still records detail…
- UnderexposureUnderexposure starves the shadows, so noise, banding and color shifts surface the moment the…
- ZebraZebra lays diagonal stripes over everything above a set brightness threshold. A…
- False ColorFalse color paints every brightness level in its own hue, so the whole frame becomes readable…
- Waveform MonitorA waveform plots brightness against horizontal position in the frame. The instrument the DIT…
- HistogramA histogram counts how many pixels sit at each brightness value. It shows distribution, never…
- White BalanceWhite balance is the camera setting that decides which light source counts as neutral. Get it…
- Color TemperatureColor temperature describes the warm or cool cast of a light source. On set it decides which…
- KelvinKelvin is the unit color temperature is counted in — and the scale runs against intuition…
- ND FilterA neutral density filter cuts light without changing color, so a lens can stay wide open in…
- PolarizerA polarizer suppresses reflections on glass, water and paint and deepens blue skies. Its…
- Diffusion FilterDiffusion filters bloom highlights and lower contrast in the glass, before recording. A look…
- Matte BoxA matte box mounts on rods in front of the lens, holds filters in sliding trays and blocks…
- Lens HoodA lens hood is a fixed shade on the front of the lens. No filters, no adjustment — just a…
- Video VillageThe video village is the monitor station where director, script and clients follow the take…
- Key LightThe key is the dominant light on a subject. It fixes exposure and the direction every shadow…
- Fill LightFill raises the shadow side the key created. It adds no shadow of its own — its only job is…
- BacklightA backlight sits behind the subject and draws a bright rim along hair and shoulders. It…
- Three-Point LightingKey, fill and backlight combined into one teachable setup. Useful as a default for interviews…
- Motivated LightingMotivated lighting means each unit pretends to come from something in the world of the scene…
- Practical LightA practical is a lamp visible in frame as part of the set. It has to look right and hold a…
- High-Key LightingHigh-key means filled shadows and a narrow contrast range, not simply a bright picture…
- Low-Key LightingLow-key work keeps the fill down so shadows stay deep and shapes get defined by what stays…
- Hard LightHard light comes from a source that is small relative to the subject, so shadows have crisp…
- Soft LightSoft light arrives from a surface large relative to the subject, so shadow edges fade out…
- DiffusionDiffusion is the material light passes through to spread out. It is the method behind soft…
- BounceBouncing means pointing a lamp away from the subject and using the reflecting surface as the…
- Negative FillNegative fill puts black fabric where light would otherwise reflect back, deepening the…
- FlagA flag is an opaque panel on a stand that blocks light from reaching a specific place. The…
- ScrimA scrim is a wire mesh dropped into a lamp to cut output in measured steps. The level…
- GelGels are heat-resistant colored sheets clipped in front of a light. They correct one source…
- CTO GelCTO is the orange correction gel that takes a daylight source toward tungsten. It goes on…
- CTB GelCTB is the blue correction gel that raises a warm source toward daylight balance. The…
- HMIAn HMI is a discharge lamp burning at daylight balance, the standard unit for competing with…
- LED PanelAn LED panel is a flat array of diodes with adjustable color and level. Low power draw, cool…
- Tungsten LightTungsten fixtures make light by heating a filament, at a nominal 3200 K with a full…
- Color Rendering IndexCRI scores how faithfully a light source renders colors against a reference. A useful first…
- Gaffer TapeGaffer tape is matte cloth tape that tears by hand and lifts off without gluing itself to the…
- C-StandA C-stand is the grip department's universal stand: staggered legs, a gobo arm and knuckles…
- DollyA dolly is a wheeled platform carrying camera and operator, pushed by a dedicated grip. The…
- SliderA slider is a rail under a metre or two that gives a controlled linear move without a track…
- GimbalA gimbal stabilises the camera electronically on three axes. Fast to deploy and light to…
- SteadicamA Steadicam carries the camera on a spring arm and a body vest, isolating it mechanically…
- Jib ArmA jib is a counterweighted arm that swings the camera up, down and around a pivot. Vertical…
- HandheldHandheld means the operator carries the camera unstabilised, on the shoulder or in the hands…
- Fluid Head TripodA fluid head damps pan and tilt so a move starts and stops without jerking. The reason a…
- Production SoundProduction sound is the audio recorded on set during the shoot — dialogue, effects…
- Boom MicA boom mic is a microphone on a long pole, held just outside the frame. Why it usually beats…
- Lavalier MicA lavalier is a miniature microphone clipped or hidden on the speaker. Where it saves scenes…
- Shotgun MicA shotgun mic uses an interference tube to favour sound from the front. What that pattern…
- Wild TrackA wild track is audio recorded on set without the camera rolling — lines, effects, or…
- Room ToneRoom tone is the base sound of a location with nobody speaking. Recorded for under a minute…
- Atmos RecordingAn atmos recording captures a location's character — street, forest, office — as a bed for…
- Sync SoundSync sound means audio recorded in sync with the picture, usually on a separate recorder. How…
- MOSMOS marks a take shot deliberately without sound recording. Where the term shows up, when…
- TimecodeTimecode stamps every frame with hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. Why this address system…
- Timecode SyncTimecode sync keeps cameras, recorders, and slates running on the same clock. Jamming, sync…
- Drop-Frame TimecodeDrop-frame timecode skips label numbers so 29.97 fps counting matches real clock time. What…
- SlateSlating marks each take with scene, shot, and take number — announced, shown, and clapped…
- ClapperboardThe clapperboard labels each take and delivers a clap for syncing picture and sound. How the…
- Audio SlateAn audio slate is a spoken take identification on the sound recording. Where verbal slating…
- Sound ReportThe sound report logs every take the recorder captured — track layout, timecode, notes on…
- ADRADR replaces unusable production dialogue with lines re-recorded in a studio. How sessions…
- FoleyFoley artists perform footsteps, cloth, and props live against the edited picture. Why films…
- Sound DesignSound design shapes everything heard beyond dialogue and music — from door creaks to whole…
- Sound MixThe sound mix balances dialogue, music, and effects into the final track at delivery-ready…
- StemsStems are grouped submixes — dialogue, music, effects — printed alongside the final mix. Why…
- Dialogue EditingDialogue editing assembles and cleans every spoken line before the mix — choosing takes…
- Music LicensingMusic licensing secures the rights to use a track in a film — composition and recording…
- Royalty-Free MusicRoyalty-free means paying once instead of per use — not free of rights. How these licences…
- Needle DropA needle drop is the use of an existing recording in a film instead of a score. What the…
- VoiceoverA voiceover is narration recorded separately and laid over the picture. Casting, recording…
- Scratch TrackA scratch track is temporary audio — a rough VO read, temp music, draft dialogue — used to…
- LoudnessLoudness describes perceived volume, measured over a whole programme rather than in peaks…
- LUFSLUFS is the unit for measured loudness, weighted for human hearing. What integrated…
- Peak LevelPeak level is the highest instantaneous value a signal reaches. Why digital clipping is…
- HeadroomHeadroom is the space between normal operating level and the point of distortion. Why…
- Audio DuckingDucking lowers music or ambience automatically whenever dialogue plays, so the voice stays…
- CodecA codec is the rule set that compresses and decompresses video or audio. It decides file…
- Container FormatMOV, MXF and MP4 are containers — wrappers that hold picture, sound and metadata. The same…
- BitrateBitrate is the data spent per second of video, measured in Mbit/s. It sets the ceiling for…
- Bit DepthBit depth counts the tonal steps per colour channel. Eight bit gives 256 steps, ten bit gives…
- Chroma SubsamplingChroma subsampling stores less colour information than brightness. 4:2:0 saves data for…
- Colour SpaceA colour space defines which colours a system can record or display. Mixing spaces without…
- Rec. 709Rec. 709 is the colour standard for HD television and the default target for most web…
- Log ProfileA log profile records a flat, low-contrast image so highlight and shadow detail survive for…
- LUTA LUT maps input colour values onto output values. Technical LUTs convert between formats…
- Raw VideoRaw keeps unprocessed sensor data, so white balance and ISO stay adjustable in post. The…
- ProResProRes is Apple's intraframe intermediate codec. Every frame stands on its own, which makes…
- DNxHRDNxHR is Avid's intermediate codec family. Unlike its predecessor it is…
- H.264H.264 compresses across groups of frames and produces small files that play almost anywhere…
- H.265H.265 reaches comparable quality to H.264 at a noticeably lower bitrate, paid for with…
- Proxy EditingProxies are small, low-resolution copies of the camera files. The edit runs on them and…
- Offline and Online WorkflowOffline is where the story gets built on light copies, online is where the finished cut is…
- ConformingConforming reassembles an approved edit from the original media, using the cut list as…
- EDLAn EDL is a plain text list of edit points: source, reel, timecode in and out. Minimal…
- XML and AAFXML and AAF carry a timeline between programs with layers, effects and audio intact. Where an…
- Rough CutThe rough cut puts scenes in order and proves the story works. Length, rhythm and shot choice…
- Fine CutIn the fine cut the structure is settled and the work moves to single frames: timing…
- Picture LockPicture lock declares the edit final: no more shot changes, no shifted timings. Sound…
- Editing TimelineThe timeline arranges clips over time on stacked video and audio tracks. Its organisation…
- B-RollB-roll is supplementary footage laid over or between the main material: details, locations…
- A-RollA-roll is the primary footage that carries the message: interviews, presenters, scenes with…
- Jump CutA jump cut joins two moments from a similar angle, so the subject appears to leap. Once an…
- Match CutA match cut links two shots through a shared shape, movement or action, so the eye reads a…
- J-Cut and L-CutIn a J-cut the sound arrives before the picture, in an L-cut it stays after the picture has…
- MontageA montage condenses a long process into a short sequence of shots, usually carried by music…
- PacingPacing is how fast a film feels, not how many cuts it has. Shot length, information density…
- Colour CorrectionColour correction is the technical pass: neutral white, correct exposure, legal levels. It…
- Colour GradingGrading is the creative stage after the technical correction: mood, contrast, colour…
- Colour MatchColour matching removes the visible differences between shots in one scene — two cameras…
- Skin TonesAudiences forgive an odd sky but never odd skin. Skin tones are the anchor for white balance…
- Titles and SupersTitles, supers and subtitles carry written information in the image. Legibility, standing…
- Lower ThirdA lower third names a speaker in the bottom area of the frame. It appears shortly after the…
- Safe MarginsSafe margins mark the area where text stays visible on every screen. Anything placed outside…
- Aspect RatioAspect ratio is the proportion of width to height: 16:9 for most screens, 9:16 for phones…
- LetterboxLetterboxing places black bars above and below the picture to fit a wide image into a…
- ReframingReframing crops or repositions a shot in post, using the resolution reserve from shooting…
- StabilisationSoftware stabilisation analyses motion and counteracts it, at the cost of a crop. It smooths…
- Noise ReductionNoise reduction removes sensor grain from underexposed or high-ISO footage. Applied too…
- RenderRendering calculates effects, transitions and colour into finished frames. It is the step…
- Export SettingsCodec, bitrate, resolution, frame rate, audio format: the export dialogue decides whether…
- Delivery SpecsDelivery specs list what a broadcaster, platform or client requires: format, loudness…
- Master FileThe master is the finished film in the highest quality the project produced. Every other…
- VersioningVersioning keeps track of which cut is current, what changed and who approved it. Without it…
- Archive MasterAn archive master is stored for the long term: film, project data, source material and…
- Production CompanyA production company plans, staffs and delivers film projects from brief to finished master —…
- Production ServiceA production service partner delivers local crew, permits, locations and logistics for a…
- Line ProductionLine production turns an approved budget into shoot days that stay inside it — crew deals…
- Executive ProducerThe executive producer owns the frame around a production — client relationship, budget…
- Client ProductionIn a client production the client sets the goal and pays the budget; the producer owns the…
- In-house ProductionIn-house production moves filmmaking inside the company — own team, own gear, own pipeline…
- Agency ModelIn the agency model a creative agency sits between brand and production company — briefing…
- PitchA pitch is a competitive bid with concept, treatment and price — delivered before anyone is…
- Request for Proposal (RFP)An RFP is procurement asking film questions in procurement language — fixed forms, deadlines…
- Scope of WorkThe scope of work states what a production includes and what it explicitly does not — films…
- Statement of WorkA statement of work turns the agreed scope into contract language — deliverables, dates…
- DeliverablesDeliverables are the named items a production hands over — masters, cutdowns, subtitle files…
- MilestoneA milestone is a dated checkpoint in the production — treatment approved, shoot wrapped…
- Production TimelineThe production timeline maps every phase — concept, prep, shoot, post, approvals — onto…
- Lead TimeLead time is the span between commissioning and the first shoot day — driven by permits…
- Co-productionIn a co-production two or more partners share financing, work and rights of a film project —…
- White-label ProductionIn white-label production a company produces films that another firm sells as its own —…
- SubcontractingSubcontracting hands parts of a production to third parties — post houses, drone operators…
- Approval WorkflowAn approval workflow defines who signs off what, in which order, within which deadline — the…
- Sign-offA sign-off is the documented final approval of a version or phase — after it, changes cost…
- Day RateThe day rate prices one working day of a crew member or supplier — and its meaning depends…
- Half-Day RateA half-day rate books a shortened shoot day. It seldom costs half, because travel, setup and…
- Travel DayA travel day compensates time spent getting to or from a shoot without filming. Whether it is…
- Kit RentalKit rental is the separate charge for equipment a crew member brings from private inventory —…
- BuyoutA buyout is the payment model behind usage: one lump sum covers the agreed uses instead of a…
- Usage RightsUsage rights define what a client may do with a finished film: which channels, which markets…
- Licensing TerritoryThe licensing territory names where an asset may be shown — one country, a language region or…
- Licensing PeriodThe licensing period sets how long a granted use stays valid. Once it lapses, the material…
- ExclusivityExclusivity restricts who else may use a work, a performer or a supplier. It is bought…
- Model ReleaseA model release is written consent from a recognisable person to use their image in the…
- Property ReleaseA property release is the owner's written permission to film a private location, a building…
- GDPR on SetFilm shoots generate personal data long before the camera runs: casting entries, crew lists…
- Drone RegulationsAerial footage sits inside an aviation rulebook: registered operators, pilot competence…
- Filming InsuranceFilming insurance is the umbrella term for the policy package around a production — several…
- Liability InsuranceLiability insurance answers for harm the production causes to third parties — a scratched…
- Equipment InsuranceEquipment insurance covers cameras, lights and grip against damage, theft and loss —…
- Weather InsuranceWeather insurance carries the extra cost when rain or wind forces a postponement — a niche…
- Cancellation PolicyA cancellation policy states what a client owes when a booked shoot is called off, usually…
- Force MajeureA force majeure clause governs what happens when an event outside anyone's control stops a…
- Overtime RateThe overtime rate prices work beyond the agreed shoot day. It only functions if the day had a…
- Per DiemA per diem is the daily allowance for crew working away from home — meals and incidentals…
- Petty CashPetty cash is the float a production takes on set for small unplanned purchases — parking…
- Purchase Order (PO)A purchase order is the client's formal commitment to buy: a numbered document that…
- Cost ReportA cost report compares planned against committed and actual spend while a project runs — the…
- Budget TopsheetThe topsheet is the summary page of a film budget: every cost group as one line, with the…
- Above the LineAbove the line groups the costs negotiated individually before production starts: rights…
- Below the LineBelow the line covers the executional cost of a production: crew day rates, equipment…
- ContingencyThe contingency is the declared reserve inside a budget for things that go differently than…
- MarkupA markup is the percentage a production adds to bought-in costs. It pays for selection…
- Agency CommissionAgency commission is the share an agency earns on production spend it manages — a structural…
- Payment TermsPayment terms set when money arrives: instalments, invoicing milestones and the period a…
- Cash Flow PlanA cash flow plan maps when money leaves and when it arrives. A profitable project can still…
- Freelancer ContractA freelancer contract states role, rate, dates and rights before a booking counts as…
- Work for HireWork for hire is a US construct that makes the commissioner the legal author. German…
- CreditsCredits name the people behind a film on screen. Who appears, in which order and with which…
- AttributionAttribution is the naming a licence demands: music, stock footage, fonts or archive material…
- Portfolio RightsPortfolio rights let a production or crew member show a finished film as a reference —…
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)An NDA defines which project information stays confidential, for how long and between whom —…
- EmbargoAn embargo is a release date agreed in advance: the film is finished, everyone involved has…
- Change RequestA change request records a wanted change to agreed scope together with its cost and time…
- Scope CreepScope creep is scope growing in small unbilled steps. No single request looks unreasonable…
- Revision RoundA revision round is one countable cycle: the client sends consolidated feedback on a version…
- Feedback LoopThe feedback loop is the machinery around a review: who may comment, in what form, by when…
- Single Point of ContactA single point of contact is the one named person through whom briefings, questions and…
- StakeholderStakeholders are everyone with an interest in the film — brand, product, legal, works…
- Decision MakerThe decision maker holds the mandate to approve scope, budget and the final cut. Feedback…
- Brand GuidelinesBrand guidelines are the operating rules for a brand: logo use, colours, type, clear space…
- Corporate IdentityCorporate identity is the whole self-image of a company — design, language and behaviour. The…
- Key VisualA key visual is the central motif that holds a campaign together across print, screen and…
- Claim and TaglineA claim is the standing line under a brand; a tagline usually belongs to one campaign. In a…
- Call to ActionA call to action names the one thing a viewer should do next. One action per film, phrased as…
- Media PlanA media plan sets which channels a film runs on, in which period and with which budget. For…
- Paid, Organic and Owned MediaPaid media is reach you buy, organic is reach the algorithm grants, owned is reach on your…
- Distribution StrategyA distribution strategy decides which audience should see a film, on which routes and why —…
- Content CalendarA content calendar lists what gets published when and on which channel. Read from a…
- Evergreen ContentEvergreen content stays usable for years because nothing in it is dated. Achieving that is a…
- Seasonal ContentSeasonal content is tied to a date — Christmas, a fair, a school year. Its whole value sits…
- Hook (First Seconds)The hook is the opening that earns the next few seconds. In feed contexts a film has to make…
- Watch TimeWatch time measures how much of a film people actually see. Read as a curve rather than an…
- Platform SpecsPlatform specs are the technical requirements per channel: aspect ratio, resolution, codec…