Glossary of Motion-Picture Terms (Source: Kodak)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

#

1080i: HD format defined as 1080 lines per frame, and 1920 pixels per line, interlace scan. SMPTE and ITU specify the frame rate which can be 25, 29.97 or 30 Hz.

1080p: HD format defined as 1080 lines per frame, and 1920 pixels per line, progressively scanned. Frame rates can be as for 1080i (25, 29.97 and 30 Hz) as well as 23.98 and 24 Hz.

10-BIT LOG: This refers to a method that film image information is transformed into digits and stored. It uses 10-bit data and so can describe 1024 discrete numbers, or levels, for each of the R, G and B planes in the images. However, as all electronic light sensors are linear, they produce an output proportional to the light they see, in this case, representing the transmittance of the film. This means a large portion of the levels describes the black and the dark areas, and too few are left for the light areas. Transforming the numbers into log by use of a LUT gives a better distribution of the detail between dark and light areas and so offers good rendition over the whole brightness range without having to use more digits.
This is the basis of the Kodak Cineon and SMPTE DPX formats that are widely used in the digital intermediate process.

24pst: Refers to 24 frames per second, progressive scan, and segmented frame. Each progressive frame is recorded as two temporally/spatially coherent fields (segments), one with odd lines and the other with even lines.

2K: Picture format that usually refers to 1536 lines with 2048 pixels per line in RGB color space. Sampling is usually at 10-bit resolution and may be linear or log.
35mm film often scanned to this resolution for use in digital intermediate workflow (Arriscan film scanner). I is also suitable to support transfers back to film (Arrilaser film recorder) or for D-cinema (Christie projector).

5.1: 5.1 audio describes a multi-channel speaker system that has three speakers in front of the listener (left, center, right), two surround speakers behind (left and right) and a sub-woofer for low frequencies. This configuration is used by Dolby for its digital playback systems.

720p: HD format defined as 720 lines per frame, 1280 pixels per line, progressive scan. Frame rates can be 59.94 or 60 Hz

TOP

A


AC-3: The audio compression algorithm by Dolby systems. AC-3 is the basis for Dolby Digital Film, Dolby Digital DVD, and Dolby E formats. The system takes advantage of our psycho-acoustic facilities by reducing or leaving out the parts that we do not notice so much. It applies compression in varying degrees across the frequency range and can provide a high level of data compression without perceptually degrading the audio.


A & B CUTTING: A method of assembling original material in two separate rolls, allowing optical effects to be made by double printing (A and B Printing).

A OR B WIND : When a roll of 16 mm film, perforated along one edge, is held so that the outside end of the film leaves the roll at the top and toward the right, winding "A" should have the perforations on the edge of the film toward the observer, and winding "B" should have the perfo- rations on the edge away from the observer. In both cases, the emulsion surface should face inward on the roll.

A TAKES : Good takes. Also known as circle takes.

A WIND : When you hold a roll of 16 mm or other single-perf film so that the film leaves the roll from the top and toward the right, the perfora- tions will be along the edge toward the observer.

ABRASION MARKS : Scratches on film caused by dirt, improper handling, grit, emulsion pile-ups, and certain types of film damage (e.g., torn per- forations).

ACADEMY APERTURE : In projection, the aperture cut-out, designed as specified by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that provides for a screen-image aspect ratio of approximately 1.37:1; also called "sound aperture."

ACADEMY LEADER : A non-projected identification and timing count- down film leader designed to specifications of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and placed at the head end of a print reel. The countdown cuing information is related to "feet" which, in the silent days, meant projection at 16 frames per second, or 1 foot per sec- ond. See UNIVERS-AL LEADER .

ACETATE : A slow-burning base material frequently used for motion picture films. Also, in sheet form, for overlay cells.

ACETATE-BASE FILM : Any film with a support that contains cellulose triacetate; safety film.

ACTINIC LIGHT : Light that can form a photographic latent image or activate a photoelectric cell.

ACTION : The movement of the subject within the camera field of view. The command given by a director.

ADDITIVE LAMPHOUSE : A printer lamphouse consisting of three light sources, one for each color record.

ADDITIVE PRINTER : Prints from color originals or intermediates; uses red, green, and blue lights that are controlled separately to produce the correct composite-color printing light for each shot in the film.

ADDITIVE PRINTING : the use or three separate colour sources -red, green, blue - are combined to form the light source that exposes the film. Modern additive printers separate white light from a tungsten- halogen bulb into its red, green and blue components by using a set of dichroic mirrors.

ADJACENCY EFFECTS : Phenomena that alter the density-exposure rela- tionship, enhancing the apparent sharpness of the image and causing modulation transfer values greater than 100 percent.

ADO (AMPEX DIGITAL OPTICS): Trade name for digital effects system manufactured and sold by Ampex.

ADVANCE: The separation between a point on the sound track of a film and the corresponding picture image.

AERIAL IMAGE OR VIRTUAL IMAGE: An image focused by a projec- tion lens near a field or relay lens. A camera lens is then used to form a real image on the film from the aerial image. A cell or another material can be placed at the aerial-image location to combine it with the aerial image on film.

AGC (AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL): A circuit that automatically adjusts audio or video input levels.

AGITATION: Keeping various solutions in motion while developing film. Agitation is necessary to achieve even solution action, or uniformity, and temperature consistency.

ANALOG: An electrical signal that is continuously variable.

ANALYTICAL DENSITY: Measurement of the amount of yellow, cyan, and magenta dye in an image.

ANAMORPHIC IMAGE: An image that has been squeezed in one direction, usually horizontally, by an anamorphic lens.

ANAMORPHIC LENS: A lens that produces a "squeezed" image on film in the camera. When the film is projected on a screen, an appropriate lens reverses the effect, and the image spreads out to lifelike proportions. Designed for wide-screen movie photography and projection.

ANAMORPHIC RELEASE PRINT: A print in which the images are compressed horizontally.

ANGEL HAIR: Fine hair-like skiving, or slivers, caused when the film edge rubs against a sharp edge or burr in the projector. Also produced when excessive film/gate misalignment is present.

ANGLE: With reference to the subject, the direction from which a picture is taken. The camera-subject relationship in terms of the immediate surroundings.

ANIMATION: The making of inanimate objects to appear mobile. This can be done by exposing one or two frames of movie film and then moving the objects slightly and exposing one or two more frames, etc. When the movie is projected, the objects will appear to have moved by themselves.

ANIMATION CAMERA: A motion picture camera with special capability for animation work, which usually includes frame and footage counters, the ability to expose a single frame at a time, reverse-filming capability, and parallax-free viewing.

ANIMATIC: Limited animation, consisting of artwork shot and edited to serve as a video tape storyboard. Commonly used for test commercials.

ANIMATOR: An artist who uses the techniques of frame-by-frame film making to give his artwork the illusion of movement. In studio animation, the person responsible for drawing the moving characters; in independent animation, the animator is generally responsible for all phases of production.

ANSI: American National Standards Institute.

ANSWER PRINT: The first print (combining picture and sound, if a sound picture), in release form, offered by the laboratory to the producer for acceptance. It is usually studied carefully to determine whether changes are required prior to printing the balance of the order.

ANTICIPATION: A pause or small counter-move made by a character in preparation for a major movement; used by animators to help give the illusion of a body moving with the proper sense of weight and balance.

ANTIHALATION BACKING (COATING) : A dark layer coated on or in the film to absorb light that would otherwise be reflected back into the emulsion from the base.

APERTURE: (1) Lens: The orifice, usually an adjustable iris, which limits the amount of light passing through a lens. (2) Camera: In motion picture cameras, the mask opening that defines the area of each frame exposed. (3) Projector: In motion picture projectors, the mask opening that defines the area of each frame projected.

APERTURE PLATE: A metal plate containing the aperture that is inserted into a projector or camera. (NOTE: In some cameras, the aperture plate cannot be removed.)

ARC LAMP: A lamp whose light source consists of an open carbon arc or a closed xenon arc. The light is generated in a gas ball between two electrodes.

ASA: Exposure index or speed rating that denotes the film sensitivity, defined by the American National Standards Institution. Actually defined only for black-and-white films, but also used in the trade for color films.

ASPECT RATIO: Proportion of picture width to height such as 1.37:1 or 1.85:1, or 2.35:1.

ATMOSPHERE SKETCH: A quick sketch, generally in color, made by the director or layout artist, to indicate the mood or style of a scene.

ATSC: Advanced Television System Committee. In the USA, this body was responsible for creating the DTV standard. This was a combined industry effort and includes SD as well as HD standards for digital television that describe 18 video formats. ATSC also specifies the use of MPEG-2 video compression and AC-3 for audio. The transmission system for terrestrial and cable broadcasting is based on vestigial side-band (VSB) technology, 8-VSB is used for terrestrial and 16-VSB for cable.

AUTO ASSEMBLE: An operation in which a computer performs editing unaided, working from a previously edit decision list.

AVERAGE GRADIENT: A measure of contrast of a photographic image, representing the slope of a portion of a characteristic curve. The term which refers to a numerical means for indicating the contrast or the photographic image.

TOP

B

BACKING: Anti-halation Backing: A temporary, dark-coloured, gelatine coating which is sometimes applied to the rear side of a photographic plate or film to reduce halation by absorbing any light that may pass through the emulsion. Non-Curl Backing: A transparent, gelatine coating, sometimes applied to the opposite side of a photographic film from the emulsion to prevent curling by balancing the forces that tend to curl the film as it is wet and dried during processing.

BASE: The transparent, flexible support, commonly cellulose acetate, on which photographic emulsions are coated to make photographic film.

BD-ROM: Standard using Blu-ray optical disc format. It specifies at least three video codecs: MPEG-2, the standard used for DVDs, MPEG-4's H.264/AVC codec, and Video Codec 1 (VC-1), a codec based on Microsoft's Windows Media 9. MPEG-2 allows for about 2 hours of high-definition content on a single-layer BD-ROM. MPEG-4 and VC-1 allow up to 4 hours per layer.
For audio, BD-ROM supports linear (uncompressed) PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS HD and Dolby Lossless (a lossless compression format also known as MLP).

BI-PHASE: Electrical pulses from the tachometer of a telecine, used to update the film footage encoder for each new frame of film being transferred.

BLANKING: Portions of the video signal during which both camera and receiver complete a scan line (horizontal blanking) or field (vertical blanking), and retrace to begin the next scan.

BLEACH: (1) Converting a metallic silver image to a halide or other salt which can be removed from the film with hypo. When bleaching is not carried to completion, it is called reducing. (2) Any chemical reagent that can be used for bleaching.

BLU-RAY: Blu-ray disc is the next generation optical disc format meant for high definition video (HD) and high density data storage, and is one of two competing standards for HD optical media. Its competitor is HD-DVD. Blu-ray gets its name from the shorter wavelength (405 nm) blue (technically blue-violet) laser that, in addition to other techniques, allows it to store substantially more data on the same sized disc than DVD, which uses a longer wavelength (650 nm) red laser. Blu-ray has information capacity of 25 gigabytes per layer. Four-layer 100 GB disc is coming soon. Data on disc is so closed that a clear polymer coating is necessary to protect it from scratches and dust (without using plastic caddies). See BD-ROM.

BREAK-DOWN: The separation of a roll of camera original negative into its individual scenes.

TOP

C

CAMERA LOG: A record sheet giving details of the scenes photographed on a roll of original negative.

CELL SIDE: The base ('Celluloid') surface of a strip of film.

CHANGE-OVER: In projection, the act of changing from one projector to another, preferably without interrupting the continuity of projection; or, the points in the picture at which such a change is made.

CHECKER-BOARD CUTTING: A method of assembling alternate scenes of negative in A and B rolls allowing prints to be made without visible splices.

CHROMAKEY: Electronically matting or inserting an image from one camera into the picture produced by another Also called "keying." The subject to be inserted is shot against a solid color background. Signals from the two sources are merged through a special effects generator.

CHROMINANCE: The color portion of a video signal.

CINEON FILE: An RGB bitmap file format (.cin) developed by Kodak and widely used for storing and transferring digitised film images. It accommodates a range of film frame sizes. Digital pictures have square pixels and use 10-bit log sampling. The sampling is scaled so that each of the code values from 0 - 1023 represents a density difference of 0.002 ( the total density range is 2.046, equivalent to an exposure range of around 2,570:1). The format can hold all the useful information contained in negatives, and suitable for postproduction.

CINCH MARKS: Short scratches on the surface of a motion picture film, running parallel to its length; these are caused by improper winding of the roll, permitting one coil of film to slide against another.

CINEMASCOPE: Trade name of a system of anamorphic widescreen presentation.

CINEX STRIP: A short test print in which each frame has been printed at a different exposure level.

COMPOSITE PRINT: A motion picture print with both picture and sound on the same strip of film.

COLOR BURST: Sample of the color sub carrier inserted into the horizontal blanking interval at the start of each line of video.

COMPONENT VIDEO: System of signal recording and processing that maintains the original video elements separately rather than combined (encoded) into a single, composite signal.

COMPOSITE VIDEO: A video signal in which the luminance and chrominance elements have been combined, as in NTSC, PAL and SECAM.

CONTRAST: (1) The general term for describing the tone separation in a print in relation to a given difference in the light-and shade of the negative or subject from which it was made. Thus, "contrast" is the general term for the property called "gamma" (Y), which is measured by making an H & D Curve for the process under study. (2) The range of tones in a photographic negative or positive expressed as the ratio of the extreme opacities or transparencies or as the difference between the extreme densities This range is more properly described as "scale" or "latitude" (3) The ability of a photographic material, developer, or process as a whole to differentiate among small graduations in the tones of the subject.

CONTROL TRACK: Electronic sprocket holes recorded on video tape to guide the heads and control tape transport during playback.

CRI: Color Reversal Intermediate, a duplicate color negative prepared by reversal processing.

CROSS CONVERSION: Up or down-conversion process between two video sources with incompatible frame rates. Sometimes refers to HD standard conversion.

CROSS MOD: A test method for determining the optimum print requirements for a variable area sound track.

CURL: A defect of a photographic film consisting of uneven surface in a plane cutting across the width of the film. Curl may result from improper drying conditions, and the direction and amount of curl may vary with the humidity of the air to which the film is exposed.

CUTTING: The selection and assembly of the various scenes or sequences of a reel of film.

TOP

D

D-1: Component video in the 19 mm digital cassette format.

D-2: Composite video in the 19 mm digital cassette format,

D-3 : Composite video in the half-inch digital cassette format.

D-5: Component video in the half-inch digital cassette format. (There is no D-4 format.)

D5-HD: This is an application of the D5 half-inch digital VTR format from Panasonic and is widely used for HD mastering. Using a standard D-5 cassette, it records and replays over two hours of 1080/59.94i, 1035/59.94i, 1080/23.98p, 720/59.94p, 1080/50i, 1080/25p and 480/59.94i. It can slew a 24 Hz recording to use the material directly in 25/50 Hz applications. There are eight discrete channels of 24-bit 48 KHz digital audio to allow for 5.1 sound and stereo mixes. This is derived from the standard D5 which records a data rate of 235 Mb/s (so compression is needed to reduce the video bitrate from up to 1224 Mb/s).

D-CINEMA: Refers to the digital distribution and projection of cinema material. High resolution digital pictures and digital film projectors allow high quality viewing on large screens. Scratches, dirt and film weave, even after many projections, are not present. D-cinema introduces potential new methods for duplication and distribution, possibly by satellite, and more flexibility in screening. The parameters are defined in the Digital Cinema System Specification document (DCI).

DAILIES: The first positive prints made by the laboratory from the negative photographed on the previous day.

DENSITY: The negative logarithm to the base ten of the transmittance (or reflectance) of the sample. A sample which transmits 1/2 of the incident light has a transmittance of 0.50. or 50% and a density of 0.30.

DECIBEL: A unit of measure applied to both sound and electrical signals, based on a logarithmic scale. Also referred to as "db's."

DIGITAL: A system whereby a continuously variable (analog) signal is broken down and encoded into discrete binary bits that represent a mathematical model of the original signal.

DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE: Process using digital files resulting from a scan of a film original (Arriscan), files used for the editing, effects and grading / colour correction. It should carry all the useful information that is contained in the camera negative to provide both the latitude and sharpness of the original for which scanning at 2K resolution, 10-bit log is ideal.

DIGITAL PROJECTOR: Projector that inputs digital images and projects them onto cinema-sized screens. There are two prominent technologies, D-ILA from JVC and DLP from Texas Instruments. Christie uses DLP technology. The resolution goes up to 2K actually, and 4K will be on the market soon.

DISSOLVE: A transition between two scenes where the first merges imperceptibly into the second (Lap Dissolve: Mix).

DOWN-CONVERSION: Process by which high definition video is transformed to standard definition, NTSC or PAL. If frame rate is incompatible between HD and SD, it is called cross-conversion.

DPX: SMPTE file format for digital film images (.dpx) - ANSI/SMPTE 268M-1994. This uses the same raster formats as Cineon and only differs in its file header.

DROP FRAME: A type of SMPTE time code designed to match clock time exactly. Two frames of code are dropped every minute, on the minute, except every tenth minute, to correct for the fact that color frames occur at a rate of 29.97 per second, rather than an exact 30 frames per second (see Non-Drop Frame). Designed to drive editors crazy.

DUBBING: The combination of several sound components into a single recording.

DUPE, DUPE NEGATIVE: A duplicate negative, made from a master positive by printing and development or from an original negative by printing followed by reversal development.

DVE (Digital Video Effects) : Special effects, such as picture compression, rotation, reversal, etc., performed with a digital effects system. Also, the trade name for a video system manufactured by NEC.

TOP

E

EBERHARD EFFECT: Another manifestation of adjacency effects. A series of photographic line images of various widths, all exposed with equal intensities. As the lines become narrower, the concentration of reaction products is reduced, and thus the narrower lines develop to a higher density than do the wider lines. This effect would be expected to continue with successive narrowing until one reached the width of the spread function of the system, including film, used to expose the line. Beyond this point, the effects of the spread function of the system dominate, and light scattering decreases the true light exposure in the film, but the size of the image is not smaller than the spread function of the system.

EBR (Electronic Beam Recorder) : Exposes film directly using an electronic beam compared to recording from a CRT. (See also Kinescope.)

EDGE NUMBERS: Numbers printed along one edge of a motion picture film outside the perforations to designate the footage.

EDIT SYNC (LEVEL SYNC) (EVEN SYNC) : The relation between the picture and sound records during editing, when they are in alignment and not offset as for projection.

EDL (Edit Decision List) : List of edits prepared during off-line editing prior to on-line editing.

EMULSION, EMULSION LAYER: (1) Broadly, any light-sensitive photographic material consisting of a gelatine emulsion containing silver halide together with the base and any other layers or ingredients that may be required to produce a film having desirable mechanical and photographic properties (2) In discussions of the anatomy of a photographic film, the emulsion layer is any coating that contains light sensitive silver halide grains, as distinguished from the backing, base, substratum, or filter layers.

ENCODER: A circuit that combines the primary red, green and blue signals into a composite video signal.

EPR (Electronic Pin Register) : Stabilizes the film transport of a telecine. Reduces ride (vertical movement) and weave (horizontal movement). Operates in real time. (See also Steady Gate.)

TOP

F

f-NUMBER: A symbol that expresses the relative aperture of a lens. For example, a lens having a relative aperture of 4.5 would be marked: f/4.5.

FADE:: An optical effect in which the image of a scene is gradually replaced by a uniform dark area, or vice versa.

FAST: (1) Having a high photographic speed. The term may be applied to a photographic process as a whole, or it may refer to any element in the process, such as the optical system, emulsion, developer. (2) Resistant to the action of destructive agents. For example, a dye image may be fast to light, fast to heat, or fast to diffusion.

FIELD: One-half of a television frame, containing all the odd or even scanning lines of the picture.

FILM RECORDER: Equipment which uses digital images to output on negative film, such as Arrilaser, With his laser-based technology.

FILM SCANNER: Specialized device (like Arrilaser) that creates a digital representation of film for use in digital workflow. It should have sufficient resolution to hold the full detail of the film so that, when transferred back to film (via Arrilaser), the film - digital - film chain can appear as an essentially lossless process. For this, film scanners are able to operate at greater than HD resolutions(1920 X 1080). 2K is the most commonly used format. The output is data files rather than the digital video that would be expected from a traditionnal telecine.

FILTER LAYER: In a photographic film, a thin, uniform, coloured layer that is coated above or below the emulsion to serve as a light filter; it controls the spectral quality of the light reaching the emulsion.

FIXING: The removal of unexposed silver halides from the film during processing.

FLAT: An image is said to be "flat" if its contrast is too low. Flatness is a defect that does not necessarily affect the entire density scale of a reproduction to the same degree. Thus, a picture may be "flat" in the highlight areas, or "flat" in the shadow regions, or both.

FLICKER: The alternation of light and dark periods which can be visually appreciated.

FLUTTER: In sound, rapid period variation of frequency caused by unsteadiness of the film or tape drive.

FOG: Darkening of photographic film by its exposure to undesirable light, or by poor emulsion or improper development.

FOLEY: Background sounds added during audio sweetening to heighten realism, e.g., footsteps, bird calls, heavy breathing, short gasps, etc.

FOOTAGE ENCODER TIME CODE GENERATOR: An electronic device which takes the input from a reader of Keykode numbers, decodes this information and correlates the numbers with the SMPTE time code it generates. These data, along with 3:2 pull-down status of the transfer, footage count, and audio time code (if applicable) are made available for window burn-ins, VITC-LTC recording and output to a computer. (See KODAK Guide to Film and Video Post Production - Publication H-64.)

FORMAT: The size or aspect ratio of a motion picture frame.

FRAME (FILM) : The individual picture image on a strip of motion picture film.

FRAME (VIDEO) : A complete television picture made up of two fields, produced at the rate of approximately 29.97 Hz (color), or 30 Hz (black & white).

FRAMESTORE: A digital device designed to store and display a single television frame as a "freeze frame." (See also Still Store.)

FREEZE FRAME: An optical printing effect in which a single frame image is repeated so as to appear stationary when projected.

FRONT END: General terms for all production and preparation work up to the Answer Print stage before Release Printing.

TOP

G

GATE: The aperture assembly at which the film is exposed in a camera, printer or projector.

GENLOCK : A system whereby the internal sync generator in a device, such as a camera, locks on to and synchronizes itself with an incoming signal.


TOP

H

HALATION : A defect of photographic films and plates. Light forming an image on the film is scattered by passing through the emulsion or by reflection at the emulsion or base surfaces. This scattered light causes a local fog which is especially noticeable around images of light sources or sharply defined highlight areas.

HARD: (1) As applied to a photographic emulsion or developer, having a high contrast. (2) As applied to the lighting of a set, specular or harsh, giving sharp dense shadows and glaring highlights.

HARRY: Trade name of a highly sophisticated and versatile digital effects system manufactured by Quantel. Incorporates Quantel's Paintbox digital effects generator.

HDCAM: Sony's HD camcorder version of the Digital Betacam. A series of steps reduces the baseband video data rate, down-sampling from 996 Mb/s to 662 Mb/s after pre-filtering, and then 4.4:1 compression is used to achieve the lower 140 Mb/s recorded to tape. The format also supports four channels of AES/EBU audio and the total recording rate to tape is 185 Mb/s. HDCAM is effectively sampled at 3:1:1 with the horizontal resolution sub-sampled to 1440 pixels. Video formats supported by HDCAM are 1920 X 1080 at 24, 25 and 30 progressive fps and at 50 or 60 Hz interlace. Material shot at 24p can be directly played back into 50 or 60 Hz environments.

HDCAN SR: Sony's new 4:4:4 RGB high-definition (HD) format, with high-data rate recording system (without pre-filtering or sub-sampling). It provides for the industry's highest real-time compressed data rate to tape of up to 440 Mb/s, utilizing mild compression rates (4.2:1 in 4:4:4, or 2.7:1 in 4:2:2), advanced wavelength channel coding, and a self-aligning data track architecture. It uses MPEG-4 Studio Profile codec.

HD DVD: High Density Digital Versatile Disc is a digital optical media format. It uses the same wavelength (405 nm) than Blu-ray (its competitor) and the same optical data storage media (120 mm diameter) than DVD. It has a capacity of 15 gigabytes per layer. The disc is 0.6 mm thick. Three-layer 45 GB disc is coming soon. See HD DVD-ROM.

HD DVD-ROM: Standard using HD DVD optical disc format. It specifies at least three video codecs: MPEG-2, the standard used for DVDs, MPEG-4's H.264/AVC codec, and Video Codec 1 (VC-1), based on the Windows Media 9 format.

TOP

I

IN THE CAN: Describes a scene or program which has been completed. Also, "that's a wrap."

INSERT EDIT: An electronic edit in which the existing control track is not replaced during the editing process. The new segment is inserted into program material already recorded on the video tape.

INTERLACE: The manner in which a television picture is composed, scanning alternate lines to produce one field, approximately every 1/60 of a second in NTSC. Two fields comprise one television frame. Therefore, the NTSC television frame rate of approximately 30 fps.

INTERMEDIATES . General term for color masters and dupes.

INTER-POSITIVE: A color master positive print.

TOP

J

JAM SYNC: Process of synchronizing a secondary time code generator with a selected master time code, i.e., synchronizing the smart slate and the audio time code to the same clock.


TOP

K

KEY NUMBER: See EDGE NUMBER.

KEYKODE NUMBERS READER: Device attached to a telecine or part of a bench logger which reads Keykode numbers bar code from motion picture film and provides electronic output to a decoder.

KINESCOPE: A film recording of a video image displayed on a specially designed television monitor. Also called "Kine." Only means of recording TV programs before video recorders and tape were invented.


TOP

L

LATENT IMAGE: The invisible image formed in a camera or printer by the action of light on a photographic emulsion.

LATITUDE: In a photographic process, the range of exposure over which substantially correct reproduction is obtained. When the process is represented by an H & D curve, the latitude is the projection on the exposure axis of that part of the curve which approximates a straight line with-in the tolerance permitted for the purpose at hand.

LAYBACK: Transferring the finished audio track back to the master video tape.

LEADER: Any film or strip of material used for threading a motion picture machine. Leader may consist of short lengths of blank film attached to the ends of a print to protect the print from damage during the threading of a projector, or it may be a long length of any kind of film which is used to establish the film path in a processing machine before the use of the machine for processing film.

LIQUID GATE: A printing system in which the original is immersed in a suitable liquid at the moment of exposure in order to reduce the effect of surface scratches and abrasions.

LOW KEY: A scene is reproduced in a low key if the tone range of the reproduction is largely in the high density portion of the H & D scale of the process.

LTC: (Longitudinal Time Code) . Time code recorded on one of the audio channels of video tape. Requires tape movement to read. (See also VITC.)

LUMINANCE: The monochrome (high resolution) portion of a video signal.

LUT: Look-up table. This refers to a table of conversion factors that are used to transfer information between two differing but related systems. There is often a requirement to look at digital image material to see what it looks like on a CRT, digitally projected and projected via film - all of which have different characteristics (color space, linear or logarithmic).

TOP

M

MATCH FRAME EDIT . An edit in which the source and record tapes pick up exactly where they left off. Often used to extend a previous edit. Also called a "tracking edit."

MATTE . An opaque outline which limits the exposed area of a picture, either as a cut-out object in front of the camera or as a silhouette on another strip of film.

MFX: Material Exchange Format, open file format supported by the Pro-MPEG Forum, is aimed at the exchange of program material between file servers, tape streamers, and digital archives. It is derived from the AAF data model. It helps to move material between AAF file-based postproduction and streaming program reply over standard networks. This set-up extends the reliable content creation to playout. The MXF body carries content, which can include MPEG, DV and uncompressed video, and contains and interleaved sequence of picture frames, each with audio and data essence, plus frame based metadata.

MOS . Slang for silent shooting. From the slang German "mit out sprechen" ("without talking." The correct German phrase would be "ohne sprechen.")

MULTIPLEXER . Device or circuit used for mixing television signals to a single video recorder.


TOP

N

NON-DROP FRAME . A type of SMPTE time code that continuously counts a full 30 frames per second. As a result, non-drop-fame time code does not exactly match real time. (See also Drop Frame.)

NTSC : National Television Standards Committee: Committee that established the color transmission system used in the U.S. and some other countries. Also used to indicate the system itself, consisting of 525 lines of information, scanned at approximately 30 frames per second.


TOP

O

OFF-LINE . Preliminary editing done on relatively low-cost editing systems, usually to provide an EDL for final on-line editing and assembly of the finished show.

ON-LINE . Final editing or assembly using master tapes to produce a finished program ready for distribution. Often preceded by off-line editing, but in some cases programs go directly to the on-line editing suite. Usually associated with high-quality computer editing and digital effects.

OPTICAL EFFECTS . Trick shots prepared by the use of an optical printer in the laboratory, especially fades and dissolves.

OPTICAL SOUND . A sound track in which the record takes the form of variations of a photographic image.

OUT-TAKE . A take of a scene which is not used for printing or final assembly in editing.

OVERCOAT . A thin layer of clear or dyed gelatine sometimes applied on top of the emulsion surface of a film to act as a filter layer or to protect the emulsion from abrasion during exposure and processing.


TOP

P

PAINTBOX . Trade name of a computer graphics system manufactured by Quantel. Used to create two-dimensional graphics, transpose and transform objects and change colors. The computer graphics generator for Quantel's Harry system.

PAL (Phase Alternation by Line) . Color television system developed in Germany, and used by many European and other countries. PAL consists of 625 lines scanned at a rate of 25 frames per second.

PERFORATIONS . Regularly spaced and accurately shaped holes which are punched throughout the length of a motion picture film. These holes engage the teeth of various sprockets and pins by which the film is advanced and positioned as it travels through cameras, processing machines, and projectors.

PITCH . (1) That property of sound which is determined by the frequency of the sound waves. (2) Distance from the center of one perforation on a film to the next; or from one thread of a screw to the next; or from one curve of a spiral to the next.

PROTECTIVE MASTER . A master positive from which a dupe negative can be made if the original is damaged.

PULL-DOWN . The telecine transfer relationship of film frames to video fields. Film shot at 24 fps is transferred to 30 fps NTSC video with an alternating two-field/three-field relationship.


TOP

Q

R

RACK . A frame carrying film in a processing machine.

RASTER . The scanned area comprising the active portion of a video signal displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT).

REDUCTION PRINTING: Making a copy of smaller size than the original by optical printing.

REGISTRATION: The accurate positioning of film or the images formed on it.

RELEASE PRINT: In a motion picture processing laboratory, any of numerous duplicate prints of a subject made for general theater distribution.

RETICULATION: The formation of a coarse, crackled surface on the emulsion coating of a film during improper processing. If some process solution is too hot or too alkaline, it may cause excessive swelling of the emulsion and this swollen gelatine may fail to dry down as a smooth homogeneous layer.

REVERSAL PROCESS: Any photographic process in which an image is produced by secondary development of the silver halide grains that remain after the latent image has been changed to silver by primary development and destroyed by a chemical bleach. In the case of film exposed in a camera, the first developer changes the latent image to a negative silver image. This is destroyed by a bleach and the remaining silver halide is converted to a positive image by a second developer. The bleached silver and any traces of halide may now be removed with hypo.

RGB: Color space defined as red (R), green (G) and blue (B). All three colors are sampled in the same way at full bandwidth, like 4:4:4.

RIPPLE: Automatic updating of an EDL after a length-altering edit. "Ripple the list."


TOP

S

SAFETY FILM . A photographic film whose base is fire-resistant or slow burning. At the present time, the terms "safety film" and "acetate film" are synonymous.

SECAM (Systeme Electronique Pour Couleur Avec Mémoire) . The color television system developed in France, and used there and in most of the former communist-block countries and a few other areas including parts of Africa.

SENSITOMETER . An instrument with which a photographic emulsion is given a graduated series of exposures to light of controlled spectral quality, intensity, and duration. Depending upon whether the exposures vary in brightness or duration, the instrument may be called an intensity scale or a time scale sensitometer.

SKIP FRAME . An optical printing effect eliminating selected frames of the original scene to speed up the action.

SOFT . The opposite of "hard". (1) As applied to a photographic emulsion or developer, having a low contrast. (2) As applied to the lighting of a set, diffuse, giving a flat scene in which the brightness difference between highlights and shadows is small.

SPLICE . Any type of cement or mechanical fastening by which two separate lengths of film are united end-to-end so they function as a single piece of film when passing through a camera, film processing machine, or projector.

SPROCKET . A toothed driving wheel used to move film through various machines by engaging with the perforation holes.

STEADY GATE . A pin-registered device manufactured by Steady Film for precise teleclne transfers. Provides more stable images than EPR, but does not operate in real time.

STEP PRINTER . A printer in which each frame of the negative and raw stock is stationary at the time of exposure.

STILL STORE . Device which stores individual video frames, either in analog or digital form, allowing extremely fast access time.

STRIP . Part of a wide roll of manufactured film slit to its final width for motion picture use.

STRIPE . A narrow band of magnetic coating or developing solution applied to a length of motion picture film.

SWEETENING . Audio postproduction, at which time minor audio problems are corrected. Music, narration and sound effects are mixed with original sound elements.

SWITCHER . Device with a series of input selectors that permits one or more selected inputs to be combined, manipulated and sent out on the program line.

SYNC, SYNCHRONIZATION . Two picture records or a picture record and a sound record are said to be "in sync" when they are placed relative to each other on a release print so they can be projected in correct temporal or spatial relationship. When this condition is not met, the two records are said to be "out of sync."


TOP

T

TAKE . When a particular scene is repeated and photographed more than once in an effort to get a perfect recording of some special action, each photographic record of the scene or of a repetition of the scene is known as a "take." For example, the seventh scene of a particular sequence might be photographed three times, and the resulting records would be called: Scene 7, Take l; Scene 7, Take 2; and Scene 7, Take 3.

TBC (Time Base Corrector) : An electronic device with memory and clocking circuits to correct video signal timing errors which affect image stability and color when editing from multiple video tape sources.

TELECINE : Device for transferring motion picture film to video tape.

THIN . As applied to a photographic image, having low density.

TIME CODE : A frame numbering system adopted by SMPTE that assigns a number to each frame of video which indicates hours, minutes. seconds and frames (e.g., 01:42:13:26).

TIMING . The process of selecting the printing values for color and density of successive scenes in a complete film to produce the desired visual effects.

TRAVELLING MATTE . A process shot in which foreground action is superimposed on a separately photographed background by optical printing.

TYPE C : SMPTE standard for 1-inch non-segmented helical video recording format.


TOP

U

U-MATlC : Trade name for 3/4-inch video cassette system originally developed by Sony. Now established as the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Type F video tape format.

ULTIMATTE : Trade name of a high-quality special effects system similar in application to a chromakey switcher. Electronic implementation of the "blue screen" used for motion picture special effects.

UNDERSCAN : Reducing height and width of the picture on a video monitor so that the edges, and thus portions of the blanking, can be observed.

UP-CONVERSION: Process of transformation from a standard definition video (NTSC or PAL) to high definition. If frame rate is incompatible between SD and HD, it is called cross-conversion.

UNSQUEEZED PRINT . A print in which the distorted image of an anamorphic negative has not been corrected for normal projection.

USER BITS : Portions of VITC and LTC reserved for recording information of the user's choosing, e.g., Keykode numbers, footage count, etc.


TOP

V

VECTORSCOPE : An oscilloscope designed for television which is used to set up and monitor the chrominance portion of a video signal. See, also, waveform monitor.

VERTICAL INTERVAL : Indicates the vertical blanking period between each video field. Contains additional scan lines above the active picture area into which non-picture information (captioning, test and control signals, user bits) can be recorded.

VERTICAL SYNC : Synchronizing pulses used to define the end of one television field and the start of the next, occurring at a rate of approximately 59.94 Hz (color), and 60 Hz (black & white).

VISION MIXER : British video switcher.

VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code) : Time code recorded in the vertical blanking interval above the active picture area. Can be read from video tape in the "still mode."


TOP

W

WAVEFORM MONITOR : Oscilloscope designed for television which looks at luminance and all other parts of the composite video signal. See, also, vectorscope.

WEAVE . Periodic sideways movement of the image as a result of mechanical faults in camera, printer or projector.

WET-GATE PRINTING . A system of printing in which the original is temporarily coated with a layer of liquid at the moment of exposure to reduce the effect of surface faults.

WIDESCREEN . General term for form of film presentation in which the picture shown has an aspect ratio greater than 1'33:1.

WINDOW DUB : "Burned-in windows," usually on a video workprint, displaying Keykode numbers and time code, footage count, audio time code, scene, take, etc. (May also be burned in.)

WIPE . Optical transition effect in which one image is replaced by another at a boundary edge moving in a selected pattern across the frame.

WORK PRINT . In a motion picture studio or processing laboratory, a rough print of a motion picture film used for editing and study of action and continuity.

TOP

X

Y

Z