Glossary

Technical Video Information

1080i 

High-definition, interlaced footage recorded at 1928×1090 pixels.

1080p

High-definition, progressive footage recorded at 1920×1080 pixels.

16:9

The aspect ratio of high-definition footage; a wide, rectangular-shaped image.

24p

Footage recorded at 34 frames per second progressive, also called 23.976

25p

Footage at 25 frames per second in progressive.

29.97

Footage at 29.97 frames per second.

2k  

2000 lines of resolution; standard format for projects intended for film output.

4:3

The square aspect ratio of standard-definition footage.

4k 

4,000 lines of resolution; 4096×2304.

60i

Footage recorded as 60 interlaced fields per second.

A/D converter

Analogue to digital converter for digitizing analogue audio or sound into a digital format.

ADR

Automated Dialogue recording, recording dialogue in post-production to replace production audio; also referred to as looping.

ASA

American Standers Association measurement used to classify the speed of a negative film stock or the sensitivity of a digital image sensor, often used side by side with ISO.

ASC

America Society of Cinematographers, A Hollywood-based Guild for distinguished Directors of Photography; also published American Cinematographer Magazine.

Aspect ratio

 The width of an image divided by its height.

B Camera

An auxiliary camera shoots simultaneously with the primary unit camera; its footage is often referred to as a b-roll.

Bitrate

The amount of digital data being processed during a given period.

Block 

To determine the geography and desired angles for a scene.

Bluray

A high-definition, recordable disc format developed by Sony

Breathing

Visible wobbling on the edges of the frame; happens as the lens focus is changed; typically more apparent with lower-quality lenses.

CF card

CompactFlash memory card.

Chroma

The colour portion of a video signal.

Cineon

The image file format was developed by Kodak for digital intermediates.

Clapper sticks

 Wooden of plastic slate with production information and two sticks that come together at the start of a take to help assist with post-production audio assist.

CMOS

Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor chip.

Codec

Compression/decompression’ a specific algorithm for compressing video or audio.

Colour space

A method of mathematically representing colour for use with a specific display or medium.

Colour temperature

A method of describing the colour characteristics of a light source.

Cutlist

A list of hosts used in an edit to be pulled from negative film rolls.

D5

 A professional digital videotape format developed by Panasonic, available in standard and high definition.

DAT

Digital Audio Tape, used for recording production sound.

DCP

Digital Cinema Package, a format used for digital files intended for theatrical exhibitions.

Debayer

The mathematical process of interpreting raw image data from a sensor back into a full-colour image.

DI 

 Digital Intermediate; the process of digitally colour-correcting footage for final output.

Digibeta

Digital Betacam tape, a standard-definition tape format developed by Sony.

DNxHD

Avid’s high-definition post-production codec.

DP

Director of Photography or Cinematographer.

DPX 

Digital Picture Exchange, an image file format for use in digital intermediates.

DSMC

Digital Still & motion Camera, RED’s concept of cameras capable of functioning as a still camera and motion pictures camera.

DV

Digital Video a compression codec used to capture and store standard-definition video digitally.

EDL

Edit Decision List, a film format for exchanging completed edit sequences between NLEs and other post-production software.

ENG

A term used to indicate the individual or team involved in Electronic News Gathering, documentary and news productions are often called ENG crews.

eSATA

External SATA hard drive.

EVF

Electronic Viewfinder.

Firmware

User-upgradable on-board software

Focus-puller

A crew member who manually adjusts lens focus during a shot.

Gain

Electronically amplify an audio signal or brighten an image.

Gamma

 The mathematical method of calibrating an image’s brightness values for use with different displays.

Grade

Colour correct an image.

HD

High Definition footage has a resolution of 1280×720 pixels or 1920×1080 pixels.

HDCAM

A high-definition tape format developed by Sony, intended initially as an HD version of Digital Betacam.

HDMI

High-Definition Multimedia Interface, widely adopted on consumer and prosumer video monitors and accessories.

HD-SDI

High-Definition Serial Digital Interface for monitoring.

Histogram

 An analysis graph of image exposure.

Interlace 

Footage stored as overlapping half-frames referred to as fields.

Latitude

The range of brightness and/or colour values within an image; also a measurement of an images sensor’s sensitivity.

Linear

A method of expressing Values of colour and brightness equally across an entire range of altitude.

LOG

Logarithmic a method of expressing brightness and colour values on a curve.

LTO

Linear Tape-Open, a digital tape format used to achieve data.

LUT

Lookup Table, is a set of instructions used to profile colour and gamma to simulate their appearance on a given medium, such as an HD display or a specific film stick.

Megapixel 

One million pixels a term used to describe the size of a digital image sensor.

Metadata

Footage attributes.

NAB

National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.  Where camera and other media making manufacturers debut new technologies.

NLE 

 Nonlinear Editors, such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

NTSC

National Television System Committee, 29.97 frames per second, standard definition analogue television format used more in North America and Japan.

PAL

Phase Alternating Line, 25 frames per second, standard–definition analogue television format used more in Europe.

Pixel

The smallest component of a digital image.

PL mount

Positive-lock lens mount developed by ARRI.

Post-production

Activity that occurs on a project after principal photography.

POV

Point of View is a shot taken directly from a character’s perspective.

Prime lens

A lens with a fixed focal length.

Progressive

Footage stored as discrete frames.

ProRes

Apple’s High-quality post-production codec.

QuickTime

Apple’s video format and player; used the .mov file extension.

R3D

 RED’s native recording format for footage.

RAID 

Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a linked set of multiple hard drives for storing data with higher performance and reliability than a single hard drive.

RAW

Unprocessed image sensor data enabling extensive post-production manipulation

REC 709

The display standards THAT are used for high-definition television signals.

REDCODE

RED’s proprietary compression codec.

RGB

Colour data separated into RED, Green, and Blue channels for viewing on display.

S35

Image sensor comparable in size to a Super 35mm frame.

SATA 

Serial ATA hard drive, used for high-speed data transfer; eSATA is the external version.

SD

Standard-Definition Footage has a resolution of 720×480 pixels or 720×576 pixels.

SMPTE

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers is a group of standards defining common media production signals.

Solid State Drive (SSD)

A memory card or hard drive with no moving parts.

Sync

Synchronization, typically between separately recorded picture and sound.

Timecode

Method of counting individual frames of recorded footage used to determine shooting formats and ensure audio/video synchronization.

Transcode

Convert video or audio data from one codec, resolution, and format to another.

T-stop

 Measurement of a motion-picture camera lens’ aperture, referred to as F-stop on still-camera lenses.

USB

Universal Serial Bus connectors used on hard drives and many other computer peripherals

Video Village

The location where a DP sets up production monitors for viewing by the director and crew.

XLR

A connector is often used for audio peripherals; three-pin for audio, four-pin for power.

XML

Extensible Markup Language, a customizable file format used to exchange data between post-production applications.

Zebra

 A customizable striped pattern appears in the EVF or monitor to indicate areas of an image falling within a defined exposure range.

Zoom lens 

A lens with a variable focal length