Produce · Phase 2 of 5
Filming & Production
The craft in front of the lens. Framing, light, lenses, coverage, and the vocabulary that lets you say what you want a shot to do.
Category 4 of 16 in the creator glossary · 174 terms
A
A-rollaka A roll, primary footageA-roll is the main footage carrying a video's story, usually the talking head. What makes it A-roll is the job it does in the edit.Action cameraaka GoPro, action camA small rugged wide-angle camera made for point-of-view and moving shots, in places a normal camera would not survive.Anamorphic lensaka anamorphic, squeeze lensA lens that squeezes a wide field of view onto the sensor and gets stretched back out in the edit, with oval bokeh and horizontal flares.Apertureaka f-stop, f-number, irisThe adjustable opening inside a lens, measured in f-stops. It sets how much light reaches the sensor and how shallow the focus is.APS-C sensoraka APS-C, crop sensorA sensor smaller than full frame, roughly 23 by 15mm, used in most mid-range bodies. Crops the field of view by about 1.5 times.Arc shotaka orbit shot, circle shotA camera move travelling in a curve around the subject, holding the framing while the background sweeps past behind.Aspect ratioaka frame ratioThe proportion of a frame's width to its height, written as 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1.Autofocusaka AF, eye AF, face trackingThe camera focusing itself, with face and eye tracking doing most of the work for creators who shoot alone.
B
B-rollaka broll, B roll, supporting footageSupporting footage cut over or between your main shots, used to illustrate, compress time, or hide an edit.Backdropaka background, backdrop standWhatever sits behind you in shot, whether a bare wall, a paper roll, a fabric cloth or a dressed corner of a room.Backlightaka rim light, hair light, kickerA light placed behind the subject, aimed at their head and shoulders, that separates them from the background.Barn doorsaka barndoorsThe four hinged metal flaps on a light that let you cut the beam and stop it spilling where you do not want it.Blockingaka blocking a scene, stagingPlanning where people and the camera move within a shot, decided before you record instead of discovered on the day.Blown highlightsaka clipped highlights, blown outOverexposed areas with no detail left to recover: pure white, and nothing a grade will ever bring back.Blue houraka twilightThe twilight window before sunrise and after sunset when the sky is deep blue and the light is soft, even and directionless.Bokehaka background blurThe character of the out-of-focus areas in a frame: how the blur renders, rather than how much of it there is.Bounce lightaka bouncing light, reflectorLight thrown onto the subject off a wall, ceiling or reflector instead of hitting them straight from the source.
C
C-standaka century standThe heavy studio stand with a gripping arm, used to hold lights, flags and anything that has to stay exactly where you put it.Camera cageaka cage, rig cageA metal frame bolted around a camera body, adding threaded mounting points for microphones, monitors, handles and other accessories.Camera dollyaka dolly, dolly trackA wheeled platform carrying the camera, and often the operator, for smooth moves over a longer distance than a slider covers.Camera slideraka slider, slider shotA short rail the camera rides along, producing a smooth, controlled sideways or forward move over a metre or so.Catchlightaka eye lightThe small reflection of a light source visible in a subject's eyes, and the thing that makes them look alive on camera.Cine lensaka cinema lens, cine glass, T-stop lensA lens built for video: marked in T-stops, with geared manual focus and aperture rings and minimal focus breathing.Cinema cameraaka cine cameraA video-first camera body built around long recording times, log profiles, internal ND and proper audio, in place of stills performance.Cinematic lookaka film look, cinematic videoThe bundle of choices that make footage read as film: frame rate, shutter, depth of field, lighting and grade.Clean HDMI outputaka clean HDMI, clean outputA camera's HDMI signal carrying only the picture, with no focus boxes, battery icons or menus overlaid on it.Close-upaka CU, close up shotA shot tight on the face, or on a detail, filling the frame so the viewer has nowhere else to look.COB lightaka chip-on-board light, COB LEDA single high-output LED point source, designed to be used with a softbox, dome or reflector rather than bare.Colour gelaka gel, color gel, CTO, CTBA coloured sheet clipped over a light to change the colour of its output, either to match another source or to add a deliberate tint.Colour rendering indexaka CRI, TLCIA score out of 100 for how faithfully a light source shows colour against a daylight or incandescent reference.Colour temperatureaka Kelvin, color temperatureHow warm or cool a light source looks, measured in Kelvin, with lower numbers oranger and higher numbers bluer.Compositionaka shot compositionHow the elements of a shot are arranged in the frame: where the subject sits, what surrounds it, and what the eye lands on first.Continuityaka continuity error, matchingKeeping the physical details of a scene consistent across takes and angles so the cuts do not jump.Coverageaka shot coverage, covering a sceneAll the angles and takes a scene needs so the edit can actually cut it together rather than run one unbroken master.Crash zoomaka snap zoom, zoom punchA fast zoom in or out performed in camera, used as punctuation on a punchline, a reveal or a sudden reaction.Crop factoraka equivalent focal length, focal length multiplierThe multiplier that converts a lens's focal length into the equivalent field of view on a smaller sensor.Cutawayaka cutaway shotA shot of something other than the main action, cut in to cover an edit, illustrate a point or give the eye a rest.
D
Depth of fieldaka DOF, shallow depth of field, blurry backgroundHow much of the shot is in focus front to back, from a blurred background to a frame sharp throughout.Diffusion filteraka Black Pro-Mist, mist filterA screw-on filter that blooms highlights and takes the clinical edge off digital footage. Black Pro-Mist is the common one.Dolly zoomaka vertigo effect, zollyMove the camera towards the subject while zooming out, or the reverse, so the subject holds its size and the background rushes.Droneaka FPV drone, aerial footageA flying camera, used for establishing shots, aerials and moves that no tripod or gimbal can make.Drone shotaka aerial shot, drone footageFootage filmed from a flying drone: the establishing sweep, the reveal, the top-down, the follow shot no crane could reach.DSLR cameraaka DSLR, digital SLRA digital stills camera with a mirror and prism, widely used for video before mirrorless took over, and still perfectly capable.Dual native ISOaka dual base ISO, second base ISOA sensor design with two base sensitivity points, each with its own clean read-out, so there is a second low-noise setting for dark scenes.Dummy batteryaka AC coupler, mains adapterA battery-shaped adapter that feeds a camera from the mains, so a long shoot never stops for a swap.Dutch angleaka canted angle, dutch tiltA shot with the camera rolled so the horizon sits at a tilt, used to signal unease, disorientation or energy.Dynamic rangeaka stops of dynamic range, latitudeHow much detail a sensor holds between the darkest shadow and the brightest highlight in one exposure, counted in stops of light.
E
Establishing shotaka establisherA wide shot at the start of a scene that tells the viewer where they are before any close-ups arrive.Exposureaka exposing, correct exposureHow much light reaches the sensor, set by aperture, shutter and ISO together. Everything else in the image follows from getting it right.Exposure stopaka stop, one stop, stopping downOne doubling or halving of the light reaching the sensor, the unit that shutter speed, aperture and ISO are all measured in.Exposure triangleaka aperture shutter ISOThe three-way trade-off between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Change one to fix brightness and you change something else about the image.Extreme close-upaka ECUA shot tight enough that one detail fills the frame: an eye, a switch, the tip of a soldering iron.Eyelineaka eye line, eyeline matchWhere a subject is looking relative to the lens or to another person, and whether that direction matches what the edit implies.
F
Facecamaka face cam, cam overlayThe inset camera showing the creator, laid over gameplay or a screen capture. Standard furniture in gaming and tutorial video.False colouraka false colorA monitoring overlay that repaints the image in colours by brightness level, so exposure can be judged at a glance.Field monitoraka external monitor, camera monitorAn external screen mounted on or near the camera, used to judge focus, framing and exposure properly.Fill lightaka fillThe softer second light that lifts the shadow side of a face and decides how harsh the key light is allowed to look.Filler wordsaka ums and ahs, verbal tics, crutch wordsThe ums, ahs and stock phrases that fill a gap while you decide what to say next, padding a take and slowing delivery.Focal lengthaka lens length, mmThe lens measurement in millimetres that decides how wide a view you capture and how the face in front of it is shaped.Focus breathingaka breathingThe slight shift in field of view as a lens racks focus. The framing looks like it zoomed.Focus peakingaka peakingA camera or monitor overlay that outlines the in-focus edges in a bright colour so you can pull focus by eye.Follow focusaka follow-focusThe geared wheel on a camera rig that lets you turn the lens focus ring smoothly and repeatably by hand.Frame rateaka fps, frames per second, framerateHow many individual frames a camera captures each second, written as fps, and the main lever on how motion looks.Full-frame sensoraka full frame, 35mm sensorA camera sensor roughly the size of a 35mm film frame, which buys shallower depth of field and cleaner low-light footage.
G
Gimbalaka motorised gimbal, handheld stabiliserA motorised handheld stabiliser that keeps a camera level while you move, using powered motors on three axes.Global shutterA sensor reading the entire frame at one instant, so fast movement stays straight and a flash never bands across the picture.Golden houraka magic hourThe stretch after sunrise and before sunset when the sun sits low, the light turns warm and soft, and shadows run long.Grey cardaka gray card, 18% grey cardA neutral card of known reflectance held in shot to give the camera a reference for white balance and exposure.
H
Handheld shotaka handheld, shooting handheldA shot taken with the camera held in the hands, so the frame carries the movement of the person holding it.Hard lightaka harsh lightLight from a source that is small relative to the subject, which produces sharp-edged shadows and strong contrast between lit and unlit.Headroomaka head room, space above the headThe space between the top of the subject's head and the top of the frame. Too much of it is the commonest amateur framing error.Hero shotaka money shotThe single best-looking shot of the subject, the one the piece is built around and the thumbnail usually comes from.High frame rateaka HFR, 120fps, high speedShooting well above the frame rate you deliver at, usually so the footage can be slowed down smoothly in the edit.High-angle shotaka high angleA shot taken from above the subject's eye line, looking down, which reads as smaller, softer or more exposed.Histogramaka exposure histogramA graph of how many pixels sit at each brightness level, used to judge exposure more reliably than the screen.Home studioaka filming space, studio setupA room set up permanently for filming, so lights, camera and sound stay where they were and setup time drops to nothing.Hyperlapseaka moving time-lapseA time-lapse where the camera physically travels between frames, producing a rushing tracking shot over a long distance.
I
Image stabilisationaka IBIS, OIS, image stabilizationCorrection of camera shake, done by the camera body, by the lens, or in software after the footage is shot.Insert shotaka insertA tight shot of a detail inside the scene, such as hands on a keyboard or a label, cut in to show it clearly.Inverse square lawaka light falloffLight falls off with the square of the distance. Move a lamp twice as far away and a quarter of it reaches you.ISOaka ISO, native ISO, ISO speedThe camera setting that brightens an image electronically, and the one that starts adding visible noise once you push it too far.
K
L
Lead roomaka nose room, looking roomThe gap left in front of a subject's face or direction of travel, so a shot does not feel like they are about to walk into the frame edge.Leading linesaka lines that lead the eyeLines inside the frame, real or implied, that pull a viewer's eye towards the subject.LED panelaka panel lightA flat array of LEDs in a rectangular fixture, the standard soft light for creator sets and small studios.Lens compressionaka telephoto compression, background compressionThe flattening of apparent distance you get on a longer lens, which pulls the background closer and is kinder to a face.Lens flareaka flareStreaks, rings or a milky haze across the frame caused by a bright light source bouncing around inside the lens.Light diffusionaka diffuser, diffusion panelAnything placed between a light and the subject to spread it out, trading a hard-edged shadow for a soft one.Light flickeraka banding, flicker-freePulsing brightness or rolling bands in footage, caused by a light whose pulse rate is out of step with your shutter.Light modifieraka modifier, light shaping toolAnything fitted to a light to change its quality: softbox, umbrella, diffusion, grid, snoot, bounce or flag.Lighting flagaka flag, cutterAn opaque panel used to block light: off a wall, out of the lens, or off part of the subject.Lighting ratioaka key to fill ratioThe brightness relationship between key light and fill, written as a ratio, describing how deep the shadows on a face are.Locked-off shotaka locked off, static shotA completely static shot on a fixed camera, with no pan, no tilt and no handheld movement whatsoever.Log profileaka log footage, S-Log, C-Log, log gammaA flat, low-contrast capture profile that keeps highlight and shadow detail for grading. It looks wrong out of camera because it is meant to.Low-angle shotaka low angleCamera placed below the subject's eye level and pointing up, which makes the subject read as larger or more dominant.
M
Macro shotaka macro, extreme detail shotExtreme close-up filming that renders small detail at or near life size, a b-roll staple for tech, craft and food channels.Manual focusaka MF, focusing manuallySetting focus by hand on the lens or screen instead of leaving the camera to decide.Master shotaka masterOne continuous wide take covering a whole scene end to end, kept as the backbone an edit can always cut back to.Matte boxaka matteboxThe boxy hood on the front of a cinema lens. It holds square filters and blocks stray light from striking the glass.Medium shotaka mid shot, MSFraming that takes in the subject from roughly the waist up: close enough to read a face, wide enough to show hands and gesture.Micro Four Thirdsaka MFT, M43, Micro 4/3A mirrorless camera standard with a sensor around a quarter the area of full frame and a 2x crop factor, built for compact rigs.Mirrorless cameraaka mirrorless, mirrorless bodyA camera body with no reflex mirror, showing a live electronic preview of the exposure, and the default choice for creator video.Moiréaka moire pattern, aliasing on fabricThe rippling, shimmering pattern that appears when fine repeating detail in a shot clashes with the camera sensor's grid.Motion bluraka blur per frameThe smearing of movement inside a single frame, set by how long the shutter stays open. Too little of it makes footage look juddery.Motivated lightingaka motivated lightLighting arranged so it appears to come from a source visible or implied in the scene, such as a window, lamp or screen.Multicam setupaka multi-camera setup, two-camera setup, B-camFilming with more than one camera rolling at once, so the edit has angles to cut between without reshooting anything.
N
Natural lightaka available light, window lightDaylight used as the light source, usually through a window, with no lamps or panels involved.ND filteraka neutral density filterA neutral grey filter that cuts the light entering a lens without shifting colour, so you can hold a wide aperture or the right shutter speed.Negative fillaka flag, black flagA black surface placed just out of frame to take light away from one side of a subject and deepen the shadows.Nifty fiftyaka 50mm f1.8, fiftyThe cheap 50mm f/1.8 prime every camera brand sells, and the standard first recommendation for anyone stepping off a kit zoom.
O
On locationaka location shootFilming somewhere that already exists rather than a set you control: a street, a business, a rented flat, a field.On-camera presenceaka camera presence, screen presenceHow engaging and at ease somebody reads on camera. Learnable, and mostly a matter of energy, eye contact and speaking to one person.One-take videoaka single take, one-shot videoA video recorded straight through with no cuts, so the performance has to carry the whole thing.Outtakeaka blooperA take that went wrong: the fluffed line, the collapse into laughter, the dog walking through. Often kept for the end of the video.Over-the-shoulder shotaka OTSA shot framed past one person's shoulder onto another, used in interviews and dialogue to show who is listening.Overhead shotaka top-down shot, flat lay, bird's-eye shotCamera pointed straight down at the subject, the standard angle for hands, desks, cooking and flat lay product shots.
P
Panaka panning, panning shotRotating the camera horizontally on a fixed point, so the framing sweeps across a scene while the camera itself stays where it is.Pickup shotaka pickups, pick-upA shot filmed after the main shoot to fill a hole found in the edit, such as a missing cutaway or a fluffed line.Piece to cameraaka PTC, direct to camera, talking to cameraSpeaking straight down the lens to the viewer. The core delivery mode on most YouTube channels, and much harder than it looks.Point-and-shoot cameraaka compact camera, pocket camera, fixed-lens compactA fixed-lens compact you can film with one-handed, trading sensor size and manual control for pocketability.Polarising filteraka CPL, circular polariser, polarizing filterA rotating filter that cuts reflections and glare off non-metallic surfaces, and deepens a blue sky while it does it.POV shotaka point of view shot, POVA shot framed as what a character sees, with the camera placed where their eyes would be.Practical lightaka practicalsA lamp visible in shot that also lights the scene, such as a desk lamp, a window or a neon sign.Prime lensaka fixed focal length lensA lens with one fixed focal length. No zoom ring, usually a wider maximum aperture, usually sharper than a zoom at the same price.Propsaka propObjects that appear on camera and get handled, held up or pointed at, as distinct from the set dressing behind you.Push inaka dolly in, slow pushMoving the camera slowly toward the subject during a shot, adding pressure or intimacy as the frame tightens around them.
R
Rack focusaka focus pull, pulling focusShifting focus from one subject to another inside a single shot, moving the viewer's eye without a cut.Raw videoaka RAW footage, BRAW, ProRes RAWSensor data recorded with minimal processing, so white balance and exposure decisions stay adjustable in the edit.Ring lightaka ringlightA circular lamp that sits around the lens, throwing flat frontal light and leaving a ring-shaped catchlight in the eyes.Rolling shutteraka jello effect, skewThe skew and wobble on fast movement, caused by a sensor reading the frame line by line instead of all at once.Rule of thirdsaka thirds gridDividing the frame into thirds and placing the subject on one of the dividing lines instead of dead centre.
S
Safety takeaka safety, one for safetyOne more clean take recorded after you already have the shot, as insurance against a fault you only find in the edit.Screen recordingaka screencast, screen captureCapturing what happens on a display as footage, used for tutorials, software walkthroughs, gameplay and anything easier to show than describe.Set dressingaka dressing the setThe objects placed in the background of a shot to build the look of a space, distinct from props that people handle.Shooting ratioaka footage ratioHow much footage you shot against how much survived the edit. A high ratio usually points at a thin plan rather than at thoroughness.Shot reverse shotaka reverse angleCutting back and forth between two facing camera angles so a conversation reads as two people talking to each other.Shutter angleaka shutter degreesShutter speed expressed in degrees relative to frame rate, the cine convention. 180 degrees is the standard starting point.Shutter speedaka exposure timeHow long the sensor is exposed for each frame. In video it governs motion blur as much as brightness.Slateaka clapperboard, clapper, sync clapThe board clapped at the head of a take, carrying the scene and take number and giving the editor a sync point.Slow motionaka slow-mo, overcrankingFootage recorded at a high frame rate and played back at normal speed, stretching the action out smoothly.Soft lightaka softened lightLight from a large or diffused source, so shadows have gentle edges. Forgiving, flattering, the default for talking heads.Softboxaka soft boxA fabric enclosure over a light that enlarges and diffuses the source, producing softer shadows with gentler edges.Speaking paceaka talking speed, words per minute, delivery speedHow fast you deliver lines on camera, and how much that speed varies from one sentence to the next.Square videoaka 1:1 aspect ratio, one by oneA 1:1 frame, equal in width and height. The widest shape YouTube will still classify and shelve as a Short.Stock footageaka stock video, stock clipsLicensed clips filmed by somebody else, used as b-roll to cover shots you cannot get yourself.
T
Takeaka takes, another takeOne recorded attempt at a shot, from the moment recording starts to the moment it stops.Talking headaka talking head shot, talking head videoThe presenter-to-camera shot that carries most creator video: one person, framed head and shoulders, speaking straight down the lens.Telephoto lensaka long lens, tele lensA long focal length. Narrow field of view, subject isolated from its surroundings, background apparently pulled closer and thrown out of focus.Teleprompteraka prompter, autocueA screen scrolling your script beside or through the lens, so you can deliver written lines while still appearing to look at the camera.Three-point lightingaka 3-point lightingThe standard interview setup: a key light for the subject, a fill to soften the shadow, and a backlight to separate them from the background.Tiltaka tilt shot, tilt up, tilt downA camera move that pivots the lens up or down from a fixed position, the vertical partner to a pan.Time-lapseaka timelapseFrames shot at set intervals and played back at normal speed, so hours of real time pass in seconds on screen.Tracking shotaka dolly shot, follow shotA shot where the camera travels along with a moving subject, holding the framing while both move through the space.Tripodaka sticks, fluid head tripodThree-legged camera support for locked-off shots. A fluid head adds damped pans and tilts for anything that has to move.Tube lightaka LED tube, light stickA slim LED tube used as an accent or background light, usually RGB, and often placed in shot rather than hidden.Two-shotaka 2-shotA frame holding two people at once, so the audience can read both reactions without the editor cutting between them.
V
Variable frame rateaka VFRFootage whose frame rate shifts while recording. It plays fine on the phone and drifts out of sync once you edit it.Variable ND filteraka VND, variable neutral densityAn adjustable neutral density filter that dials light down as you rotate it, so you can hold your shutter and aperture while conditions change.Vignettingaka vignette, corner darkeningDarkening towards the corners of the frame, either an optical fault of the lens or an effect added deliberately in the grade.Vocal varietyaka vocal delivery, intonationChanging pitch, pace and volume as you speak so delivery holds attention instead of settling into one flat tone.
W
Wardrobeaka costume, outfit continuityWhat the person on camera wears, and keeping it consistent across takes, days and any footage that has to cut together.Whip panaka swish panA fast camera pan that smears into motion blur, used most often to hide the cut between two shots.White balanceaka WB, auto white balance, AWBTelling the camera what counts as white under the current light, so skin and colours come out neutral instead of orange or blue.Wide shotaka long shot, WS, full shotA shot framing the subject in full along with enough of the surroundings to show where they are.Wide-angle lensaka wide lens, ultra-wide lensA lens with a short focal length and a broad field of view, standard for vlogging because it fits you and your surroundings in at arm's length.
Z
#
16:9 aspect ratioaka sixteen by nine, widescreen, horizontalThe standard horizontal shape of a long-form video, 1920 by 1080 and its multiples. It is also what keeps an upload out of Shorts.180-degree ruleaka crossing the line, axis of actionKeep the camera on one side of an imaginary line through the action and screen direction stays consistent from shot to shot.180-degree shutter ruleaka 180 shutter, double the frame rateSet the shutter speed to roughly double the frame rate, so motion carries the amount of blur audiences read as natural.24 fpsaka 24p, cinematic frame rateTwenty-four frames per second, the film standard, and the frame rate that gives motion the blur people read as cinematic.30 fpsaka 30p, 29.97Thirty frames a second, the standard rate for talking heads and broadcast-style work in North America, where it is really 29.97.60 fpsaka 60pRecording sixty frames a second, for smoother motion on fast action and room to slow the footage down in the edit.