Filmclusive Encyclopedia
Production
Film production roles, equipment, workflows, and terms.
Meal penalty
Additional compensation or another contract remedy triggered when a covered meal-period requirement is missed.
Media offload
The controlled transfer of recorded media from camera cards to verified production storage.
Medium close-up
A framing commonly showing a performer from chest or shoulders upward.
Medium shot
A framing commonly showing a performer from roughly the waist upward.
Medium wide shot
A framing wider than a medium shot but closer than a full environmental view.
Microphone dip
The unintended appearance of a microphone or boom within the recorded frame.
MOS
A take recorded without synchronized production sound; the abbreviation’s origin is disputed.
Motivated light
Lighting designed to appear consistent with a visible or implied source in the story world.
Moving master
A master shot that follows or re-composes with the scene instead of remaining fixed.
Netting
The use of net material to reduce part or all of a light beam with a softer edge than an opaque flag.
New deal
Informal set shorthand announcing a meaningful change to blocking, coverage, or setup.
New setup
A production transition requiring meaningful repositioning or rebuilding of camera and associated departments.
On the day
A production decision, change, or requirement resolved during the actual shooting day rather than fully in prep.
On-set data capture
The collection of measurements, imagery, metadata, and references needed for post-production reconstruction.
Oner
Informal production shorthand for a scene or substantial passage designed as one continuous shot.
Over-the-shoulder shot
A shot framing one subject past the shoulder or body of another.
Pan shot
A camera rotation left or right around a substantially fixed support position.
Pedestal shot
A vertical camera move raising or lowering the whole camera while maintaining orientation.
Photogrammetry capture
Systematic overlapping photography used to reconstruct measurable three-dimensional surfaces or objects.
Pickup line
A separately recorded portion of dialogue captured to repair or provide an alternate within a take.
Pickup shot
A short additional shot captured later to repair, extend, or clarify existing coverage.
Picture car
A vehicle selected, prepared, and photographed as part of a story or visual design.
Pictures up
A warning that rehearsal is ending and the next run is intended for recording.
Plate photography
Production photography captured specifically as source imagery for later compositing or effects work.
Plate shot
A photographed element intended as a background, clean source, or component for visual effects.
Playback review
An authorized review of the recorded take on set or at video village.
Point-of-view shot
A shot representing what a character or subject is understood to see.
Points
A warning used while carrying long, sharp, hot, or awkward equipment through a work area.
Practical effect
A physical effect created in front of the camera rather than generated entirely in post-production.
Practical light
Illumination produced by a working fixture visible within the photographed scene.
Principal photography
The primary scheduled period in which a production records its main scripted picture and sound.
Print that take
A photochemical-era request to flag a take for laboratory printing and editorial attention.
Process shot
A shot combining live action with a background or environmental illusion, historically through projection or compositing.
Profile shot
A camera angle showing a subject primarily from the side.
Prosthetic appliance
A fabricated piece applied to a performer to alter anatomy, age, injury, or character appearance.
Pull-back shot
A move that widens context by taking the camera physically or optically away.
Push-in
A move or optical change that tightens attention progressively toward a subject.
Quiet on set
A call requiring avoidable sound and conversation to stop for recording.
Rack focus
A deliberate focus transition shifting visual emphasis between distances during a shot.
Rain rig
A controlled water-distribution system used to create visible rain over a performance or set area.
Rear-projection process
A process shot using imagery projected onto a translucent screen behind foreground action.
Reference audio track
Camera-carried or guide audio intended mainly to support synchronization and editorial reference.
Reference camera
A camera used to document performance, lighting, texture, or motion without supplying the final image.
Rehearsal mark
A temporary floor or set reference that helps a performer or camera reach a repeatable position.
Reset
A call directing the company to restore starting conditions for another take.
Restrike time
The required cooling or recovery interval before certain discharge lamps can successfully ignite again.
Reverse angle
Coverage looking substantially opposite an established camera direction, often toward the other participant.
RF hit
A brief audible disturbance or dropout caused by interference or failure in a wireless audio link.
Rolling
A call indicating that the camera or sound recorder is actively recording or about to record.
Room tone
A recording of a location’s natural background sound used to smooth edits and maintain sonic continuity.
Room-tone take
A dedicated recording of the location’s ambient sound under controlled quiet conditions.
Safety meeting
A documented briefing in which relevant hazards, controls, responsibilities, and emergency actions are reviewed with workers.
Scene number
The locked script identifier connecting scheduled material to slates, reports, sides, and editorial.
Screen direction
The apparent left-right direction of looks or movement within the edited frame.
Script supervisor notes
Detailed notes that track script timing, continuity, coverage, and editorial or production questions.
Second sticks
A request to repeat a slate clap when the first mark was unusable.
Second team
Stand-ins or doubles who rehearse technical positions while the first team is off camera.
Second unit
A separately directed shooting company assigned material outside the first unit’s immediate schedule.
Set
A readiness response indicating a performer, prop, effect, or department awaits the action cue.
Set etiquette
Shared working practices that protect concentration, safety, communication, and respect on a set.
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