Set Lingo For Writers
Where’s crafty?Ed. Note: In preparation for this post to be reprinted in Written By (the magazine of the WGAw), I’m adding more terms and definitions, including some that our commenters suggested. Thanks for all of your input!
If we have a philosophy here at The Artful Writer, it’s that screenwriters need to become more production-oriented, because we don’t write scripts…we write movies.
Once you get to the Promised Land of the set, you’ll find that you don’t exactly speak the language. The natives have a fascinating patois that they use to implement a very particular protocol. In an attempt to save you the confusion I’ve experienced in the past, here is my handy dandy guide to set lingo.
20: When you want to know where someone is, don’t say “Where’s Joe?” That’s the mark of a rookie. You want a “20” on Joe. An alternate is to get on the walkie and ask, “Does anyone have eyes on Joe?”
50-50: When you hear someone suggest a 50-50, it means a two-shot in which both actors share the screen equally. You can have a 50-50 head on, or a profile 50-50. This term is used exclusive of an over, which is a shot over one actor’s shoulder to another, or a single. Singles can be clean (just one actor) or dirty (one actor with a bit of another in the frame).
Abby Singer: The second-to-last shot of the day. Apparently from an A.D. named Abby Singer who routinely announced that a shot was the last of the day, only to learn that there was one more.
apple box: Ubiquitous crates used for everything from door stops to seats to actor-heighteners. There are full apples, half apples and quarter apples. Ask to sit on a half-apple, and you’ll be looked upon as a veteran of the trade.
day for night: When you’re shooting a night scene during the day. Naturally, this happens on stages.
circle: Film is expensive to print, and it’s annoying to have to pour through endless dailies when you know there’s a particular take that was great. Directors tell the script supervisor to “circle that take”, and only circle takes are printed. Happily, the uncircled takes are still developed and can be mined for hidden gold when your circle take turns out to be worthless in the cutting room.
cowboy: Another common shot description, denoting a frame that runs from mid-thigh to the top of the head. Taken from Westerns, where the shot was commonly used.
crafty: The typical nickname for Craft Services, aka “the table with the fattening food on it.” The locale for snacks and drinks. “Can you run by Crafty and get me a cookie?”
flying in: When something is requested to be brought to the set, it “flies in”. I don’t know why. It just does. “Can I get a double filter for this light?” “Double filter, flying in.”
gag: Not a joke, but any bit of film trickery or special stunt. For instance, if you’re doing a war scene and you need a soldier to run by and get an arm blown off, that effect might be called an “arm gag” if you’re doing the gag practically, rather than with CGI.
go to 2: Most of the crew are wired into a walkie system. Channel 1 is the main line. Everyone generally stays tuned to that one (certain departments just stay tuned to their own channel to avoid the chatter on 1). When you need to speak to someone, you ask for them on 1. When they respond, the caller will often say “go to 2”, meaning “let’s not busy up channel 1 with our conversation that no one else will want to hear, so go to 2 and we’ll talk semi-privately”.
going again: When the director wants another take right away, the AD will announce “going again” to the crew to avoid any disruptions. After six takes or so, this phrase can begin to take on a certain bemused twang.
honeywagon: A trailer that houses multiple dressing rooms with bathrooms. When you’re looking for someone and they’re in the honeywagon, a PA will tell you that they’re going “10-100” or “10-1”. Otherwise, they’re going “10-200”, which takes a bit longer.
last looks: The AD’s warning to hair, wardrobe and makeup that they’ve got dwindling seconds to beautify the actors before the cameras start to roll.
Linda Stills: Linda is a person, but her last name isn’t Stills. She’s the stills photographer. Crews can be large, and when you have three folks named “Linda,” it gets annoying to ask for one on the walkie and get the wrong one. Beyond that, no one really cares what your name is. On a set, you are your job. If you’re Linda and you’re the still photographer, they call you Linda Stills. They’ll call you Jim Hair and Ellen Crafty and Craig Writer. Seriously. The name on my trailer door says Craig Writer.
lunchahalf: When the crew goes to lunch, it’s usually for an hour, but sometimes the production shortens lunch (with costs to be paid to the crew). When the AD calls “lunchahalf,” it means you’re getting 30 minutes for lunch…and they really mean 30 minutes, so eat fast.
The Martini: The last shot of the day. In Vancouver, they call this “The Window.”
MOS: A shot done without any sound recorded. Why MOS? No one’s exactly sure. The most popular explanation is that it’s an abbreviation of “mit-out sound”, which is how the German directors in the early Hollywood era would say “without sound”. Other explanations are “microphone off set” and “minus optical sound”, but frankly, none of them really make sense. A true Hollywood mystery.
overlap: There are two kinds of overlapping. One is good, and one is bad. The good kind is done for editorial purposes. When shooting, you always want to overlap the action that comes just before the moment you’re aiming for and just after the moment you’re aiming for, so that the editor can cut into the action fluidly from the preceding shot. That’s the good kind. “Shouldn’t she enter frame cleanly before doing her line so that she overlaps?” The bad kind has to do with sound. When two actors are on screen together, their dialogue can overlap because we see them. When you’re doing a single on an actor, though, you don’t want an off-screen actor’s voice overlapping with the on-screen actor’s voice, because you can’t see them. You want it clean.
pick: When you have a shot where an actor is hoisted into the air, “pick” describes both the harness they wear as well as the shot itself.
picture’s up: There’s a lovely kabuki aspect to the beginning of a shot. Once everyone’s ready to shoot a take, the first A.D. says “on the bell!” That alerts the crew to prepare for a shot. “Picture’s up” is followed by “roll sound” and “roll camera”, which tells the sound and camera guys to get the tape and film speed going (given that one day all sound and images will go directly to a drive or chip, these phrases will eventually be as quaint as MOS). The camera operator will say “camera’s set” to let you know he’s speeding, the sound guy will say “sound speed” to let you know the sound is ready, and then it’s time for the director to call “action!”
practical: Used to define action that occurs entirely in real-time in front of the camera. You could have someone run on a gravel floor on a green screen stage and then make it look like they’re on a rooftop in post, or you could film the actor running on an actual rooftop and do the scene practically.
roundy-round: Shooting typically involves two or more angles, or coverage, of the same action. The simplest example is a conversation. First we shoot me talking to you, then we shoot you having the same conversation with me. Later, we’ll cut it together. When you shoot the first actor, there are small relights that occur for size changes (going from an over to a single, for instance), but those relights are minor compared to what must occur when you move everything around to shoot the other actor. When you hear “roundy-round”, that means the crew is turning everything around to the other side. Go to crafty. Have a snack. It’s gonna be a while.
show: This one still takes getting used to. If you’re like me, everything I watch on TV is called a “show” and everything I see in a theater is a “movie”. Film crews, however, call everything “shows”. The movie that they’re shooting? A show. “Hey, didn’t I work with you on the last show?” More than anything, this will make you seem like an insider when you’re on a movie set.
transpo: Transportation. Be good to the Teamsters, and they’ll be good to you.
video village: On every set there’s a small encampment (and sometimes three of them) where you’ll find set chairs positioned around monitors pulling in video feeds from the cameras.
wild: Use this word for anything that isn’t fixed into position by either physicality or narrative sequence. If a set has a wall that can be detached, that’s a “wild wall”. When you’re shooting a scene and just want to run the actor through a series of lines or reactions without regard for the rigidity of the script, you do “wild lines” and “wild reactions”. When you need to just grab audio, you ask for “wild lines”.
I hope you found this short list useful. It’s not everything, but it’s a start. Next time you walk on set, stop by crafty, mention that you wrote the script for the show, swing over to video village, compliment the director on his choice of a cowboy, and then enjoy a large coffee.
“Large coffee”, by the way, is a large coffee.
1 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Set Lingo For Writers.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://artfulwriter.com/mt4/contages.cgi/116
Craig Mazin over at The Artful Writer has composed a handy and helpful list of phrases a writer may wish to know before walking onto a film set and if you wanna write movies, then check out Set Lingo For Writers and by the way, if they’re filmin... Read More
Mit Out Sound is an apocryphal backronym (2 big words in a row, yes!)
MOS, if I remember correctly, stands for “Minus Optical Sound” which doesn’t really jive in the land of DATs and DEVAs, but the idea’s the same.
I hate to correct you, but the term “Picture’s Up” is not used to tell the camera men to roll their camera, “Roll Camera” is reserved for that. Though, many camera men do not wait to be told to roll.
“Picture’s Up” is used by the Assistant Director to indicate to the entire crew that they are seconds away from performing an actual take. Before the take, “Rehearsal’s Up” is used to inform the crew that a rehearsal is up next. Why they don’t say “Take’s Up”… I don’t know.
Drew:
Didn’t know that! I added a note in the post to this regard.
Oliver:
Don’t hate to correct me. Only hate to correct me if you’re wrong. :) In this case, you’re completely right. I forgot to add the phrase in. Oversight on my part. Thanks for catching it…the post is edited.
Logically, flying in must be to do with the fact that back at the birth of the movies, crew with the skills to build sets and rig lighting would have been brought in from theatre.On stage, scenery is flown in, from the flies, where the fly tower is. They would have used the terminology of the theatre, and it stuck. Honeywagon made me smile. Here in England, it’s the name given to the malodorous truck driven by the man who empties our septic tank twice a year. (He does this whilst eating his sandwiches…).
A couple of others (I’m Australian, so our set lingo may be different):
2.S.M. (two ess emm)— Two sugars milk. Not exclusively filmset lingo, but its worth knowing cause its the common drink of so many.
C-47 (see fourty seven) — a wooden peg, used to attach gels to lights. We use wood cause it doesn’t heat up and doesn’t melt.
Gels — the coloured plastic which is used to colour correct lights. (Just in case you didn’t know)
CTB — colour temperature blue. A blue gel to help lights match the blue of daylight. You get all kinds of fractions of CTBs (1/8th, 1/4th, 1/2th, 3/4ths, full).
CTO — colour temperature orange. An orange gel to help correct lights towards the orange of tungsten lights.
e.g. “Can we have a 1/2 CTO on the Blondie? I need a 2.8T negative fill”
DF10 (dee eff ten) — a milk crate. You also get DF12s, which are slightly larger. 10 for 10 inches, 12 for 12 inches. Brilliant. I suspect there’s probably DF8s out there.
Pancakes — like Apple boxes but much thinner.
:)
All that come to mind.
Lose = get rid of. “Lose the 2K” means get rid of the 2000 watt light.
C-47: a wooden clothes pin.
I’m not convinced that “MOS” is “Minus Optical Sound,” which wouldn’t mean anything. I heard that the original SOUND ENGINEERS were German, hence “Mit Out Sound.”
There would be no reason for the phrase “Minus Optical Sound,” since initially there was only one kind of sound recording.
Wiki gives Mit Out Sprache as an alternative to Mit Out Sound.
Small note. Generally you would roll sound BEFORE camera, as the sound stock (DAT, HD, or tape) is much cheaper than film stock. Although perhaps your “Picture’s Up” wasn’t implying order.
Another good one - “first team” Which means the actual actors in the scene. After a scene is rehearsed with the real actors, they often leave set and are replaced with stand-in actors for the purpose of lighting and camera blocking. When the lighting is done, the first AD will ask for First Team to come back to set.
My favorite:
“C-Stand.” A three-legged metal stand used to hold flags, lights, what have you. The “C” stands for Century, because it has at least 100 uses.
C-stands are also used to test newbies. The three legs unfold in a very specific way, so green PAs will often have their experience tested by being asked to unfold a C-stand. I learned this one the hard way.
For what it’s worth, that thigh-up shot called a “cowboy” has an additional detail as it was explained to me, and it has enough romance to it, it’s worth including. Why whas it used so much in Westerns? Because Westerns were the only movies where you really had to be able to see people waists — for their holsters and guns.
Another reason I heard was that the direction for the shot —“Cut ‘em off at the knees” resembles a line from a Western.
I, too, thought the “honey wagon” was the bathroom trailer.
I need to apologize to a few of the bit-actors on the set for soiling their dressing rooms.
I’ve never been on set in the US so most of the terms you mention are unfamiliar to me.
I’m familiar with ‘flying in’ though. I’ve always understood the phrase to mean that the double filter (or whatever) is literally on its way - moving - and will materialize in the hands of the person who asked for it in a matter of seconds. If the camera crew is in the zone everything flies.
Then there’s ‘landing’. I thought the term came from the US but evidently it didn’t. When an actor shows up on location someone’ll announce that ‘X just landed’. The sircus (fleet of vechicles) also lands on location or is estimated to land in half an hour or is landing as we speak.
Over-shoulder shots are called ping pong (evidently this phrase does not originate in the US either). First ping, then pong. As in (lamely translating): ‘Let’s reverse and do the pong’.
“Cowboy” (mid-thighs up or knees up) is called American.
And finally:
Every German I know has serious doubts about the “mit-out-sound” theory.
My first show I simply heard, “Speed.” After “Pictures Up” then “Ready for Camera.”
It was an Oliver Stone picture many years ago.
Actually, a great friend of mine just published a book on set lingo, set behavior, etc. I know I am bious, but it’s amazing, an incredible resource. Not to mention tons of great stories from film veterans:
Movie Sets 101: The Definitive Survivor’s Guide.
Sorry for the sales pitch, and no, I don’t get any kickbacks! :)
http://www.amazon.com/gpproduct0977291103/002-1462801-8929638?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
The little dressing rooms in the honeywagon aren’t much more than bathrooms, so I think what you’re thinking of is what I’m thinking of, Derek.
Here’s another one. “Travelling”. When someone’s walking to the set, they’re travelling.
How about “the martini shot?” The last shot of the day.
Another good one to know: “f-stop.” An f-stop is a measure of the amount of light allowed into the camera lens. It’s also a notorious prank to play on newbies to the set — more experienced crew members will send a new PA to the expendables store to pick up some f-stops. Even more embarrassing than the C-stand test mentioned above.
Craig:
There are some other hilarious things that are uttered on a set. Here are some of them:
*Sergio Leone it! (An extreme close-up)
*Gag (A device used to trick the audience into believing something is there when it’s not. I.E. a gunshot seen off-camera is described as a Light Gag).
Adding to the “picture’s up” vocubulary:
LAST LOOKS: A call by the 1st AD to tell hair, make up and wardrobe to do any last tweaking, because they’re just about to shoot. Also, a signal to run back from the craft service table, because they’re just about to (finally) shoot.
COMTECKS: Earphones used by the crew to hear the dialogue being recorded. Also good for eavesdropping on actors who forget they’re wired for sound.
LUNCH: The first meal of the day, regardless of what time of day it is. Generally six hours from call.
GRACE: (short for “grace period”) A call by the 1st A.D. that lunch will be pushed back (up to 30 minutes?), generally to finish a given shot.
“Jenny” - the generator truck supplying power to set.
“Juicer” - a set electrician responsible for setting the lights.
“Prop Tart” - a props person responsible for on set props.
“What’s your 20?” - what is your location?
“Talent” - 2 uses: a) any on-camera member of the cast, and b) a hot looking crew member i.e. “Who’s the new talent over in Hair and Makeup?”
craig
yes, referring to the project as a ‘movie’ will tag you a dork. it’s a show. this one movie (oops, show) i worked on — i was very impressed when the actor(s) walked on set. after long prep the director would call for the ‘talent’. an assistant would go fetch them. when they got back someone (whoever was first to notice - it could be 1st or 2nd ad, a grip, whoever) would say very loudly, ‘talent on set’. this sent a wave of energy through the set. everything stopped, and we all turned to see the actor walk on set.
it’s a reality check. so many writers work in a lala fantasy and don’t know the real world of production - the dedication, unreal long hours, etc.
i don’t guess they do that on all sets. seems a bit intrusive. but it did serve to sober up the energy on this show - quick, instant. everybody was all business when they heard the talent had arrived. you could hear a pin drop
“T-stops” (nothing to do with meal periods.) Most movie camera lenses are calibrated in T-stops, not f-stops. T-stops show the actual amount of light transmitted through the lens. This allows the DP to make precise exposure calculations and get the image right. F-stops represent the ratio of aperture to focal length of a lens. A zoom and a prime lens can have the same f-stop setting but have very different t-stops.
“Striking” - called out by electical grips when turning on a big light. see also —
“Watch your eyes” - another warning call out that a bright light is coming on
“Crossing Frame” - called out before walking in front of the camera. Also just “Crossing.”
“Gag” is also used for stunts. ‘Bob’s doing a fire gag today.’
“Topping” is another term for overlapping dialogue. “Don’t top lines, please.” is a common plea to actors.
“Stinger” - an extension cord.
Here are some more:
Settle- A term commonly used by the AD to tell everyone to shut the hell up.
2nd Unit- An additional round of performers and technicians separate from the film’s director and lead actors. A stunt team is usually referred to as 2nd Unit.
Stepped On- When you get cut off in the middle of talking on a walkie because someone else is trying to talk at the same time.
Cutlets- A silicone type padding used to enhance a woman’s bust line.
Showmance- A romance that happens while on a show.
Oh yeah, and:
Room tone- When your sound recordist tells everyone to shut up for 30 seconds so he can record the sound in the room.
Day for Night- Shooting a scene in the day that’s supposed to take place during the night.
Jump Cut- When your moron of a director doesn’t realize that shooting a different line from the same angle will result in an abrupt change in the picture.
Magic Hour- The last 30 minutes of daylight.
Urban legend, perhaps, but I always heard Honeywagons got their name because that’s the smell and consistency of what comes out when they drain the toilet holds.
For what it’s worth. But I will say that the honeywagon is almost always the crew bathroom.
see, now, i heard that MOS was “Mute On Sound”. never heard of that german theory before!
wonder if it (MOS) started on one set as some kind of in joke and just spread and now people try to attribute a meaning to it?
Up here in Alaska, a “honey bucket” or a “honey pot” is used by people that don’t have running water, primarily when it’s just too damn cold to go to the outhouse. The common belief is that the term came from wives asking, “Honey, go empty the bucket.” I’m guessing that the term carried over.
I really doubt that the collected toilet effluvium of a honeywagon smells like honey. :)
Besides, everything I need to know about set lingo I learned from that one Los Angeles Times Calendar ad lo those many years ago, didn’t I?
The four type of dressing room-type trailers:
Cast trailers (full-size)
Two-hole or two-banger (a full-size divided into two rooms)
Three-hole or three-banger (same, but three rooms … duh).
Honeywagon — six holes, usually divided into four dressing rooms, men’s room, women’s room.
-
After a bit of snooping and a few questions fired at some faculty, it turns out that nobody really remembers what MOS stands for. Mit Out Sound is funny, so it gets passed on.
Other possibilities (from filmsound.org): Minus optical signal Minus optical sound Minus optical stripe Muted on screen Mute on sound Mic off stage Music on side Motor only shot Motor only sync
Great info! I use the term ‘honeywagon’ often, on set or off, because I find it has a nice ring to it.:) But it’s good to get all this lingo fed to me before my shoot. Thanks.
and just to be super anal…
A T-Stop is the amount of light that is emitted from the back of the lens and, ultimately, hits the film running past the gate. This differs from an F-Stop which, as stated above, is the amount of light that hits the front of the lens.
Great post. I love collecting job-related slang. While you’re on the subject, can someone answer a question? I was an soldier extra on the set of “The Patriot” and heard this sequence that followed the call for speed, sound and rolling:
“X mark.” “Y mark.” “XB mark.”
They clacked a board after every mark, for synchronization purposes I assume, but why? Any ideas?
Thanks for the inside dope, Craig Writer. Julie Wannabe is once again in your debt. Until such time as she meets and marries Brad Pitt Movie Star and forgets she ever knew you. JGTH, “THINGS THEY WON’T TELL YOU IN FILM SCHOOL”
On an indie set recently I heard “stump crew” for “film crew” … or I guess I should say “show crew.”
Good stuff, Craig!
Bill:
Sounds like multiple slates. Typically when you’re shooting with two cameras, the slate for the first camera is “A” slate and the second is “B” slate, so before they close the clapper they’ll say “A mark” and then “B mark”.
On the Patriot, I suppose for some reason they were using X and Y and XB (which would be a sub cam on the X angle). Sometimes visual effects shots will be slated this way in order to separate them out from the rest of the shots.
Oh, you think you’re so smart.
In 30 years I have always heard show and movie used interchangably. When we were ready for a new set up it used to be fashionable to call out for a “New Deal” The second to last shot of the day is the “Abi Singer” and the last shot is the “window” The click of the board is to help snyc sound and film.
MOS, from my editing experience in England, always stood for ‘mute on slate’, as the word ‘mute’ would be written on the clapperboard (or ‘slate’) and it would be held open in front of the camera instead of being ‘clapped’.
Some differences from sets that I have worked on (where I was an AD):
LAST LOOKS can also be called FINAL TOUCHES.
And Philip - it would seem to me that the ‘window’ is a very Canadian version of the ‘martini’ - as is the phrase Abby Singer.
ABI SINGER (or more correctly, Abner (Abby) Singer) is an actual person, who was famous as an Assitant Director for always calling out the ‘window’ or ‘martini’ shot and then having one more shot anyway - hence the Abby Singer becoming the second last shot of the day.
ROLL SOUND - is not used everywhere - in my experience British AD’s use the phrase ‘TURNOVER’ more commenly.
ONE MORE TIME - a phrase used commonly by AD’s to refer to the fact that they are going to do the take over again - probably more than just one more time.
GOING AGAIN - see ONE MORE TIME
COWBOY is also framed the way it is because Cowboy’s often wore .. well.. cowboy hats.. and this framing, from below the waist, is a framing that better accomodates the hat.
MOS: Microphone Off Set.
This is most likely the actual origin of the term. It’s also the most logical one, as well. Although we generally think of it as an abbreviation used to describe how a scene [i]was[/i] shot, it originated (and is still used) on call sheets to advise crew what [i]will[/i] be shot — and so what equipment will be required.
-
You are probably correct with regards to a Canadian take on “window shot” But hey ….what with all the films shot up here we should be setting the standard correct? smiling Actually what I also wanted to correct was in the 70’s the term FDR was used for a new setup as in a “New Deal” but it was always the American AD’s who used it.
Matt Harry, I loved your tale of the newbie and the C-Stand. As a newbie on set once-upon-a-time, I had more than my share of making a fool out of myself.
I was told by the Director to slate the shot. The very nice, patient, forgiving Director had to do four takes alone on just me trying to slate the shot right. Well, either she was being forgiving or just allowing me to humiliate myself. Looking back now, it still makes me laugh.
The same Director gave me the “harmless” job of yelling, “Quiet on the set!” just before cameras would start to roll and she said, “Action.” I was absolutely determined not to screw this one up and SHE SAID TO YELL IT LOUD ENOUGH SO THAT EVERYONE IN THE NEARBY VICINITY COULD HEAR. We were shooting inside Greystone Mansion and the American Film Institute was housed there at the time.
I did EXACTLY what the Director told me to do. I yelled, “QUIET ON THE SET!” so loud, everybody in the entire building heard me and I heard doors slamming open everywhere and people hollering, “What the f—- was that?” and my Director and the actors and everyone else on our little set was laughing so hard they couldn’t do the shot.
She let me try again. I wasn’t so loud the second time.
If only I had read this before moving to LA…they really don’t teach you anything in film school! One of my first jobs as a PA here, I was told to get “a half apple”. I still smack myself in the head remembering how I ran to “crafty” cut an apple in half and ran it to the 1st AD. The crew was rolling with laughter, but since I was considered “talent” they took it easy on me….:-)
Correction on Day for Night— you would never use this term if you’re shooting on stage, because day and night are irrelevant when there isn’t any sky around. Shooting Day for Night traditionally means using dark filtration in front of the lense in order to make the bright day sky look like a moon-lit night. It only applies to exteriors.
And to get super wicked anal:
A F-stop is the ratio of the diameter of an iris of a lens to it’s focal length. Simply put, it’s the size of the hole in the lens. At best, it is a guess as to how much light will be allowed to pass through a lens based on an equation that gives you a ballpark answer.
A T-stop is a quantification of the actual amount of light transmitted by a lens to the film plane. That is to say, a t-stop measurement is a hell of a lot more accurate than a f-stop ballpark figure. Any good camera crew will take the time to optically test for t-stops themselves so as to account for lens interference in the transmission of light and then make their own “f-stop” marks on the lens.
Soooo, now that I’ve thoroughly nerded this up with cine science, I’m out.
Andrew:
We used “day for night” to describe scenes we shot on set that were dressed to look like exteriors.
Don’t forget ‘Third Units’ - anytime you see a car racing down a country lane or an insert shot (no talent on screen), that was probably the third unit.
Re MOS. In the UK and US, this was used to mean ‘mit out sound’. And finally - ‘shimmy shimmy’ - when you have extras cross the frame from left to right in front of the talent.
The terms “20”, 10-100, etc. are all versions of CB (Citizen Band) Radio “10 Codes”. These are standard across all radio communications (although some people have altered them slightly for their own purposes). 10-20 means location (hence the shortened “20”), 10-100 means a five minute break, 10-200 means call the cops. For more “10 Codes” http://archimedes.galilei.com/raiar/code-10.html
“Flashing” - If ever you are on a set, and working props or set dressing or continuity or taking production stills (or any circumstance that requires you to take an authorized photo with a flash) you must say “Flashing!” before you take your picture if it requires flash. This warns anyone who may be taking light readings, stepping over a cable, or who does not want to be in your eyeline (like an actor out of makeup) that you are about to take a picture.
fun…taking a break from writing so this was a great distraction! Now, back to computer solitaire…um, I mean writing!
Here are a few more terms I didn’t see. A “grip to ground” adapter is a full apple box when used as a chair. A “baby plate” is a metal plate with a lighting spud on it that can be attached to most anything via four screws. If someone wants a full apple to sit on, a grip might ask if they need a baby plate on it. An “air gap” means that a plug is not plugged into the socket, usually used when trying to figure out why something isn’t working. A “C-74” is a C-47 taken apart and reassembled to make the ends that sqeeze longer. Useful when attaching gels to barndoors. “2nd team” are stand ins for the actors, used when setting up shots.
Here are some others you may hear.
MOS: Mute Out Sequence/Scene
Reset (to 1): Back to starting positions for retake
From the Top: (mainly audio) Dialog from beginning of scene
Hot Spot: Light or reflection is too bright
Mime: Silent movement (usually by extras) to mimic talking
Moving On: This sequence is done, moving on to the next scene.
Cheat: Applying tricks with angles, lighting, cropping and zooms that make two or more very different shots blend imperceptibly to the final viewer.
Wipe: Literally the entire frame replaced with another image. This term is widely used on sets in LA to denote a person or object quickly moving between the camera and actors so as to take up the entire frame. Shimmy in the UK?
Print: Prelude to moving on. The Director is satisfied with the takes.
Watching and Learning: Dry rehearsal looking for anything that can harm the shot. This should include camera movements etc.
Still Rolling, Reset: All actors return to starting position and await “Action” call. Lights, Cameras and Sound continue rolling. These types of resets are generally accomplished in literally seconds…ok maybe 120 seconds but still seconds :)
Wrap: Final scene of the show.
Holding: A location provided for extras to wait until needed.
Check Gait: The scene seems to have gone well…however, lets play it back on the monitor and see if it flows well on the screen.
Bench: Hmmm, not sure about this one. I thought it meant to clear the frame of personel. But I heard a PA yesterday tell his extras to bench themselves, which resulted in some confusion but finally got them placed in position for a partial retake. Any Ideas on the correct use of the term?
Going Again: prelude to Reset. The director wants to do the same shot again basically the same way.
Hold the Roll: Essentially a “Cut” before action is called.
Brain Fart: What I’m having right now thinking of all the stuff I’ve heard over the years that sounds perfectly normal to me now. Its what causes all those wonderful bloopers we’ve loved to learn so much…oops there’s another one.
HW:
You got a couple of those wrong.
“Check The Gate” is not a reference to “gait”, but to the chamber through which the negative film is pulled for exposure to the image. When you think you’re ready to move on to a new setup, the camera team checks the gate for any dirt or small hairs. If the gate was dirty, that means all the takes will be flawed.
“Print” doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to move on. The Director can say “print” to the script supervisor, but still want to get another take or two or three to cover variations.
“Moving On” isn’t about moving to a new scene or sequence. It’s about moving to a new setup. For instance, if the scene is just you and I having a chat, and we’re shooting it in a two-shot and then covering it in overs, once the director is happy with the two-shot, then it’s “moving on” to one of the overs.
Another alternative I’ve heard used for M.O.S is “Movement Only Shot” where they shoot the scene normally, but without any audio being recorded.This is popular on music video sets in which they shoot the scene while the playback of the video’s song is broadcast in sync with the action for the benefit of the actors and director, but not being recorded. Since 99% of music videos have no recorded
dialogue, they almost always use MOS.
I was recently working on a couple of short films (um, sorry, shows, cough) with an Austrian camera crew. According to those guys M.O.S. isn’t German, it’s Austrian, naturally.
Some other terms I’ve run across:
Dingle - holding something like a leafy branch in front of a light.
Gobo - not only a Fraggle, but also a mask put in front of a light.
Endboard - slate clap is done at the end of the take, board is upside-down. This can happen for several reasons, usually when you’re in a hurry.
Pick Up - keep sound and camera rolling, pick up the action from where it stalled.
Fishpole - has the mic on the end. I think it’s interchangeable with Boom Pole, but the boom was originally wheeled around in the early days of sound. Fishpole has always been handheld AFAIK.
Zeppelin - the Rycote windjammer that covers the mic
Rycote - about the only company in the entire world which makes zeppelins. Cost upwards of £300!!
Cue - when the director wants something to happen during the take, eg “Cue David”, “Cue rain”
Softie - another Rycote windshield, but cheaper and no moving parts.
Legs - tripod
Spreader - attaches to the tripod feet and keeps them from moving
Bubble - bulb.
Blonde - 1kW lamp
Redhead - 500w lamp
WRAP - Wind Reel And Print was its original meaning I believe.
Flowers for the model - cocaine
NG - No Good (on a sound report)
FS - False Start (on a sound report)
PU - Pick Up (on a sound report)
That’s about all I can think of at this moment.
Does anyone know the origin of “to Hollywood,” as in to just physically hold an instrument or flag while the camera rolls?
Thanks.
H.W.:
Regarding “Hold the Roll”… You’re pretty close, but there is a little more description needed.
“Hold the Roll” is called by the First A.D. after the Director is ready (often saying “Let’s shoot”) and after “Roll Camera” is called by the First A.D., but before Sound Speed or The Camera Slate (Rolling) has actually been started.
There may have been something that occurred that made the crew have to delay rolling and it would be better to “Hold Off on Rolling the Camera(s)” rather than waste film or keep the crew in a mode where they believe they are about to roll.
If the delay looks to only be a few seconds… the First A.D. will say “Hold the Roll” instead of Cut… which means (don’t roll, but we are on the verge of rolling)… and this way the Camera Dept doesn’t have to slate for the shot, then have a wasted take because they would have to cut right away anyway.
If the Roll is Held for too long, eventually, the Director / First A.D. will usually call “Cut”. Then the crew can get more work done knowing they will still have time to exit the frame since a bit more time is needed to re-slate the camera.
If you are a new PA, don’t look around for a loaf of bread. :)
Here’s a couple more:
Golden Time: Beyond Overtime (which is usually paid by time-and-a-half after a 9 hour day) there is a period referred to as “Golden Time” which begins after 12 hours have been worked and the crew’s hourly rate will be double their normal rate. Also refereed to as “Gold”.
Playback: Called by the First A.D. to cue sound or Video Playback within a scene.
Background: Called by the First A.D. to cue the action of Background Actors or “Extras/Atmosphere” before Action is called by the Director.
Camera: Called by the Director to cue the start of a Camera move before Action is called.
Sides: The portion of the Script that will be shot on the current day of shooting. Often they will be printed on smaller sized paper for convenience, but “Full or Large Sides” can be requested if an actor or crew member has trouble seeing the small print.
Steppage: A term used on the Radios when someone is trying to talk on a channel and another person also tries to talk, and then radio signals interfere with eachother, resulting in in comprehensible garbage. “I didn’t copy that, steppage.”
Flag on the Play: This term is used often when the crew is under the impression that the previous shot was successful and they are about to “Move On” to the next shot or setup. The First A.D. will often say on the radio “Hang on everyone, Flag on the Play, going again”. This is a sports reference, such as in football, when there is a Touchdown, and people begin to celebrate, only to find out that a referee has thrown a yellow flag onto the field which cancels out the legimate touchdown and the play must be taken back. Just a great way to summarize quickly what happened and what the crew needs to do, and how we all feel. :)
Enjoy, nice site.
-CG
One I didn’t see is “Tail Slate” same as end slate but my understanding is, when shooting on film, it’s very important for the editors to know when a shot starts. That is why a take is slated everytime the camera rolls, if for some reason, someone was unable to get the slate changed in time, was visiting craft, was 10-100 or the like, you slate the shot at the end with the slate up-side-down, This way the editors know that there was an extra take between slates. Does this make sence? I hope so.
yes, tail slates are common, however it usually is not because someone is “10-100” or at “Crafty”, but rather the Camera Assistant was not able to get the slate in the frame due to the position of the Camera. For instance, it is on a crane, or in a area too dark to see the slate. When used on a crane, often the crane will be brought down after the take and then the camera rolls some more for an end slate. These are just a few situations that would require an end slate or “Tails”.
anyone tell me what a dirty shot is and how it got its tag?
my guess would be that it is the opposite of a clean shot. A clean shot would be, for example, no foreground object in the shot, such as an over the shoulder (“over”) shot of 2 actors. One actors shoulder and back of their head would be in the “dirty” shot, and if the Director calls out that he would like a “clean” version, that could mean “no over the shoulder” or no foreground object.
There may be other usages of the tern too.