It is an abbreviation for Original Color Negative. Simply put, it is your developed negative.

The name given to a lens or group of lenses that reflects a real image of an object.

This term refers to the state in which a performer has fully memorized their lines. At this point, the performer does not need to hold a script because everything has been memorized.

The area not visible to the camera.

Outside the microphone’s close-range.

Shake

Off-Screen

A flexible arm that supports a single cover or a set of curtains.

A microphone capable of picking up sound from all directions.

A narrative perspective in which the narrator knows everything. The narrator understands the thoughts, feelings, and unfolding events among the characters.

Before the camera starts rolling for a take, the sound technician rings a bell, and a red light turns on at the soundstage door to indicate that all movement around the soundstage must stop and that the soundstage door must not be opened for entry or exit. There is no red light on set, but a bell rings to signal that filming is about to begin. When filming ends, the bell rings twice.

Any person or object that the camera captures during filming.

An actor or crew member who may or may not be working the next day but is expected to be on set.

One Light, an alternative to a Simultaneous Print, is an unadjusted print from take to take, but it is a print in which the lighting of each take is compared against one another. Sometimes this can be useful for determining the range of variation in exposure and color. (However, it is quite common for the lab to make adjustments in several places even on a single-light print.)

Movie poster.

A shot showing a single person.

An unedited print made with a single lighting setup, intended for use as a working copy.

A term for a quick, one-liner joke. In the best one-liners, the punchline comes immediately after the setup. It can also refer to the few words used to explain the film’s concept.

The resistance of a material to the transmission of light.

Opaque.

1) To open the lens aperture. 2) A term used to describe the adaptation of a stage play for film. The story has broken free from the limitations of the stage and come to life.

See: Camera Operator.

A laboratory specializing in optical effects and optical printing.

A copy printed by methods other than contact printing. Produced in an optical lab. See WET GATE.

A projection system consisting of a camera and a projector facing each other. It is used for special effects such as combining multiple images onto a single film strip, enlarging or reducing images, and adding text or overlays.

It is the process of re-shooting a film frame by frame. This is one way to create a copy of a film and offers many possibilities; however, at least for 16 mm film, it can result in slightly increased contrast and a slight loss of sharpness.

This is the system used by the projector to play the sound from a film print. The sound is recorded on the film as a modulation line against a black background. The sound, which passes through the projection lamp, is detected by a photodiode and directed to an amplifier that generates a voltage fed to a speaker.

An audio track recorded optically. As the track passes in front of an optical reader, the light waves detected by the photodetector are converted electronically into sound waves.

Mixing is an intermediate step between the master and the final print. An optical track is photographed onto a special high-contrast stock by the facility or laboratory where the mix is made. The optical track is a separate roll of film from the original negative and is combined with the image when a print is made. (The track itself remains a separate element from the A&B rolls and is printed on a contact printer with a separate pass.)

Effects, transitions, superimposed titles, etc., produced using optical printing are sometimes referred to as “optical effects.” However, anything printed optically can be called an “optical,” so even if it does not have an effect like blowing film from 16 mm to 35 mm, it can still be referred to as an “optical.”

Any effect created on an optical printing machine. See DISSOLVE, FADE, WIPE, MATTE SHOT.

The right of a prospective buyer to represent ownership of a property or a person’s services for a specific period in exchange for a fee. Technically, it is merely a proposal to enter into a contract; however, the prospective seller cannot rescind the proposal during the option period because the prospective buyer has paid for it.

Orange Stick - An orange stick found in pharmacies for cleaning fingernails. It is the preferred method for cleaning doors.

Adapting a piece of music for use in a film.

A person who adapts a composer’s or arranger’s pieces for different voices or musical instruments.

It generally refers to the original negative.

A screenplay written for a film without drawing on any other source.

A black-and-white film sensitive to all colors visible to the eye except red. A type of film used prior to the production of panchromatic (PANCHROMATIC) film.

Off Screen

A nickname given to the statuette representing the Academy Award. The origin of this name is unknown. The most common rumor is that Margaret Herrck, who was the Academy’s librarian at the time the name emerged, said, “It looks just like my Uncle Oscar,” when she saw the statuette. There are also rumors attributing the coining of this nickname to Bette Davis and writer Sidney Skolsky.

2) Decadrage: The phenomenon where frames are projected onto the screen in a cropped or poorly centered manner due to the film being improperly loaded into the projector’s feed mechanism.

Asynchronous sound and image. See IN SYNC, SYNCHRONIZATION.

Film can deteriorate. As film begins to age, the pigments change color and grain accumulates, usually resulting in a hazy, muddy, and oversaturated effect. This usually occurs after 2 or 3 years if the film is stored in the refrigerator. High-speed film generally ages slightly faster than low-speed film. Similarly, color film ages slightly sooner than black-and-white film. On the other hand, old stock can be obtained quite cheaply and is often available for free.

Shots that were filmed and developed but were not used in the final edit of the film.

A shot in which the scene is filmed from behind an actor’s neck, showing part of the actor’s head and shoulder.

Production costs that exceed the amounts allocated in the budget.

Operating the camera at a speed faster than 24 frames per second to create a slow-motion effect. A term dating back to the era when cameras were operated by manually turning a crank.

A technique in which a camera’s frame rate exceeds the 24 frames per second limit. As a result, the on-screen image appears to be moving in slow motion. This is a technique commonly used for shooting miniature scenes.

Film that has been developed for a longer-than-normal period or in a warmer-than-normal bath.

An adjective describing a shot with more light than usual, resulting in a washed-out, dazzling effect. It is typically used for dream or flashback sequences.

1) Overexposure of the film in the camera. 2) An actor promoting themselves so excessively that the audience grows tired of them.

The fixed expenses of a studio or production company related to offices, services, and personnel.

A large number of lamps suspended from above.

A shot in which the camera views the scene from above.

Lamps that illuminate a wide area from above.

1) The extension of effects from one scene into the next to maintain continuity. It is also used to indicate the portion of a shot that is held longer to facilitate a transition. 2) In sound, the intentional or accidental overlapping of one actor’s lines with another’s.

1) A wage that exceeds the minimum amount set by the union. 2) Objects made for use on set that are larger than normal.

Shooting more background shots than necessary for a scene. It is costly, but undershooting—which would require reshoots—is even more expensive.

The opening credits or pre-credits of a film. This is typically a selection of music that helps set the theme and mood for the rest of the film.

A slang term for a drive-in theater. It can also be referred to as a “hard-top” or a “passion pit.”