Abbreviation for "WIDE ANGLE."

A brief, non-speaking role or appearance in a film that does not require acting.

See: Run-Through.

It is typically used by assistant directors on set for quick communication.

Speech sounds in the background where it is unclear what the people are saying.

Any type of fabric item worn by an actor in a film, stage play, or television show.

The department of a production team responsible for costumes. Individual job titles include costume designer, costume artist, and costume supervisor.

See: Costumer.

The head of the costume department who works under the Costume Designer. Also known as the Costume Supervisor.

A single bell signals that the take is about to begin and that everyone and everything must be silent. Two bells signal that the take is over and that everyone can relax.

The “water bath” where the chemicals on the film are rinsed off after it comes out of the developing tank.

To ensure that copies fresh from the lab run smoothly through the projector, the edges of the reels are lightly oiled and polished.

The wobble of the film strip as it passes through the camera or projector feed mechanism.

Short test prints sent by the lab along with the daily prints. By reviewing these, the cinematographer can assess the quality of the negative used the previous day and the accuracy of the exposure.

These are the building blocks of many setups; they serve to correct dolly tracks and secure them to non-locking wheels.

A person responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the rules that must be followed when working with child actors under the age of majority.

Western, Cowboy Movie

A camera dolly with large rubber wheels used on rough, uneven terrain.

See: Liquid Gate.

Abbreviation for Writers Guild of America.

A very fast pan involves a great deal of motion blur. The term refers to the “whipping” action used by the camera operator to move the camera.

See: Swish Pan.

See: Crane.

A camera setting that determines the true color of white. This establishes a baseline against which all other colors are measured. White may not appear “white” under all lighting conditions, so this setting corrects for that.

A story or play about a murder in which the killer’s identity is not revealed until the very end. It typically refers to a mystery or detective film. The main character in a “whodunit” is a detective who solves the crime, as in the Sherlock Holmes film series.

A shot captured with a wide-angle lens that covers a wider area than a standard lens.

A lens that captures a much wider field of view than a standard lens. Because they distort perspective significantly, objects in the foreground appear larger and closer than normal, while those in the background appear smaller and farther away. While standard lenses have a field of view of 45–50 degrees, wide-angle lenses have a field of view of 60–65 degrees or more.

A shot taken with a lens capable of capturing a wider field of view. It exaggerates the contrast, depth, and distance between the background and the foreground. All objects are kept within the frame and in focus.

Wide Lens - A lens with a focal length shorter than 25mm in 16mm format or shorter than 50mm in 35mm format; it provides an expanded view of a wide area, similar to looking through the reverse end of a pair of binoculars.

A shot taken with a lens—often abbreviated as WS—that captures a wider area or field of view than a standard lens (to capture more elements or objects in the scene); a wide-angle shot exaggerates the distance, depth, or difference between the foreground and background planes, creating a greater depth of field and keeping all objects in focus and in perspective; An extreme or ultra-wide-angle lens that provides a 180-degree field of view is called a “fisheye” lens.

A system that produces images wider than standard. See ASPECT RATIO, CINEMASCOPE, ANAMORPHIC.

A wider aspect ratio than Standard 1.

A light—usually red—that is lit outside the studio to indicate that filming is taking place inside.

Wild - Not synchronized. A "wild" motor is one that typically runs at a frame rate close to 24 frames per second but is not close enough for synchronized sound. It also applies in a few other situations; for example, if you’re shooting a rear-projection scene and the projector and camera aren’t linked, they can be referred to as “wild.”

A wild track—also known as wild sound or wild lines—is an audio recording made separately to be synchronized with a film or video. This unsynchronized audio is typically recorded when the camera is not rolling and is usually used to complete synchronized shots.

See: Variable Speed Motor.

A film shoot in which sound is not recorded simultaneously. See MOS.

Wild Sound - Unsynchronized sound recorded without the camera running, typically recorded to complete synchronized shots.

An audio recording made without accompanying film footage. The natural sounds of a location (room sound, rabarba, ambient sound, etc.) recorded to enrich the audio material to be used in post-production mixing. See SOUND EFFECT.

See: Wild Sound.

A-winding (A-WIND) = emulsion side out. B-winding (B-WIND) = emulsion side in. In 35 mm, A-winding is used for prints, and B-winding is used in the camera.

A device used on set to create the effect of wind.

To transfer a film strip or audio tape from one reel to another, or to rewind it onto the core.

See: Ad-Lib.

An optical effect that creates a new image by pushing or erasing an existing one. There can be an infinite variety of ways in which two images can be swapped.

Rumor, Gossip

Working Copy

Shot Name

Workprint - A positive copy of the original negative made during the editing process, which is cut during editing. At the end of editing, when the original negative is cut, the negative cutter cuts it frame by frame to match the workprint, and a contact print is made from the cut negative. A workprint can also be made from the reverse original.

See: Trainer.

Crew, Wrap

A general term for a person who creates a written work; this work may be a novel, screenplay, film, or television play.

The professional organization for screenwriters in the film and television industry.

It indicates that the author wrote both the original story and the screenplay.