Adplanner: A website from which product images, logos, and other national advertising materials may be downloaded by regional or local affiliates. Common in automotive advertising.
Aerials: Video footage taken from above using a helicopter.
After Effects: A 2D animation application created by Adobe.
Alpha Channel: A unit of transparency preserved in certain types of video and image files. An alpha channel enables easy layering of visual elements.
Anamorphic: A standard definition 4:3 aspect ratio video that has been modfied to a 16:9 aspect ratio. Anamorphic video airing on SD televisions will always have a black letterbox.
Aperture: A space through which light passes in an optical or photographic instrument, esp. the variable opening by which light enters a camera.
Authoring: The process of creating DVD navigation. Includes menu design, button programming, etc.
Beta: An SD video tape format used as a broadcast standard in stations across the United States. Although still used today, it is slowly being replaced by digital video file transmission methods.
Bookends: Two 15 second television spots run in the same commercial break. The first bookend airs at the beginning of the break and the second bookend airs at the end of the break.
Branding: A style of ad that does not featuring pricing, incentives, events, or sales. The purpose of this ad is to develop a client’s business based on merit.
Broadcast Safe Area: The inner 90% of a frame of video in which subjects are guaranteed to be seen by all viewers. The outer 10% can be lost due to the curvature of traditional television sets.
B-Roll: Supplemental or alternate footage intercut with main shots, audio, or music.
Casting: The process of finding talent or extras for a video production. May involve auditions.
Capture/Digitize: The process by which a computer converts video shot on tape to video files.
Center Cut Safe Area: A 4:3 area within a 16:9 HD sized video frame. Due to the preponderance of SD televisions, many stations require video to be center cut safe. This way, they may simply crop the 16:9 frame to 4:3 from broadcast on SD.
ChromaKey: A video effect that removes a colored background from behind a subject. With the background removed, an editor has the freedom to put the subject on any other type of background. Typically, chromakey backgrounds are either green or blue, with green being the predominent.
Clip: A short video segment.
Close Up Shot: A video clip taken from close range that shows very little of the subject. If the subject is a person, you’ll see only his/her head.
Codec: Short for compression/decompression. A sofisticated piece of software that can encode or decode audio and video for various applications amd usage.
Color Correction: A range of video effects that can modify, change, or enhance the color, saturation, and contrast of a video.
Commercial: Can refer to either a video advertisement that airs on television or the internet, or an audio advertisement that airs on radio. Also known as a Spot.
Compliance: A set of style guidelines set forth by a company that must be adhered to in all advertising. These usually pertain to (but are not limited to) advertising style, logos, phrases, pricing, and disclaimer text guidelines. Failure to meet compliance can result in punishments ranging from disqualification for awards to denial of co-op funds. (See Cooperative Advertising)
Compliance Pre-Approval: The process by which advertising is submitted to a compliance checking company. Denied ads are modified and re-sent for approval. Approved ads are sent out to the media outlet for broadcast, print, etc.
Coverage: An indeterminate number of more detailed shots which are intended to be intercut with a master shot or scene.
Crew Call: The time at which all persons working on a video production must report to the location or set.
Cut: The abrupt change between one video clip and another, without an effect or transition. Also can refer to the process of splitting or shortening a video clip.
Cutaway: The interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.
Depth of Field: The distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image.
Dissolve: A video effect that gradually transitions from one video clip to another or to a color such as black or white.
Drop Frame: American system of time code generation that adjusts the generated data every minute to compensate for the spread of the NTSC television system running at 29.97 frames per second.
Dub: A tape copy of a video.
Dubbing: The act of copying a video to tape or multiple tapes.
EDL: Stands for Edit Decision List. A roadmap of a video project used by a non-linear editing application. An EDL contains timecode, file names, and other media data that can be used to re-create a project even if all the media has been taken offline.
Encoding: The process of converting a video or audio file into a different type of video or audio file. For example, a Quicktime .mov file can be encoded to a Windows Media .wmv file.
Extreme Close Up: A video clip taken from extremely close range that focuses on only one of the subject’s features. If the subject is a person, an extreme close up may be their eye only.
Fade: A video effect that gradually transitions from a color (usually black) to a video clip or visa-versa. Fades are often used to begin and end a video.
Field Production: An on-location video shoot.
Final Cut: Refers to the last pass of video editing on a video project. The final cut encompasses all video, audio, and graphic elements and has been polished with effects and transitions.
Final Cut Pro: A non-linear video editing application created by Apple.
Foley: Creating sound effects by watching picture and mimicking the action, often with props that do not exactly match the action.
FPO: Stands for, For Position Only. An image, video clip, or other element added as a placeholder that will be changed for the final product.
Freeze Frame: A video effect that creates a still image from a single frame of video.
Gaffer: The chief lighting technician for a production who is in charge of the electrical department.
Grassroots: A marketing technique that takes advertising and/or product to potential customers at local events or locations. For example, parades, motorcycle clubs, high school and college sporting events, charity events, etc. Also known as Soft Touch Marketing.
HD/High Definition: High quality, 16:9 aspect ratio video defined as any of the following sizes: 1920x1080 pixels, interlaced (referred to as 1080i), 1280x720 pixels, progressive (referred to as 720p), or 1440x1080 interlaced (uncommon.)
High Tech: A marketing technique that advertises using new or emerging technology and the internet, including social media.
Interlaced: A video display method which scans and displays the odd numbered lines of resolution first (1,3,5, etc.) followed by the even ones (2,4,6, etc.) for each frame of video displayed on your television set.
Iris: A variable aperture that controls exposure or the amount of light which is released from a lighting unit.
Jib: A boom device with a camera on one end and a counterweight on the other. Used to create long, sweeping high to low angle shots.
Jump Cut: A jarring change between one video clip and another very similar video clip. Jump cuts are very uneasy on the viewer’s eye, but may be used stylistically.
Keyframing: A method of animation which determines motion by setting start and end points for certain peramitters. (Including, but not limited to, scale, rotation, and location.)
Letterbox: Two black bands above and below a 16:9 (anamorphic) aspect ratio video that allow it to fit on a 4:3 aspect ratio (standard definition) television. Letterboxing can also be used as a style element in either SD or HD video.
Logging: The process by which a large amount of footage is segmented and organized for easy identification during an edit.
Lower Thirds: Graphics that appear in the lower third portion of a frame of video. Often times, containing a subject’s name or other information.
Crawl: Horizontal text that moves across a frame of video, left to right or right to left.
Mass Appeal: A marketing technique that advertises to large amounts of people on mass media such as broadcast television and radio.
Master: An original or finalized copy of a video from which duplications may be made.
Media Assets: Items used in your advertising and other productions. May include video footage, graphics, images, audio, etc.
Medium Shot: A video clip that shows only half of the subject. If the subject is a person, you’ll only see him/her from head to waist.
Monitor: A television-like screen used in production and post production to check broadcast colors, safe zones, etc.
NTSC: See SD/Standard Definition.
Offline: Media that has been deleted or removed from a computer hard drive, but whos data remains intact. (Data includes logging information such as name, format, timcodes, etc.)
One-liners: Short, usually one sentence scripts read by talent. One liners are used in a final edit to punctuate portions of the script.
Online: Media contained on a computer’s hard drive available for use.
Opacity: The ratio of the amount of light falling on a surface to the amount of light which is transmitted.
Photoshop: An image editing application created by Adobe.
Post-Production: Encompasses the entire editing and video-finalization process. Includes logging and capturing, editing, color correction, animation, sound design, voice over, encoding, dubs, etc.
Pre-Light and Setup: The process of preparing for a video production shoot in advance. Involves building a set and putting up lights, cameras, sound, and other production equipment.
Pre-Production: Encompasses all the planning that goes into a video production shoot. May involve scripting, storyboarding, location scouts, pre-interviews, pre-light and setup, scheduling, etc.
Progressive: A video display method which scans and displays lines of resolution in order, top to bottom (1,2,3, etc.) for each frame of video displayed on your television set.
Render: The process of calculating effects in a videoediting program to produce final videooutput or ability to view.
Rights Reserved: Stock footage, photos, or illustrations that may be purchased for licensing. The purchaser agrees to use the material only in a certain media or market area and only for a certain amount of time. Typically, the user must re-license the material after one year if they wish to continue using it.
Rough Cut: Refers to the first pass of video editing on a video project. Often, a rough cut will not include graphics, transitions, color correction, or sound design. It is usually just video clips chosen and arranged in rough order.
Royalty Free: Stock footage, photos, or illustrations that may be purchased at a one-time price and used at any time repeatedly in various medias and market areas.
Running Footage: Video of new cars driving in and around scenic highways, cities, and suburban areas. Can be purchased from the auto manufacturer using a dealer’s Adplanner.
Scout: An initial location visit to determine video/audio production needs.
Scroll: Text that moves up or down within a frame of video.
SD/Standard Definition: Also called NTSC, it is a United States video standard defined by the FCC as 720x480 pixels at a frame rate of 29.97. (DV NTSC is defined as 720x486 pixels.)
Sequence: An arrangement of video and audio clips, graphics, and other elements within a non-linear video editing application.
SFX: Stands for Sound Effects. A wide range of sounds added to video or audio tracks to help bring a story to life or punctuate critical moments.
Shoot: (n) A video production. (v) The act of producing video.
Slate: The identifier placed in front of the camera at beginning of a take.
Smartbomb: A five second television spot, usually run in prime time. More affordable then longer ads for the same timeslots, these are effective at delivering a very short, targeted message.
Soft Touch Marketing: See Grassroots.
Soundbites: Short audio clips, usually edited out of longer interviews.
Sound Effects: A recorded or electronically produced sound that matches the visual action taking place onscreen.
Spec: A project not comissioned by a client, produced for presentation or illustrative purposes only.
Spot: See commercial.
Stock Footage/Images: Video footage, photos, or illustrations owned by a stock footage company that may be purchased for indefinate use or licensed for a specific use, market area, or amount of time. See Rights Reserved or Royalty Free.
Storyboard: A series of sketches or pictures to illustrate a concept or script that will later be executed with video.
Striking: The breakdown process of a camera position, location, or set.
Studio Production: A video shoot done in a studio.
Talent: An actor or extra who appears in audio, video, or photos. Can be paid or unpaid.
Talent Release: A form signed by an actor or extra that grants permission for a production company or other client to use their image and voice. These must be signed by any and all video participants with no exceptions.
Teleprompter: A display device that prompts the person speaking with electronic visual text.
Testimonials: Real people or customers (not actors) respond truthfully on video or recorded audio to questions regarding their opinions or experience with a product, company, person, etc.
Timecode Window Burn or Timecode Burn: Timecode which has been added graphically to a video for easy logging, editing, or identification.
Timecode: A sequence of numeric codes generated to time and identify video clips. These are formatted to Hour:Minute:Second:Frame. A video camera, deck, or editing system can generate timecode.
Title Safe Area: The inner 80% of a frame of video in which graphics and text are guaranteed to be seen by all viewers. Graphics and text in the outer 20% can be lost due to the curvature of tradtitional television sets.
Transcript: A verbatim written account of everything said in a video or audio recording.
VO: Short for voice over. An announcer is recorded reading a script. Video is later added to illustrate the recorded audio.
Watermark: A low opacity graphic or text placed ontop of a video or graphic to prevent re-use without permission of the creator.
Wide Shot: A video clip shot from a distance away, allowing the viewer to see the entire subject. If the subject is a person, you’ll see him/her from head to foot.
Zoom: An optical effect in which the image rapidly grows larger or smaller as though the camera is moving closer or away from its subject. |
