The Complete Online Filmmaking Reference - Film Distribution ...

Avant Garde - Experimental or highly independent film that is often the forerunner of a new artistic genre
AVID Editor - Non-linear editing system.
B-Wind - An indication of the emulsion position on a roll of film. A 'B' Wind indicates that the emulsion is facing
out, or away, from the center or core of the film roll. (Film Editing)
B Roll - Cutaway shots which are used to cover the visual part of an interview or narration.
Baby Legs - A short tripod. (Camera)
Baby Plate - A steel plate with a baby pin (5/8 inch pin) welded on to it. These plates are used for mounting
lights or grip heads on a wall, box, or other surface. (Grip/Lighting)
Baby - Usually a reference to a 1K light unit. It is also used to describe any light unit which is smaller than a
standard size unit of comparable intensity (i.e. baby 1K, baby 2K, baby 5K, etc.). For grips, it refers to anything
with a 5/8 inch stud (i.e. baby plate). (Grip/Lighting)
Back (REAR) Projection - Photographic technique whereby live action is filmed in front of a screen which the
background action is projected on.
Back lighting - Lighting directed at the camera from behind subject, which is therefore silhouetted.
Back projection - Background scene projected onto a screen behind the action so that they seem to be on
location. A convention of classic Hollywood cinema that can now look somewhat dated, it became a source of
great critical debate on Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), where its perceptical use was both attacked for technical
sloppiness and defended as expressively meaningful.
Backdrop - Artificial background, usually painted on a cyclorama, curtain, or flats, used to achieve the effect of a
natural environment such as a forest, beach, prairies, mountains, or other landscape in a shot or sequence.
Backend - Film's profit from theater ticket sales, video rentals, and ancillary markets.
Background Artist - Individual responsible for designing or constructing the art placed at the rear of a set.
Background - Term for the non-speaking extras seen in the background of a scene.
Background - This is a term with a broad range of meanings, depending upon the context. In production, it has
the same connotation as 'atmosphere', meaning extras who are staged to supply detail in the form of normal
human traffic in a scene. In sound, it can mean the same as 'ambience' or it may refer to relative volume.
Backing Track - Prerecorded accompaniment for a singer or voiceover actor who then listens through
headphones to a replay as he/she performs. Generally, the two signals are ultimately mixed to produce the final
recording. (Post Production)
Backlight - A light which is generally mounted behind a subject to light the subject's hair and shoulders without
illuminating a subject's front. (Lighting)
Balance Stripe - On magnetic-striped film, a narrow band of magnetic coating applied to the edge opposite the
magnetic sound track which serves to make the film lie flat when it goes over magnetic sound heads.
Balanced - An audio circuit with 3 wires, two which carry signal, and a third which is contected to a ground
(grounded). (Sound)
Bar Sheets - Lead Sheets - A chart showing words of dialogue which have been recorded, and the number of
motion picture frames of duration for each syllable.
Barn Doors - Hinged metal flaps attached to tops and/or sides of lighting devices in order to control the light,
create desired shadows, or block unwanted shadows
Barndoors - Folding doors which are mounted on to the front of a light unit in order to control illumination.
(Lighting)
Base-to-Base Splice - A splice made with the base side of the end of one piece of film overlapping the base
side of the piece to which it is being attached. (Film Editing)
Base - The clear perforated strip of a piece of film.
Bazooka - Similar to a 2K stand, but without support legs. It has a junior hole at one end and a junior stud at
the other, and it usually has a sliding riser. (Grip/Lighting)
Beat - A periodic variation of amplitude resulting from the addition of two slightly different frequencies. (Sound)
Beat - Directional word used to indicate a pause in an actors speech or action.
Beaver Board - A 2K pigeon on an apple box. (Lighting/Grip)
Bed - Background music used underneath a narrator or foreground dialog. Primarily applied to commercial radio or
television spots.
Beef - The output of a light. (Lighting)
Beefy Baby - A heavy duty 2K stand without wheels. (Lighting/Grip)
Beep - A short duration sound track tone aligned to a point on the film for precise reference in synchronization in
the editing and printing processes.
Behind the Scenes - The off-camera goings on associated with film/videomaking.
Below the Line - Refers to the technical elements of the production staff. Literally, these are the budget
elements that appeared below a bold line on a standard production budget form. (Production)
Best Boy - Chief assistant, usually of the gaffer, but more often lately used as a general term for the second in
command of a group.