24-Bit Dailies in a 16-Bit World

film-schoolWell, we survived another couple of semesters and now get to relax (somewhat) during the summer. A lot of student films have come and gone; some great, some decent, and some not worthy of the pixels who have been sacrificed in their making.

I have thought that it would be fun to compile a list of student filmmaking "definitions" or should we say "daffy-nitions".

Feel free to add to the list, and I'll share them with everyone later on. Send your submissions to Fred

The Student Dictionary of Filmmaking Terms

  • tripod: a thing for storing the camera on, between takes
  • short story screenplay: has a beginning, middle, and end. Pick two.
  • pre-production meeting: an end of the semester party
  • close-up shot: something that interferes with a great master shot. Only used by old Hollywood has-beens, like that Spielberg guy.
  • master shot: see "flea circus"
  • director: an observer on the set who gets to yell "Action" and "Cut"
  • intimate performance: see MOS
  • realistic cinematography: we forgot the lighting kit
  • Director of Photography: see BFF
  • Wide Shot: the more the better
  • Small Screen Format: see Wide Shot
  • Take One: rehearsal
  • Cut: I think we're out of film
  • Feature Length Screenplay: beginning, middle, and end. Pick fourteen.
  • Comedy Spoof: rethinking the serious melodrama after viewing the dailies
  • Cinema Verite: we deleted the file with the script
  • Emotive Chroma Interpretation: we were absent for the lecture on white balance
  • Zoom Control: the thingie you keep cranking to make the camera work
  • Chiaroscuro Lighting: something about watts divided by volts, just use half the lights.
  • Mic Placement: what's a mic?
  • Headphones: designer neck warmer
  • Producer: classmate from a rich family
  • One Hour: a unit of filmmaking time equal to 400 minutes
  • Rehearsal: a RAVE party
  • 35mm: a format so impressive that you no longer need a story. Also, see RED cam.
  • Faculty Advisor: an obvious member of the Nazi party masquerading as a teacher, who has no respect for non-traditional cinema
  • Laughter: a dramatic moment so intensely portrayed that the audience didn't know how to react
  • Zettl: a supernatural being who must be immortal and even wrote books that the Faculty Advisors probably burned during the Great War.
  • Stereo: a way to wake up the audience by moving all the voices around the room very quickly
  • Demo Reel: a homemade DVD with a really nice label that cannot play in any one's machine
  • Musical Score: my favorite I-tunes party mix. I paid $1.99 each for them, so they should be legal to use.
  • Parallel Action: something to do with dolly tracks
  • Soft Focus: an artistic re-evaluation of lines in the universe
  • Symbolic: hey, didn't you read the synopsis in the program book?
  • Budget: why filmmakers need to pass math 101. Also see, Visa Account Credit Limit.
  • Theatrical Debut: the owner of the sports bar will let us put it up on their screens on an off-nite
  • Deferred: Lotto tickets have better odds of paying off
  • Gritty street feel: permits are such a hassle
  • Experienced Crew: someone from last semester's course
  • Meeting with my bankers: Thanksgiving Dinner at home
  • Lots of interest from the Studios: I attended a screening at a film festival and some Hollywood bigshots sat up in the balcony. I was only 30 rows down from them! They smiled back at me, or at least looked at my girlfriend.
  • Lots of interest from a name actor: His agent said that if I could come up with a check for $20 million then he would look at the script.
  • Never attempted before: maybe there is a good reason, you think?
  • Original: based on some old movies and books that I read
  • Dynamic Improv: the actors can't memorize lines to save their life
  • Product Placement: so how do we work in a shot of the Hertz truck during the Civil War battle at Gettysburg. And do you think Mrs. Lincoln liked her Cuisinart?