Well, 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?
