A Dolby RMU is the Rendering and Mastering Unit, the dedicated hardware and software system required to create a Dolby Atmos mix.
Filmmaking
Filmmaking Terms, A to Z
Go behind the camera and explore the art and craft of filmmaking. This category breaks down the technical and creative processes involved in bringing a movie to life — from cinematography and directing to editing, sound design, production roles, and special effects. Whether you're curious about how a scene is shot or how a film crew operates, dive into the world of practical movie-making knowledge.
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All 913 Filmmaking Terms
Listed alphabetically, each with its one-line answer first. This page runs from Dolby RMU to Front Projection. S is the busiest letter here, with 146 entries. Jump to a letter to see only the filmmaking terms that start with it.
Filmmaking terms starting with D
20 of 67 on this page · all D entries
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A dynamic HDR standard that optimizes color and brightness scene by scene.
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Dollar Hat is a piece of on-set slang for the final take of the day, signaled by a crew member's one-dollar bet that the shot will be the last.
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A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device that the camera is mounted on, designed to produce smooth, horizontal camera movements.
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A dolly grip pilots camera platforms and cranes, turning directors’ lens moves into smooth cinematic language.
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A Dolly Grip Sandwich is a humorous slang term for any quick meal a busy dolly grip eats on set while working.
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A system of rails used to guide a camera dolly smoothly along a predetermined path during filming.
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A Donkey Call is an old-school slang term for the sound made when clapping a tail slate at the end of a take for audio-visual synchronization.
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A door bounce is a simple and effective lighting technique that uses a white door as a large reflector to create soft, natural-looking light.
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Double days refer to working two consecutive full shifts, often resulting in extremely long workdays and significant overtime pay.
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Process of folding a multichannel mix into fewer channels while preserving intelligibility and balance.
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A DPX Log Scan is a standard method for digitizing motion picture film where each frame is saved as a DPX file with the image data encoded in a logarithmic color space to capture the full dynamic range of the film negative.
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A formal iteration of a screenplay reflecting feedback and narrative refinements.
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A driving-sim pod is a specialized vehicle rig used in virtual production that places a real car body on a motion base, surrounded by LED screens displaying a virtual environment.
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An unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a camera for capturing aerial shots.
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Aerial footage captured by remotely piloted multirotor or fixed-wing cameras
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Dry for Dry is an editing style for dialogue scenes that exclusively uses clean single shots of each character, which can create a sense of emotional distance.
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Replacing a film’s original audio with another language localises content for global markets.
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A dupe is a duplicate copy of a film negative, created for various post-production purposes to protect the original camera negative.
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Duv is a precise color science metric that measures the green or magenta tint of a light source, working in tandem with the Kelvin scale to define a light's true color.
Filmmaking terms starting with E
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An Early Bird is a small, portable generator used to provide initial power on a film set before the main generator is operational.
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An echo track is a dedicated audio track in sound mixing that contains only the reverberation or echo effect of a source sound.
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An edge-light, also known as a kicker or rim-light, is a light placed behind and to the side of a subject to create a bright outline that separates them from the background.
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The art and craft of selecting, arranging, and assembling shots into a coherent film.
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Editing notes are specific, actionable comments and suggestions provided by producers, directors, or editors on a screenplay or a cut of a film.
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A composite track of sound effects and ambient sounds used in film mixing.
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Film-set electricians manage, route and safeguard all things electrical that make cinematography possible.
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An 'Elephant Shot' is on-set slang for a very low-angle shot that looks almost straight up at a subject, making them appear massive and imposing.
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The end credit crawl is the comprehensive list of a film's cast and crew that typically scrolls vertically up the screen at the conclusion of the movie.
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Expository dialogue packs necessary facts into spoken lines, risking artifice if not carefully disguised.
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"EXT." is the standard abbreviation for "Exterior" used in a screenplay's slugline to indicate that a scene takes place outdoors.
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A film version that includes additional footage not shown in the original theatrical release.
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Components that lie outside the story’s diegesis, often addressing the audience directly
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An eye-light, also known as a catchlight, is a small, specific light source used to create a glint of light in a character's eyes.
Filmmaking terms starting with F
26 of 30 on this page · all F entries
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False Color is a camera and monitor exposure tool that overlays the image with a color-coded 'heat map,' where specific colors represent precise luminance values, allowing for quick and accurate exposure assessment.
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A motion picture with a runtime typically exceeding 60 minutes intended for theatrical release.
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A field cut is a preliminary edit assembled on location—often in a mobile suite—that guides continuing production and accelerates post.
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A specialist who designs and coordinates staged combat sequences for film and television.
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The design and rehearsal of staged combat sequences for film.
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Structured on-set meeting before action scenes covering choreography, consent, PPE, and contingencies.
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The creative professional responsible for assembling raw footage into the final film.
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Photographic emulsion on celluloid used to capture motion pictures before digital sensors
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The definitive version of a film approved for release after all editing stages
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A finger slate is a quick, improvised sync mark made by snapping or clapping visible fingers in frame when a physical clapperboard is unavailable.
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Finishing encompasses all post‑production processes that prepare a film for its final delivery and presentation.
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Finishing is the final stage of post-production where the color grade, sound mix, and visual effects are brought together with the high-resolution picture to create the final master copy.
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The focus puller who maintains sharp focus and camera readiness.
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A fish-eye lens is an ultra-wide-angle lens that produces strong visual distortion to capture a 180° field of view.
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An opaque panel used to block or shape light on a film set.
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Flat is a filmmaking term for motion pictures presented in a standard, non-anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, typically 1.85:1.
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Performed sound effects recorded to picture add tactile realism that microphones often miss on set.
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Foley artists perform everyday sounds in sync to picture, adding tactile realism to a film’s soundtrack.
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A Foley stage is a custom-built recording studio where sound effects are performed and recorded in sync with the picture.
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A mechanical system that allows precise control of a camera lens’s focus during shooting.
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A follow pickup is a camera move that begins mid-action, trailing a subject already in motion to maintain kinetic energy and narrative flow.
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A theory that analyzes film through its technical elements and stylistic devices.
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The number of frames captured per second shapes a film’s motion and mood.
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Stopping the moving image mid-action foregrounds emotion, commentary, or stylistic flourish.
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A Fresnel is a common type of spotlight used in filmmaking that employs a concentric-ringed Fresnel lens to produce a soft-edged, easily focusable beam of light.
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A filmmaking technique that projects background imagery onto a reflective screen in front of the camera.
Other categories
The Other Seven Categories
The rest of the glossary, each with its own A to Z index: genres and styles, characters and tropes, storytelling, industry and awards, pop culture and fandom, general terms, and the odd ones out.
