Daily raw or lightly graded footage reviewed by the creative team during production
Wiki search
Filmmaking Terms Starting With D
The filmmaking terms that begin with D, in alphabetical order.
1–60 of 67 entries
Definitions of Filmmaking Terms Starting With D
Open any entry for the full definition, where the term comes from and the films that show it best.
-
-
Dailies, also known as rushes, are the raw, unedited footage from a single day of shooting that is reviewed by the director and key crew members.
-
The routine review of raw, unedited footage by the production team to assess performance and technical quality.
-
A data lab is a specialized facility that securely manages the backup, processing, and distribution of a film's digital files during production.
-
DaVinci Resolve is an industry-standard software application developed by Blackmagic Design that combines professional non-linear video editing, color correction, visual effects, and audio post-production in a single program.
-
"DAY" is the standard time designator in a screenplay's slugline, indicating that a scene takes place during daylight hours.
-
Shooting in daylight but grading to simulate night solves logistical and safety hurdles while courting visual debate.
-
Spreadsheet-style matrix tracks each talent’s work, hold, travel, and idle days across the shoot.
-
The process of reversing anamorphic distortion in post‑production.
-
Deep compositing is an advanced visual effects workflow that stores depth information for every pixel, allowing for more accurate and efficient integration of 3D elements.
-
Deep Learning Cinematography is the application of artificial intelligence, specifically deep learning models, to analyze, assist with, or automate creative and technical decisions in the art of cinematography.
-
A deleted scene is footage filmed but removed from the final theatrical cut, often included as bonus material.
-
Delta E is a standard color science metric that calculates the perceived difference between two colors, serving as a critical tool for ensuring color accuracy in filmmaking.
-
The distance range within which subjects appear acceptably sharp in an image
-
Early-stage feedback aimed at refining concept, tone, and feasibility of a film project.
-
A post‐production process converting film footage into digital for color grading and finishing
-
A specialist who trains actors in accurate speech patterns and accents
-
Dialog formatting is the standardized method for presenting a character's spoken lines in a screenplay, positioned centrally on the page under the character's name.
-
A dialogue draft is a specific stage of the rewriting process where the writer's primary focus is on improving and refining the characters' spoken lines.
-
A dialogue polish is a final, highly focused stage of rewriting where a script's dialogue is sharpened for rhythm, wit, and emotional impact, often performed by a specialized writer.
-
A separate audio track containing only spoken elements for clarity and flexibility.
-
Music that originates within the world of the film and is heard by the characters themselves.
-
Audio whose source exists within the film’s world grounds scenes in perceived reality.
-
A lens filter that softens light and reduces image contrast for a more flattering or atmospheric look.
-
The capture, post-production and exhibition of motion pictures using digital technology
-
A standardized set of digital files used to distribute and project movies in cinemas.
-
A digital cleaning pass is a meticulous, frame-by-frame post-production process in film restoration where software tools are used to remove visible artifacts like dust, dirt, sparkle, and scratches from a scanned film.
-
A digital double is a photo-realistic 3D computer-generated model of an actor, used in visual effects to perform stunts or actions that are impossible or too dangerous for a real person.
-
A specialist who manages digital image quality and on‑set data workflow.
-
A post-production process converting film footage into digital data for color grading and effects.
-
A digital slate, or smart slate, is an advanced timecode clapperboard that wirelessly syncs timecode and shares shot metadata with cameras, sound recorders, and production apps.
-
The chief cinematographer responsible for a film’s visual look.
-
The director's chair is the iconic symbol of a film director's authority and creative leadership on a movie set.
-
A version reflecting the director’s creative vision, often released after the theatrical edit
-
A version of a film reflecting the director’s preferred cut with restored or altered scenes.
-
Dirty for Dirty is an editing principle that maintains visual consistency in dialogue scenes by matching the framing of over-the-shoulder shots.
-
A Disguise server is an industry-standard media server platform used to manage and play back video content for large-scale displays like LED walls.
-
"DISSOLVE TO:" is a screenplay transition where one shot gradually fades out while the next shot simultaneously fades in, often used to signify a passage of time.
-
A DIT cart is a mobile, customized workstation used by a Digital Imaging Technician on a film set to manage data, apply live color grades, and perform quality control.
-
A DIY tutorial is an instructional guide for creating something by hand, a format that has deep ties to the film crafts of prop-making and special effects.
-
The DJI Inspire 3 is a professional, high-end cinema drone equipped with an 8K full-frame camera for filmmaking applications.
-
Integrated cinema camera with 4-axis stabilization and LiDAR focusing for agile, gimbal-like shots.
-
A DMX network is the industry-standard protocol for controlling stage and film lighting, allowing a central console to communicate with numerous fixtures.
-
A codec family designed for high-resolution post-production and preservation.
-
A Dogme cut is a jarring, rule-breaking edit, typically a jump cut, that reflects the raw and anti-Hollywood ethos of the Dogme 95 film movement.
-
A foundational channel‑based layer in an object‑based Dolby Atmos mix.
-
Dolby Dialog Intelligence is an AI-driven toolset that helps audio engineers analyze and improve the clarity and consistency of dialogue.
-
A Dolby RMU is the Rendering and Mastering Unit, the dedicated hardware and software system required to create a Dolby Atmos mix.
-
A dynamic HDR standard that optimizes color and brightness scene by scene.
-
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.
-
A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device that the camera is mounted on, designed to produce smooth, horizontal camera movements.
-
A dolly grip pilots camera platforms and cranes, turning directors’ lens moves into smooth cinematic language.
-
A Dolly Grip Sandwich is a humorous slang term for any quick meal a busy dolly grip eats on set while working.
-
A system of rails used to guide a camera dolly smoothly along a predetermined path during filming.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Double days refer to working two consecutive full shifts, often resulting in extremely long workdays and significant overtime pay.
-
Process of folding a multichannel mix into fewer channels while preserving intelligibility and balance.
-
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.
-
A formal iteration of a screenplay reflecting feedback and narrative refinements.
By category
Or Browse by Subject
Eight subject indexes, each with its own alphabetical list: filmmaking, genres and styles, characters, storytelling, industry, fandom, general terms and the rest.
