Filmmaking
The safe action area is the region within a video frame where important visual action should occur to avoid being cropped by display overscan.
A to Z
Film Terms Starting With S
411 entries in the Movie Wiki begin with S, listed alphabetically with a one-line definition each. Open any of them for the full explanation.
1–60 of 411 entries
Definitions of Film Terms Starting With S
Open any entry for the full definition, where the term comes from and the films that show it best.
-
-
-
Industry
The Safe Harbor Provision of the DMCA is a legal shield that protects online service providers from liability for copyright infringement committed by their users, provided they promptly remove infringing content upon proper notification.
-
Filmmaking
The safe title area is a designated region within a video frame where text and graphics can be placed without risk of being cut off by the display.
-
Storytelling
A safe word is a pre-arranged word, phrase, or signal used to immediately stop an activity, frequently appearing in films as a potent narrative device.
-
Filmmaking
Non-nitrate film stocks introduced to reduce fire risk in motion-picture archives and exhibitions.
-
Filmmaking
The on-set authority responsible for overseeing all safety protocols during a film shoot.
-
Filmmaking
A pre-feature film that communicates theater etiquette, emergency procedures and audience safety guidelines.
-
Industry
A SAG Interim Agreement was a contract offered by the SAG-AFTRA union during its 2023 strike that allowed independent productions to continue filming.
-
Industry
SAG-AFTRA is the American labor union representing over 160,000 performers and media professionals, including actors, broadcast journalists, and recording artists.
-
Industry
Sales and distribution is the overarching process of licensing a finished film and managing its release to audiences across various platforms.
-
Industry
Commercial direct-view LED cinema platform offering HDR-like contrast and modular sizing.
-
-
Filmmaking
'Sandbag it' is on-set slang for the command to place a sandbag on the leg of a light stand to ensure it is stable and safe.
-
Industry
Legacy Chinese media regulator whose responsibilities later evolved into agencies including NRTA.
-
Industry
The Satellite Awards are annual accolades given by the International Press Academy to honor artistic achievements in the fields of film, television, and new media.
-
Genres
A satire film uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize foolishness or corruption in individuals, institutions, or society.
-
Pop Culture
Annual awards honoring excellence in science fiction, fantasy, and horror film and television.
-
-
Storytelling
A save-the-cat moment is a scene early in a film where the protagonist performs a small act of kindness to make them likable to the audience.
-
Storytelling
A scene is a unit of story that takes place in a specific location and continuous time, built from a series of beats to advance the plot or develop character.
-
Storytelling
The scene climax is the turning point of a scene where the conflict reaches its peak and the character's pursuit of their goal results in a definitive success or failure.
-
Storytelling
Scene conflict is the obstacle or opposition that prevents a character from easily achieving their scene goal.
-
Filmmaking
Scene description is the prose in a screenplay that describes the setting, characters, and physical actions, serving as the blueprint for what the audience sees and hears.
-
Storytelling
A scene goal is the specific, tangible objective that a character is actively trying to achieve within the confines of a single scene.
-
Filmmaking
A scene heading is a formatted, capitalized line in a screenplay that marks the start of a new scene by stating the location and time, and is also known as a slugline.
-
Storytelling
A scene hook is a narrative device used at the beginning of a scene to immediately capture the audience's interest and create a compelling question.
-
Storytelling
A scene number is a sequential number assigned to each scene in a screenplay, used to track and organize all elements of a film's production.
-
Filmmaking
A scene outline is a chronological, scene-by-scene list of the entire story, used as a structural blueprint by the writer before drafting the screenplay.
-
Storytelling
The scene purpose is the fundamental reason a scene exists within a narrative, typically defined by how it advances the plot or reveals character.
-
Storytelling
The scene resolution is the brief moment following the scene's climax that shows the immediate consequences of the outcome and sets up the next scene.
-
Storytelling
A scene summary is a one- or two-sentence description of the essential action and outcome of a single scene.
-
Filmmaking
A scene transition is the technical and creative method used to move from the end of one scene to the beginning of the next.
-
Pop Culture
Theatrical add-on that disperses fragrances synchronized to on-screen events for multisensory immersion.
-
Industry
A Schedule of Minimums is a foundational document within a film industry union agreement that dictates the minimum wages, working conditions, and benefits for its members.
-
Characters
The School Principal is a character archetype who serves as the ultimate authority figure within a school setting, often representing the forces of order or bureaucracy.
-
Characters
The school teacher is a character archetype who serves as a mentor, a source of inspiration, an authority figure, or a representation of the status quo for younger protagonists.
-
Filmmaking
A schoolyard shot is a cinematic composition, typically a wide or high-angle shot, that captures multiple characters interacting in a disorganized and naturalistic way within the same frame.
-
Genres
A science fantasy film is a hybrid genre that blends the imaginative, futuristic technology of science fiction with the archetypal, mythic elements of fantasy.
-
Characters
The scientist archetype in film is a character defined by their pursuit of knowledge and their use of the scientific method, serving roles that range from heroic problem-solver to hubristic villain.
-
Filmmaking
Scope refers to a widescreen cinematic format characterized by an aspect ratio wider than the standard 1.85:1.
-
Industry
Scope-3 emissions are all the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from a film production's value chain, such as air travel, making them the largest and most challenging category to reduce.
-
Filmmaking
Original music composed for a film provides its emotional architecture and temporal glue.
-
Filmmaking
A score mixer is the specialized audio engineer responsible for both the technical recording of a film score and the artistic mixing of the final musical product.
-
Filmmaking
A preliminary digital rendition of a film score used to preview orchestration and timing.
-
Filmmaking
An experimental animation technique where images are inscribed directly onto film stock.
-
Filmmaking
Scratch dialogue is a temporary, placeholder audio recording used during the editing process before the final, clean production audio or ADR is available.
-
Filmmaking
A temporary audio recording used on set as a reference for later production sound
-
Industry
A labor union representing film and television actors in the United States, known for its annual awards.
-
Industry
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to recognize outstanding performances in film and television.
-
Pop Culture
Annual Indian film awards organized by the Indian Express group to honor Hindi cinema.
-
Industry
The Screen Extras Guild was a historical American labor union that represented film and television background actors from 1946 to 1992.
-
Industry
A global trade magazine specializing in international film business and festivals.
-
Filmmaking
A screen test is a formal, filmed audition used in the final stages of casting to see how an actor looks on camera and assess their suitability for a major role.
-
Industry
Screener codes are unique, time-sensitive digital credentials that provide access to pre-release or awards-consideration films for industry professionals.
-
Industry
Any scheduled showing of a film, from test audience previews to critics’ press nights, informs edits and marketing.
-
Filmmaking
Screenplay development is the multi-stage process of transforming a story idea from a conceptual document into a production-ready shooting script.
-
Filmmaking
Screenplay format is the standardized set of layout and typographical rules used in screenwriting to ensure clarity and uniform timing estimations.
-
Industry
ScreenX extends the image onto 270-degree side walls, immersing audiences in a panoramic triptych beyond the proscenium.
-
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.
