AC Adapter: A device that is used to convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). Most portable video equipment requires the use of an AC adapter to convert regular household current to DC.

Additive Primary Colors: Red, green, and blue are the additive primary colors of light. A color separation system based on these primary colors operates in all color video cameras.

Aesthetic Elements: Production variables and the ways in which they can be manipulated to affect audience response to the video message.

Alternating Current (AC): The type of electrical power that is supplied to households in the United States and Canada.

Ambient Sound: Natural background sound.

Amplitude: The height of a wave. With respect to sound, amplitude determines the intensity or loudness of the sound.

Analog Signal: A signal that is continuously proportional or analogous to the input.

Aperture: The size of the iris opening of the lens, usually calibrated in f-stops.

Aperture Ring: A device that controls the size of the iris opening (aperture) of the lens.

Arc: Semicircular movement of the camera and its support around a scene.

A-Roll: Interview footage with sound on tape.

Aspect Ratio: The relationship of the width of the television screen to its height, expressed as a ratio of 4:3 or 16:9.

Associate Director (AD): The production team member who is responsible for keeping track of the overall time of a program and its individual segments.

Associate Producer: The assistant to the producer who assists with financial, logistical, or creative matters.

ATSC (Advanced Television System Committee) Standard: Technical specifications for U.S. digital television set by the ATSC and adopted by the FCC in December 1996.

Audio: Sound that has been changed into electrical signals so that it can be recorded, transmitted, and replayed; the sound portion of a video program.

Audio Board: Equipment that combines a number of independent audio inputs into one output signal; also called the audio mixer.

Audio Tone: Reference audio signal used to set audio levels on audio and video recording equipment.

Audiovisual Semantics: The meaning that is conveyed to the audience by the arrangement of the production elements in a program.

Audiovisual Syntax: The purposeful arrangement of sound, color, text, and images in a video program.

Automatic Aperture: An electronic device that automatically sets the lens iris for correct exposure in the available light.

Automatic Focus (Autofocus): An automatic focusing device on some cameras; operates by emitting a beam of infrared light or ultrasound.

Automatic Gain Control (AGC): An electronic device that automatically adjusts the amplification of an audio or video signal. See also Manual Gain Control.

Back Focus: A camera focus adjustment that ensures that an image is in focus at the lens’s widest angle of view.

Background Light: Light that falls on the background of a scene, often used to create mood or indicate time of day.

Back Light: Hard, focused light above and behind the subject that is used to separate the subject from the background by outlining the subject with a thin line of bright light.

Backtiming: A technique used in live or recorded live shows to make sure that the planned running time for a show is adhered to. The Associate Director keeps track of how much time is left until the end of the segment or show, and the Director then shortens or stretches the segment or show length to meet its planned length.

Balanced Line: A professional-quality audio cable or connector with two signal leads and a shield that protects the signal from outside interference.

Barn Door: Metal flaps that are attached to a spotlight to control the way in which the light is thrown onto a scene.

Bandwidth: The amount of information per unit of time of your delivery channel, measured in bits per second (bps).

Baselight: The amount, or intensity, of light required to make a scene visible to the camera.

Bayonet Connector: See BNC Connector.

Beauty Shot: The final shot in a program that features a striking visual element that seems to summarize the story.

Bin: A window in which audio, graphics, and video clips are stored in the nonlinear editing model.

Bit: Abbreviation for “binary digit”; a number that can have a value of either 0 (off) or 1 (on). Eight bits equal one byte.

Bit Depth: Describes the number of bits contained in each digital sample. Higher bit depths produce higher quality samples.

Bit Rate: The number of bits that are transferred between devices per units of time.

Black Balance: Adjustment of the camera’s black level or pedestal level, usually set at 7.5 IRE.

Blocking: Positioning the cameras in relation to the performers to ensure that the cameras have the shots that best capture the director’s visualization of a scene.

Blu-Ray: High capacity digital optical disc.

BNC Connector: A bayonet-type twist-lock connector that is used as a video connector on almost all professional video equipment.

Body Pack: A wireless microphone system transmitting unit that is manufactured as a unit separate from the microphone, typically hidden on the body of the person who is the source of the sound.

Boom: An extendable pole on a tripod base, sometimes wheeled, by which the microphone is suspended close to the action.

Brainstorming: A group activity in which participants are encouraged to generate possible solutions to a problem without making value judgments.

Brightness: The range of values from black to white in the television picture. In color television, brightness is called luminance.

Broadcast: Transmission of radio and television signals through the air. Video and/or audio signals are transmitted from an antenna through the use of a carrier signal.

B-Roll: Visual, cutaway video footage that is used to cover voice-over or narration and which enhances and supports the story.

Bus: A row of buttons corresponding to different video inputs on a video switcher.

Byte: A group of binary data consisting of eight bits.

Cablecast: Transmission of radio and television signals via a wire or cable. Receivers must be connected to the cable to receive the signal.

Camcorder: A one-piece video recording system in which the camera and video recorder are combined into one easily carried unit.

Camera Control Unit (CCU): Electronic circuitry that regulates the way in which the camera produces the video signal.

Camera Head: Main part of a video camera consisting of the beam splitting system, imaging device(s), and the camera’s internal electronics.

Camera Light: A battery-powered light that is mounted directly onto a video camera.

Camera Microphone: A microphone that is built into or attached to a portable video camera.

Camera Setup: Adjustment of the electronic parameters of the camera to provide accurate recording, including registration, white balance, black balance, and gain.

Camera Shot Sheet: A list of shots that a particular camera is responsible for capturing during the program.

Capturing: The process of transferring digital video clips into a computer hard drive.

Cardioid: A directional, heart-shaped microphone pickup pattern that is characterized by sensitivity to sound in the front but less sensitivity to the sides and rear.

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT): A large, vacuum-type picture tube in television and video monitors and receivers. An electron beam scans a layer of red, green, and blue phosphorescent dots in the inside face of the tube to create the color video picture. Now almost completely replaced by LCD flat panel display screens.

CD-ROM: Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. A small disc that is used to store computer data or digital audio or video data in compressed form.

Center of Interest: The most important part of a picture in terms of the visual interest it generates.

Character Generator (CG): An electronic device that is used to generate electronic lettering for use in video productions. Usually contains a keyboard, screen, and memory system for information storage.

Charge Coupled Device (CCD): A camera pickup device that uses silicon chips to generate the video signal.

Chroma Key: A special matte effect in which a particular colored area is eliminated from one shot and filled in with new video information from another source.

Chrominance: The color part of the color video signal, composed of hue and saturation. The three chrominance channels in the color video signal are red, green, and blue.

Cinema Verité: A production approach that is more interactive than direct cinema and in which the camera is almost always hand-held. In this approach participants are aware of the camera’s presence and may directly address the director or members of the crew. The term comes from the French and literally means “true film.”

Clarity: A concept that in terms of graphics involves both the simplicity of expression and the visibility of the graphic elements or characters themselves.

Clip: Digital copy of audio, graphics, and video source material in a nonlinear editing system.

Clipper: A control on a video switcher that is used to adjust the level of a key.

Closer: The ending statement in a news story.

Close-up (CU): A tight shot that fills the screen with an object or the head of a subject.

Clustering: A type of unstructured free writing that works more by free association of ideas than by their clear relationship, as in concept mapping.

Codec: Abbreviation for “compression/decompression” or “coder/decoder.” A specialized computer algorithm that is used to compress and expand the size of a digital file.

Color Bars: A standard display of white, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red, and blue bars used as a color reference by video engineers.

Colorizer: The electronic component of a video switcher that is used to generate color, often for the purpose of coloring letters. Also called a color background generator.

Color Sampling Rate: Describes how often the luminance (brightness) and chrominance (color) elements of the picture are sampled for conversion into packets of digital information. Three sampling rates are used in digital video: 4:2:2, 4:1:1, and 4:2:0.

Color Temperature: Variations in the quality of what appears to be white light, measured in degrees Kelvin (°K). Standard television lights operate at 3,200°K. Light with a higher color temperature appears bluish; light with a lower color temperature appears reddish.

Compact Disc (CD): A high-quality audio storage medium in which recorded information is read and reproduced via a laser beam.

Complementary Angle: A shooting technique in which the eyeline of one person looking to one side of the screen is balanced by the converging eyeline of another person. Each person becomes the target object of the other’s eyeline.

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS): A high-quality silicon chip that is gradually replacing CCD image sensors in video cameras.

Composited Image: A multilayered image.

Compression: A digital data recording technique that reduces the amount of information that is stored in digital form as it is being converted from an analog signal. See Lossy Compression and Lossless Compression.

Compression Ratio: A ratio that expresses the degree of compression that has been applied to a file. Higher ratios indicate greater compression.

Concept Map: A visual representation of the interrelationship between ideas arranged in a hierarchical order, often used to provide an overview of the main elements in a television or video program.

Condenser Microphone: A high-quality microphone that uses an electric capacitor to generate the audio signal. Requires battery or phantom power to operate.

Consumer Equipment: Audio and video equipment that is marketed to home users for their personal use.

Container Format: A container format or wrapper is a file format that contains specific information or metadata on how video, audio, and other types of data are encoded so media players can identify its basic elements and reproduce them accordingly.

Content Delivery Network (CDN): A series of networked or distributed servers located in different geographical areas, usually with a global reach.

Continuity: The consistent arrangement of components in a production so as to present them to an audience in a logical, coherent, and continuous flow.

Continuity Editing: Editing of dialog or action without discontinuous jumps in time or place.

Contrast Range: The range or ratio between the darkest and brightest part of an image. Most video cameras function with a maximum contrast range of approximately 100:1. Also called contrast ratio.

Control Room: A production room separate from a video studio where the director and other production personnel manage the production of a multicamera video production.

Convertible Camera: A video camera that is designed to be used either in the studio or in the field.

Creative Commons (CC): Copyright license used by creators to protect their work and to specify how their work may be used by others.

Crossfade: A sound transition that is similar to a visual dissolve. As one sound fades out, the next one fades in, with a slight overlap of the two sounds during the transition.

Cut: An instantaneous transition from one video source or shot to another.

Cut-In: A cut to a close-up detail of a shot or scene.

Cut-Out: A cut to a wide or establishing shot after a close-up.

Cycles per Second (CPS): See Hertz (Hz).

Cyclorama (Cyc): A background curtain that is typically suspended on a curved metal track around the perimeter of a video studio. May also be constructed as a hard wall.

DAT: Digital audio tape.

Decibel (dB): A standard unit, or ratio, of measure for gauging the relative intensity of a sound.

Degrees Kelvin (°K): A measure of the quality of light or the degree of whiteness of light. The hotter the filament, the whiter is the light that radiates from it.

Depth of Field: The portion of a scene in front of the camera that is in focus. Measured from the point in focus closest to the camera to the point in focus farthest from the camera.

Desk Stand: A small microphone mount used to support a microphone on a desk or table in front of someone who is speaking.

Development: The production phase in which the program idea is developed.

Dialog: Conversation between two or more people.

Dial-up Modem: Modem stands for modulator/demodulator. A device that uses traditional copper phone lines to connect computers to the Internet.

Diffuser: See Scrim.

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW): A computer equipped with appropriate hardware and software for the manipulation and editing of sound.

Digital Multiplex (DMX): Digital standard used in lighting dimmers to control lighting instruments.

Digital Nonlinear Editing: See Nonlinear Editing (NLE).

Digital Signal: A signal in which the input is converted into bits of information that can be stored as numerical data.

Digital Still Store: The digital “frame grabber” in a video switcher that is used to store still images.

Digital Video Effect (DVE): Special effects that are made possible by signal-processing equipment that digitizes and processes the video signal. Image compression and expansion are common types of digital effects.

Digital Zoom: A camcorder lens effect in which the image is magnified electronically to extend the range of the optical zoom lens.

Digitizing: The conversion of an analog signal into a digital signal.

Dimmer: A device that changes the intensity of a light by varying the voltage supplied to the lighting instrument.

Direct Cinema: A production approach in which the camera is a “passive observer” that never interferes with the action.

Direct Current (DC): The type of current that is supplied by batteries. Most portable video systems require a 12-volt DC power source.

Directional Continuity: Characters or objects that are moving in one shot continue to move in the same general direction in a subsequent shot.

Director: The production team member who has principal responsibility for a program during the time of the actual production; responsible for coordinating the visual and aural elements of a production and directing the performers and the production team.

Dissolve: A gradual transition in which one visual source slowly fades out while another slowly fades in and the two sources overlap during the transition.

Distribution: Final phase of production that describes how the program is delivered to the target audience.

Distribution Switcher: A video switcher that is used to send video signals to different destinations in a video production facility. Also called a routing switcher.

Dolly: (1) A three-wheeled camera support that is attached to a camera tripod or pedestal. (2) Movement of the camera and its wheeled support toward or away from the scene as in “dolly in” or “dolly out.”

Download and Play Delivery: Archived material is downloaded to the user’s hard drive and then accessed at the viewer’s convenience.

Downstream Keyer: A device on a video switcher that introduces a key or matte over the line output, leaving the mix/effects buses free to perform other effects.

Drag: A control that introduces varying degrees of resistance to a tripod or pedestal head so that the camera operator can pan and tilt smoothly.

Drop-Frame Time Code: A type of SMPTE time code that drops (skips) two frames per minute except the tenth minute of each hour. See also Non-Drop-Frame Time Code.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line): High-speed data transmission along copper telephone lines; requires the use of a special modem to receive and send information.

DVD (Digital Versatile Disc): A high-density compact disc used to store data, text, and large audio or video files.

Dynamic Editing: An editing technique that utilizes visual material to create an impact rather than simply to convey literal meaning or achieve continuity of action. More affective and complex than continuity editing. Also called complexity editing.

Dynamic Microphone: A rugged, professional-quality microphone that is widely used in field production.

Dynamic Range: The range from the lowest audio level to the highest audio level that can be reproduced or heard, expressed in decibels.

Edit Decision List (EDL): A list of all the edits for a program. Specifies all the edit in points and out points, often with reference to SMPTE time code. Also called the edit list.

Editing: The process of arranging individual shots or sequences into an appropriate order.

Editing VCR: In a linear videotape editing system, the VCR where the edited material is assembled.

Editing Window: The window in which clips are trimmed in a nonlinear editing system.

Editor: See Video Editor.

Electret Condenser: A small, battery-powered condenser microphone.

Electronic Field Production (EFP): Video production that takes place in a location outside a television studio. Usually refers to single-camera productions that are shot to be edited in postproduction.

Electronic News Gathering (ENG): The use of electronic video equipment for reporting news from field locations. Also called electronic journalism.

Electronic Shutter: Controls the amount of time that light passing through the camera lens hits the camera’s image sensors.

Ellipsoidal Spotlight: A lighting instrument that is used to throw a controlled beam of light over a great distance; frequently used to project patterns onto the scene’s background.

Equalization (EQ): The audio component that allows the level of various ranges of frequencies within the signal to be manipulated to shape the overall quality of the sound.

Encoding: Compressing digital files into specific formats (e.g.;. mov, mp4, etc.).

Essential Area: The central, usable area of a video screen.

Establishing Shot: An overall wide-angle view of a scene, usually a long shot. Shows the relationship of the parts to each other and to the scene as a whole.

Ethernet Connector: Typically an 8-pin connector used to connect video and computer devices.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU): The tightest shot possible on a person or object. Also called a tight close-up (TCU).

Extreme Long Shot (XLS): A very wide-angle, panoramic shot of the elements of a scene.

Eyeline: A line that is created by the eyes when someone looks at a target object. Eyelines and the position of the target object are very important in creating continuity through editing.

Eyepiece Viewfinder: A common type of viewfinder found on portable video cameras. Allows the camera operator’s (videographer’s) eye to be placed firmly against the camera.

Fade: A gradual transition from black to an image or sound (fade up) or from an image or sound to black (fade down or fade out).

Fader Bar: A device on a video switcher that controls the output of the mix/effects bus. Used to perform fades, dissolves, and wipes.

F-Connector: A video connector that is frequently used on coaxial cables carrying an RF signal, such as a cable TV connection.

Feedback: (1) Electronic distortion that is caused when a live microphone is placed near a speaker that is reproducing its output or when a video camera shoots into its own monitor. Audio feedback is audible as a loud screech; video feedback appears as an undulating pattern of light and color. (2) The part of the communication process in which audience responses to the production are transmitted to the producers.

Field: One half of a video frame (262.5 lines in standard definition NTSC).

Field of View: Description of a shot that indicates how much of a subject or object is seen on the screen (long shot, close-up, etc.).

Field Production: See Electronic Field Production (EFP).

File Format: Describes the structure of the data that is stored in digital audio, video, or graphics files.

Fill Light: (1) Nondirectional light, set at one-half to three-fourths of the intensity of the key and positioned opposite to it. Used to fill in, but not eliminate completely, the shadows that are created on the subject by the key light. (2) Any light that is used to fill in shadows.

Filter: A device that is used to eliminate certain frequencies of light or sound.

Filter Wheel: A component built into a video camera that is used to correct the color temperature of incoming light.

FireWire: A high-speed digital interconnect standard (IEEE 1394) that allows digital video and audio to be moved directly into and out of a computer. Now largely replaced by Thunderbolt connectors.

Fishpole: A hand-held telescoping metal rod that is widely used as a microphone support in field production.

Fit-to-Fill: An edit made in a nonlinear editing system in which a new clip is automatically trimmed to fit an existing space or “hole” in the program timeline.

Fixed Focal Length Lens: A camera lens that produces only one angle of view. Compare with the zoom lens.

Flag: An opaque card with a handle that is used to control the way in which light falls on a scene.

Flash Memory Cards: Digital audio, video, and graphics storage cards that use silicon chips instead of magnetic media to store the data.

Flat: A hard or soft panel that is used to create the illusion of interior settings and walls in studio productions.

Floodlight: Light that produces a wide beam of relatively soft, unfocused light. Also called broadlight.

Floor Director: The production team member in the studio who gives cues to the performers and assists the camera operators as needed.

Floor Plan: A diagram of the studio floor showing the design and layout of set pieces and properties, usually drawn to a scale of ¼ inch = 1 foot.

Floor Stand: A telescoping stand that is used to support a light or microphone.

Fluid Head: A high-quality tripod head that allows extremely smooth camera movement (panning and tilting).

Fluorescent Lamp: A gas-filled glass tube coated on the inside with chemicals that glow when electrical power is applied to the lamp.

Focal Length: The distance from the optical center of the lens to the point where the image is in focus (the face of the CCD or CMOS image sensor). The angle of view of a lens is determined by its focal length.

Focus: Sharp detail in the important parts of the image. Pictures may be in focus or out of focus.

Focus Group: A qualitative research technique in which a small group of people is gathered together to discuss their views on a particular topic.

Focus Ring: A device that controls the distance between lens elements, thereby allowing the lens to focus on objects at different distances from the camera. Located at the far end of the lens on portable video cameras.

Foot-candle (FC): A measure of the intensity of light.

Format: See Videotape Format.

Formative Evaluation: An assessment of a project that is conducted while it is in production.

Frame: One of the basic temporal units of the video signal. See also Frame Rate.

Frame Rate: The number of frames per second (fps) in a given video signal. Typical frame rates in the US are 24, 30 (29.97) and 60 (59.94) frames per second.

Frame Store: See digital still store (DSS).

Frame Synchronizer: A piece of electronic equipment that is capable of storing a full frame of video information. Often used to synchronize nonsynchronous remote signals to other synchronous signals in a television station or video production house. Also widely used to produce video graphics.

Framing: The placement of people or objects within the video frame.

Frequency: The number of times a wave repeats itself in one second. Usually measured in hertz (Hz). The frequency of a sound wave determines its pitch.

Frequency Response: The ability of any video or audio component to accurately reproduce a wide range of frequencies.

Fresnel Spotlight: A popular lighting instrument that contains a lens at the front of the instrument that focuses the beam of light produced.

Friction Head: An inexpensive tripod head that gives fair control over camera movement.

F-Stop: A standard calibration of the size of the aperture opening of a lens.

Gain: Control of the amplification or level of an audio or video signal. May be automatic or manual.

Gain Boost: A special switch on a video camera that boosts the amplification of the video signal. Used most often in low-light situations to improve color reproduction. May make the picture look noisy.

Gel: A plastic or polyester filter, sometimes called color media that is used to change the color or color temperature of a light source. Short for “gelatin.”

Graphics: Printed, drawn, photographed, or electronically generated graphic material that is incorporated into a production.

Green Room: A waiting room that is used by guests before they appear on a television program. May include makeup mirrors, a restroom, and a video monitor.

Handles: Extra footage left before and after shot in and out points of a clip when it is imported into a nonlinear editing system.

Hanging Microphone: A microphone that is hung above a scene for sound pickup.

Hard Cyc: See Cyclorama (Cyc).

Hard Disk: A magnetic disk data storage system for a computer.

HDMI: High Definition Multimedia Interface. Connector for high definition video and digital audio.

Headphones: A device that is used for monitoring audio. Consists of two small speakers attached to a flexible band that is worn on the head, positioning the speakers over the listener’s ears.

Headroom: (1) Audio: The range beyond the standard operating level that a signal can be safely amplified before distortion occurs. (2) Video: The distance within the television frame between the top of the subject’s head and the top edge of the frame.

Hertz (Hz): The standard unit of measure of the frequency of a wave in cycles per second.

High Definition Television (HDTV): A digital video recording and transmission system that features improved resolution resulting from an increase in the number of horizontal scanning lines (720 or 1080) and a wider aspect ratio (16:9 versus conventional 4:3) than the traditional NTSC broadcast standards.

High Key Lighting: A lighting technique that is characterized by bright illumination. Used when uniform visibility of a scene is required or to create an emotional tone that is upbeat or happy. Compare with Low Key Lighting.

High Dynamic Range (HDR): Video recorders and display screens with increased contrast range capabilities, resulting in blacker blacks and whiter whites.

Hook: Something of extreme interest at the beginning of a story that catches the viewer’s attention and makes the viewer want to watch the story to find out what happens.

Hot Spot: An overexposed portion of a picture; a bright, glowing spot in which color and detail are lost.

HMI (Hydragyrum Medium Arc-Length Iodide) Light: A highly efficient professional light instrument that produces light matching the color temperature of daylight.

HTTP: Abbreviation for “hypertext transfer protocol,” a computer standard that defines how messages are formatted and transmitted over the Internet.

Hue: A recognizable color: red, blue, green, or the like.

Hyperlink: A word, phrase, or image that you can click on to jump to a new document or a new section within the current document or a different file or Web page.

Image Compression: A digital video effect that squeezes the horizontal and/or vertical dimensions of the picture, thereby reducing it in size within the frame.

Image Expansion: A digital video effect that stretches the horizontal and/or vertical dimensions of the picture, causing it to grow larger within the frame.

Impedance (Z): The amount of resistance in a circuit, measured in ohms (Ω). Audio equipment may be high-impedance or low-impedance. Professional equipment is low-impedance.

Incandescent Lamp: A light bulb that is similar in construction to a common household bulb. Has a tungsten filament within an evacuated glass bulb.

Incident Light: The light radiating directly from a source or sources that falls on an object or scene.

Insert Editing: The process of inserting a shot or sequence into a preexisting sequence.

Interactive Television (ITV): Program material that gives the audience an opportunity to provide direct feedback to the program producers or to make choices about which part of the content they choose to see and/or hear.

Interlaced Scanning: The process by which the odd and even lines of a video picture are scanned. First one field of odd lines is scanned, and then one field of even lines is scanned. Also called 2:1 interlaced scanning.

Internet Television (IT): Streaming television content over the Internet.

Internet Protocol (IP): A standard set of rules that controls how data is sent over the Internet.

Interruptible Feedback (IFB): A communication system that allows the producer and director in the control room to communicate with the program talent in the studio via a small earphone.

Inverse Square Rule: A method of calculating the intensity of light falling on a scene from a given instrument. Reducing the distance between the source instrument and the scene by one-half produces four times as much light on the scene.

Iris: A circular diaphragm composed of overlapping metal leaves that can be manipulated to create a hole of variable size in its center that controls the amount of light passing through the lens. May be controlled manually or automatically.

Jack: The female receptacle for a pin-type audio connector.

Jib: A fulcrum-mounted camera support system that allows the camera to be raised high above the scene to be recorded.

Joystick: A sticklike control on a video switcher which allows selected wipe patterns to be moved up or down on the screen.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Compression: A digital compression standard for still or moving images.

Jump Cut: A discontinuous transition from one shot to another that is caused by a difference in the size and position of the subject in the two shots. Jump cuts often occur when the middle of a shot is removed and the two remaining pieces are joined together, as in editing dialog.

Key: A special effect that is used in titling in which one video source (usually the keyed graphics) appears as opaque letters over the background video. See also Luminance Key and Chroma Key.

Key Light: The brightest light on the scene. Establishes the form of the subject by providing bright illumination and producing shadows on the subject.

Lavaliere Microphone: A small microphone pinned onto someone or hung around the subject’s neck with a string.

LCD Viewfinder: Liquid crystal display camera viewfinder.

Lead: A compelling first sentence that succinctly tells what a story is about.

Leader Sequence: Information that identifies a program, usually recorded at the beginning of a video recording.

Lens: The optical component of a camera. Collects incoming light and focuses it on the camera image sensor.

Lens Cap: A protective cap that can be attached to the end of the lens barrel when the camera is not in operation.

Lens Flare: Optical distortion of a picture that is caused when a light shines directly into the camera lens. Can be prevented by changing the position of the light or camera or by shielding the lens with a lens hood.

Lens Hood: A rubber extension at the front of a lens that works like a visor to prevent unwanted light from hitting the lens and causing lens flare.

Letterbox: A technique for displaying 16:9 aspect ratio images on 4:3 screens; the widescreen image fills the width of the 4:3 screen, and the gaps at the top and bottom of the frame are filled with black.

Light Batten: A moveable light mounting system that is used to raise and lower studio lighting instruments.

Lighting Board: A lighting system device that is used to control lighting instruments.

Lighting Director: The production team member who coordinates all elements of lighting for a program and selects and installs appropriate lighting instruments.

Light Emitting Diode (LED): Tiny devices composed of semiconductor material that produce light when an electrical current passes through them. Increasingly used as lamps in television lighting instruments. Valued for their low power consumption, cool operating temperature, and ruggedness.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) Display: A liquid crystal display that uses light emitting diodes to generate the back light used to illuminate the picture, instead of the fluorescent sources used in conventional LCDs.

Lighting Continuity: Maintaining consistent brightness and color values in lighting from shot to shot while editing.

Lighting Plot: A plan that indicates the type and position of each of the lighting instruments in a scene or shot.

Light Meter: A device that is used to measure the light on a scene.

Line: Each video frame is composed of a series of lines of information. Popular formats are based on 480-, 720-, and 1080-line variants.

Linear Editing: A videotape editing system in which edits are made in sequential fashion, one after the other, starting at the beginning of the program or segment and working to the end. Now almost completely obsolete.

Line-Level Signal: An amplified audio signal that is considerably stronger than a microphone-level signal. A line-level audio signal is one volt.

Line Producer: The assistant to the producer who is in charge of daily production activities and responsible for meeting production deadlines.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): Flat panel television/video display screen.

Local Area Network (LAN): A computer network that interconnects computers and other electronic devices within a limited area such as office buildings and university campuses that are connected to a shared-server

Location Survey: An assessment to gather technical and aesthetic information about a remote location in which a program will be shot.

Long Shot (LS): A shot from a wide angle that shows the relationship between actors or actresses and their setting. Often used as an establishing shot.

Lossless Compression: Compresses an audio or video file with no loss of information.

Lossy Compression: Eliminates repetitive or redundant information from a digital audio or video file.

Lower-Third Keyed Title: Graphic information that is inserted into the lower-third section of the video frame.

Low Key Lighting: A lighting technique characterized by low-level illumination and dark backgrounds. Used to create the illusion of night in an indoor setting, or an emotional tone that is somber or ominous. Compare with High Key Lighting.

Lumen: A unit of measure of the flow of light.

Luminance: See Brightness.

Luminance Key: A video titling effect in which lettering is electronically inserted over a background picture based on the brightness of the lettering. Compare with Chroma Key.

Lux: A unit of illumination.

Macro Lens: A lens that is used for extreme close-ups.

Macro Lever: A lever on the barrel of a lens that activates the macro lens.

Magnetic Stripe: A thin strip of magnetic recording material at the edge of 16-mm film. Formerly used to record news interviews; now obsolete.

Manual Gain Control: Manual control of the amplification of an audio or video signal. See also Automatic Gain Control (AGC).

Master Control Operator: The production team member located in the master control area responsible for operating the machines that record the control room signals as well as the signals of other incoming video sources (e.g., Internet, microwave and satellite links).

Master Gain Control: A slide fader or rotary potentiometer on an audio mixer that simultaneously increases or decreases the loudness of all the mixed audio sources.

Master Shot: A long shot that captures all the essential action of a scene.

Matched Cut: A cut from one shot to another that is too similar in terms of angle of view and camera position. Similar to a jump cut.

Matte: A special video effect that combines three separate sources. Often used to add color to titles in a video production.

Media Transport Controls: Buttons that control the movement through media clips in a video recorder. Typical controls include PLAY, NEXT, STOP, FAST FORWARD, SEARCH, REWIND, PREVIOUS, RECORD, and PAUSE.

Medium Close-Up (MCU): A head-and-shoulders shot that ends at the chest of the subject. One of the most frequently used shots in television.

Medium Shot (MS): A shot from a medium angle of view. Often used to show the relationship between people in a shot or scene.

Microphone: A transducer that changes sound waves into electrical energy.

Microphone-Level Signal: Unamplified output of a microphone. A very weak signal that is usually measured in millivolts.

Microphone Proximity Effect: Tendency of a microphone to overemphasize the reproduction of low frequencies in relation to higher frequencies as the distance between the sound source and microphone decreases.

Mini-Plug Connector: A small single-pin plug that is frequently used as a microphone and earphone connector.

Mirrorless Cameras: Compact cameras that feature interchangeable lenses and large image sensors in a camera body that is much smaller than a conventional DSLR.

Mix: The technique of combining several simultaneous sound sources in such a way that their relative volume matches their importance.

Mix/Effects Bus: Row of buttons on a video switcher that are used to perform special effects such as dissolves, superimpositions, fades, wipes, and keys.

Modeling: Creating the illusion of three-dimensional subjects and objects on the two-dimensional video screen through lighting.

Modem: A combination of “modulate” and “demodulate”; a device that enables computers to send and receive data over telephone lines.

Monaural: Monophonic (single-channel) sound.

Monitor: (1) To check the audio or visual quality of a recording by listening to it or looking at it. (2) A device that is used to display an audio or video signal. (3) A video set that is not capable of receiving a broadcast signal.

Monopod: A single telescoping support tube that is attached to the base of a camera. Often inserted into a belt pouch and used on portable cameras with rear-mounted eyepiece viewfinders.

Montage: An edited sequence of images.

MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) Compression: A series of digital compression standards for CD-ROMs (MPEG-1), DVDs (MPEG-2), broadcast television (MPEG-2), digital television streaming media (MPEG-4), and audio (MPEG-3, or MP3).

Multicamera Production: A type of video production that utilizes multiple video cameras and real-time video switching to produce a program.

Multimedia: A computer program that incorporates animation, sound, text, illustrations, and video, frequently produced for distribution on CD-ROM.

Narration: Description of a visual scene provided by a narrator, frequently as a voice-over (VO).

Natural Sound (Nat Sound): Sound that is naturally present on a location that is organically connected to the visual action taking place.

Neutral Density Filter: A filter that reduces the amount of light hitting the camera image sensor without affecting its color temperature.

Noise: (1) Unintended sound. (2) Unwanted electrical interference. Video noise, or snow, makes the picture look grainy; audio noise is audible as static or hiss.

Non-Drop-Frame Time Code: SMPTE time code numbers, generated at the rate of 30 frames per second.

Nonlinear Editing (NLE): A type of video editing made possible by computer-based editing systems that allow random access to the audio and video information that is stored in the computer or on an external hard drive or server. Differs from the sequential linear editing characterized by videotape-based editing systems.

Noseroom: The distance within the television frame between the edge of the subject’s nose, seen in profile, and the edge of the frame. Also called eyeroom.

Notes: A review session that is conducted after the final rehearsal for soap operas, situation comedies, and dramatic programs in which the director, performers, and crew make suggestions for final changes in the program.

NTSC (National Television System Committee) Standard: Early technical standard for U.S. television line and frame scanning rates, as well as the system for television color.

Ohm (Ω): A measure of electrical resistance.

Omnidirectional: A microphone pickup pattern that is sensitive to sound coming in from all directions.

Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Screen: Display screens that produce a higher quality image than traditional LEDs, and are also thinner and lighter.

180-Degree Rule: See Principal Action Axis.

1-Shot, 2-Shot, 3-Shot: Refers to the number of people who appear in the shot.

On Line: (1) In video editing, refers to editing the final version of the program or program segment, usually on a high-quality editing system. (2) When using a video switcher, refers to the source that is going out as part of the program that is being broadcast or recorded.

Operating Light Level: The amount of light, measured in foot-candles, which a camera needs to produce a picture. The optimum light level is the recommended amount; the minimum light level is the smallest amount of light the camera must have but usually results in an inferior picture.

Optical Disc: Audio, video, or data storage and playback systems that encode the data on a small plastic disc with the use of a laser, such as compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs). And Blu-ray discs.

Optical Video Transducer: In a video camera, the CCD or CMOS image sensor that changes incoming light into an electrical video signal.

Overlay Edit: In nonlinear editing systems, a shot that is used to replace and/or cover up a shot of similar length in the timeline.

Over-the-Shoulder Shot (O/S): A camera shot, usually of two people. The person in the foreground has his or her back to the camera; the second person is slightly in the background and faces the camera.

Page Pull or Page Push: A digital video effect in which the picture appears to be pushed or pulled off the screen.

Page Turn: A digital video effect in which the picture appears to turn like the page of a book, revealing a new picture (or page).

Pan: Horizontal movement of the camera head only. Short for “panorama.”

Pan Handle: A metal handle attached to a camera tripod or pedestal that is used to control the panning and tilting action of the camera.

Pan Pot: A control on an audio mixer that determines how loud a sound will be in the left and right audio channels.

Parabolic Floodlight: An open-faced lighting instrument that uses a brushed metal parabolic reflector to produce a wide beam of soft, diffuse light.

Patching: Connecting audio and video inputs and outputs with a cable.

Peak Program Meter (PPM): An audio meter that monitors loudness peaks in an audio signal.

Pedestal: (1) A large three-wheeled camera support that is often used in studio production. (2) Black level; control over the reproduction of the deepest shades of black reproduced by the camera. Usually set at 7.5% on the waveform monitor.

Perceptual Coding: An algorithm (process) used to encode (compress) an audio signal by removing information not detectable or perceivable by the human ear in a given context. It is based on psychoacoustic models.

Phantom Power: Power supplied to a condenser microphone from an external source (e.g., an audio mixer) rather than an internal battery.

Phone Connector: A large, unbalanced single-pin plug that is used as a headphone or microphone connector.

Pickup Pattern: The pattern of directions in which a microphone is sensitive to incoming sound.

Pistol Grip: A small handle attached to a shotgun microphone.

Pitch: The high or low tonal quality of a particular sound. Results from differences in the frequency of sound waves.

Pixels: Literally “picture elements.” Extremely small silicon semiconductors arranged in precise horizontal and vertical rows on a CCD or CMOS chip that change incoming light into electrical energy.

Plasma Display Panel (PDP): A high-quality flat screen television/video display.

Postproduction: The stage of production after field production is complete. The principal component is usually editing.

Potentiometer (Pot): Used to increase or decrease the gain amplification of an electronic signal.

Preinterview: An interview with the potential subject of a program or program segment that takes place before the actual production date. Used to gain familiarity with the subject and to put novice subjects at ease before they appear on camera.

Preproduction: Production planning before the production begins.

Preset Bus: See preview bus.

Preview Bus: A row of buttons on a video switcher that is connected to the control room preview monitor. On multifunction switchers, it is called the preset bus.

Preview Monitor: A control room video monitor that is used to set up special effects and camera shots and view them before they go out on line as part of the program.

Prime Lens: A fixed focal length lens.

Principal Action Axis: In staging for continuity, the camera stays within an imaginary 180-degree semicircle created by the line formed by the principal action in a scene and thus stays on one side of the action. Also called the principal vector line or the 180-degree rule.

Principal Vector Line: See Principal Action Axis.

Prism Block: A glass prism in high-quality video cameras that breaks incoming light into its red, green, and blue components.

Private Line (PL): A headset communication system linking the director and production crew.

Producer: The member of the production team who is responsible for the overall organization of a production. May also be called the showrunner.

Production: (1) The shooting stage of the video production process. See also Preproduction and Postproduction. (2) The video program itself.

Production Assistant (PA): The member of the field production team who serves as a general assistant. Often has responsibility for setting up audio, helping with lighting, carrying equipment, and logging tapes.

Production Switcher: See Video Switcher.

Professional/Broadcast Equipment: Very high-quality audio and video equipment that is designed for professional production applications.

Program Bus: A row of buttons that controls the line output of the video switcher.

Program Monitor: A control room video monitor that displays the image that is being recorded or broadcast.

Progressive Download: A media file to be delivered over a specific network’s bandwidth is placed on a regular Web server and is accessed by clicking on a provided hyperlink. Similar to the video on demand; however, the file does not have to be downloaded completely before viewing.

Progressive Scanning: Scanning each of the lines in the video frame in successive order. Scanning begins at the top of the frame and continues to the bottom. Differs from interlaced scanning.

Properties (Props): Items on the set such as furniture and plants. Small items that may be picked up and used by the performers are called hand props.

Proximity Effect: A microphone effect that is characterized by increased sensitivity to low frequencies of sound sources close to the microphone.

Public Service Announcement (PSA): In the United States a public service announcement (PSA) is defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as “any announcement (including network) for which no charge is made and which promotes programs, activities, or services of federal, state, or local governments (e.g., recruiting, sale of bonds, etc.) or the programs, activities, or services of nonprofit organizations (e.g., United Way, Red Cross blood donations, etc.) and other announcements regarded as serving community interests, excluding time signals, routine weather announcements and promotional announcements” (see Note 1 in Chapter 9 for full citation material).

Quantizing: The process of sampling an analog waveform and converting it into digital information. Also called quantization.

Question Re-Ask: A technique that is frequently used in single-camera production; questions asked by an interviewer are recorded after the interview has been completed.

Quick-Release Plate: A mounting system that is used on a camcorder and tripod head to allow for fast mounting and release of the camcorder on the tripod.

Radio Frequency (RF): The range of electromagnetic frequencies used to transmit broadcast or cablecast signals. Different frequencies correspond with different channels of reception.

Radio Microphone: See wireless microphone.

Raster: The arrangement of the lines and pixels that form the video image. There are two raster dimensions for HDTV images: 1080 x 1920, and 720 x 1280, where the first number represents the number of lines and the second number the number of pixels.

RCA/Phono Connector: A small unbalanced audio connector often used for line-level audio inputs and outputs. Also used as a video connector in home video equipment.

Reaction Shot: A cut, usually to a close-up of a person, that shows a reaction to what was just seen or said.

Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP): Live streaming of media files from a dedicated server to the user’s computer.

Receiver: A television that is capable of picking up an RF-modulated video signal.

Record-Run: The operating mode of a time code generator in which time code is produced only when the video recorder is in the record mode.

Record Safety Lock: A small switch that is built into SD memory cards to prevent accidental erasure of the media.

Reflected Light: The light reaching the camera from the scene.

Reflector: Any opaque substance, usually bright metal or treated fabric, designed to redirect light back onto a scene.

Remote Production: Any video production that takes place outside a studio. It may be as simple as a single-camera production or as complicated as large-scale multicamera coverage of a sports event.

Rendering: A time-consuming process through which a computer creates special effects, transitions, and animation frame by frame or, in some cases, field by field.

Replace Edit: In a nonlinear editing system, an existing clip in the timeline is replaced with a new clip.

Resolution: A measure of the amount of detail in a picture.

Reverse Angle: A complementary angle used when videorecording people so that their eyelines converge when the individual shots are edited together.

Reverse Over-the-Shoulder Shot (RO/S): A shot from the opposite side of the over-the-shoulder shot that preceded it.

RGB Signal: Red, green, and blue video signals.

Ribbon Microphone: A high-quality voice microphone that was designed originally for use in radio. Also called a velocity microphone.

Riser: A low platform that is used to raise the set so that the cameras are at the performers’ eye level. Widely used on news and interview sets when the performers are seated.

Robotic Camera System: A computer-controlled camera system that eliminates the need for individual camera operators. Can provide control of camera pan, tilt, focus, and zoom functions. Advanced systems also control camera movements along the studio floor.

Room Tone: Ambient sound that is present on location. Sometimes recorded and dubbed back onto an audio track during editing to preserve sound continuity.

Rough Cut: A preliminary edited version of a program.

Rule of Thirds: A compositional rule stating that the screen can be divided into three equal parts both horizontally and vertically. The four points of intersection located one-third of the distance from the four corners of the frame become the optimal location for objects and people of importance to the story.

Rundown or Rundown Sheet: An outline of the principal segments in a program, including each segment’s length, subject, and technical requirements.

Run-Through: Rehearsal of a program before the final production, involving all the performers and the technical crew.

Safe Title Area: The essential area; the central, usable area of the video screen where titles and graphics should be placed to be legible.

Sampling: See Quantizing.

Sampling Rate: In audio and video recording, describes how often the elements of the analog signal are converted into packets of digital information. See Quantizing.

Saturation: The intensity or vividness of a color. For example, pink is a lightly saturated red, whereas deep red is highly saturated.

Scrim: A type of light diffuser that is used to reduce the amount of light and make it softer.

Script Format: Describes the layout and presentational style of a television script. Examples include the single-column standard screenplay format or film-style script and multiple-column (two-column) audio/video script format. See also Storyboard.

Search Dial: A circular control on a video recorder that is used to move forward or backward through the recorded media clips at various speeds.

Segue: Pronounced “seg-way.” A transition from one sound to another, in which the first sound fades out completely before the second sound fades in. There is no overlap of the two sounds.

Selective Focus: The technique of keeping some parts of the picture in focus while others are out of focus.

Set: Abbreviation for “setting.” Real or virtual elements, such as desks, chairs, and walls in a studio or field production environment.

Shock Mount: A rubber cradle that is used to attach a shotgun microphone to a boom and insulate it from noise.

Shotgun Microphone: Microphone with an extremely directional pickup pattern, often used to pick up sound at a distance.

Shoulder Mount: A contoured brace that is attached to the bottom of a portable video camera. It allows the camera to be carried on the camera operator’s shoulder.

Showrunner: Another term used to describe the producer in series television production. This term particularly applies when the producer has overall creative control of the program in addition to the managerial responsibilities for day-to-day production.

Silk: A giant cloth diffuser that is used to control light intensity and color temperature in outdoor productions.

Single-Camera Production: Use of a single camera to record program material. Almost always indicates that the final program will be assembled with postproduction editing. See Electronic News Gathering (ENG) and Electronic Field Production (EFP).

Slate: Audio or video information that is used to identify the material that will immediately follow on a video recording.

Slide Fader: Control on an audio mixer that increases or decreases the amplification of the signal when it is pushed up or down.

SMPTE Time Code: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers time code. A binary electronic signal that is recorded with the video information on a memory card. Identifies each frame in terms of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames; aids in editing.

Snow: Visible noise in a video picture that is often caused by excessively increasing the gain.

Soft Light: A floodlight that produces a bright, shadow-free light.

Software: A computer program that contains a set of commands that allow a computer to perform various tasks, such as word processing or video graphics generation. Contrast with video equipment, which is called hardware.

Sound: (1) A pattern in the vibration or movement of molecules of air. (2) Any aural component of a program that is intentionally present.

Sound Bite: (1) Voice segment of the subject of an interview. (2) A sound-on-tape (video and audio) segment of a person speaking on camera. (3) Any sound-on-tape or voice-over use of an individual’s voice in an edited program.

Sound Effects (SFX): Prerecorded or live sounds that are added to a production, often to reinforce the visuals or to convey a sense of place.

Sound Engineer: The production team member who is responsible for coordinating audio elements of a program, setting up microphones, and operating the audio mixing console; also called the audio engineer.

Sound Layering: Manipulating recorded sound to place it in the foreground, in the background, or in between. This layering effect is achieved by manipulating the volume of various sound elements during the editing process.

Sound on Tape (SOT): Picture and synchronous sound recorded onto video media. Still referred to as sound on tape even though tape is no longer used as the recording medium.

Sound Perspective: Matching loud sound with close objects and quiet sound with far-away objects so that sound and picture seem to be the same distance away.

Source VCR: In a linear editing system, the playback VCR.

Spatial Continuity: Maintaining the spatial relationship between performers and objects in a scene while editing.

Split Screen: A special effect in which two images are displayed simultaneously on the television screen. Usually activated by stopping a horizontal wipe at the halfway point.

Spotlight: A lighting instrument that produces a narrow beam of hard, focused light. May have a variable or fixed beam.

Spreader: A device that is attached to the legs of a tripod to hold the legs firmly in place.

Standard Definition Television (SDTV): Video pictures with 480 active scanning lines in either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio.

Standby Switch: A switch found on many video cameras that reduces the camera’s power consumption. Allows the camera electronics and image sensor to warm-up but does not cause the image sensor to produce an image.

Stand-up: A live or recorded segment in which the reporter is seen on camera and talks directly into the camera. Commonly used in electronic news gathering.

Steadicam®: A gyroscopically controlled camera-mounting system that allows a camera operator to carry a camera and achieve extremely smooth camera movement. Registered trademark of The Tiffin Company.

Stereo: Dual channel (left/right) stereophonic sound.

Sticks: A wooden tripod.

Storyboard: A script that contains illustrations of the principal visual elements of a production.

Story Outline Script: A script format that is used for magazine-style production. Often includes a description of the story, a list of locations to be used, essential visual material to be recorded at the various locations, and the names of individuals who will appear in interview segments.

Streaming Media: Delivery of video, graphics, voice, text, and/or data over the Internet in small packets that “stream” for immediate real-time viewing or listening.

Stripe Filter: A color separation device that is found on the face of the image sensor in single-CCD and CMOS cameras. Breaks incoming light into its red, blue, green, and components.

Studio Viewfinder: A large viewfinder that is mounted on top of a video studio camera.

Style: A concept that in terms of graphics relates to the way graphics are presented in the screen. They can be realistic, expressive, or abstract depending on the look and feel of the program or segment.

Subtractive Color: A color theory that is concerned with mixing pigments, paints, and dyes. Subtractive primary colors are magenta, cyan, and yellow.

Summative Evaluation: Assessment done when the production is completed to see if the program objectives have been accomplished.

Supercardioid: A very directional microphone pickup pattern that is sensitive to sound in a very narrow angle in front of the microphone. Characteristic of shotgun microphones.

Superimposition: A special effect in which two video sources are combined through the use of a video switcher. Both sources appear on the screen simultaneously and are somewhat transparent because neither is at full strength. Formerly used to superimpose titles; most title graphics are now keyed over the background video.

S-Video Connector: A legacy video input/output connection on monitors and VCRs that was used in analog video systems in which luminance (Y) and chrominance (C) signals are processed separately.

Sync Generator: A device that generates horizontal and vertical sync pulses. Typically used when several cameras are used simultaneously in conjunction with a video switcher; it synchronizes them with all the other equipment that is used in the production.

Sync Pulse: The synchronizing signal that controls the scanning of individual lines of information (horizontal sync) and individual fields of video information (vertical sync).

Synopsis: A short summary of a television program or story idea.

Table Reading: A rehearsal technique in which performers, producers, writers, and director read through the script before production.

Talent Release: A standard agreement that is signed by an individual who appears in a video production. Gives the program producer or production agency permission to use the subject’s image and/or voice.

Talkback System: A microphone and loudspeaker system that allows the control room director’s voice to be heard in the studio.

Talent: A performer in a video production.

Tape Format: See Videotape Format.

Target Object: The end point of an eyeline; the object or person at which someone is looking.

Technical Director (TD): The production team member who operates the video switcher.

Technical Elements: Principles of video equipment operation; understanding how the components of the video production system function and interrelate.

Telecine: A special television camera and film projector that is used to transfer film to video by converting the 24-frames-per-second film projection standard to the 30-frames-per-second video standard.

Telephoto Lens: A lens with a long focal length and a narrow angle of view. Magnifies a scene by making distant objects appear to be large and close.

Television: The traditional term that is used to describe a system of broadcast stations and networks that produce and distribute video programs. Literally means to “see at a distance.”

Television/Video Studio: Controlled environment designed for video production.

Theme Music: Music that is used at the beginning and end of a program to cue the viewer to the upcoming program and to set an appropriate mood.

3Play: A turnkey sports video production solution that integrates multicamera capture, instant replay, high-quality slow motion, and high-end visuals.

Three-Point Lighting: A traditional lighting technique that utilizes a key light to establish the form, a back light to separate the object from its background, and a fill light (or lights) to reduce the intensity of the shadows created by the key.

Thunderbolt: A small connector developed by Apple and Intel to connect various devices.

Tight Close-Up (TCU): Very close framing of the subject. See Extreme Close-Up (ECU).

Tilt: Vertical (up-and-down) movement of the camera head similar to the movement of the head when a person looks up or down.

Time Code: See SMPTE Time Code.

Time Code Generator: An electronic component that produces time code.

Time Code Reader: Displays time code as a visual digital readout in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames.

Timed Cut: An editing technique in which shot length is determined by time rather than by content. A cut, or a series of cuts, each of a certain duration.

Timeline: A graphical linear representation of a program in a nonlinear editing system.

Tone Generator: An audio oscillator that generates an electronic tone that is used to set the levels on audio equipment.

Track: (1) An area of video, audio, or graphics information in the timeline of a nonlinear editing system. (2) Recorded music, voice, or sound effects.

Tracking Shot: A moving camera effect that is typically created by rolling a wheeled camera dolly, often mounted on a set of rigid tracks, in front of the scene being photographed.

Treatment: A brief, narrative description of a program that describes the basic program design and provides an outline of the major components of the program.

Trim: To add or subtract frames to or from an edit point after it has been entered into the control unit.

Trim Control: (1) The potentiometer on an audio mixer that is used to boost the level of an incoming microphone signal. (2) The control in a linear or nonlinear editing system that is used to add or subtract frames to/from a shot at its edit point.

Tripod: A three-legged device that is used to support a camera. Tripods contain legs (which may telescope) and a head (where the camera is attached) and may include wheels (a dolly) to allow easy movement. Also called sticks.

Truck (Left or Right): Horizontal movement of the camera and its support in front of a scene. Also called tracking.

Tungsten Halogen Lamp: A lighting instrument in which a quartz bulb is filled with halogen. The filament is tungsten. These bulbs burn at a constant color temperature of 3,200°K.

2/3 x 1/3 Rule: Technique used to determine the position of the camera, interviewer, and subject in single-camera on-site interviews. The camera is twice as far from the subject as the subject is from the immediate background.

Umbrella: A special fabric device that is used to soften and diffuse the quality of light produced by open-faced spotlights and floodlights.

Unbalanced Line: An inexpensive two-wire audio cable or connector that is widely used on portable audio and video equipment; susceptible to electrical and RF interference.

Unidirectional: A very narrow microphone pickup pattern, typical of shotgun microphones. See also Cardioid and Supercardioid.

Unity: The principle of graphic material design in which all materials act together in support of the major theme or purpose of the program.

VCR: See Videocassette Recorder (VCR).

Vectorscope: A special oscilloscope that is used to monitor the color video signal.

Video: The picture portion of the television signal; an electronic signal that is used to record or transmit television images.

Video Black: A black video signal.

Videocassette: A videotape that has been packaged in a plastic cassette housing The tape moves from the feed reel to the take-up reel inside the cassette when playing or recording. Cassette systems are self-threading, eliminating the need to manually thread the tape around the record and playback heads.

Videocassette Recorder (VCR): A videotape recorder that records the video and audio signals onto a videocassette.

Video Editor: The member of the video production team who is responsible for editing the field video footage into its finished form.

Video Engineer: The production team member who has principal responsibility for the technical integrity of the video signal and the look of the pictures the cameras are producing, accomplished by camera shading.

Video Field Production: Video production that takes place in a location outside a television/video production studio. Usually refers to single-camera productions that are shot to be edited in postproduction.

Videographer: In video field production, the camera operator. Also called the shooter.

Video on Demand (VOD): A form of interactive television in which video material is delivered to an individual viewer in response to the viewer’s request to receive that material.

Video Recorder (VR): A video recording device that records audio and video to some form of digital storage medium, typically a flash memory card.

Video Recorder (VR) Operator: The production team member who has responsibility for operating the video recorder.

Video Server: A computer equipped with a hard disk storage system that is used to record and play back video, often in a configuration in which it is connected to other computer workstations.

Video Shading: Adjustment of the picture and color quality of a video camera.

Video Signal: An unmodulated electrical signal containing the synchronizing and picture information that forms the video picture.

Video Switcher: A production device that allows several video sources to be mixed and manipulated. Used to perform dissolves, wipes, and other special effects.

Videotape: Oxide- or metal-particle-coated plastic (polyester or mylar) that is used to record video and audio signals.

Videotape Format: Describes differences in the width and physical configuration of a videotape; the location of audio, video, control track, and time code information on the tape; and the type of recording process employed. Popular videotape formats included Hi8/Digital8, VHS/S-VHS, DV/DVCAM/DVCPRO, and Betacam SP and Digital Betacam. All are mostly obsolete today.

Viewfinder: A small video monitor that is attached to the camera. Used by the camera operator to frame the scene being shot. See also Eyepiece Viewfinder, Studio Viewfinder, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Viewfinder.

Virtual Set: An electronically generated image of a scene that is used instead of an actual setting as the background for a subject.

Voice-Over (VO): Narration that is delivered from off camera. The voice of the narrator is heard over background visuals, but the narrator is not seen.

Volume: The relative intensity or loudness of sound.

Volume Unit (VU) Meter: A meter indicating audio levels in a standard calibration of signal strength.

VR: See Video Recorder (VR).

VR Trigger: The button on camcorder lens assembly that stops and starts the camcorder recording process.

Walk-Through: The rehearsal stage in which the physical movements of the talent and cameras are set.

Watt: A unit of electrical power. One watt = one joule per second.

Waveform: The form of a video signal when it is displayed on a waveform monitor, a special oscilloscope that is designed to display the video signal.

Waveform Monitor: A special oscilloscope designed to display the level or brightness values of the video signal.

Webcasting: Live streaming of audio, video, text, and graphics files over the Internet.

White Balance: Adjustment of the relative intensity of the chrominance channels in a color video camera to allow the camera to produce an accurate white picture in the light that is available on location. Compensates for differences in the color temperature of light.

Wide-Angle Lens: A lens with a short focal length and a wide angle of view.

Window Dub: A copy of a video program that includes the time code display in a black box, or window, keyed into the picture information.

Window Size: The number of pixels per line and lines per frame in a computer or video image. HDTV window size is 1920 pixels × 1080 lines or 1280 pixels × 720 lines. NTSC window size is 640 × 480. Video transmitted on the Web may use a half-screen window, a quarter-screen window, or other variants.

Windscreen: A foam cover that is placed over a microphone to eliminate wind noise. Also called a wind filter.

Wipe: A transition in which one screen image is replaced by another. The second image cuts a preselected hard- or soft-edged pattern (such as a circle, square, diagonal, or diamond) into the frame as the transition takes place. Accomplished with the use of a video switcher or special effects software.

Wired Microphone: Any microphone that is connected to an input via a cable.

Wireless Microphone: A microphone that sends its signal to a receiver via RF transmission rather than through a cable. Also called a radio microphone.

XDCAM: A professional optical disc recording system manufactured by Sony.

XLR Connector: A three-pin connector that is used on professional-quality equipment for audio inputs and outputs.

Z-Axis: The dimension toward and away from the camera; the imaginary line from the camera passing through the object. Movement to the left or right side of the screen is x-axis movement; movement up or down in the frame is y-axis movement.

Zebra-Stripe: A type of camera viewfinder video level indicator.

Zoom: Apparent motion created by moving the lens elements in or out. Brings the scene closer to, or moves it farther away from, the viewer.

Zoom Lens: A variable-focal-length lens.

Zoom Ratio: The ratio of the wide-angle and narrow-angle focal lengths on a zoom lens. A zoom lens with a wide-angle focal length of 8 mm and a narrow-angle focal length of 160 mm has a zoom ratio of 20:1. Also called zoom range.

Zoom Ring: A device that controls the focal length adjustment on a zoom lens. May be automatic or manual.