Use This Video Vocabulary List
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 @ 09:18 AM
If your company has decided to create video, and you've begun talking to 
videographers and video production companies, you may feel as though they're speaking a foreign language. Here's a quick list of video production terms (in no particular order) so you can sound like a pro and avoid miscommunication.
Shoot (noun) The event that centers around someone using a video camera to create raw digital media. (as in, We need to schedule the shoot.)
Shoot (verb) The act of using a camera to capture video. (as in, We'll need to shoot the machine in action.)
Shooter A camera operator.
Shot Video of one single scene.
Shot list A list of shots that will be required to create your final video. The shot list is generally created after the script is developed.
Script While you might assume that a script is only necessary for dialogue, that assumption is incorrect. ALL videos need some kind of script - because the script is the plan that helps your production team acquire all the necessary video shots to create the final video.
Standard def (SD) Video is made up of individual frames. For standard definition video, the frame size is much smaller and there are far fewer pixels than in high definition (HD) video. As a result, the visual quality of SD video is lower than HD video.
High def (HD) Video shot in a high-definition format, which means that the frame size is larger than SD, and each frame holds much more digital information. As a result, picture quality is much higher than SD video. High def is a general term that can describe different frame sizes, so it's important to understand that some HD video can be higher-definition than other HD video. Generally, HD video is of excellent quality and looks great no matter where it's shown - on the web, on a dvd, projected on a screen. In today's world, HD video has become a production standard.
Audio (noun) Refers to the sound that will be captured on videotape. Audio can be captured either with the camera's microphone or an auxiliary microphone. To get good sound quality, an auxiliary mic is a must.
Mic (say it ‘mike') An abbreviation for microphone
Lavalier or lapel mic A small microphone that clips on your lapel, usually wireless
- or without a wire connecting it to the camera.
Shotgun mic A long, skinny microphone, sometimes attached to a camera and sometimes attached to the end of a pole.
Green screen a bright green fabric that is hung behind a person being interviewed. The green background allows an editor to insert a particular background or create special effects.
While there are lots more technical terms, these are the basics and will help you understand what's being talked about when you're speaking to a videographer or production company. Let us know if you're hearing other technical terms, and we'll update the list.
And - if you're looking for video production in the Boston area, take a look at our work to see if we're a good fit for what you're looking to do.