Chapter 1 Flashcards
Production
The actual shooting of a film after preproduction and before postproduction
Credits
A list of all the personnel involved in making a film production, including cast, crew, and executives
Executive Producer
A producer who finances or facilitates a film deal and who usually has little creative or technical involvement
Above-the-line expenses
A film’s initial costs of contracting the major personnel (directors and stars) as well administrative and organizational expenses in setting up a film production
Agent
An individual who represents actors, directors, writers, and other major personnel employed by a film production by contracting and negotiating with writers, casting directors, and producers
Art Director
The individual responsible for supervising the conception and construction of the physical environment in which the actors appear, including sets, locations, props, and costumes
Auteur
French term for “author”; the individual credited with the creative vision defining a film; implies a director who unique style is apparent across their body of work
Below-the-line expenses
The technical and material costs (costumes, sets, transportation, and so on) involved in the actual making of the film
Casting Director
The individual responsible for identifying and selecting which actors would work best in particular roles
Costume Designer
An individual who plans and prepares how actors will be dressed for parts
Director
The chief creative presence or the primary manager in film production, responsible for overseeing virtually all the work of making a movie
Film Shoot
The weeks of months of actual shooting, on set or on location
Line Producer
The individual in charge of the daily business of tracking costs and maintaining the production schedule of a film
Narrative
A story with a particular plot and point of view told by a narrator or conveyed by a narration all point of view
Location Scout
Individual who determines and secures places that provide the most suitable environment for shooting different movie scenes
Preproduction
The phase when a film project is in development, involving preparing the script, financing the project, casting, hiring crew, and securing locations
Producer
The person who oversees each step of a film project, especially the financial aspects, from development to postproduction and a distribution deal
Postproduction
The period in the filmmaking process that occurs after principal photography has been completed; usually consists of editing, sound, and visual-effects work
Production Values
An evaluative term about the quality of the film images and sounds that reflects the investment expenses
Production Designer
The person in charge of the film’s overall look
Principal Photography
The majority of footage filmed for a project during the shoot
Package-unit approach
An approach in film production established in the mid-1950s whereby the agent, producer, and casting director assembled a script, stars, and other major personnel as a key first step in a major production
Screenwriter
A writer of a film’s screenplay; also called scriptwriter. The screenwriter may begin with an original treatment and develop the plot structure and dialogue over the span of several versions
Screenplay
The text from which a movie is made, including dialogue and information about action, settings, shots, and transitions; developed from a treatment; also known as a script
Script Doctor
An uncredited individual called in to do rewrites on a screenplay
Set Decorator
The member of the art department who places props and furnishing on set
Studio System
The industrial practices of the large production companies responsible for filmmaking in Hollywood or others. During the Hollywood studio era from 1920s-1950s, five major studios were MGM, Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros.
Treatment
A short prose description of the action of a film and major characters written before the screenplay or script
Unit Production Manager
A member of a film’s production team responsible for reporting and managing the details of receipts and purchases
Take
A single filmed version of a scene during production or a single shot onscreen
Ancillary Market
A venue other than a theatrical release in which a film can make money, such as foreign sales, airlines, DVD, or on demand
Block Booking
A practice in which movie theatres had to exhibit whatever a studio/distributor packaged with its more popular and desirable movies; declared unfair business practice in 1948
Camera Operator
A member of the film crew in charge of physically manipulating the camera, overseen by the cinematographer
Cinematographer
The member of the film crew who selects the cameras, film stock, lighting, and lenses to be used as well as the camera setup or position; also known as director of photography
Computer-generated Imagery (CGI)
Still or animated images created through digital computer technology. First introduced in the 1970s, CGI was used to create feature-length films by the mid 90s and is widely used for visual effects
Dailies
The footage shot on a single day of filming
Distribution
The means through which a distributor delivers movies to theatres, video stores, TV & internet networks, and other venues
Distributor
A company or agency that acquires the rights to a movie from the filmmakers or producers and makes the movie available to audiences by renting, selling, or licensing it to theatres or other exhibition outlets
Editing
The process of selecting and joining film footage and shots into a finished film with a distinctive style and rhythm. Individual responsible for this is the editor.
Exclusive Release
A movie that premieres in restricted locations initially
Feature Film
Running typically 90-120 minutes in length, a narrative film that is the primary attraction for audiences
Grip
A crew member who installs lighting and dollies
Green-screen Technology
A technique for creating visual effects in which actors, objects, or figures are filmed in front of a green screen and later superimposed onto a computer-generated or filmed background
First-run Theater
A theatre that shows recently released movies
Limited Release
The practice of initially distributing a film only to major cities and expanding distribution according to its success or failures
Motion-capture Technology
A visual-effects technology used to incorporate an actor’s movements into those of a computer-generated character
Production Sound Mixer
The sound engineer on the production set
Premiere
A red carpet event celebrating the opening night of a film
Piracy
The unauthorized duplication and circulation of copyrighted material
Platforming
The distribution strategy of releasing a film in gradually widening markets to build its reputation through reviews and word of mouth
Selects
The director’s chosen takes to use in editing a scene
Sound Editing
Combining music, dialogue, and effects tracks to interact with the image track; performed by sound editor
Sound Mixing
The process by which all the elements of the soundtrack, including music, effects, and dialogue, are combined and adjusted to their final levels
Saturation Booking
The distribution strategy of releasing a film simultaneously in as many locations as possible, widely implemented with the advent of the blockbuster in the 70s
Special Effects
Techniques that enhance a film’s realism or surpass realism with spectacle. They may be prepared in preproduction (building futuristic sets), generated in production (camera filters or setups), on set (pyrotechnics), or added in postproduction
Wide Release
The premiere of a movie at many locations simultaneously
Visual Effects (VFX)
Special effects created in postproduction through digital imaging
Video on Demand (VOD)
The distribution of films through cable or online services that allow consumers to purchase and view movies on computers and home video screens
Viral Marketing
The process of advertising that relies on existing social networks to spread a marketing message by word of mouth, electronic messaging, or other means
Theatrical Release Window
The period of time before a film’s availability on home video, video on demand, or TV platforms, during which it plays in movie theatres
Tie-ins
Ancillary products (T-shirts, CD’s, toys, etc.) made available at stores and restaurants that advertise and promote the movie
Trailer
A form of promotional advertising that previews edited images and scenes from a film in theatres before the main feature film or on a television commercial or website
Reception
The process through which an individual viewers or groups make sense of a film
Marketing
The process of identifying an audience and bringing a product such as a movie to its attention for consumption
Media Convergence
The process by which formerly distinct media (cinema, TV, internet) and viewing platforms (TV, computers, cellphones) become interdependent
Movies Palaces
Lavish movie theatres built between 1920s-40s with ornate architecture and sumptuous seating for thousands
Multiplex
A movie theatre complex with multiple screens. Initially found in suburbs and connected to malls, they are not common in cities.
Nickelodeons
Storefront theatres and arcade spaces where short films were shown continuously for 5c admission to audiences passing in and out. Prominent until rise of the feature film in 1910s
A Picture
A feature film with a large budget and prestigious source material or actors that has been historically promoted as a main attraction receiving top billing in a double feature
Blaxploitation
A genre of low-budget films made in the early 1970s targeting urban, African American audiences and featuring streetwise African American protagonists. Several black directors made a creative mark in a genre that was primarily intended to make money for its producers
Blockbuster
A big-budget film, intended for wide release, whose large investment in stars, special effects, and advertising attracts large audiences and big profits
B Picture
A low-budget, non-prestigious movie that usually played on the bottom half of a double bill. B pictures were often produced by the smaller studios referred to as Hollywood’s Poverty Row.
Art Film
A film produced primarily for aesthetic rather than commercial or entertainment purposes, whose intellectual or formal challenges are often attributed to the vision of the auteur
Day-and-date Release
A simultaneous release strategy across different media and venues, such as a theatrical release and a DVD release
Exhibition
The part of the film industry that shows films to a paying public, usually in theatres.
Exhibitor
The owner of individual theatres or chains who make decisions about programming and local promotion
Italian Neorealism
A film movement that began in Italy during WWII and lasted until approx. 1952, depicting everyday social realities using location shooting and amateur actors, in opposition to glossy studio formulas.
Promotion
The aspect of the movie industry through which audiences are exposed to and encouraged to see a particular film. Promotion includes advertisements, trailers, publicity appearances, and product tie-ins.
Star System
The practice of a studio system or a national film industry of promoting films and organizing audience expectation through the casting and cultivation of distinctive and well-known performers
