Post Production Flashcards
Frame rate for NTSC colour video
29.97 fps
USA colour video rate
59.94 fields per second
CRT meaning
Cathode Ray Tube
PAL video frame rate
25 fps
Film’s width to height ratio is called
Aspect Ratio
4:3 is also known as
1.33:1
What does ‘i’ stand for in 480i?
Interlaced or Interleaved
What does ‘p’ stand for in 480p?
Progressive
‘High Definition’ is used to describe video quality ____ and higher
1280x720
Wordclocks clock sample rate. What do black burst and tri-level sync clock?
Frame rates
Black burst & tri-level sync
Video references because they are well-clocked analogue video signals
Luminance
Varying brightness of the screen of the CRT and is determined by amount of voltage sent to the electron gun
Vertical retrace
0V dropout rate signals that are the clocking pulses for video that happen at 29.97 fps or 59.94 fields per second
How is tri-level sync more accurate than black burst?
It adds one voltage level to the black + retrace equation
Sync word
Identical information message that lets the synchroniser know ‘you have reached the end of the frame, start reading the next,’ similar to a period at the end of a sentence
Synchroniser
A device that reads the timecode playing from two or more tape machines, compares the codes, and adjusts the machines’ tape positions and speeds to match them
Cables affect on clocking
No matter how good your clock source, the cable used can greatly affect its timing
Cable normally used for clocking
75Ω coaxial cable
T-connectors are used for
Parallel distribution; connecting devices to function like a parallel circuit
Serial clock distribution
Uses the ‘thru’ port and connects devices in series
Signal degradation
As signal is passed from one device to another, quality can degrade further down the chain
Clock Skew
In some cases, signal may not split directly from the input to the output, and may first go thru additional circuitry - and this can cause small delay to the output signal. As this happens from device to device, the clock edge may become progressively misaligned, potentially introducing clocking errors
Audio arriving ____ ms early is within noticeable threshold of ‘subconscious disturbance’
20 - 40 ms
Subconscious disturbance
The point at which the audience notices audio out of sync
Tri-level sync is a _______ reference
Pace
Blackburst is a ______ reference
Speed
Timecode is a _______ reference
Position
Wordclock is used to control ______
Audio sample rate
What must be used on the last device in the chain when configuring a serial or parallel clock distribution?
A terminator
Dialogue (DX)
Recordings of voices. Humans, robots, cats, anything with a voice is dialogue, including breathing, laughing, coughing, and other sounds related to the mouth
Music (MX)
Used to guide the viewer’s experience throughout the film. In some cases, music is chosen and licensed, while in others, original music is written and performed in sync with picture
Sound Effects (SFX)
Almost everything that isn’t dialogue or music is likely to be considered a sound effect: explosions, laser blasts, background sounds like wind through a field, urban streets in a city. These sounds are either purchased and licensed or captured during field recording or sound design.
Foley
AKA. Sync Effect Acting: the process of performing sound effects in sync with, and while watching the picture, and recording them to be used in the soundtrack. Footsteps, clothing rustles, typing, and other sounds with specific timing and velocity
The biggest difference between SFX and Foley
Foley is performed and recorded in sync with picture, while SFX are gathered/created and edited after the fact
2-Pop
A 1kHz tone, one frame in duration which occurs in the audio track, coinciding with visual cue in the picture.
What is 2-Pop used for?
It is used to create a sync point between the sound mix delivered as audio-only, and the picture itself.
When does 2-Pop typically occur?
It usually occurs two seconds prior to picture start, thus the name 2-Pop
Flash frame
The visual sync point that 2-Pop aligns with, which is one frame of white screen followed by two full seconds of black screen
3:2 Pull Down
When converting 24 fps to interlaced 29.97 fps, each odd frame of film is copied to two video fields, while each even frame is copied to three video fields. This produces 60 fields of video (30 frames) from 24 film frames
AAF
Advanced Authoring Format
What is AAF
Originally designed to be an alternative to OMF, it is a universal file format used to transfer projects between different DAWs and NLEs
What does AAF store?
File track names, clip definitions and references to media files, volume, panning automation, and clip gain.
ADR
Alternative Dialogue Recording
or
Automated Dialogue Replacement
What is ADR?
The process of recording dialogue while lip-syncing with previously recorded video. It is used to replace problematic (noisy, roomy, distorted, etc.) production sound recordings, or to introduce new dialogue that didn’t exist during the original shoot
ADR Stage
Studio designed specifically for recording ADR and are acoustically treated to be very dead and free of reverberations or resonances
Aspect Ratio
Width-to-height ratio of an image, motion picture, or screen
What does aspect ratio affect when scaling up or down?
Program material can be scaled to different resolutions without stretching or distorting the image
Ex. 1920x1080 res can scale perfectly down to 1280x720
B-Roll
A term used to describe alternate footage, shot to intercut with the primary shots used in a program
How is B-Roll often shot?
MOS - shooting picture without audio
Backgrounds
AKA. ambience
Sound effects which recreate the background noise of the space seen on screen. Usually several different layers fill the surrounds and screen channels.
Room Tone
Recording ambient noise in a shooting location, used to fill in gaps in the dialogue track. Room tone is often mono, and is capture with the same boom mic used to record dialogue
Black Burst
AKA. House sync, video sync, video reference
Synchronisation pulse that matches the refresh rates (frame rates) of different video devices and platforms
Blimp
AKA. Zeppelin
A large pill-shaped basket whose surfaces are a grill of light plastic, lined internally with foam. It provides diffusion for microphones
BNC
AKA. Bayonet Nut Connector
A professional connector for wide-bandwidth coax cable and is the standard connector type for SDI video, and is used for component and composite video in professional applications.
Standard connector type for cables carrying clocking signals such as wordclock, Black Burst, and tri-level sync
BNC
BWAV
AKA. Broadcast Wave File (BWF)
An extension of the WAV file format that includes additional metadata such as timecode, scene, shot and take number, and other useful production information
Cueing
Documenting the specific timecode start and end times when a dialogue line, Foley element, piece of music, or any specific clip of audio needs to be placed in the soundtrack. This is done using slugs
Slugs
Blank clips created and used in Pro Tools to cue when dialogue, Foley, music, or any specific clip of audio needs to be placed in the soundtrack
Cue Sheet
A document that identifies at what specific timecode start and end time that each sound will, or currently does happen. They are sometimes displayed as vertical columns, per track, with events arrayed chronologically from the top of the page to the bottom
Dailies
AKA. Rushes
Refers to the workflow when shooting film in which the reels are sent to the lab at the end of each shooting day, developed overnight, and returned to the set for review in the morning - daily
DCP (Digital Cinema Package)
A set of the final data-compressed files including picture, sound, subtitles and other metadata, packaged on a hard-drive for playback in a digital theatre
Digital equivalent of a ‘release print’
DCP
Release Print
The final copy of a film to be played in theatres
DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives)
Sets guidelines to ensure compatibility with all digital cinemas
Dead Cat
AKA. Wind jammer, wind sock
An artificial fur covering that wraps around a blimp or foam microphone windscreen to add extra wind diffusion
Decca Tree
A T-shaped microphone bracket designed to suspend three widely-spaced omni-directional microphones over a large musical ensemble or orchestra. The mics are arrayed in an obtuse, isosceles triangle, with the two mics at the base typically being 2 meters apart, and the 3rd mic extending out 1 meter from the centre of the base
Deliverables
The final audio files that will be returned to the production company, studio or network. The recipient will usually dictate their required channel layout for multichannel mixes as well as requirements for alternate dubs, down-mixes, and stems
Diegetic Music
AKA. Source music
Music that seems to be audible within the environment pictured on screen. In other words, it is part of the characters’ experience, not just part of the viewers’ experience.
Drop Frame Timecode
A type of timecode that selectively skips over specific frame numbers (not the frames themselves)
Dub Stage
A control room for mixing films and tv programs which is built to mimic the condition of an actual movie theatre
Dub
A mix of a film soundtrack
EDL (Edit Decision List)
A document that is generate by an NLE which contains documentation regarding every clip in a particular sequence’s timeline. It usually includes the timecode start and end time of each clip’s current timeline position
Edit Bays
Small office-sized rooms designed to house non-linear editing systems for video and audio. Acoustically treated and have high quality monitoring; typically tied to the facility’s data network so files can be quickly sent to any of the stages
Foley Stage
Studio designed specifically for recording Foley. Typically large rooms that look like a warehouse full of props. Part of the floor will house “Foley pits” which are compartments containing different surfaces, such as sand, gravel, cement, grass, wood, tile, etc.
Frame
A single image in a motion picture sequence. On film, it is literally a single image on the reel. In progressive scan video, it is a single capture or rendered image. In interlaced video, it is one complete scanning cycle containing both fields
Frame Rate
In video: the number of frames that are captured or played within one second
In timecode: the number of frame numbers that a whole real-time second is divided into
Futz
Processing audio to make it sound like it is playing out of a device or object, such as a cell phone, walkie talkie, boom box, etc.
Gaffer
The head of the electrical department on a film set
Grip
A skilled person who is part of the team that provides, sets up, adjusts and tears down the majority of the tech equipment on a film set. Deals with lighting, camera mounting, rigging, etc.
Group Walla
AKA. walla
Audio that is used to recreate background conversation of a group of people
Hard Sound Effect
A sound effect that is edited to synchronies with a specific event that in seen on screen
Head Pop
a 2-Pop which occurs two seconds before the first frame of the picture
Interlaced Video
AKA. interleaved video
A method of capturing or playing video in which each frame is split into 2 ‘fields.’ One field is comprised of the odd rows of pixels (scan lines in analogue) and the other of even rows
Jam Sync
A technique used to synchronise a timecode generator to another running timecode, by momentarily connecting the two together
Keyframe
The video-editing equivalent of an automation break-point in a DAW. Can be used to automate effects, colour, contrast, audio volume, and other parameters
Lavalier Mic
AKA. lav or lapel mic
A miniature condenser mic that can either be clipped onto the talent’s wardrobe visibly, or concealed within their wardrobe using a variety of techniques
Layback
Adding a sound dub or print master to picture so that it can be review or released
Line Up Tones
Reference tones recorded for level matching and calibration. Typically 1 kHz sine waves representing the level of a known calibration (0 dBVU in analogue/ -20 dBFS in digital)
LTC
AKA. longitudinal timecode or linear timecode
SMPTE timecode information encoded in binary coded decimal (BCD) and stored on a standard audio track
M&E’s (Music & Effects)
An alternate dub which contains all of the audio from the print master MINUS any dialogue elements
What are M&E’s typically used for?
Used to ‘revoice’ a soundtrack, meaning to re-record the ADR in another language
Master Use Licence
Licence(s) required from copyright owners of BOTH the music and and original recording of that music
Metadata
Additional data about a media file that is stored inside of that file
Ex. mp3: song title, artist name
BWAV: timecode, scene and take numbers, etc.
MOS
Shooting picture without capturing audio. Also slang for any instance of missing or muted audio.
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
An organisation dedicated to standardising digital multimedia
MTC (MIDI Timecode)
Equivalent to SMPTE timecode, but transmitted thru a MIDI cable within the MIDI protocol
Music Supervisor
The person in charge of all the music elements in a film, including diegetic music as well as original score. Ultimately responsible for making sure all licensing is obtained
Nat Sound
A slang term meaning ‘natural sound’
NLE (Non-Linear Editor)
Generally refers to software for video editing - think DAW for audio
NTSC (National Television Systems Committee)
One of 3 major analogue television systems (with PAL and SECAM) widely used throughout the world.
Uses 59.94 fields per second (29.97 fps)
OMF (Open Media Framework Interchange)
Designed to be a universal file format that could carry projects between different DAWs and NLEs
Optical Sound
Audio waveforms printed on the edge of a film print which can be played by a system that shines light through them and measures the variations
PAL (Phase Alternating Lines)
One of 3 major analogue television systems (with NTSC and SECAM) widely used throughout the world.
Uses 50 field per second (25 fps)
Picture Lock
A verbal agreement between the director, editor, and producers that the current edit of the film will not change in terms of timing
PFX (Production Sound Effects)
Any potentially usable non-dialogue sound from the production sound that doesn’t overlap with any dialogue in the production sound is cut out of the dialogue tracks and moved to PFX tracks
Poly WAV
Multi-channel, interleaved broadcast WAV (BWAV) files containing mono channels of audio that have likely been recorded with different mics on set
Pre-Dub
A time when rerecording mixers assemble all of the edited elements and prepare for the supervised final dubbing sessions that will follow - done on the dub stage
Print Master
The final dub of all sound and music for a project, ready to be laid back to picture
Production Sound
AKA. Production audio
The audio recorded on the set or location, in sync with the picture while filming
Render
AKA. Bake in
To create a new file which permanently represents the current state, including effects and transitions, of selected piece of media
Rerecording Mixer
A member of the team of typically two or three mixers who prepare the final dub of a film or TV show on the dub stage
Reshape
To correct the rise time of a SMPTE timecode signal
Resolution
Image res refers to the number of pixels of an image, and is expressed in terms of width and height
Ex. 1920 x 1080
Ripple Edit
The NLE equivalent of ‘shuffle’ mode in Pro Tools. If anything is cute or removed from the timeline, all clips will slide left to fill in the space
Roll Edit
A type of NLE edit that adjusts the position of a cut between two clips without affecting the rest of the overall timeline
Scene
A collection of shot which are all set in a common time and location
Score
Music specifically written and performed to coincide with a particular piece of visual media. Non-diegetic: only part of the viewer’s experience, and is not heard by the characters
Shot
A designation given to any piece of footage which is captured using a particular setup and covering the same portion of the script
Slate
Capturing information about a recording onto the visual and/or audio medium itself, making it easier to label and organise the files at a later time
Information typically included on a clapperboard slate
Scene, shot, take number
Slide Edit
An edit, usually in an NLE in which an entire clip is moved, along with the edit points on its left and right
Slug
A clip in a DAW or NLE that contains no video or audio, and is a ‘blank’ clip that is used as a placeholder, maker, or cue
Spotting Session
A meeting attended by the director and the supervising sound editor during which each locked reel of the project is watched and sound is discussed in great detail
Stem
AKA. Splits
A submix that contains certain layers of a finished mix
Ex. a submix of dialogue, or of the music, or the sound effects, etc
Supervising Sound Editor
The person in charge of all of the elements of audio in a film, except for the music
Sync Licence
Licence for a song or piece of music to be performed and included in a soundtrack, synchronised to a piece of visual media. This only covers the SONG to be used, and would need a cover to be done. To use the Sound Recording, a Master Use Licence is needed
Synchroniser
A device that compared timecode from multiple machines and by taking over their clocking and transport control, maintains accurate synchronisation across their timecode positions
Take
Sometimes refers to a single performance, but on a technical level it generally means whatever happens between starting and stoping the equipment one time
Tail Pop
A 2-Pop which occurs two seconds after the last frame of picture
Telecine
The process, or a machine that performs the process, of transferring film to video
Temp Dub
A rough mix to support a picture edit that is not yet locked. Used during the editing, screening, and approval process to smooth out the audio
Tri-Level Sync
A timing reference for synchronising the refresh rate of multiple HD video devices. Pulses operate at a higher frequency than Black Burst and considered more accurate
Wild Tracks
Audio that is recorded independently from picture, and could refer to sound effects and dialogue lines recorded on set when cameras are not rolling
Wordclock
An extremely stable clocking pulse that is used to distribute an accurate representation of the digital audio sample rate between multiple devices in a system, ensuring digital audio to be perfectly aligned and free of errors and jitter
Primary objective in ADR session
Re-record portions of the dialogue that was not useable from the production recordings on the sound stage of film set. Actors would perform to picture in a recording studio
Pro Tools: Option to create alternate takes on the same audio track is known as
Playlist
Term for an empty clip created in an ADR session in Pro Tools
Cue/Slug
Cue sheets are _____________
Vertical time-based track sheets
Audio the actor needs in their headphone mix to perform properly in the ADR session
Cueing beeps and the production audio
Device that generates a 29.97 frame rate speed reference to all audio devices in Studio C
Blackburst Generator
Microphone used on an ADR session
Shotgun
Visual references the actor needs to perform on an ADR session
Streamers and video playback
3 reasons why it’s beneficial to have a separate video playback system on a different computer than the DAW
- Modifications to the video can be done without having to affect the audio recording
- Optimises the CPU for the system that is recording audio
- Video software may use CPU power that could cause overload errors
T/F: Are cue sheets created in an ADR session?
False: Cue sheets would have been created in a spotting session and then sent with other documents to the recording studio for reference
T/F: Do audio post production studios use templates for ADR in their DAWs?
True: Template increase efficiency
T/F: Group Walla is recorded during the ADR session
True: This is considered a dialogue element
T/F: The Video Slave 4 software can create cueing beeps, streamers, and other audio and visual references for post production session
True: Video Slave 4’s main objective is to allow the studio or user to create cueing references for any post production audio recording session
4 audio elements in Post Production
- Dialogue
- Foley
- Music
- SFX
Where Cue Sheets are created
Spotting Session
Where the final audio mix for a film is completed
Dub stage
ADR
Automated Dialogue Replacement
EDL
Edit Decision List
SFX
Sound Effects
Audio that is recorded out of sync with the picture on a film set
Production sound effects
Audio that is recorded on the film set in sync with the picture or film
Production audio
Sync Effects Actors are __________
Foley Artists
Frame rate for film
24 fps
Frame rate for American Colour TV
29.97 fps
Frame rate for Broadcast TV
29.97 drop fps
Frame rate for Europe
25 fps
Frame rate for B&W TV
30 fps
Amount of fields of video for one frame of film
2
Process of converting film to video
Telecine
Process of merging the final audio mix to film or picture
Layback
If you had 300 frames of film and converted these into video fields - how many video fields will you have?
600
Blackburst is ____________
Standard Def Video Reference
What is wordclock?
Digital Sample Rate Synchronisation Reference
Person responsible for how the orchestra is arranged on the Scoring Stage
Conductor
The process of applying an effect to audio/video and creating a stored file
Render
Dialogue corrections or overdubs are recorded on a ______________
ADR stage
Starting a timecode generator from an already running timecode
Jam Sync
Most common sample rate used in Post Production audio recording
48 kHz
Best placement for microphone when recording dialogue for film
Above the actor
Best microphone is best for recording dialogue on a film set
Shotgun
Most widely used polar pattern for recording with a “Decca Tree” configuration
Omnidirectional
Where the orchestra is recorded for film
Scoring Stage
Person in charge of recording the audio on set and hiring the sound team
Sound Mixer
A set of criteria for finished film and audio elements for delivery to the production company
Delivery Requirments
Submixing tracks of audio and recording them into an audio file
Stems
Title of the person who is in charge of the audio in post production
Sound or Post Production Supervisor
Tri Level Sync
High Definition Video Reference
Reasons why a boom operator still use a windscreen indoors for recording
- Handling noise
- Plosives
- Wind noise
MOS meaning
Minus Optical Sound
A multi-channel audio file that can hold unique meta data for Post Production is called _________
Poly WAV file
Creator of the THX audio calibration standard for Film Theatres
Tomlinson Holman
What does the Sync I/O generate from an external video references to all connected interfaces?
Wordclock
2 EQ curves used in Cinema for reducing unwanted frequencies in movie theatres
- X Curve
2. Academy Curve
4 unique information that can be stored on a Poly Wav for production audio
- Scene
- Shot
- Take
- Camera
Final audio mix that will be merged with the final film or video
Print Master
First film with audio including dialogue
The Jazz Singer
First film with Stereophonic sound
Fantasia
Recording the audio and video with the same device is _________
A single sound system
The final mix for a film or TV show is performed in a studio called a _______, which could be described as ______________________
Dub stage
Movie theatre with a large mixing console in it
The process of marrying a completed soundtrack to the finished picture
Layback
2-Pop
A 1 kHz tone, one frame in duration which occurs in the audio track, coinciding with a visual cue in the picture
A technique used to sync a time code generator to another running time code
Jam Sync
After the shoot of a scene is complete, we continue to record extra door slams in that same location, without shooting picture. What are these recordings called?
Wild Tracks
Audio that is recorded on set, in sync with the picture being shot
Production sound
Microphones frequently used for recording audio on film sets other than boom mics
Wireless lavalier mics
Interleaved Broadcast Wave files containing multiple mono channels of audio with metadata identifying the channels
Poly WAV
Position title of the person who oversees all of the audio post departments
Supervising Sound Editor
Type of session the director is least likely to attend
Foley Recording Session
T/F: Post production audio work cannot begin until the final visual effects for a film are completed
False
