Film Terminology 101

Over the past year, there have been a few terms that our producers have used quite often. I thought it was just their own way of saying things, but since being on set, I've discovered that these phrases are industry-standard. So I thought I'd share a few of those sayings with you. Some are more common than others and chances are you might've used one or two of them yourself.

1. bump on/bumping on - When something in the script isn't working for you. Either a line of dialog, a reaction, whatever.

"I'm really bumping on Kit acting so casual in this scene. I think he needs to react more to Donovan's presence." 


2. too on the nose - A character either says something that's too obvious or perfect. Also used when an actor looks too stereotypical for the role.

"I really loved Mr. Peanut's audition for the Dean, but his look is a little too on the nose." 


3. stick a pin in it - An idea that could be incorporated or needs a little massaging (another common term that obviously doesn't need to be described here), but an immediate solution either isn't available or other factors need to weigh in first.

"We could probably go back to shooting this scene at the hospital instead, but let's stick a pin in it until we see what our schedule looks like. 


4. inside the box - Refers to keeping things within budget.


"As long as we meet union standards, non-union extras can volunteer on those days. We just can't afford to pay them, because we need to keep things inside the box." 


Also, whenever you see movies being made on TV, all you usually ever hear is "Action", then the slate snaps closed, followed by "Cut". But that's not really how it works. The order is as follows...

Rolling - Shouted out by the First A.D. This means cameras are rolling, so shut up.

Sound - Also yelled out by the First A.D. This means that sound is now recording, so seriously, shut the hell up.

Then the P.A. does her thing with the slate, saying the:

Scene number - As numbered in the script, not in the order things are shot.
Direction letter - Scenes are shot from multiple angles. Wide, close up, from the left, from the right, etc. Each camera angle is given a letter.
Take number - Because each angle is shot several times, especially if the actor fumbles a line.

So, she might yell something like, "Scene 104-C-Take two" *snap*

Frame - Called out by the camera guy once he gets his focus on the actors.

Action - Called out by the director.

Cut - Called out by the director.

Checking the gate - When the director is happy with the take and is ready to move on to a different angle, the First A.D. will shout this out. It means that the film gate is being removed and inspected for hairs or anything that might've ruin the shot. (From my understanding, the film gate is a glass plate that protects the camera opening where the film is exposed to light.) Alternately, sometimes they like to yell, "Chicken in the gate". One of our make-up ladies knew a French director who would always shout, "Poulet a la porte".

And here ends our Film Terminology 101 lesson for today. :)