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Film & Broadcast Glossary

Film & Broadcast is about telling stories – whether fiction or factual. This combines high standards of training in production skills to make programs – dramas and documentaries for radio, television and cinema

Film & Broadcast

Handle

An extra number of frames attached to the head and tail of an optical print as a safety precaution. (Laboratory)

Film & Broadcast

Hard Disk

A data storage and retrieval device consisting of a disk drive and one or more permanently installed disks. Increasingly common for storing sound effects and archiving for future use.

Film & Broadcast

Harmonic Distortion

Acoustic distortion characterized by unwanted changes between input and output at a given frequency. (Acoustics)

Film & Broadcast

Hazeltine

A machine which a color time at a lab or optical house uses to determine how to ‘time’ a film print for the proper amounts of red, blue, and green light. Also called a color analyzer. (Laboratory)

Film & Broadcast

Hertz (Hz)

Unit for measuring frequency of d signal; formerly called “cycles per second.”

Film & Broadcast

Hi-Con

Generally a high contrast film print which provides the maximum contrast between the light and dark elements. (Laboratory)

Film & Broadcast

High-Pass Filter

An electronic filter used in various audio circuits to attenuate all frequencies below a chosen frequency.

Film & Broadcast

Highboy

A heavy-duty rolling stand, usually with a combo head, that has a junior receiver and a large grip head. Also called Overhead Stands. (Grip/Lighting)

Film & Broadcast

Highkey

An overall brightly lit scene with realtively few shadows. (Lighting)

Film & Broadcast

Hiss

Asperity Noise. Noise caused by minute imperfections in the recording medium (tape). (Sound)

Film & Broadcast

HMI

An enclosed, AC mercury arc lamp. (Lighting)

Film & Broadcast

Hollywood Box

A stage plug-type box without fuses. (Lighting)

Film & Broadcast

Horse

A support for one or more rolls of film used on a cutting table.

Film & Broadcast

Hot Splicer

A film splicing machine of precision construction in which portions of a film are overlapped, cemented, then warmed and dried by a heating unit. (Film Editing)

Film & Broadcast

House Sync

An internal timing reference used to synchronize all transports within a facility.

Film & Broadcast

Incoming Scene

The second scene to appear in a dissolve or wipe effect.

Film & Broadcast

Inductance

The resistance of a coil of wire to rapidly fluctuating currents which increases with frequency. (Acoustics)

Film & Broadcast

Inkie

A small (250 watt) fresnel type light. (Lighting)

Film & Broadcast

Insert Editing

Used in videotape or digital audio editing to describe the process of replacing a segment located between two specific and previously dubbed segments.

Film & Broadcast

Intercutting

An editing method whereby related shots are inserted into a series of other shots for the purpose of contrast or for some other effect. (Film Editing)

Film & Broadcast

Interlock

A term that generically refers to two or more machines running in sychronization; often shortened to “locked.”