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
Black Leader
Opaque film leader used in conforming original film for A and B roll printing. (Film Editing)
Film & Broadcast
Black Wrap
Black Aluminum foil which is used for wrapping lights, to control light spill, and for making small flags. (Grip/Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Blip Tone
A sync pop. This is usually done by placing a piece of ‘toned’ tape on a particular frame of film to establish a ‘synch’ point. (Film Editing)
Film & Broadcast
Blocking
Plotting actor, camera and microphone placement and movement in a production or scene. (Production)
Film & Broadcast
Blonde
An open face 2K lighting unit, also known as a ‘mighty’. (Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Bloop
The sound produced in an energized amplifier and speaker system when a film splice passes the photo cell to which the amplifier is connected.
Film & Broadcast
Blooping
Any method of silencing unwanted noise produced by the passage of a splice through a sound reproducer. Traditionally, a small opaque tape is fixed over a splice. (Post Production)
Film & Broadcast
Blooping Tape
Tape used to cover unwanted portions of sound tracks.
Film & Broadcast
Blow-Up
A film enlargement from a smaller gauge of film to a larger gauge (i.e. 16mm to 35mm).
Film & Broadcast
Bobbinet
Black mesh cloth which is used for grip scrims. It also is available in rolls for darkening windows. (Grip/Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Boom
A telescoping arm for a camera or microphone which might be available in a variety of sizes from the very small handheld types to the very large, which might be transported as an integral part of a motor vehicle. (Production)
Film & Broadcast
Bottom Chop
A flag or cutter which is used to keep light off of the floor or the lower part of a scene. (Grip/Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Box Rental
A fee or allowance paid to a crewmember for providing his/her own equipment or other specialized apparatus for use in a production. (Production)
Film & Broadcast
Branch Holder
A pipe-like unit with a locking nut which is used to hold branches, wooden poles, or other items. (Grip/Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Breakdown
The separation of a roll of camera original negative (or in some cases a workprint) into its individual takes or scenes. (Film Editing) Also a very common term which refers to a preproduction function where discrete elements of a script are isolated and noted. (PreProduction)
Film & Broadcast
Breast Line
A guide line attached to anything being hauled up on a crane or by a pulley. (Grip/Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Broad
A rectangular open-faced light which is used for general fill or for cyc illumination. (Lighting)
Film & Broadcast
Brute
A brute arc light, usually 225 amps DC powered.
Film & Broadcast
Bulk Eraser
A device which magnetically aligns all of the iron oxide molecules on a magnetic tape or film, thus eliminating any ‘sound’ on them.
Film & Broadcast
Burn-in Time Code
A videotape in which a “window” displaying the time code count on the tape is superimposed over part of lhe picture.
Film & Broadcast
Bus
A mixing network that combines the output of two or more channels. (Electronics)