Video Glossary
NOTE: We present this glossary because of our conviction that video is a potentially powerful resource for enhancing the impact of most instruction. If you are not already doing so, we encourage you to make regular use of this medium. Please let us know if any of the definitions below are insufficiently clear, or if you would like others added. Thanks.
Address
A specific location in a television recording, as specified by the time
code. Addresses are vital for precise video editing.
Analog video Conventional video recording,
in which the video signal is converted to wave forms representing the brightness,
density, and color information of the original scene. Analog recordings
diminish in quality with each succeeding copy (dub)
that is made, and edits must be made sequentially. That is, whenever a piece
of video is added to an edit, it must go at the end of what is already there,
or it must erase something that is there. (Digital
video now makes non-linear editing
possible.)
Audio The sound portion of television and its production, including
spoken words, music, and ambient sound. Technically, the electronic reproduction
of audible sound.
Audio mixer An electronic device that enables the mixing of two or
more independent audio sources that might each require separate levels of
amplification.
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Backlight Illumination of a subject from
behind, facing the camera. (Typically, this is a production mistake, making
the main subject difficult to see.) May be done intentionally for a special
effect.
Black Blank videotape shows up on a television screen as "snow"
or "noise." A black burst generator
can be used to create a pure black image on the videotape. A lower-quality
black can be created by running a television camera with its lens cap on
while in the record mode.
Black burst generator An electronic device
that puts out a signal that registers as pure black when recorded on videotape.
Breakup The loss of a clear, steady video image.
Bump-up Copy a tape to a higher-level format.
Bust shot A shot of a person beginning just at or above the bust
line.
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Camcorder Single unit, incorporating
both a video camera and video recorder.
Character generator A device that electronically produces a series
of letters and numbers, enabling text to be overlaid on a television image
at the time of presentation or incorporated into the image at the time of
editing.
Close-up A shot that fills the screen with the subject or with only
a portion of the subject. The close-up (CU) can range from an extreme close-up
(ECU) - made popular by the television program "60 Minutes"
- to relatively loose, as in a medium close-up (MCU).
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Depth of field That area in a scene in which objects located at
different distances from the camera are all in focus. Depth of field depends
upon focal length of the lens, f-stop (size of opening of the lens), and
the distance between the objects and the camera. Directors vary the depth
of field of shots, from shallow to deep, to achieve desired effects.
Digital video The newest method of video
recording, in which the video signal is converted to digital information,
so that it can be stored and edited on a computer, with virtually no loss
in quality when dubs (copies) are made,
and permitting non-linear editing.
Dissolve A gradual transition between shots in which the two images
temporarily overlap.
Dropout A loss of a picture or part of a picture, usually caused
by imperfections on the videotape. Dropout typically is seen as tiny white
or silver flecks on the video screen.
Dub (both a noun and a verb) The duplication
of a video recording and the resulting copy. The dub is always one generation
away from the recording used for making it. In analog
video, there is loss of quality with each successive generation.
There is virtually no loss when dubs are made in digital
video.
Dubbing down Also referred to as bumping down. The dubbing (transfer)
of picture and sound information from a higher-quality videotpe format
to a lower one.
Dubbing up Also referred to as bumping up. The dubbing (transfer)
of picture and sound information from a lower quality videotape format
to a higher one. Dubbing up cannot improve upon the original, but it can
place the recording on a format that holds up better during the editing
process, with less degredation when subsequent copies are made.
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Edit decision list (EDL) The detailed
list of all the specific elements (shots, scenes, graphics, animations,
audio inserts) that will comprise the final program, in the sequence that
they will appear. The EDL is typically developed during the off-line
edit. The list may be on paper, or, increasingly, in a computer
file that can automatically trigger the actions of the equipment in the
professional edit suite where the on-line edit
is done.
Editing The selection and assembly onto
a new recording of shots in a particular
sequence. In professional work, several stages are involved. See off-line
editing and on-line editing.
(See, also, non-linear editing.)
Eight mm, 8mm The most popular consumer
video format for camcorders. Provides
quality that is roughly equivalent to (or slightly better than) the VHS
format, in a much smaller size cassette. (See, also, Hi8.)
Establishing shot Usually a long shot
that gives viewers an overview of the scene in which action will take
place (or has recently occured).
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Fixed camera A camera that is permanently installed or remains
in the same place during a shoot.
Footage The material that has been recorded
in a video shoot.
Format Type of recording medium (usually,
the type of videotape used when making video recordings). Consumer (lower-level)
formats include VHS, S-VHS, 8mm, and Hi8. Higher-level formats (educational/industrial
and profession) include 3/4-inch, U-matic, and Betacam.
Frame 1. (Both a noun and a verb.) The
rectangle that encloses the scene that is captured on video ("Don't
move to your left or you will be out of the frame."), and the process
of composing a shot, defining its outer
boundaries ("I want you to frame this next shot to include all 3 people.").
2. The smallest visual unit in a video recording. There are 30 frames
(still images) in each second of running video. Each frame, in turn, is
composed of 2 overlapping "fields," and each field is made up
of 262.5 scanned lines.
Framing The process of establishing the
outer borders of the image captured through the camera's lens. (See Frame,
above.)
Freeze frame Arrested motion that is perceived as a still shot.
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Generation The number of dubs away
from the original tape. The "camera master" is the first-generation.
The second generation is usually the edited master. A dub made directly
from the edited tape would be a third generation, and so on. The greater
the number of non-digital (analog) generations,
the greater the quality loss.
High-angle shot A shot taken with a camera placed high, looking down
at the subject. High angles tend to diminish the viewer's sense of the subject.
High-8, Hi8 An enhanced version of the
8mm format, providing higher quality
(about 400 lines of horizontal resolution per inch) and somewhat better
stability across generations. The cassette
is the same physical size as regular 8mm, and Hi8 camcorders and
VCRs can play both formats. Roughly the
same video quality as the S-VHS format.
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In-cue Time
code or other information indicating the beginning of a segment
on the tape you want to use (e.g., for editing or teaching). Also referred
to as the "in-point."
In-Point See In-cue.
Index, Indexing The capability of some cameras and videocassette
recorders (VCRs) to insert an electronic signal at selected points on a
tape, enabling those points to be found rapidly during playback.
Insert mode, Insert editing A mode of editing (with analog
video) in which a segment is inserted into an already existing recording,
overwriting whatever currently exists on the tape that is the length of
the inserted segment. (Contrast with non-linear
editing.)
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Knee shot A shot of a person beginning just above the knee.
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Lavaliere An extremely small microphone that can be clipped onto
a jacket, blouse, or other piece of clothing. A slightly larger model is
suspended from a neck cord and worn in the front of the chest.
Log See, Video log.
Long shot Sometimes called a wide shot.
The object is seen from far away or framed very loosely. The extreme long
shot (ELS) shows the object from a great distance.
Loose, loosen When some directors
want the camera operator to expand the field of vision, they will ask the
operator to "loosen" the shot. (Contrast with tight)
Low-angle shot A shot taken from a low camera position looking up
at the subject. This shot tends to make the subject appear more dominant
to the viewer.
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Medium shot Object or scene viewed from a medium distance.
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Non-linear editing An approach to video
editing made possible by digital video
recordings. As in word processing, video segments can be inserted between
two existing segments without erasing either. Unlike the approach required
when editing analog video, segments do
not need to "laid down" in the sequence in which they will later
be shown.
Off-line editing The steps during the
edit process when a preliminary selection of usable shots and scenes is
made, and the tentative sequence of these elements is decided. This process
is typically done with lower cost, simpler editing equipment than is found
in a professional edit suite (where on-line
editing is done). Using off-line editing can significantly reduce
the total cost of a producation.
On-line editing The steps during the
edit process when the compilation of final program is done. When affordable,
this is done in a professional edit suite with high quality equipment. If
off-line editing had been done, the
edit decision list from that phase guides
the on-line edit process, typically minimizing the time and cost in the
professional edit suite.
Out-cue Time
code or other information indicating the end of the segment of video
you want to use (e.g., for editing or teaching).
Over-the-shoulder shot Camera looks at a person (often in an interview)
from a perspective showing another person's shoulder and part of the back
of his/her head. (You can see that someone is conducting the interview.)
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Pan, panning Turning the camera in the horizontal plane.
(Excessive panning back and forth - sometimes called "firehosing"
- is highly distracting and should be avoided.)
Playback The playing back on a monitor or television receiver of
recorded video.
Point of view A way of describing what the camera sees as though
of in terms of a person who would be seeing that image. For example, a child's
point of view implies that the camera is looking up from a relatively low
position.
Postproduction The phase of video program
development that occurs after all the footage
has been shot. The main component of postproduction is editing.
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Remote A television production done outside the studio.
Rewritable consumer code (RC) Time code
developed for the consumer market by Sony Corporation, providing frame-accurate
address information. (See, also, SMPTE
time code)
Running time The duration of a program. Also called program length.
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Shoot (Both a noun and a verb.) A
session in which video recording is done ("We had a good shoot today.");
and, the process of making a video recording ("When you shoot this
demonstration, come in tight on her hands.").
Shot The single, continuous take
of material recorded from the time the video recorder is turned on until
it is paused or turned off.
SMPTE time code An electronic signal recorded
on the cue or address track of videotape or on an audio track of multitrack
audiotape through a time-code generator, providing a unique time address
for each individual video frame, specified
in hours, minutes, seconds, and frame number (1-30) of elapsed tape. (There
are 30 frames of video per second.) Developed by the Society of Motion Picture
and Television Engineers.
Static shot A shot that does not
change.
Steadicam jr A small hand-held device to which camcorders
can be attached, enabling a person with sufficient practice to move the
camera in almost any direction while maintaining a smooth, steady image
on the screen.
S-VHS (Super-VHS) An enhanced version
of the VHS format, providing higher quality
(about 400 lines of horizontal resolution per inch) and somewhat better
stability across generations. The cassette
is the same physical size as regular VHS, and S-VHS VCRs
can play both formats. Roughly the same video quality as the Hi-8
format.
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Take (Both a noun and a verb.) A synomym
for both shoot and shot.
Both the process of making a video recording and the resulting footage.
Telephoto lense A lens that provides
a narrow field of vision, seeming to enlarge distant objects.
Three-shot A shot that includes three people.
Tight, tighten When some directors
want the camera operator to reduce the field of vision, they will ask the
operator to "tighten" the shot. (Contrast with loose)
Tilt, tilting Pointing/moving the camera up or down in the
vertical plane. (Excessive tilting is difficult to watch and should be avoided.)
Time code An electronic frame-numbering
system based on the 24-hour clock that assigns every frame on a video recording
(there are 30 frames in each second of video) a unique number. Typically,
the number indicates the elapsed time in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames
from the start of the recording. There are several types of time code. In
professional productions, SMPTE time
code is most commonly used. Currently, RC
is the most widely used consumer-level time time code.
Triggers, trigger tapes See Video
triggers.
Tripod A three-legged camera mount, sometimes connected to a wheeled
dolly for easy maneuverability.
Two-shot A shot that includes two people.
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VCR See videocassette
recorder.
VHS (Video Home System) A half-inch
video format that dominates the home videocassette
recorder (but not the camcorder)
market. (8mm is the dominant home format
for camcorders.) It is a relatively low quality format, giving about 250
lines of horizontal resolution and not holding up well when multiple copies
are made.
Videocassette Similar in construction to an audiocassette. A plastic
container in which a videotape moves between a supply reel and a take-up
reel. The tape is played through a videocassette recorder.
Videocassette recorder (VCR) A recording
and playback device that records and stores video and audio signals on videotape
for later playback or for postproduction
editing.
Video clips Brief segments of longer video programs.
Videographer Camera operator.
Video Home System See VHS
Video log 1. A term we use for videotape
that contains two or more interactions (e.g., of learners and their patients),
shot over time, so that learners have an historical record of the evolution
of their skills and approaches.
2. A descriptive record of each of the segments shot during a video
production, with all information that might be relevant to later finding
particular images or events, and to guide subsequent editing.
Video triggers Brief (often less than
2 minutes long), usually incomplete events (vignettes) that are used for
stimulating discussion, provoking intellectual and emotional reactions,
and giving learners practice in dealing with challenges.
Viewfinder The eyepiece through which you see the framing
of the image as the camera sees it and as it will be recorded on the videotape.
In virtually all modern video cameras, when you look through the eyepiece
of the viewfinder, you are actually seeing through the lens through which
the video recording will be made.
Visual scanning A capacity of a video playback machine that enables
you to see the picture fairly clearly while you fast-forward or rapidly
rewind the tape.
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Wide-angle lens A lens that provides
a large field of vision, typically larger than the field of vision of the
human eye if the head is kept in a fixed position. When using a wide-angle
lens, objects relatively close to the camera look large and objects only
a short distance away look quite small.
Window-burn A dub of a tape, usually of the source tapes for an off-line
edit, onto which has been "burned" (superimposed) a small
rectangular window that provides a visual display of the running time
code of the footage being shown. This enable the creation of an
edit decision list by visually selecting
the appropriate in cues and out
cues for each chosen segment, while using only a home VCR
(which typically lacks the capability of reading time code directly off
the tape itself).
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Zoom in Decrease the field of vision.
Tighten the shot.
Zoom lens A lens that has a range of fields of vision, typically
from wide to narrow (telephoto).
Zoom out Increase the field of vision. Loosen the shot.
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