15 Useful Production Terms

Every industry has its own language and terms. These words and phrases can be confusing to anyone who is not part of the daily operations of a specific sector, and the media business is no exception.

To help you understand the lighting terms, acronyms, and phrases regularly used in the media industry, Early Rising Productions has created this handy reference guide. Here, you’ll find valuable information allowing you to comprehend and communicate your production needs effectively.

Paper Tape: This tape comes in a variety of sizes, including 1/8”, 1/4”, 1/2” 1”, or 2”. These are used for focus marks, actor marks, labeling equipment, or hanging items on painted walls that won’t remove the paint. 

Overexposure: It’s an expression used when there is too much light on the subject. 

Underexposure: It’s an expression used when there is not enough light on the subject.

Polarizing filter: It’s a filter to reduce glare and reflections from non-metallic surfaces. 

Pro-mist filter: It softens harsh lines on a subject’s face. 

Slate: A board that’s used to write helpful information for each scene filmed. It includes the Director’s name, date, camera scene number, and the take number.

Soft focus: A shot that appears to be out of focus. 

Tungsten: A light source with a color temperature of approximately 3200 degrees Kelvin. 

N.D.: It’s an abbreviation for neutral density filter.

Daylight: A light source with a color temperature of approximately 5600 degrees Kelvin. 

Tail Slate: A slate held upside down and filmed at the end of a shot for various reasons. 

Wrap: It represents the Period of the day or the completion of a film. 

Whip: A slang term used for a type of follow focus extension. 

Tiffen: It’s a name brand of a camera filter. 

Sticks: A slang term for a tripod (it can also be used to describe a slate).

We hope these terms are helpful in communicating with a production house. If you’re looking for a video production company in Chapel Hill, NC, contact the experienced experts at Early Rising Productions. 

Our specialties include videography, corporate video production, and video editing. We also offer a wide range of hi-tech equipment to our clients.

We serve clients across Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Cary, Roxboro, High Point, Oxford, Henderson, Burlington, and Hillsborough. We also cover Wake Forest, Pittsboro, Asheboro, Sanford, Carthage, Fuquay-Varina, Lillington, Smithfield, North Carolina, Danville, and Virginia.

View our full list of services here, read customer reviews here, or get in touch with us here.