Filmmaking Terms To Know Before Stepping On Set
Have you ever been on a film set and not known what the hell people were saying? Well that’s because there’s a whole set of filmmaking terms and shorthands used on set. So let’s go over some terms so you can be fluent in the filmmaking language.
First up is “What’s your 20?” This basically means “Where are you?”
Next is “Hollywood it.” This basically means to hold something up without a stand, such as a flag, diffusion, or coffee.
And speaking of coffee, “Flying in” means to bring something onto set, such as a prop, light, or again coffee.
Another important one to know is room tone. Room tone is when the audio recordist has everyone on set be quiet as they record the tone of the room for the editor and audio mixer to use later in post. Kinda like this.
Next is striking. This is what you say before turning on a light so that everyone knows to avert their eyes and avoid blinding their retinas.
And of course, there’s also “Back to One.” This is what the director says when they want the cast to go back to their first blocking position or marker.
Which leads us to our next term, “mark.” A marker or mark is a blocking position usually tapped off with gaffers tape to form a T shape where the talent should stand. Pro tip, when using markers make sure to only use them when they are out of frame so you can’t see them in the final shot.
And speaking of things out of frame, next up is “dirt.” “Dirt” is just a fun word for sandbags, because they are well filled with dirt. I mean not really but you get the idea.
Along with that is C47s! C47s are really just a fancy way of saying clothespins. No one’s exactly sure why they’ve been giving this random name, but one theory is that spending so much money on clothes pins was frowned upon, so in order to sneak the expense through the budget they were given this deceiving name.
And while we’re on weird number terms, let’s talk about the term “86 it.” 86 it just means to cancel it. So for example someone might call for a flag to block a light but then change their mind.
Next up is “Video Village.” Video village is the place on set where a monitor is setup so the director and producer can see the frame while the camera operator is shooting a take. Not all indie film shoots have one, but if you can swing it I highly recommend setting one up.
You still with me? Good cause we’re almost done. And speaking of almost being done, the next term is the “Martini shot.” The martini shot is what filmmakers call the very last shot of the film shoot. If you hadn’t guessed, it was given this name back in the day because it meant filmmakers could finally unwind with their favorite beverage.
To top that off, our final term is “That’s a Wrap.” This would be said after the martini shot, and basically means shooting for the film is now complete and the cast and crew can begin to wrap up or clean up all equipment on the set.
So now that you know these filmmaking terms, you’ll never be lost in translation again!
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