Learn the Lingo: Postproduction Terms Every Aspiring Filmmaker Should Know

Whether you’re trying to launch a profession successful filmmaking aliases simply trying to understand nan process that goes into making your favourite media, learning nan manufacture motto tin beryllium a daunting task. Film crews speak pinch their ain connection that’s been developed complete nan people of a period of filmmaking, and it takes immoderate effort to bring yourself up to velocity to beryllium capable to pass effectively.

If you’re heading to your first job connected a set, Future of Filmmaking already has you covered pinch our guide to position you’ll perceive during a shoot. But erstwhile you perceive “That’s a wrap,” nan filmmaking process is acold from over. The postproduction process is its ain beast encompassing editing, sound design, coloring, scoring, and VFX — and it tin return moreover longer than nan sprout itself. And postproduction comes pinch its ain group of terminology that tin beryllium intimidating for an outsider. Give yourself a limb up connected nan title by familiarizing yourself pinch nan position below.

ADR — Short for Automated Dialogue Replacement, this is nan process of re-recording parts of an actor’s speech during postproduction. ADR tin service aggregate purposes, from fixing sound errors to changing full lines of dialogue.

Assembly Cut — The very first trim of a movie aliases section that’s delivered aft production, an assembly trim simply assembles nan footage successful nan bid it appears successful nan book earlier nan editor, director, and producers statesman to style it.

Audio Bridge — A modulation that uses a sound — thing from a statement of speech to a sound effect aliases euphony cue — to link 1 changeable to another.

Bookends — A method successful which an image that appears astatine nan opening of a movie aliases section is reproduced aliases alluded to astatine nan extremity arsenic a measurement of bringing nan communicative afloat circle.

Color Correction — The first measurement successful nan colour process, successful which a colorist fixes inconsistencies successful nan footage to make it look earthy to nan quality oculus and reconstruct nan level of colour that nan head and cinematographer changeable connected set.

Color Grading — The 2nd measurement of nan colour process, successful which a colorist manually alters parts of each image to summation aliases trim saturation, shadows, aliases different elements successful bid to execute nan director’s stylistic vision.

Cross-Cutting — A method that involves alternating betwixt footage of 2 events to exemplify that they are happening astatine nan aforesaid time.

Dailies — The earthy footage from a day’s sprout that is provided to producers and executives connected nan project.

Director’s Cut — The filmmaker’s preferred trim of a movie aliases section that is submitted to executives connected nan project. While revisions are usually made aft nan director’s trim is submitted (unless nan filmmaker has a woody guaranteeing them last trim connected nan project), nan director’s trim tin later beryllium released for fans who want to comparison it against what was released successful theaters aliases connected streaming.

Dissolve — A gradual modulation successful which nan extremity of 1 changeable overlaps pinch nan opening of another

Eyeline Match — A method successful which a changeable of a characteristic looking astatine thing is instantly followed by a changeable of what they’re looking at, allowing audiences to spot things from nan character’s perspective. Famously utilized successful scenes specified arsenic nan last montage of nan “Sopranos” finale.

Fade — A modulation successful which nan framework gradually brightens astatine nan opening of a changeable aliases darkens astatine nan extremity of one.

Iris — An aged schoolhouse modulation successful which a achromatic circle expands aliases contracts to extremity aliases statesman a scene. Primarily a relic of nan Silent era, nan method would only beryllium utilized for circumstantial stylistic purposes today.

Jump Cut — An abrupt trim that omits portion of nan action successful bid to show nan transition of time. Pioneered by Jean-Luc Godard successful films for illustration “Breathless.”

L-Cut — A modulation successful which audio from 1 segment continues to play complete nan adjacent scene.

LUT — An acronym for Look-up table, a array of numerical values that tin beryllium utilized to calibrate a integer camera while shooting aliases applied to earthy footage while editing successful bid to make footage look little level and person to nan measurement nan quality oculus perceives color. Applying a LUT tin beryllium a preliminary measurement successful nan colour correction process.

Match Cut — A trim successful which 2 shots pinch shared compositional elements, specified arsenic akin shapes, are placed adjacent to each other.

Mixing — The important creation of blending each of nan audio components of a segment — which tin see speech (often from aggregate microphones pinch their ain levels), sound effects, music, ambient sounds, and room reside — successful bid to create nan last audio merchandise that nan assemblage hears.

Rough Cut — An early, unfinished trim of nan movie that tin beryllium shown to willing parties. “Rough cut” does not mention to a circumstantial measurement successful nan editing process, but tin beryllium utilized arsenic a catch-all word for thing that isn’t a last cut.

Shot Reverse Shot — The astir accepted method of shooting and editing speech scenes, successful which a segment is changeable from 2 perspectives and each changeable of a characteristic speaking is followed by its “reverse” of nan different characteristic speaking.