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Cinematography jargon???


Nick Centera

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Hey, I was wondering if there was a place on the internet, or a book, or something that has a definition for different names for stuff. I have heard so many things that I have no clue and I want to know. I know that this should come in time with experience, but if I get on set and the DoP asks me to get something and I have no clue what it is, then I will not look as good. So if you have any advice or anything let me know. Thanks

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Are you AC?

An AC, gaffer, and grip are all going to pretty much have their own bibles with their own glossaries that are going to be more than long enough. Not that terms don't bleed into each other. Other than books, I've found that I'm learning the most by listening to commentaries, talking to experienced people on this board, and reading magazines like American Cinematographer and ICG. I'm young, so saying that I'm still learning isn't that big of a deal, but I'm sure many veterans here can tell you that they still do and that their's no shame is not knowing something if you are making 100% effort to learn everything that you can.

Which is also why it's bad to lie on your resume. I'd rather come on a shoot with a humbled resume and exceed expectation, than to fluff up my resume beyond my current means and fail to meet the mark.

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Hey Nick,

 

Joshua is right in everything that he's pointed out.

I must emphasise that there is no reason why you should feel ashamed if you don't understand what's just been said to you.

No matter how experienced you are, you are always making mistakes and learning from them.

 

As long as you are not trying to fool ppl then you have no reason to concern about your inexperience.

Instead use that energy in other ways.

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One expression in German is: "gestorben" (has died). It is pronounced by the director or sometimes by a stronger executive producer meaning all takes of a set-up are in the box, "im Kasten". How does one call on that situation which is not a wrap ?

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I read this when I first started and is a pretty good start

http://www.amazon.com/Strike-Baby-Kill-Blo...s/dp/1400097592

 

Just watch out, if you use half of this stuff people will look at you funny. I think more and more common is to use the actual names of equipment, from the manufacturer. Memorize all of the lights on the Mole Richardson site and all of the grip equipment on the Matthews site. That stuff is everywhere.

 

Over a long project with a crew you might start to have nicknames for stuff. I definitely use short hand like book lights, skylights, foot lights, eyelight, etc. but that usually refers to my reasoning for the particular lighting setup.

 

Make up new jargon and pretend like everyone else doesn't know what they are taking about. Likewise look out for the old bag of apertures gag... :lol:

 

Matt

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I read this when I first started and is a pretty good start

http://www.amazon.com/Strike-Baby-Kill-Blo...s/dp/1400097592

 

Just watch out, if you use half of this stuff people will look at you funny. I think more and more common is to use the actual names of equipment, from the manufacturer. Memorize all of the lights on the Mole Richardson site and all of the grip equipment on the Matthews site. That stuff is everywhere.

 

Over a long project with a crew you might start to have nicknames for stuff. I definitely use short hand like book lights, skylights, foot lights, eyelight, etc. but that usually refers to my reasoning for the particular lighting setup.

 

Make up new jargon and pretend like everyone else doesn't know what they are taking about. Likewise look out for the old bag of apertures gag... :lol:

 

Matt

 

 

I love the old Apertures bit. I too like to make up names for things especially when working with a green crew, because they dont know any better. You can totally make up random names for things. Here's a few:

 

Monitor = Picture box (say it with a southern twang, works great)

batteries = juice box

electrical cable(stingers) = juice straw

china ball on a c-stand = glow pop

power outlet = holes

clapboard/slate = flat gator

grip truck = lite box

tripod/sticks = camera lifter

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One expression in German is: "gestorben" (has died). It is pronounced by the director or sometimes by a stronger executive producer meaning all takes of a set-up are in the box, "im Kasten". How does one call on that situation which is not a wrap ?

 

 

"In the can"

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I read this when I first started and is a pretty good start

http://www.amazon.com/Strike-Baby-Kill-Blo...s/dp/1400097592

 

Just watch out, if you use half of this stuff people will look at you funny. I think more and more common is to use the actual names of equipment, from the manufacturer. Memorize all of the lights on the Mole Richardson site and all of the grip equipment on the Matthews site. That stuff is everywhere.

 

Over a long project with a crew you might start to have nicknames for stuff. I definitely use short hand like book lights, skylights, foot lights, eyelight, etc. but that usually refers to my reasoning for the particular lighting setup.

 

Make up new jargon and pretend like everyone else doesn't know what they are taking about. Likewise look out for the old bag of apertures gag... :lol:

 

Matt

 

 

Hi.

 

Like the "bag of apetures" line

 

I have also heard of being sent to the Grips truck for a "long weight".

I also heard of a P.A. being sent to the editors for a box of tone and some extra colour bars.

 

That has to be one of my favorites ever

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Hi.

 

Like the "bag of apetures" line

 

I have also heard of being sent to the Grips truck for a "long weight".

I also heard of a P.A. being sent to the editors for a box of tone and some extra colour bars.

 

That has to be one of my favorites ever

 

 

This has been discussed on this board before.

 

It's common at one of the TV stations here to get the new PA to run to the front gate and get the chroma keys.

 

There's plenty here as well

 

http://www.lemac.com.au/tech/jargon.html

 

jb

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One expression in German is: "gestorben" (has died). It is pronounced by the director or sometimes by a stronger executive producer meaning all takes of a set-up are in the box, "im Kasten". How does one call on that situation which is not a wrap ?

 

The phrase I usually hear is "moving on" - we've got everything we need with this set-up and we're moving to the next one.

 

To Nick's original question, I wouldn't worry too much. If some one asks you for something and uses a term you aren't familiar with, just tell them you aren't familiar with that term. What is it? Different folks have different "jargon". Even the standard terms don't seem to be immune. Nobody's going to think badly of you for asking - well, maybe the third or fourth time you ask :)

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When I worked on live golf we used to send the green utility back to the truck guy to get a cable stretcher. They always came back with a 200 footer of course. We also used to park our golf carts in front of a porta potty someone had just gone into, but that's a whole other story....

 

I hear new slang all the time from DP's, AD's, AC's, PA's...you name it. Most of the time it's something that's a joke between a few people and they often enjoy it when you ask, especially if you get a chuckle out of it. But if you ask what the Martini is you're gonna get a lot of funny looks.

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When I worked on live golf we used to send the green utility back to the truck guy to get a cable stretcher. They always came back with a 200 footer of course. We also used to park our golf carts in front of a porta potty someone had just gone into, but that's a whole other story....

 

I hear new slang all the time from DP's, AD's, AC's, PA's...you name it. Most of the time it's something that's a joke between a few people and they often enjoy it when you ask, especially if you get a chuckle out of it. But if you ask what the Martini is you're gonna get a lot of funny looks.

 

 

oh man,cable stretcher - I forgot about that one!

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Btw, if anyone mentions that they're "10-1" or "10-2" it's referring to them leaving the set for a bathroom break. lol. It's not a reference to a type of "stinger"= (extension cord).

The other thing we used to do to convey that message silently was to make a motion with both hands of wringing water from an invisible towel. Of course 10-1 would be useless as a piece of cable, and 10-2 wouldn't be allowed any more because it lacks a ground.

 

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

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We don't see much Hellywood action out here in the hinterlands. So, we make up a bunch of jargon as we go. Some of it is language for things we need better words for. Some of it is simple indulgence to make us feel "cool". I guess that goes on all over the great expanse of movie making wastelands.

post-1743-1228332327.jpg

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I didn't mean to suggest that 10-1 or 10-2 could be mistaken for a stinger that actually exists. It was meant to clarify that it's not an electric reference at all. If he heard of a 12-3 etc, he might assume someone saying 10-1 was grabbing a cable.

 

 

Well, 10-2 means "laying cable" as it were.

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make a motion with both hands of wringing water from an invisible towel.

 

-- J.S.

I remember on a certain job instead of doing that we just said "twist". It referred to the twisting motion. Why it got turned back into verbal communication, I don't know.

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