ABC's of Film & Animation

A: Animation - Films created by drawing or modelling a character and moving it frame by frame.

B: Blur - motion blur - Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation.

C: Classical - Classical animation - creating animation by drawing movement frame by frame. usually 24 frames per second.

D: Dimension - 2D, 3D animation - 2D animation is done frame by frame with drawings. 3D animation is done by computer.

E: Editing - The process where raw footage is taken and edited down to make a "final cut" of the project. Typically this involves both the Editor and Director working very closely together.

F: Film - Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.

G: Gauge - The size, specifically the width, of a film format: 16mm, 35mm, Super-8 are gauges.

H: Hyperfocal Distance - The hyperfocal distance is a distance set on the focusing ring of the lens that will most efficiently use the Depth of Field present. A depth of field chart will list possible distances and graph out the area of focus at different f-stops. There does not necessarily have to be a subject to focus on at that distance.

I: I.S.O. - The equivalent of A.S.A. and I.E., just with another name, it is another way of saying the same thing. This is the least frequently used of the three, but is sometimes found on the light meter. Treat it just as if it was A.S.A. I.S.O. stands for International Standards Organization.

J: Jump Cut - Basically, two similar shots cut together with a jump in continuity, camera position or time.

K: Kelvin - This is the Color Temperature scale that takes its name from the scientist Lord Kelvin.

L: Lip Sync - Another way of saying Sync Sound.Sync sound is sound recorded while shooting picture. Usually it involves footage of people speaking, or in character animation, and is thus sometimes called lip sync. It must be recorded with either crystal or cable sync to line up and not drift out of sync.

M: M&E - M&E stands for Music and Effects. After a mix a big production will have an M&E track made, which is used when the film is dubbed into other languages so that all the Music and Effects do not also have to be redone. An M&E track is only essential if you plan on dubbing your film into a different language.

N: Normal Lens - In 16mm this is the 25mm lens. In 35mm it is the 50mm lens. It is the point between the widening of the image by the wide angle lens and the magnifiying of the image by the telephoto lens.

O: Optical Sound - Optical Sound is the system used by a projector to play back sound from a film print. The sound is exposed onto the film as a clear modulating line against black. It corresponds to the moduations of the sound. The projector reads the track by passing it between the exciter lamp a light-sensitive photo-electric cell which generates a voltage that is amplified and fed into a speaker.

P: Pan - Refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a film or video camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or a display device.

Q: Quartz Light - Can also be called halogen light or tungsten light. A quartz light is a very bright type of light that uses a tungsten filament that is contained in a quartz envelope. The color temperature will be a fairly consistent 3,200K. They can get very hot when in use. It is also very important never to touch the bulb with your bare hands at any time. Oil from your hands will cause the bulb to blister and explode.

R: Rack Focus - A shot where focus is changed while shooting. Unlike a Follow Focus shot, a rack focus shot is usually done not from the necessity of keeping someone in focus but to shift attention from one thing to another.

S: Stop motion - animating using models you pose and photograph frame by frame.

T: Telecine - A machine for transferring film to video.

U: Underexposure - Filming a scene with less light than the emulsion of the film needs for a correct exposure. The image will be too dark. If compensated for in printing, the image will appear grainy, and very muddy.

V: Vault Box - A white, flat, square cardboard box designed to hold 1,000 feet of 35mm or two 1,000 foot rolls of 16mm.

W: Wide Lens - A lens with a focal length smaller than 25mm in 16mm, or 50mm in 35mm, which, like looking into the wrong end of a pair of binoculars, provides an extended view of a large area.

X: Xenon - A very bright, daylight balanced projection lamp, or a projector with a xenon lamp. A xenon lamp is not interchangeable with a tungsten lamp or arch lamp, but requires a different lamp housing on the projector. Because xenon lamps are daylight balanced it is sometimes advisable with color film to have the lab make a print that is balanced for xenon. This is sometimes called a 5,400K print, the color temperature of daylight.

Y: Yashica: a brand of vintage 8 and 16mm Film Cameras

Z: Zoom in - Zoom out - the Appearance of Movement of the camera going near the objective, or far from the objective in the film. Created Either in camera or as a post production camera effect.