[March 17, 2025]
One of the hardest parts of getting started with video production is learning the vocabulary. Jargon is a part of every industry, and video production is no different. Making video content is a lot easier if everyone on your team understands the lingo. But sometimes it's just easier to hire a video production company and get the results what you want.
Please use and share this living glossary of terminology for video marketers!
2-pop: 2-pop (or 2 beep) is a 1 kilohertz (kHz) tone placed two seconds before the start of a video. They help synchronize the sound and picture.
3:2 pulldown: A 3:2 pulldown is the process of converting a film from 24 frames per second to 30 frames per second to fit the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) television standard.
A
A-roll: The a-roll is the main source of audio and video and typically focuses on the primary characters or subjects.
Aspect Ratio: The width-to-height ratio of a video frame. Common ratios include 16:9 (widescreen) and 1:1 (square), which are important for different social media platforms.
Ambient Sound: Background sounds recorded on location, such as traffic or nature sounds, which add realism to videos.
Audio Sync: The alignment of audio tracks with the corresponding video to ensure lip-sync and sound effects match the visuals.
Assembly Cut: The assembly is a film’s first rough cut. The editor arranges the footage in order, using the script as a guide.
B
B-Roll: Supplemental footage used to overlay or complement the primary footage (A-roll). For example, clips of a product in use can enhance an interview video.
Boom Mic: A directional microphone mounted on a pole, often used to capture clear audio from subjects without visible microphones.
Bitrate: The amount of data processed per second in a video file, measured in Mbps (megabits per second). Higher bitrates generally result in better video quality.
Bump Tease: As a video transitions into a break, a bump tease entices the viewer to keep watching. A bump tease is usually a voiceover with a quick hint of what is going to happen next.
Bumper: A bumper is a short voiceover or musical interlude used during transitions, intros, and outros of broadcast shows. For example, “We’ll be right back after a quick message from our sponsors.”
C
Call to Action (CTA): A prompt in the video encouraging viewers to take a specific action, like visiting a website or subscribing to an account.
Channels: In video editing, channels refer to separate audio files. These channels are either mixed together or used separately.
Color Grading: The process of adjusting colors in a video to create a specific mood or visual style.
Cut: The simplest transition between two clips, where one ends and the next begins immediately.
Cold Open: In television and film, cold opens jump directly into the narrative before a title screen or opening credits. For example, the comedy show Saturday Night Live always uses a cold open.
D
Depth of Field (DoF): The range in a shot that is in focus. A shallow DoF keeps the subject sharp while blurring the background, often used to draw attention to the subject.
Drone: An aerial camera device used to capture stunning overhead shots
Dynamic Range: The range of light and dark areas in a video. Wider dynamic range captures more detail in both highlights and shadows.
Dissolve: A transition effect where one clip fades out as another fades in, often used to signify a passage of time.
Dolly: A dolly is a piece of film equipment used to stabilize camera movements.
E
Editing: The process of assembling, cutting, and enhancing raw video footage to create a polished final product.
Editing Timeline: A visual representation of a video project showing the arrangement of clips, audio, and effects over time.
Export: The process of rendering a video project into a final file format, such as MP4 or MOV.
F
Frame Rate: The number of frames captured per second (fps). Common frame rates include 24fps for cinematic videos and 60fps for smoother motion.
Footage: Raw video material recorded for a project.
Fade: A gradual increase (fade-in) or decrease (fade-out) in audio or video to or from black or silence.
Float: A kind of audio recording that allows for a wide dynamic range without audio distortion. With some types of audio recording, you have to monitor gain levels. A user doesn't have to set gain levels when recording in 32-float.
Field Recording: Field recording in production refers to the process of capturing sound or audio on location outside of a controlled studio environment. Field recording typically involves specialized equipment, such as portable audio recorders, microphones and windshields to adapt to varying environmental conditions and minimize unwanted noise.
Focal-stop: Focal-stop, or f-stop, refers to the opening of a camera’s lens, also called the aperture. It determines how much light is able to pass through a lens at different shutter speeds.
Fidelity: Fidelity refers to the degree of accuracy and faithfulness with which a system reproduces or represents the original input. In audio, video and other media contexts, fidelity is often used to describe the quality and precision of the output relative to the original source. In technical and creative fields, achieving high fidelity often means maintaining as much of the original quality as possible while balancing practical limitations, like file size or hardware capabilities.
G
Green Screen: A green background used to replace the background with another image or video during post-production.
Gain: Gain in audio production is the amount of amplification applied to an audio signal, usually measured in decibels (dB).
Grip: A person who sets up and operates equipment that support lighting and cameras on a set.
H
High-Definition (HD): Video resolution typically 720p or 1080p, providing clear and detailed visuals.
High-Fidelity (Hi-Fi): Meaning high quality audio and video. Hi-fi media will have clear picture and very little distortion or pixelization, as opposed to lo-fi media which will have lower quality and some distortion.
Hook: The opening segment of a video designed to grab the viewer's attention.
Hard Cut: An abrupt transition from one clip to the next, often used for dramatic effect.
I
Input: In video production, an "input" refers to any source of video signal that is fed into a recording or switching device, like a camera, computer or video mixer, essentially acting as the raw material that will be used to create the final video product. A camera feed, a pre-recorded video file, a graphic image or even a live screen capture would all be considered "inputs" that are brought into the system to be manipulated and combined.
ISO: ISO is a digital camera setting that determines how sensitive the sensor is to light. A low ISO setting is better for shooting during daylight, while a high ISO setting is better for darker conditions.
J
Jump Cut: A sudden transition between two similar shots, creating the effect of skipping forward in time.
K
Keyframe: A marker in the timeline that defines the start or end of an animation or effect, such as zooming or fading.
L
Lighting: The arrangement of lights on set to ensure subjects and scenes are well-illuminated. Proper lighting is essential for professional-quality videos.
Lower Third: A graphic overlay on the lower portion of the screen, often used to display names or additional information.
Low-Fidelity (Lo-Fi): Meaning lower quality audio and video. Hi-fi media will have clear picture and very little distortion or pixelization, as opposed to lo-fi media which will have lower quality and some distortion.
L-Cut: A transition where the audio from the first clip continues to play over the visuals of the next clip.
Layering: When you stack multiple pieces of media in a video editing timeline so that they play at the same time.
Linear Editing: The process of editing images, video and sound in sequential order. Before the early 1990s, this process was just called video editing.
M
Montage: A sequence of clips edited together to show a passage of time or progression of events, often accompanied by music.
MP4 file: An MP4 file (short for MPEG-4 Part 14) is a digital multimedia container format commonly used to store video, audio and other data, such as subtitles, still images and metadata. The format is defined by the ISO/IEC 14496-14 standard and is one of the most widely used formats for distributing video and audio content due to its high quality and compression efficiency.
MP3 file: An MP3 file (short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) is a digital audio file format designed to compress audio data while maintaining a reasonable level of sound quality. It is one of the most widely used formats for music and other audio content due to its small file size and compatibility with most devices and software.
N
Neutral density filter: Neutral density filter is a piece of glass that fits over the front end of a lens to reduce the amount of light entering the camera.
Negative space: The area in the frame that is not the main subject. In a wide shot of someone standing in a field, the ground, sky and everything in between is negative space. Negative space an be used to isolate the subject and draw the viewer's eye or convey a visual message.
O
Optical zoom: Optical zoom is the lens’ ability to change the focal length either closer to or further from a central subject.
Over-the-shoulder: Over-the-shoulder shots are framed with an emphasis on a particular character’s perspective. This shot is used in dialogue scenes to show conversations between two people.
P
Post-Production: The phase of video production that includes editing, color grading, sound mixing and adding effects after filming.
Pre-Production: The planning stage of video production, including scripting, storyboarding and location scouting.
Proxy File: A lower-resolution version of a video file used for faster editing before replacing it with the high-resolution original.
Pan and Zoom: Camera movements simulated in editing to add motion to static images or footage.
R
Resolution: The amount of detail in a video, typically measured in pixels (e.g., 1080p, 4K).
Rendering: The process of finalizing a video with all edits, effects and transitions.
Ripple Edit: A type of edit where changes to one clip automatically adjust the positions of subsequent clips to maintain continuity.
Raw: Raw footage or photos are completely unedited, as in not cleaned up, cropped, enhanced or color corrected.
Red: Shooting in red video refers to using a camera from Red Digital Cinema (RED) to capture images. RED cameras are known for their advanced features, versatility and cinema-grade image quality.
S
Storyboard: A visual outline of a video’s shots, often drawn as a series of panels.
Shot List: A detailed plan of every shot needed for a video, ensuring all necessary footage is captured.
Sequence: A series of clips and edits combined to form a part or whole of a video project.
Split Screen: A technique where two or more video clips are shown on screen simultaneously.
Sticks: A tripod or some variation of a tripod.
T
Thumbnail: The image viewers see before clicking on a video. An engaging thumbnail can boost click-through rates.
Timecode: A numerical reference used to identify specific points in a video for editing or review.
Timeline: The workspace in editing software where clips, audio and effects are arranged chronologically.
Transitions: Effects used to move from one clip to another, such as fades, wipes or dissolves.
U
Ultra High-Definition (UHD): Video resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, four times the number of pixels as HD. Also known as 4K.
V
Voiceover (VO): Narration added to a video, often used to explain or emphasize key points.
Vlog: A video blog, typically casual and used to engage with audiences on social platforms.
Video Codec: The technology used to compress and decompress video files. Popular codecs include H.264 and HEVC.
Vox Populi: Latin for "the voice of the people," sometimes used to talk about montages of audio and video from multiple subjects.
W
White Balance: The adjustment of colors in a video to ensure they look natural under different lighting conditions.
Wide Shot (WS): A shot that captures the subject and their environment, often used to establish a setting.
Wipe: A transition effect where one clip replaces another with a sliding motion, often used for stylistic purposes.
WAV file: A WAV file (short for Waveform Audio File Format, often referred to as WAVE) is a digital audio file format developed by Microsoft and IBM. It is widely used for storing uncompressed, high-quality audio data in a raw form. WAV files are typically larger than compressed formats like MP3 because they preserve the full fidelity of the original audio recording.
Z
Zoom: Adjusting the camera lens to make the subject appear closer or farther away. Digital zooms can reduce quality, while optical zooms maintain it.