Like most industries, the Film & TV industry uses a long list of terminology, jargon, and abbreviations. Here is a glossary of terms I think an Editor, Assistant Editor or budding Editor should know. I’ll add more as time goes on.
A
ADR – Automated/Additional Dialogue Replacement. This is the recording of dialogue during post-production, usually done in a studio. Dialogue from the shoot that is at an unacceptable technical level is re-recorded, as is any additional or replacement dialogue chosen during the edit. Editors will often be involved in writing this additional dialogue.
ARRI – Hundred-year-old manufacturer of movie-making equipment, and makers of the widely-used ARRI ALEXA cameras.
Assembly – This is the first version of the film created from material captured during production. Usually put together by the editor working during the shoot. The Assembly is sometimes known as the Script Cut, because it closely follows the structure and elements of the script. Also sometimes called the Editor’s Cut.
See Five Stages of the Edit: Part 2 – The Assembly for more detail
Assistant Editor – A member of the editing team. The 1st Assistant Editor is responsible for the day-to-day running of the cutting room. They manage other members of the team, communicate with other departments, and oversee material flowing in and out of the cutting room. Their goal is to free the editor up to spend as much of their time as possible editing.
See What does an Assistant Editor do? for more detail
B
BITC – Burnt In Time Code. A video file with timecode(s) visible on-screen. Supplied to the likes of composers and sound designers, having the timecode on-screen allows syncing of elements to be done more accurately.
C
Coverage – Scenes are covered by a selection of shots (Wide shot, mid shots, singles, two-shots etc. – also known as Setups), that the Editor will build the scene from. Some scenes will be covered in just one shot, while complicated action scenes may have dozens.
D
Deliverables – All the final, completed assets delivered by the post house to the Producers, or from the Producers to distributors and film festivals once the film is complete. Includes the film itself (perhaps with multiple audio versions), publicity material, and documentation.
Director’s Cut – Once the shoot has finished, and the Assembly is completed, the director and editor will begin working towards delivering a version to the producers that the director is (relatively) happy with.
See Five Stages of the Edit: Part 3 – The Director’s Cut for more detail
DIT – A Digital Imaging Technician works on set as part of the camera department, sometimes working closely with the Director of Photography to develop a look for the film (see LUT). They take cards from the cameras, back that material up, and supply it to the edit. Increasingly, they will also take files from the Sound Recordist, auto-sync picture with sound using timecode, and provide proxies for the edit.
E
EDL – Edit Decision List. This is a text file that lists each shot in the final film, the file name of the shot, and timecodes of where the shot begins and ends. Used to recreate the edit in other systems, especially when grading. EDL’s have largely been replaced by the more modern, more versatile XML.
J
J-cut – A cut where audio from the incoming clip appears before the video, such as when we hear a character’s dialogue before we cut to them. The “J” mimics the shape of the clips in the timeline. Also see L-cut.
L
L-cut – A cut where audio from the outgoing clip continues while the picture changes, such as when we cut to the listener as a speaker’s dialogue continues. The “L” mimics the shape of the clips in the timeline. Also see J-cut.
Lined Script – Starts out as a regular paper copy of the script, but as each scene is shot, the Script Supervisor adds vertical lines to denote which shots cover which parts of the scene. Useful as a guide for the editor, especially when first cutting a scene and familiarizing themselves with the footage.
Log – A way of capturing footage in which the image has low dynamic range (ie it looks grey and washed out). This allows greter flexibility in the highlights and shadows when grading. Log is an abbreviation of Logarithmic.
LUT – Lookup Table. A preset (either created by the DP, or perhaps bought online), which creates a pre-determined “look” for the footage. This allows on-set monitoring and the proxies used by the editor to match roughly how the DP intends the final film to look. Meanwhile, the camera is capturing the flat, Log image that is more appropriate for grading.
M
MOS – Denotes a shot that has been captured without sound. This will (or should) appear in edit logs and on the slate. There is some debate over what it’s an acronym for, but Mute On Sound works as well as anything.
O
Offline Edit – The stage where the film is edited by the Director and the Editor (sometimes called Offline Editor in TV), often using lower quality versions of the footage (see Proxies). Followed by the Online Edit.
See What does a Film Editor ACTUALLY do? for more detail
Online Edit – Once the film is Picture Locked, sound, music, picture and VFX work starts in earnest (if it hasn’t already). These elements all come together in the hands of the Online Editor, combined, checked for technical issues and standards, with titles, credits, subtitles etc added, and the completed film or show is prepared for final delivery.
P
Picture Lock – Once the edit is finished, the picture is “locked’. This allows sound, music, picture and VFX work to start in earnest, safe in the knowledge that the edit won’t change. Often, the Director or Producers will “unlock” picture at some stage, making changes to the edit that will require elements to be turned over again. See Turnovers.
Post-Production Supervisor – Responsible for managing schedule, budget, and resources during post-production, it’s the job of the Post Super to ensure that the finished film or episodes are delivered on-time and on-budget.
See Job Roles in the Offline Edit for more info on the Post-Production Supervisor role, and on other roles in the cutting room.
Proxies – These are lower quality versions of the footage that are easier to store, transfer and edit. See Offline Edit
R
Red Digital Cinema – Maker of cameras, who inspire a rather cultish following.
Reel – A section of the film, usually under 20 mins. In the days of film, this was the maximum duration a physical reel of film could hold. Nowadays, film editors will edit in reels because they are more manageable chunks than dealing with the whole film at once. Often the editor will be working on one reel while other departments (sound and music usually), are working on others.
S
Setups – Also known as Coverage. These are the shots (Wide shots, mid shots, singles, two-shots etc.) captured on set that the Editor will build the scene from. Some scenes will have just one setup, while complicated action scenes may have dozens.
Script Supervisor – Responsible for making sure everything that needs to be shot is shot, keeping track of continuity within and between scenes, matching actors’ eyelines, keeping track of slate numbers, and creating and delivering paperwork back to the cutting room and the production office. A key role, interacting with multiple people and departments, the Script Supervisor is the editor’s eyes and ears on set, and will supply them with continuity reports, a lined script, and notes from the director on prefered takes.
Spotting Session – A meeting between the Director and Composer (sometimes with the Editor present), to talk about the score of the film. This will generally involve a viewing of the whole film, stopping and starting to talk about certain moments and elements. The discussion will cover numerous topics including placement of cues, the film’s tone and themes, instrumentation, key plot points, and temp music.
T
Timecode – Each frame of video has an eight-digit number attached to it that allows instant location within a video or sound file. Usually in an Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames format (HH:MM:SS:FF). Timecode is used for everything from auto-syncing footage, to re-assembling the film in the grade.
Turnovers – Everything turned over from the offline edit to other post-production departments once Picture Lock is reached. Includes assets for the grade, sound, music and VFX. Usually the responsibility of the Assistant Editor.
V
VFX – Visual Effects. These are shots with some work done by a VFX Artist. Elements may have been removed from the shot, added to the shot, or the whole shot itself may have been created in Post.
VFX Editor – The VFX Editor is responsible for tracking and managing all VFX assets going in and out of the cutting rooms.
See Job Roles in the Offline Edit for more info on the VFX Editor role, and on other roles in the cutting room.
Video Village – On set, Directors will have a monitor which allows them to see what the camera is seeing. This setup can range from a small handheld monitor, to an elaborate collection of monitors and chairs under an E-Z Up where the Director, Script Supervisor, and various others will congregate during a take.
X
XML – This is a file type used in many fields for transmitting data. In Post-Production, it refers to a file used to pass a sequence from editing software into the software used by sound designers, colourists and so on. This is a more modern version of the EDL.