Joseph's Glossary of Film
Terms
- B&W, B/W, or b/w
- term denoting a black and white film or photograph
- backlighting
- occurs when the lighting for the shot comes from the rear of the set causing the figures
in the foreground to appear in semidarkness or as silhouettes
- back lot
-
refers to the exterior sets of typical locals such as a frontier town, a city street, a
European Village which were build on the back lots of the big Studios during the studio
era
- back projection
- see rear projection
- B-Film or B-Movie or B-Picture
- a low budget film shot with second rate actors
- bird's-eye view
- a shot of a subject from directly above that subject
- blimp
- a sound-proof camera housing designed to prevent the microphones from picking up the
sound of the camera's motor when it is operating
- blocking
- the predetermined movement of the actors within a given scene as well as the setup and
positioning of the cameras, lights and other technical equipment
- bloom
- the treatment of a camera lens with special transparent fluoride coating to reduce
reflection
- blow-up
- in film-making, blow-up usually refers to the process of transferring film from 16 mm
stock to 35 mm prints; also refers to the process of enlarging a photographic image
- boom
- an extension device, usually a steel arm, used to support a camera or a microphone.
A camera boom is a crane-like device used to move a camera over a set in order to
shot continuous action or a series of related shots at more than one level or angle;
a microphone boom is microphone attached to telescoping pole which allows the
recording of the actors without restricting their movements; see also boom shot.
- boom shot
- a continuous single shot incorporating any number of camera levels and angles; Hitchcock
used this technique for almost all of the filming in Rope (1948); see also dolly shot.
- booster light
- lamps, usually arc lights, used during exterior daylight shooting to illuminate shadowy
areas
- breakaway
- a prop especially constructed so that it will shatter or come apart easily; breakaways
are widely used in action sequences such as a chair being broken over an actor's back in a
barroom brawl
- breakdown
- a detailed list (usually prepared by the assistant
director) of everything required for the shooting of a film, scene-by-scene and day-by-day
- broad
- a lighting unit designed to illuminate a large area; also known as a
"broadside."
- buddy film
- a film genre most popular in the late 1960's and early 1970's which focused on male characters and their
stories. Examples include Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Easy Rider (1969). Thelma
and Louise (1991) is a "feminist" (?) variation of the buddy
film, in which the buddies on the run are two women.
- bullet time photography
- super slow motion which allows filmmakers almost unlimited flexibility in
controlling the speed and movement of on-screen elements. Used by the
Wachowski brothers to create stunning visual effect in Matrix
(1999). Technique involves 100's of still cameras triggered
rapidly one after another following blocked action.
Additional computer enhanced drawings are used as filler-images to animate
the filmed action to any desired speed with perfect focus. Visit the
official Matrix website
for details.
- burnt up
- description of a film that is overexposed.
- butterfly
- an overhead silk or linen screen used in outdoor film-making to diffuse harsh sunlight
and soften shadows
- buzz track
- a non-distinct background noise (sometimes called "room tone")...usually
recorded while everyone on the set remains silent...this recording can then be used
by the
editor to bridge any gaps between lines of dialogue.
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