Movie terminology glossary

Hey, can someone give me a hand here, please?

I'm trying to figure out how you'd say the Oscar category for Cinematography in standard American English terms.

Thanks in advance!🙂

photography 🙄
filming 🙄
camera 🙄

photo :-)

My little contribution to tonight's discussion:

The "horse head"
or rather
the cutaway.

It’s basically that shot you use when everything goes sideways during a continuous scene—say a light stand falls over, someone misses their mark, or the lighting just looks absolutely terrible. Instead of showing the mess, you jump to a close-up of a detail to patch the hole. It’s a way to maintain the flow and make the whole thing look seamless even when the reality was a disaster... just a bit of B-movie style editing.

😁

Amy Gomez36 said:a cutaway
or
cutaway

A shot used when something goes wrong during continuous filming—say, a lighting rig fails, an actor misses a mark, or the footage just looks terrible—so you use a cutaway instead. It’s a close-up detail meant to bridge the gap, making the scene flow naturally despite the error... essentially part of the B-movie kit.

😁

The term "cutaway" actually traces its usage back to the films of John Ford.

I think our editor (if my memory serves me right) decided to toss in a close-up of a horse's head during one of the sequences—and ever since then, everyone just calls it that specific 'bit.'

Basically, "a producer is a highly educated manager handling a delicate artistic/media product. From initial recognition through execution and long-term distribution, the producer collaborates with authors and creative teams while securing the financial backing necessary for successful completion and lasting public relevance. The producer anticipates the spatial and temporal context of the media product's public life."

That’s the official definition they teach during freshman year at a top film production department at the Yale School of Drama. It means a high-level corporate manager does the same thing as a film producer. The only difference is that producers actually need some level of artistic sensibility.
When a major studio wants to make a movie, they first appoint a producer, who then hires the rest of the crew (director, screenwriter...). Then, through negotiations between the producer, director, and writer, all creative aspects are decided. The producer's job is to find the best solution to every problem that pops up, especially since directors, writers, actors, and everyone else (being artists) often make totally unreasonable demands.

In America, things look a bit different. The production department at the academy has only existed for a few years, and we've only recently seen our first wave of graduated producers.

An executive producer is someone who, unlike a standard producer, has zero contact with the technical or creative side of filmmaking. An EP handles the business side. In practice, an executive producer is always either the financier themselves or a representative of those funding the project. So, if multiple studios are involved in a production, every single house will want to install their own executive producer to protect their investment.

Daniel Wells88 said:"A producer is a highly educated manager handling delicate artistic and media products. From initial recognition through execution to long-term placement, the producer collaborates with authors and creative teams while securing the financial backing necessary for successful completion and lasting public relevance. The producer anticipates the spatial and temporal context of the product's public life."

That’s the official definition taught during freshman year at the Juilliard School production department.

Is that straight from the textbook of some legendary producer like Vedran Mihletić—owner of the famous Cult Film production house? Honestly, since you're busy copying and pasting, why not just transcribe all the other nonsensical job descriptions for film crews? It would give us all a good laugh.

Thank you so much! Please, do go ahead and rewrite even more!

We’re talking about the legendary Vedran Mihletić here! And for the record, I was told this isn't some flimsy script—it’s a textbook 🙂 (even if the cover screams "SCRIPT" in big letters).

There’s zero info on the other crew members' roles, so there is absolutely nothing left for anyone to copy. Sorry, not happening.

Daniel Wells88 said:We’re talking about the great Vedran Mihletić here! And frankly—as I was told myself—this isn't just some script, it's practically a textbook 🙂 (despite what that massive "SCRIPT" label on the cover claims).

Sure—tell us how much it costs, too, and why it's required reading.

Daniel Wells88 said:There aren't any job descriptions for the rest of the crew listed, so don't expect to be copying anything else from here—sorry.

What do you mean there aren't? They're right there—try actually flipping through the pages.

I feel like the role of a producer is constantly underestimated. It’s usually because people either have no clue what the job actually entails or they assume there isn't much of a market for it here... even though we still have plenty of film, music, radio, and theater producers keeping things moving.

It’s definitely not just some banal task of scraping money together. A producer has to greenlight everything—vetting locations, giving the studio the okay to pick the director and then the cast, coordinating the actual shoot, drafting the budget... you name it. That's honestly why there are always a hundred assistants running around. 😉

The Actor acts, the Director shoots, but the whole operation is overseen by the *capo di tutti capi*... Mr. Producer.

At the end of the day, it makes sense that he gets the final word, since he's the one responsible for making sure the movie actually happens in the first place.

That is where the true power of a great producer lies. In the United States, they are treated like pure gold. Well, the good ones are, anyway. I mean, they don't just win Oscars for nothing in the most prestigious category for Best Picture.👍

Xena2000 said:The Actor acts, the director shoots—and all of it is overseen by the big boss... Mr. Producer.

At the end of the day, it’s only natural he gets the final word—after all, he’s the one responsible for making sure the movie actually gets made.

But that isn't how things work here. In the US, we see scripts approved through Department grants submitted by directors via hand-picked production houses—basically, producers who the director assumes have the right connections at the Department.

Oh, and one more thing—it isn't really the director's job to "shoot." That's the cinematographer's role, who, in our system, usually doubles as the Director of Photography.

I don't know. Everything feels upside down here... I get why they're focusing on producers, given how small our market is and how underdeveloped our film industry has become. I'm not trying to offend anyone—I truly believe there's plenty of talent in America—but the money just isn't there, and everyone seems stuck in the past. You see actors in movies acting like they're still on a Broadway stage, which is a total disaster. Then you have directors who act like they're some untouchable geniuses, obsessed with making these massive epic sagas about national identity or just playing around with pretentious "art house" tropes. An American thriller? An American comedy? An American drama that doesn't rely on heavy-handed patriotism or war stories? Those feel like foreign concepts, honestly (aside from the few legendary classics we can count on one hand).

I suppose we just have to put our faith in the new generation, especially someone like Steven Spielberg.

northerncrane4 said:Oh, and by the way—it's not the director's job to "film" things. That’s what the cinematographer does, who in our industry is usually also the Director of Photography.

Good grief, people, how are you all taking everything written here so literally? I know he isn't the one physically sitting behind the lens... even though most directors end up doing that themselves. No, I mean the person who sets the frame (though I suppose you'll tell me that's the Production Designer's job 😁) — basically, the one choosing the composition, deciding the camera angles, and guiding how an actor delivers their lines. At the end of the day, he's the person responsible for the overall atmosphere and the integrity of the film as a whole.

Sorry if I missed anything; I probably did.😉

northerncrane4 said:Just tell us how much it costs and mention it's required reading.

It’s definitely required reading. I think it runs about 150 bucks$67, but I just grabbed a copy from a buddy.

Xena says:
"No, it's the person framing the shot (and before you tell me that's the job of the Production Designer)

A Production Designer sets the stage, but the cinematographer handles the frame. Let me set you straight...🙂

The issue here is that everyone thinks they're a producer. People are slapping the 'producer' title on themselves for tasks that have absolutely nothing to do with actual production. Take PBS, for example. They have this one show where the producer's main responsibility is literally just driving guests to the studio in Washington, D.C. Everywhere else, that person would just be called a driver, but no—in this industry, they're a 'producer.'

Daniel Wells88 said:It’s required reading—I think there are about 150$67 pages—but I just made copies from a friend.

Just so we're clear: once Nate Silver eventually finds out, you're finished—you'll be stuck with the "crypto-Nazi antisemite" label for the rest of your life.

northerncrane4 said:I really hope you realize that Nate Silver is going to figure this out eventually,

Am I seriously sensing a mole in our ranks here? 😁

darin said:Am I sensing an infiltrator among our ranks? 😁

If you're taking aim at me—no, but you know how it goes—the FBI always finds out everything.