PRACTICAL DV FILMMAKING

Practical DV FilmMaking

• Overview
• Inside video
• Films and how they work
• Pre-production
• Production tools
• Production aesthetics
• Post-production tools
• Post-production aesthetics
• Careers and distribution
• Mapping the industry
• Glossary of film and video terms

Glossary of film and video terms

4:1:1 A way of measuring the ratio between brightness signal and colour signals. This ratio is the smallest and is roughly 50 per cent of the value of 4:2:2 in terms of horizontal colour resolution (ver­tical colour resolution remains the same). Panasonic's DVC Pro uses this ratio.

4:2:0 This sampling ratio is very similar to 4:1:1, except that it is the vertical colour resolution val­ues which are reduced by 50 per cent, while the horizontal remains the same.

4:2:2 This is a higher quality resolution used by many high-end cameras, including Digital Betacam and Sony's DVC Pro 50. Resolution is about twice the value of 4:1:1 or 4:2:0.

4:4:4:4 This sampling rate is as high as 4:2:2 but has an additional Key signal. A

Accessory shoe A standard way of mounting a light or microphone on camcorders.

A/D conversion This is another way of saying analog-to-digital conversion. Data coming from an analog device such as a VHS camera or a VCR will need to be translated into digital information before editing software can read them. It looks at the curved electrical waves present in analog infor­mation and reduces them to jagged shapes able to be described in numbers.

AE Preset The pre-programmed settings in a camcorder designed to deal with unusual lighting or subject movement conditions.

AES/EBU These abbreviations refer to the Audio Engineering Society and the European Broadcasting Union, and relate to standards that have been agreed for transmission of audio data.

Aliasing Aliasing refers to the degrading of video pictures by high-frequency video information. This results in jagged edges or lines, and strobing effects on sharp horizontal lines and rotating objects such as wheels.

Alpha channel Alpha channel is used for placing transparent elements over your picture, such as text. When you type in a line of credits, for example, they will need to be seen with the text opaque and the background transparent. This transparency is the alpha channel function.

Alternative cinema A loose term ascribed to any group of films defined by common characteristics, which is in opposition to the dominant, narrative, mainstream film.

Ambient sound Also referred to as 'presence', this is the natural background sound of a set or location. It needs to be maintained throughout a scene to ensure continuity. Also known as 'buzz track'.

Analog This is the method of storing information that was dominant until digital arrived