Weird Filmmaking Terms You Should Probably Know
Bringing up dead cats or baby legs would usually be pretty strange, but if you work in film and video production these terms are actually normal. Learning film lingo is a rite of passage, and once you master the language, you will earn some major credibility among other crew members. So if you want it to seem like you know what you’re talking about on your next shoot, study up on this list of terms!
10-1- Radio code for going to the restroom.
Abby Singer- the second to last shot of the day.
Apple box- wooden boxes or crates used for various purposes on a film set.
Baby/ baby legs- a small set of tripod legs.
Best-boy- assistant to the chief electrician.
C-47- a clothespin.
Cheeseplate- a metal plate with holes usually used for creating camera rigs.
Clapper/slate- a board used for syncing and IDing a shot in post.
Cookie- a device that masks light patterns on a background.
Crafty- the snack and food station for crew and cast members.
Dead Cat- a fuzzy mic cover that helps diffuse noise from wind.
Dirt/Sand- a sandbag.
Juicer- an on-set electrician.
Legs- the legs of a tripod.
Lollipop- the grip head of a stainless steel stand.
Martini- the last shot of the day.
Pancake- the smallest size of an apple box.
Picture’s Up- informing others on set that cameras are almost ready to start rolling.
Scripty- the script supervisor.
Sticks- the legs and head of the tripod.
Stinger- a single extension cord.
Strike- to turn on a production light or series of lights.
Video Village- the area where monitors are placed for the director, the client, and other production personnel to watch.
Wrap- Usually signals the end of the day (but sometimes refers to the end of a scene)!
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of all weird film terms out there, but if you master this list you should know more than enough to seem like you’ve been in the industry for a while!
If you know any other terms that you think should be included, let us know by emailing us at marketing@goodbrother.co! We will be updating this list, and filming some of the terms, so stay tuned!