F-Stop/F-stop Pull
1)Lens aperture. The number attained by dividing the focal length of a lens by its aperture. Indicates the amount of light passing through the lens and, subsequently, exposure.
2) Changing the size of the lens aperture to compensate for changes in the intensity of light during a shot; for example, when a camera travels from bright daylight into a dark cave.
F/X
Special audio or video effects.
Fade In
Increasing an audio or video from no signal to maximum signal. Often follows a fade out to indicate major divisions within a production.
Fade Out
Decreasing an audio or video from maximum signal to zero. Often indicates the end of a segment.
Fader
A volume control or potentiometer used to control the amplitude of an electrical signal.
Fader Bars
A pair of levers on the switcher that allow for gradual changes video levels. They can be used to produce superimpositions, dissolves, fades, keys, or wipes at different speeds.
False Light
Distorting the truth of a situation through such things as wrongful association, or unduly emphasizing negative attributes.
Fantasy Set
Television setting which is abstract or bears only limited resemblance to a realistic setting.
Fast Lens
A lens that transmits a great amount of light. Can be used in low lighting conditions.
FAX Sheet
Facilities request form. A form listing all technical facilities needed for a production.
FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
The primary federal governing body over broadcast television. Sets technical standards for audio and video quality.
Feed
Signal transmission from a specific source. Examples would be a network feed and a remote feed.
Feedback
Sound regeneration caused by a microphone picking up the output from its own speakers. Commonly results in a ringing sound or a high-pitched squeal.
Feeders
Microwave trucks that relay ENG or EFP signals from the field back to the station.
Fiber Optics
Optical fiber. A flexible, hair-like, glass or plastic conduit for light waves. The light waves can be modulated by a television signal and sent great distances without experiencing many of the disadvantages of other point-to-point links.
Field
1) Half of the information in a frame of interlaced of video. Represents one complete vertical scan of an image. The NTSC system rate is 59.94 fields per second.
2) The complete set of odd- or even-numbered lines that, when interlaced, make up one video frame.
3) One-half of a complete television picture or frame. One complete vertical scan of a video image. See field frequency.
Field Frequency
The number of fields per second. NTSC field frequency is 60-per second PAL frequency is 50 per second.
Figure-Eight Response
See bidirectional.
File
A categorical collection of information stored on the computer disk.
File Extension
Computer name suffix. Last part of a computer file name that comes after the dot; typically .exe, jpg, bmp, etc.
Fill Light
A soft light used to partially fill in the shadows caused by the key light. Typically, one-half the intensity of the key light.
Fill Pattern
Solid color or design provided used to fill in, or give texture and pattern to, elements of a chart or a drawing.
Film Chain
A cluster of film and slide projectors directed into a single TV camera by a multiplexer. Film projector system camera, cables, monitor, controls and power supply. Used to transfer films and slides to video.
Film-Style Video Production
Single camera video production. Video shot out of sequence with one camera and then assembled into a complete show in postproduction. Typically, multiple takes are made of each scene. This contrasts with switch-feed video productions where multiple cameras are used and the production is edited on a video switcher as it is shot. filter A plastic or glass material placed over or behind a camera lens to alter the light in some way. Primarily used to change color temperature. Also, a device that allows certain parts of an electronic signal to pass while stopping others.
Filter
A transparent glass or gelatin lens attachment designed to modify color or in some way or to modify the image. Electronic filters are used in non-linear editing systems to modify the video in numerous ways.
Filter Frame
Holder used on the front of a light or a camera which holds colored gels, filters, diffusers, etc.
Filter Wheel
A holder containing multiple filters that can be rotated into place behind the camera lens.
Final Cut / Fine Cut
An editor's last version of an edited piece.
Firewire
IEEE P1394 Connecton standard for transmitting compressed video and computer data from one device to another.
First Generation
Either the first print from a film original or a magnetic tape original. (There is occasional disagreement on whether the original or the first copy constitutes the first generation.)
Fish Eyes Lens
An extreme wide-angle lens.
Fishpole
A hand-held microphone suspension pole or device.
Fixed Focal Length Lens
A prime lens. A lens of a set focal length.
Fixed Focus Lens
Lens which cannot change focus from near to far.
Flag
An opaque piece of material placed in front of a light used to block a portion of the beam.
Flare
Light reflections from shiny objects, or a bright spot or streak caused by internal lens reflections.
Flash EPROMs
A non-volitle computer memory chip that can retain information after power is shut off.
Flat
A piece of standing scenery.
Flat Lighting
Soft, even lighting that produces minimal shadows and minimizes the depth or dimension in subject matter.
Flat Response
The ability of a microphone or piece of audio gear to reproduce sound equally well over the entire frequency range.
Flip Stand
Device holding camera cards that can be flipped so rapidly that the change is not apparent.
Floor Manager
Person in charge of the studio during production.
Floor Plan
A pre-production drawing, generally to scale, that indicates all set pieces, walls, and often lights and camera positions.
Florescent Light Filter
Color correction filters that attempt to give natural color renditions under fluorescent lighting.
Flow Diagrams
A diagram that uses geometric shapes and lines in place of equipment and wires to illustrate the interconnection of equipment.
Fluid Head
The pan head of choice for EFP cameras because its internal parts move through a heavy liquid, making very smooth pans and tilts possible.
Flutter
Undesirable, rapid change in frequency of an audio or video signal due to variations in tape or disc speed.
Flyaway Units
A portable satellite up-link commonly used in electronic newsgathering.
Flying Erase Head
A moving video erase head, mounted just ahead of the video record head in a video recorder that erases previously recorded video. As opposed to stationary erase heads, they make possible stable insert edits.
Flying Spot Scanner
A film-to-video transfer device that uses the electron beam of a CRT to illuminate the film being transferred.
FM (Frequency Modulation)
As opposed to AM (amplitude modulation) the form of RF modulation used for television sound transmission. Also used in satellite video transmission and for videotape recording.
Focal Length
The distance from the optical center of the lens to the focal plane when a lens is focused at infinity.
Focal Plane
The point behind and perpendicular to a camera lens where a sharp image will appear. This is the target point of a camera CCD where the image is formed.
Focus Pull
Changing the focus of the camera during a shot to keep specific subjects sharp as they move within th frame or while the camera moves.
Fog Filter
An optical filter that fits over a camera lens and creates the illusion of fog.
Foldback Speaker
PA-type speaker intended to be heard only by talent. Often used in music concerts so performers can hear accompaniment from surrounding instruments.
Follow Focus
Shifting camera focus to accommodate subject movement.
Follow Shot
A moving camera shot which keeps a moving subject within the frame.
Follow Spot
A large, high-powered, stand-mounted spotlight. Typically operated by hand and used to follow a action on a stage.
Following Source
The use of lights in a lighting design that are consistent with the apparent sources of light within the room or setting. If a table lamp in a scene is visible and supposedly turned on, subjects near the lamp should be keyed so that the lamp appears to be supplying their illumination.
Font
1) Particular set of letters and symbols of one size and typeface.
2) The style of a particular typeface that is used on a character generator.
Foot-Candle
The measure of light intensity used in non-metric countries. The number of lumens per square foot. One foot-candle is equal to 10.76391 lux.
Footprint
The ground reception area covered by a satellite. Technically, the ground area that is able to receive a satellite signal of a predetermined strength.
Format
In videotape, the size of the tape, the way it is spooled or housed and the way in which the video and audio information is recorded on the tape. Betacam, M"-2", S-VHS and Hi8 are popular tape formats.
Foundation
A make-up base over which additional make-up is applied.
Four-Way Barn Doors
Flaps attached by hinges to the four sides of a spotlight, intended to mask off and shape the beam.
Frame
1) Two fields of 262.5 interlaced scanning lines. In NTSC, a frame makes up one complete video picture.
2) In the American system, two interlaced fields of 262.5 lines each that, when combined, make a complete picture of 525 lines. There are 30 frames per second in the NTSC (American) system.
3) A complete TV picture of (in NTSC) 525 horizontal lines. In the NTSC system frames are composed of two scanned fields of 262.5 lines each.
Frame Accurate
Edit or editing device that is accurate to one video frame.
Frame Animation
Animation procedure in which images are drawn, frame-by-frame and then recorded one-by-one on frames of film or video.
Frame Grabber
A computer expansion board that has the ability to digitize and store a single video frame.
Frame Lock
A method of stabilizing videotape playback that tries to match an even field of the playback signal to an even field coming from the sync generator, and an odd field of the playback signal to an odd field coming from the sync generator.
Frame Rate
The speed at which the video frames are scanned 30 per second in NTSC video.
Frame Store
See electronic device that electronically captures and stores complete video pictures.
Framestore Synchronizer
1) Device which can hold a complete video frame in electronic memory. Commonly used to synchronize signals from two or more video sources.
2) A device used to lock up non-synchronous video signals to the main system.
Franchise
Contract between cable company and a community specifying a specific level of service in return for a contract for a specific period of time.
Freeze Frame
A still image captured from action on a videotape or film.
Frequency
1) The rate of occurrence of events in a system. The frequency of electrical signals is measured in Hertz, or cycles per second.
2) The number of events which occur in a given unit of time. In audio, it refers to the tome or pitch of sound.
3) The number of times a sound or signal vibrates each second expressed in cycles per second or hertz.
Frequency Interleaving
The process by which color and brightness signals are combined into one NTSC signal.
Frequency Modulated / FM
A video and/or audio signal that changes in frequency to reflect changes in the original signal. The product is superimposed on a high frequency carrier for transmission.
Frequency Response
1) The sound range from high to low (in Hz) which a piece of equipment can effectively reproduce.
2) A system’s gain characteristic versus frequency. Frequency response is often stated as a range of signal frequencies over which gain varies by less than a specified amount.
Frequency
Sound wave repetition rate in Hz or cycles per second. In electronics, the number of times a signal changes from positive to negative (or vice versa) per second.
Fresnel Spotlight
A spotlights with steplike concentric rings commonly used as a key light. Named after the inventor of its lens.
Friction Head
Camera mounting head that locks its movement through the action of adjustable friction between moving parts. Sometimes counterbalanced by a strong spring.
Frontality
The convention in Western art that implies a favored view for the audience so that figures in a painting or a movie tend to face towards the viewer. The goal in cassical stoytelling is to give the illuson of "natural" figure placement while using frontality to reveal and emphasize story elements.
Front Porch
The portion of the waveform scan that represents the horizontal blanking at the end of a line of video.
Front-Screen Projection
As opposed to rear screen projection, an image projected on the camera side of a light-reflecting screen.
Full Focus Lens
An auto-focus lens which can continually (and often automatically) focus from infinity to the macro (extreme close-up) mode.
Full Value Visual
Television visual which contains a full range of tones from black to white.
Full-Motion Video
Video sequences that consist of enough images (generally, 30 frames per second) to result in smooth motion.
Full-Track
An audio tape recorder, or recording, that uses the full width of the tape for making recordings.
Fully Scripted Show
A script for a production in which all dialogue is fully written out.
Fuzzy Logic
Computer-based circuitry that is able to use successive approximation to arrive at a result when no clear-cut answer is otherwise attainable.
FX
Special effects.
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