As technology advances, the video production vocabulary around it gets more confusing. VFX, mixing, explainer, green screen, CTA, SFX – what do they all mean???
MN Videos is here to help. We’ve created a small glossary of commonly used video production terms and have broken it down into the three stages of video creation.
Video Production Terminology Guide
Pre-Production:
This stage is the process of getting everything ready, where ideas come together to organise and plan your video:
- Initial Interview: Q & A session between the client and messaging director to determine the overall direction of video and CTA. 1st step in producing any video. We’ve outlined the importance of having a good message here.
- Production Meeting: All parties involved with the video production for business: Client, agency, production manager, messaging director, developer.
- Script: Details the visuals and audio during the video. It has all spoken audio which can be on-camera or voice-over. It includes notes on intonation, stage directions for live action, descriptions of the shots, and notes on post-production visual effects or sound design.
- Story Board: Also known as a mood board – layout of video segments with annotations for VFX/SFX -video cutaways -used in creating explainer/advertorial video. A visual roadmap for the director or developer
- Creative Kickoff: 2nd meeting between client, production manager, messaging director and developer to present pencil sketch and story/mood board and finalise production sequence.
Video Production meaning:
It is the process of filming a video:
- Call Sheet: Scheduling tool for cast & crew to know the time and place for their role in the production. Used in live-action video shoots.
- Continuity: Succession of events to create a logical progression of the video.
- VFX: Short for visual effects. Used to refer to on-screen graphics or compositing that either hides or enhances something.
- SFX: Short for sound effects.
- Green Screen: Used in VFX video or photography where an actor or object is recorded or photographed in front of a green screen. The background is replaced in post-production with other images.
- Live Action: Using live actors or natural objects
- B-roll or secondary footage: Additional footage that helps tell the story. It can be used to show what someone is talking about or to provide more information about a place or event. For example, if someone talks about a party they went to, the B-roll might show people dancing and having fun.
- Depth of field: How much of an image is in focus. A shallow depth of field means that not much of the image is in focus, while a deep depth of field means that most of the image is in focus.
- Frames per second: The number of images that a camera can take per second. The higher the fps, the more images your camera can take, and the smoother your video will look.
- Aperture: How wide the lens opens to let in light. A big aperture (like f/2.8) lets in a lot of light, while a small aperture (like f/16) only lets in a little bit of light.
- Colour temperature: Color temperature is a way of describing how warm or cool a light source appears. For example, a burning candle has a low colour temperature and appears warm, while the sun has a high colour temperature and appears very bright.
- Bokeh: the way the background of a photo looks when the subject is in focus. It’s usually a nice, blurred effect.
Post-Production:
Where all the elements are edited to create the final video.
- CGI: Computer-Generated Imagery. Like 3d renders.
- Lower Thirds: is the name for the area on screen that includes information such as the name of a person speaking or the title of a segment.
- After Effects®: Software by Adobe used for creating 2D & 3D motion graphics and visual effects.
- Animation: Graphic technique used to create movement in inanimate objects, scenery or text.
- Content Integration: Advertorial – visual advertising is woven into editorial content.
- Branded Entertainment: A version of content integration where the video’s primary focus is to entertain, with a subtle reference or influence from the supporting brand.
- CTA: Call to Action – landing page or end cap result
- Video Editing: Selecting and organising footage to create a seamless narrative video.
- Mixing: Combining all sound elements, voice-over, music, SFX, and timing, into the final soundtrack.
- Rough Cut: 1st version of the completed video – subject to editing. Check for continuity and timing. This is a chance for everyone to see how things are shaping up and ensure the direction is what was intended.
- Spot: Industry name for a commercial.
- Color grading and colour correcting: when you change the colors in a video or film to make it look a certain way. For example, you could make everything look very bright and colorful, or you could make it all look dark and gloomy. Color correcting is when you fix the colors in a video or film so that they look natural and accurate.
Knowing this vocabulary will significantly help you, your team, and the production company you are working with. The last thing you need to have to happen is a project being miscommunicated, and all of your complex creative work isn’t correctly translated on-screen. Our team has developed an efficient process and will guide you through each production phase. Whether it’s a training video, a collection of testimonials or explaining how your product functions, we’re ready to educate you through the production process and provide new digital tools for your business success; let’s discuss your next project today.
