SOCIALBILITTY • GLOSSARY DEPARTMENT
Camera-department roles and the photographic craft of cinematography, including cameras, lenses, framing, exposure, movement, focus, shot design, and digital image workflows.
In film and television production, Coverage is the collection of different camera angles and shot sizes recorded for a scene so editorial has options for constructing the sequence. Coverage can include master shots, close-ups, medium shots, over-the-shoulders, inserts, cutaways, and other planned or discovered setups.
View Definition →A Master Shot is a shot that records most or all of a scene’s action from a relatively comprehensive framing. It establishes geography, blocking, timing, and performance continuity and can serve as a structural foundation for cutting to closer coverage.
View Definition →A Camera Operator physically operates the camera during a shot, executing framing and movement under the visual direction of the Director of Photography and Director. The operator works closely with the camera assistants, Dolly Grip, and other crew members involved in camera placement and movement.
View Definition →The First Assistant Camera (1st AC), commonly called the Focus Puller, is responsible for maintaining critical focus during photography and helping manage the technical readiness of the camera system. Duties can include lens changes, camera builds, focus marks, troubleshooting, and coordination with the Camera Operator and Director of Photography.
View Definition →The Second Assistant Camera (2nd AC) supports the camera team with slating, camera reports, media or magazine handling as applicable, lens and accessory organization, marks, equipment preparation, and other camera-department logistics under the First Assistant Camera and department leadership.
View Definition →A Digital Imaging Technician (DIT) supports digital-cinema image workflows on set. Depending on the production, the DIT may help manage camera-image monitoring, color pipelines, exposure evaluation, look management, signal routing, image quality control, and coordination between the camera department and post-production.
View Definition →A Photograph is a still image created by recording light with a camera onto photographic film or a digital sensor. In production, photographs may be used for reference, continuity, publicity, set decoration, props, scouting, documentation, or creative image-making.
View Definition →In film and television, a shot is a continuous recorded image from the moment the camera begins recording until it stops, or the corresponding planned unit of visual coverage. Shots are described by factors such as framing, lens, angle, camera position, movement, subject, and duration, and are assembled through editing to create scenes and sequences.
View Definition →