LOCATION MANAGEMENT 101
An AFCI/LMGI Collaboration
GLOSSARY (COMMON FILM TERMS)
Assistant Director (AD): the Assistant Director is the Director’s
right hand person during all stages of shooting.
Ancillary: providing necessary support to the primary activities or
operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system.
Anchor location: a practical location that serves as a primary
location for filming, either due to the amount of work scheduled to
take place at that location or because of its unique visual aesthetic.
Securing an anchor location will determine where a film may base for a
portion of the shooting schedule. Other locations will typically be
scouted and secured in and around a selected anchor location.
Armorer: a technician responsible for the selection and handling of
all weaponry to be used in the production.
Background Actors: also known as extras - an actor who appears in
crowd scenes or as an incidental figure without speaking any lines.
Examples include diners and wait staff in a restaurant, or people
walking down a street. Background actors typically do not receive
screen credit.
Basecamp: a staging area for equipment and large vehicles when filming
in a variety of locations, or when parking adjacent to the filming
location is not possible. Basecamp can also be the site of activities
not directly related to filming. For example, it can serve as a
dressing area or be used for meal service.
Call/Call Time: this is the time production team members are required
to be on set and ready to work.
Call Sheet: a document, usually distributed as a PDF, which provides
an overview of a typical shoot day, including client and production
company names, talent names, crew names, their positions, location and
schedule information.
Cast: a term for the collective performers in a film. A cast is
generally divided into two categories: the leads and the supporting
characters.
Clear: assuring that a location can be secured by confirming contracts
and permits can be obtained, and that there are no unresolvable red
flag issues.
Commissary facility: a commissary is a place that provides food for
cast, crew and associated personnel, typically located in or near a
movie studio.
Crew: the collective of individuals involved with the technical aspect
of shooting a movie. It does not refer to the performers in a film.
Director: the person with the overall responsibility for all creative
and technical aspects of making a film. He or she orchestrates the
activities of the cast and crew as effectively as possible with the
goal of interpreting the screenplay and turning it into a fully
realized motion picture.
Director of Photography, Cinematographer: the person in charge of
photographing a motion picture, who plans the technical aspects of
lighting and photographing of scenes, and often assists the Director
in the choice of angles, camera setups, and lighting moods.
Geotag: an electronic tag that assigns a geographical location to a
photograph or video, a posting on a social media website, etc.
Holding area: a room or area placed off set where actors and crew
members will gather until required to be on set.
Image stitching: the process of combining multiple photographic images
with overlapping fields of view to produce a segmented panorama or
high-resolution image.
Jurisdiction: used to refer to the geographical area to which granted
authority applies.
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA): a contract by which one or more
parties agree not to disclose confidential information that they have
shared with each other as a necessary part of doing business together.
Prep: the planning stage of a production after a project has been
greenlighted. This occurs before principal photography begins.
Power Drop: electrical power distributed via cables and junction boxes
to various areas of a location, if needed.
Producer, Production, Production Team: the head of production who
bears the ultimate administrative, financial, and legal responsibility
for a film. The producer is in charge of raising funds, acquiring a
story, hiring key personnel, finalizing the script, and arranging for
distribution. In practice, the role of a Producer may be wider and can
include creative involvement.
Production Designer: the person who conceives, plans, and supervises
the overall physical look of a movie, and as such is responsible for
almost everything that is placed before the camera (apart from the
actors).
Restoration: to fix, repair or otherwise put a property back to its
original condition prior to filming.
Rolling Stock: the work vehicles or trucks that carry film equipment,
serve as work spaces for cast and crew, or serve as offices throughout
the course of a production.
Silks: a common lighting diffuser typically used to soften harsh
light.
SPFX: special effects are a term describing any unusual effect to
create an illusion on film. These range from the elements (rain, fog,
snow) to pyrotechnics (explosions, bullet hits) and intricate optical
effects.
Storyboards: a sequential series of rough sketches or stills showing
what will happen in the movie. It captures what the camera lens will
film so that the filmmakers can outline the various shots needed.
VFX: visual effects are special effects generated with the aid of
photographic or digital technology, usually in post-production.
Wrangler: the person responsible for handling all livestock (horses,
mules, cows, sheep, and pigs) to be used in the film.
Wrap: completion of shooting either for the entire production or at
the end of a single day.
