Glossary of Terms
The Glossary of Terms is a curated collection of definitions from the worlds of film, games, art, and design. Whether you're a student, artist, creative director or technical developer, this glossary is made to streamline your workflow and sharpen your understanding. All terms are written with clarity in mind, so you can move from confusion to creation faster.
The glossary includes industry-specific language used in animation, storytelling, production, visual effects, interactive media, conceptual art, and design systems. It’s structured for creative professionals, by creative professionals.Browse through categories like visual language, camera techniques, character design, game mechanics, UI principles, rendering technology, and more.
What is the Glossary of Terms?
The Glossary is a living index of essential concepts across entertainment and creative industries. It helps define and demystify production terms, art direction language, cinematic devices, and technical terminology — all in one place. You can use this glossary to learn the language of the industry, write clearer documentation, improve production notes, or enhance your storytelling vocabulary.
Why use a Glossary?
Many terms in the entertainment industry are often used inconsistently or misunderstood. The Glossary gives you clean, consistent definitions across mediums — helping teams stay aligned, students learn faster, and artists speak the same language. It also supports better communication between departments, whether you're working in pre-production, post, or interactive pipelines.
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Filmed during pre-production to test elements like costumes, makeup, practical effects, and auditioning actors.
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A physical film copy sent to critics and awards voters for convenience during awards season.
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Films taking place entirely on screens, such as phone or computer screens.
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The script for a movie, containing dialogue, character movements, and essential actions, written by a screenwriter.
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A stencil-based printmaking technique where ink is forced through a screen onto paper or fabric, creating bold, flat colors and designs. This technique is commonly used for posters and commercial prints.
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The creator of a movie’s screenplay, who may write an original script or adapt existing work like a book or article into a film.
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The process of analyzing a script in detail to identify all the elements needed for production, such as locations, props, and actors.
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A person responsible for ensuring continuity throughout filming, tracking details like dialogue, props, and blocking.
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Script type refers to fonts that mimic modern or traditional handwriting. There are formal and casual script fonts. Formal ones, based on 17th and 18th century letterforms, are used for elegant documents like invitations, while casual fonts feel more relaxed.
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A preliminary or rough version of a screenplay that outlines key plot points and character actions, but lacks detailed dialogue.
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A three-dimensional artwork created by carving, modeling, casting, or assembling materials such as stone, metal, wood, or clay. Sculpture can be free-standing or part of a larger installation.
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An umbrella term for the artists based in Rome or connected to the city in the 1920s and 1930s, known for their focus on modernist representation and a connection to social realism.
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The act of breaking away from established art institutions to create new, often more radical, approaches to art, with the Vienna Secession (1897) led by Gustav Klimt being one of the most famous.
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Second Unit Photography
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Responsible for filming less important scenes like foreign location backgrounds or large crowd scenes, led by a second-unit director.
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A hidden or unlocked character within a game, typically only available through specific actions, cheats, or achieving certain milestones.
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A hidden or hard-to-find level within a game, often accessible only through specific actions or exploration.
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A type of architectural drawing that shows a vertical slice of a building, revealing its interior structure, levels, and spaces, often used in construction and design planning.
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An artistic representation made by the artist of themselves, capturing their likeness or exploring their identity, often revealing personal emotions and perspectives.
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An image converted into a dark olive brown tone for dramatic effect or an antique aesthetic.
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A film continuing events, characters, and settings from a previous movie, as opposed to a prequel.
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Art that adheres to a specific set of rules to create a sequence or series of works that share common elements or compositions, often associated with conceptual and minimalist practices.
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A serif is a small line or stroke at the end of a letter's main strokes, found in typefaces like Baskerville and Times New Roman. These fonts are easier to read in print as the serifs help distinguish letters.
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Set extensions are digital additions to a live-action shot, used to expand or alter the scene’s environment. Often created using matte painting or 3D models, they allow VFX artists to build expansive environments without needing to construct physical sets.
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The time and place in which a movie’s story occurs, encompassing landscape, social structures, climate, moral attitudes, customs, and behavior codes.
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In painting, the darkened version of a color created by mixing it with black to produce a deeper, more subdued tone.
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A shader is a program used in 3D graphics that defines how the surface of an object interacts with light. It determines properties like texture, color, and reflectivity, helping to create realistic or stylized visual effects.
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A display case, often with a glass front, where objects or artwork are arranged in a three-dimensional composition, offering a sense of depth and visual interest.
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An audio illusion creating the sensation of continuous, never-ending rising or falling.
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A detailed timetable outlining when and where each scene will be filmed, including crew and actor availability.
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The finalized version of the script, including all necessary details for filming, such as locations, actor blocking, and camera angles.
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Shooting in the Round
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A film technique where the camera breaks the 180 degree rule and shoots the subject from any angle.
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The image produced by a motion picture camera from the time it begins shooting until the time it stops shooting.
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A list detailing shots planned for filming, often provided to the crew a day before shooting.
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A filming technique where two shots are alternated, often used in dialogue scenes, showing one character speaking and then the other.
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A shoulder is a curved stroke that connects to the stem of a letter, typically seen in letters like ‘h’ or ‘n’.
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The individual with primary creative control and management of a TV show, typically a writer.
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The duration a single film frame is exposed, traditionally 1/48 second at 24 frames per second.
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Optional quests or missions within a game that do not directly contribute to the main story but provide additional content, rewards, or lore.
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A term coined by art critic Clive Bell, referring to the idea that the form of an artwork (its composition, color, and shape) can evoke emotion and meaning independently of subject matter.
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A motion picture without synchronized recorded sound or spoken dialogue.
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A printmaking technique where ink is pushed through a fine mesh screen, with blocked areas to create an image, often used for bold, flat-color prints. Known also as screen printing.
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A figure of speech comparing two different things using "like" or "as."
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A concept from Plato’s philosophy that refers to a representation or imitation of something, often used in contemporary theory to describe a copy of a copy, or a representation of reality.
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Simulation in VFX refers to the use of algorithms and computational methods to replicate natural phenomena like smoke, fire, water, and destruction. These simulations help create realistic movement and interaction within a 3D environment.
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A term coined by artist Robert Delaunay to describe a style of abstract painting that focused on color and light in simultaneous interactions, influencing later developments in abstraction.
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A filmmaking method where only one camera is used to capture all scenes, requiring multiple takes and angles to cover the action.
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Art designed for a particular location or context, where the relationship between the artwork and its environment is an integral part of the experience or meaning of the work.
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Situationist International
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A revolutionary alliance of avant-garde artists, writers, and thinkers formed in 1957, whose members sought to critique modern capitalism, consumerism, and the spectacle of mass media.
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A quick, loose drawing or study made to capture the basic elements of a composition, often unfinished or in the process of being developed into a larger work of art.
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Skeuomorphism refers to the design of digital elements that mimic real-world objects, like the phonebook icon in Apple's Contacts app, which looks like a physical book.
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A game mechanic or encounter designed to test the player’s skill level or progress, often involving challenges that need a specific approach or strategy to overcome.
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Cosmetic alterations to a player character, item, weapon, or NPC in a game, often used for customization and typically not affecting gameplay.
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An optical effect cutting out specific frames from an original scene.
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A very tall building, typically defined as any structure over 492 feet (150 meters), designed to house multiple floors of offices or residences, often a feat of architectural innovation.
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Slab serif fonts are characterized by thick, block-like serifs, and were popular in the 19th century for advertising. A well-known example is the Courier typeface.
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A digital board held in front of the camera, identifying personnel, shot number, title, and take number for sound sync.
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A film released with minimal publicity that later gains popularity and financial success.
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A technique in editing where cuts are made less frequently to create a more deliberate, measured pacing.
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Capturing film at a faster rate and projecting it at standard speed, creating a slowed playback effect.
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A sudden and jarring cut between two contrasting scenes, often used for dramatic or comedic impact.
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When a prominent movie, crew, actor, or director is unexpectedly excluded from award nominations, termed being "snubbed" by the Academy.
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An art movement that emerged in the early 20th century, focusing on depicting the struggles of the working class, poverty, and the social and political issues faced by marginalized groups.
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A theory developed by Joseph Beuys that everything in life can be considered art, and that by being creative and collaborative, individuals can shape and transform society as a work of art.
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Refers to the shift in art practices from object-focused works to those that engage directly with social and political issues, with a focus on collaboration and participation in the late 20th century.
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An art movement in Soviet Russia that demanded that art serve the purposes of state propaganda, typically characterized by highly realistic depictions of Soviet life and workers as heroic figures.
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Socially engaged practice
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A form of art that emphasizes collaboration, participation, and interaction with communities, often addressing social, political, or cultural issues in an activist or inclusive manner.
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A cinematographic effect using vaseline or a filter to reduce sharpness, often for dreamy or romantic scenes.
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Light that is diffused to create a softer, less harsh illumination, often used for flattering portraits or calm scenes.
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A set of instructions and code that directs the functions of a computer, often used in art to create digital works, design tools, interactive experiences, and multimedia projects.
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A photographic technique where an image is exposed to light during the developing process, creating a unique effect where parts of the image are reversed or haloed.
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A liquid used in painting and other artistic processes to dissolve or thin paints, varnishes, or inks, allowing artists to control consistency and application.
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The audio component of a movie, encompassing dialogue, sound effects, and music.
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The process of creating the auditory elements of a film, including dialogue, sound effects, and ambient sounds.
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A professional responsible for creating, recording, and manipulating sound effects, as well as managing the film's soundscape.
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A person who edits sound in post-production, ensuring it aligns with the action on screen and complements the film's tone.
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A recorded or artificially created sound used in a film to enhance realism, mood, or action, such as footsteps or explosions.
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A document detailing the sound recording and problems during filming, used by sound editors during post-production.
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A genre of art that incorporates sound as both its medium and subject matter, often combining elements of music, sculpture, and installation to create immersive experiences.
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An early sound technology that recorded audio onto a wax disc, which was played back in sync with a film, used extensively in the 1920s for synchronized sound in movies.
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A large, soundproof room for movie productions, allowing for control over sound, lighting, and climate, often with elaborate sets.
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The audio portion of a film, technically including dialogue, sound effects, and the musical score, often referred to as the songs heard through the film and sold as an album.
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South Side Community Arts Center
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A historic arts center in Chicago, founded in 1940, that supported Black artists during the Great Depression and beyond, providing education, exhibition space, and a platform for Black cultural expression.
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Low-budget Westerns typically filmed in Spain or Italy during the 1960s, characterized by sparse dialogue and low production values.
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The act of repeatedly using the same action, attack, or strategy in rapid succession, often to gain an advantage or exploit weaknesses in the game mechanics.
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An Italian avant-garde movement started by Lucio Fontana in 1947 that emphasized the exploration of space, both literal and conceptual, and incorporated technological and scientific influences.
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An unsolicited screenplay sent to a studio by a writer in hopes of landing a paid gig or having the script itself purchased or optioned.
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Audio and visual illusions in a film that cannot be achieved by normal means, including CGI, in-camera effects, and stop-motion animation.
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A type of competitive gaming where players attempt to complete a game as quickly as possible, often using specific strategies or exploits to minimize time.
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A derivative work continuing characters from a previous film in a different direction, either as a sequel or prequel.
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A group of Black artists in the 1960s who gathered to discuss civil rights and art’s role in social change, organizing an exhibition in New York to promote the Black experience in art.
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Two different short-subject movies combined onto a single reel for silent-era exhibition.
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Combining two independently filmed actions into a single frame to appear side-by-side.
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Any information about plot details or a film’s ending that could hinder enjoyment if known beforehand.
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A group of artists in Cornwall, England, particularly active in the 1940s–1960s, known for their modernist, abstract, and figurative works influenced by the surrounding landscape.
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St John’s Wood clique
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A group of British painters in the 1870s and 1880s living in the St John’s Wood area of London, known for their unconventional approach to historical subjects and themes in their works.
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Lighting used on stage sets to enhance performances and create visual effects in theater or film productions.
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A painting technique where thinned paint is absorbed into the canvas, creating a transparent, often fluid effect that emphasizes the texture of the surface.
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A cinematic technique and visual effect used in film to represent a character’s point of view, often used in horror or thriller films to heighten suspense.
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A person who substitutes for an actor during non-acting tasks, such as rehearsals or lighting setups.
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A short-lived, avant-garde group of self-taught artists in Beijing between 1979 and 1983, known for their street demonstrations, public readings, and outdoor exhibitions challenging traditional art forms.
