American
showing the character from thighs up, from Colt to Stetson

Analysis of film location
extremely important. Which light is available? What might disturb sound recording?

Aperture
the volume of the light increases the more you open the aperture

AVID
manufacturer of a popular digital editing system

Bokeh
aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image

Camcorder
electronic device combining a video camera and a tape recorder; nowadays SD cards have replaced tapes

Camera sensor
records the pictures. Resolution depends on the number of pixels

Color of skin
camera captures the color of the skin in the face to deliver natural colors

Depth of focus
distance at which the subject is in focus

Directional microphone
records the sound in front

Fade-in
smooth transition from complete blackness to a normal image

Final Cut Pro
Apple’s digital video editing software

Focus
the sharpness of an image

FS7
Sony’s camera to have. For camera(wo)men who work on their own

Full HD
high definition resolution, 1920 x 1080 pixel

Gain
exposure is influenced by gain. Luminous sensitivity increases when using a gain filter

HD
high definition resolution, 1280 x 720 pixel

Light
the alpha and the omega of good filming

ND
means „neutral density“. Camera has ND filters. They reduce the volume of light that reaches the sensor

Pixel
abbreviation of Picture and Element. The smallest point of a digital picture that you can see

Proportion
premise for beauty. Golden section f.e. creates harmony

Prosumer camera
feasible camera. Compromise between professional and consumer needs

Shortcut
keyboard shortcut is a series of one or several keys that invoke a software or system operation when triggered

Shutter
part of a camera that opens temporarily to allow light to reach the sensor. High shutter speed decreases in-motion unsharpness

Steady shot
camera shake reduction, important f.e. at hand held shooting

Tripod
well, very old-fashioned, but very very useful

Twilight hour
dawn and after sunset. Every face filmed at twilight hour will look more beautiful and younger

White balance
camera needs to understand how a human being sees white in a given situation of light, f.e. at high noon or video light indoor. You can adjust white balance automatically or manually

Wireless transmission of sound
character gets a wireless microphone. Sound is transmitted to the receiver at the camera

Zoom
transition of the focal length, f.e. from a wide angle shot to a close view in telephoto

4K
resolution, 3840 x 2160 pixel