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Clean Plate

A locked-off or matching background plate shot without principal action, used to remove rigs, wires, or add elements later.

Cold Read

Performing sides with little or no rehearsal, common in casting offices and self-tape setups.

Color Grade

The creative and technical process of setting the final look of the picture — contrast, color, and texture — in post.

Also known as: grading

Comparables

Existing films or series cited to explain a project's tone, audience, or market — often shortened to comps.

Also known as: comps

Completion Bond

Insurance that guarantees a financed film will be finished and delivered; if production stalls, the bond company can take over.

Also known as: completion guarantee

Compositing

Combining multiple image layers — live-action plates, CG, and mattes — into a single seamless final frame.

Also known as: comp

Continuity

Consistency of props, wardrobe, makeup, and action across takes and angles so cuts do not jump.

Coverage

A written evaluation of a screenplay — logline, synopsis, and analysis — used to help decide whether a project is worth developing or producing.

Also known as: script coverage

Cue

A discrete music or sound-design moment spotted to picture — where it starts, ends, and what emotional job it does.

Cutaway

A brief shot away from the main action — often a detail or reaction — used to bridge edits or add information.

Dailies

Footage from the previous shoot day, screened or shared so creative leads can check performance, focus, and coverage.

Also known as: rushes

Day Out of Days

A cast scheduling chart showing which actors work which days across the shoot — essential for budgeting and turnaround.

Also known as: DOOD

Delivery Specs

The technical and legal checklist of assets a distributor or platform requires at delivery (picture, sound, paperwork, artwork).

Development Hell

Informal term for a project stuck in development — many drafts, attachments, or delays without moving into production.

DI

Digital Intermediate: the digital finishing pipeline where the cut is conformed, graded, and prepared for final deliverables.

Also known as: digital intermediate

Dialogue Edit

Cleaning and assembling production dialogue for clarity — sync, fills, and seamless joins — before the mix.

Director of Photography

The cinematographer responsible for the photographic look — lighting, lenses, camera movement — in collaboration with the director.

Also known as: DP, cinematographer

Dissolve

A transition where one shot fades out while the next fades in, overlapping for a soft temporal or tonal shift.

Editorial

The post department and process that selects takes, builds the cut, and collaborates on pace, structure, and picture lock.

Element Shoot

Dedicated photography of props, debris, or effects elements captured specifically for later VFX integration.

EPK

Electronic Press Kit: stills, clips, bios, and other publicity materials packaged for press and marketing.

Also known as: electronic press kit

Establishing Shot

A wide or contextual shot that orients the audience to where (and sometimes when) a scene takes place.

Fall Pad

Cushioned landing protection used under high falls and controlled stunt impacts to reduce injury risk.

Fight Choreography

Rehearsed combat staging between performers — beats, timing, and camera-friendly angles — run under stunt leadership.

Final Cut

Authority to decide the finished version of the film. Also used loosely for the locked, finished picture itself.