Sabre Artist
A member of the production team utilizing a combination of software programs to create special effects.

Safe Area
A camera 's viewfinder actually shows (and records on film stock ) a greater area of the scene than will appear in the final product. Markings are etched in the viewfinder to indicate to the camera operator the extents of the "viewable" film (called the live area ). An area beyond that (called the safe area ) is also marked; it is in this area that the production sound mixer might direct the boom operator to place the boom microphone .

Scaler
Circuitry or device that converts a video signal to a resolution other than its original format. Scaling can involve upconversion or downconversion , and may also include a conversion between progressive- and interlaced- scan formats. A scaler can be built into a TV, an HDTV set-top box , a DVD player, or another video source, or it may be a standalone component.

Scan Velocity Modulation
TV feature; a circuit that increases the speed of electrons to their respective phosphor dots. Often produces an artificial "hard edge," which is why it should be switched off for sources such as DVD and HDTV. Used in professional projectors as a form of dithering to reduce the visibility of scan lines. Also called velocity scan modulation or, generically, edge enhancement.


Scene
A continuous block of storytelling either set in a single location or following a particular character. The end of a scene is typically marked by a change in location, style, or time.

Scene Chewing
AKA: Chewing the Scenery
An extreme, over-the-top performance that dominates the screen. "Chewing the scenery" suggests that actor s are so engaged in their histrionic portrayals that furniture pieces and backdrops are left with big dental impressions.

Scenic Artist
A member of the crew responsible for work which includes the preparation, painting and/or coloration of all textures, plastering, appliqueing on scenery, sets, and properties; the application of all decorative wall or surface coverings; all lettering and sign work (including signs and murals; miniature sets and/or models and properties and the painting and aging in the (construction) studio or on the set of costumes and costume accessories as specified by the cosume designer.

Science Fiction
AKA: Sci-Fi, SF


On the web: List of Science Fiction titles at the IMDb.


Score
The musical component of a movie's soundtrack . Many scores are written specifically for movies by composer s.

Screen Actors Guild
AKA: SAG
An association with jurisdiction over some works that can be recorded by picture or by sound. See also AFTRA .

On the web: Official Home Page


Screen Extras Guild
AKA: SEG


Screen Test
A form of audition in which an actor performs a particular role on camera , not necessarily with the correct makeup or on the set .

Screening
An exhibition of a movie, typically at a cinema . See also feature presentation , supporting feature , double bill , trailer .

Screenplay
A script written to be produced as a movie.

Screenwriter
A writer who either adapts an existing work for production as a movie, or creates a new screenplay .

Script
AKA: Against
A general term for a written work detailing story, setting, and dialogue. A script may take the form of a screenplay , shooting script , lined script , continuity script, or a spec script . A script is often sold for a particular price, which is increased to a second price if the script is produced as a movie. For example, a sale may be described as "$100,000 against $250,000". In this case, the writer is paid $100,000 up front, and another $150,000 when the movie is produced. See also advance .

Fictional Movie(s): Player, The (1992) , Ed Wood (1994)


Script Department
The section of a production 's crew responsible for the script of a movie. Consists of writer s, script editors, and prompter s.

Script Editing
AKA: Script Editor, Script Doctor
A process whereby a script is reviewed and changed, based on input from various sources such as the director or producer . Writer s who specialize in script editing are called "script doctors", and are frequently uncredited.

Script Supervisor
A person who tracks which parts have been filmed, how the filmed scene s deviated from the script ; they also make continuity notes, creating a lined script .

SDTV
Standard-definition television. Digital television format that includes 480-line resolution in both interlaced (480i) and progressively scanned (480p) formats; offers discernible improvement over conventional analog NTSC picture resolution, with less noise; similar to DVD or satellite TV quality but not considered high-definition television (HDTV) .


Seamstress
A person who makes the costume s.

SECAM
Système Électronique Couleur Avec Memoire, or sequential color with memory. Analog color television broadcast standard developed in the mid-1960s and used in France, its former possessions, and some eastern European countries, including former members of the Soviet Union; offers 819 lines of horizontal resolution.


Second Assistant Camera
AKA: 2nd Assistant Camera, 2nd Assistant Cameraman, Second Assistant Cameraman
An assistant to the assistant cameraman .

Second Assistant Director
AKA: 2nd Assistant Director
An assistant to the assistant director . Duties include overseeing the movements of the cast , and preparing call sheet s.

Second Second Assistant Director
AKA: 2nd 2nd Assistant Director, Third Assistant Director, 3rd Assistant Director
An assistant to the second assistant director ; responsible for (among other things) directing the movements of extra s.

Second Unit
AKA: 2nd Unit
A small, subordinate crew responsible for filming shot s of less importance, such as insert s, crowds, scenery, etc.

Second Unit Director
AKA: 2nd Unit Director
The director of the second unit .

Selectable Aspect Ratios
TV feature, especially on a wide-screen and/or digital model, that allows the adjustment of screen proportions for the material being viewed; an image can be adjusted to fill the screen or to have blank bands placed at the top and bottom of a wide-screen image, or the left and right for a 4:3 image on a wide-screen set. More info

Selectable Color Temperature
Large-screen TV feature, especially a high-end set, that allows the adjustment of the color temperature . More info


Sequel
A movie that presents the continuation of characters and/or events of a previously filmed movie. See also series , serial , contrast with prequel .

Serial
A multipart film that usually screened a chapter each week at a cinema . The story structure usually has each chapter ending with a cliffhanger to ensure the audience would like to watch following chapter at its release. Contrast with series .

On the web: List of serials at the IMDb.


Series
AKA: Franchise
A sequence of films with continuing characters or themes, but with little other interdependence, especially with respect to plot or significant character development. Until the advent of television series, there were various film series such as The Thin Man and Blondie that were started with the intention of making more than one. In subsequent years, the term would apply to feature s such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture or Dr. No that made more than one sequel . In modern times, the term ``franchise'' has been used (perhaps cynically) to describe to the practise of creating a movie and product-marketing package which is contingent on commercial success. Batman and its sequel s are typically used as an example of a franchise. Contrast with serial .

Service Menu
Menu in televisions and some other electronics gear that's normally accessible only by inputting a special code. The service menu controls many parameters that, if changed, could permanently damage the product, and damage of this kind is usually not covered by the manufacturers' warranty.

Set
An environment used for filming. When used in contrast to location, it refers to one artifically constructed. A set typically is not a complete or accurate replica of the environment as defined by the script , but is carefully constructed to make filming easier but still appear natural when viewed from the camera angle.

Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990) , Blazing Saddles (1974)


Set Decorator
AKA: Set Decoration
A person who has total charge of decorating the set with all furnishings, drapery, interior plants, and anything seen on indoor or outdoor set s. The set decorator has authority over a leadman . See also set dresser .

Set Designer
The person responsible for translating a production designer 's vision of the movie's environment into a set which can be used for filming. The set designer reports to the art director .

Set Dresser
A person who maintains the set per the Set Decorator's requirements, placing elements such as curtains and paintings, and moves and resets the set decoration to accomodate camera, grip and lighting setups. Contrast with set decorator , property master . Responsible for set continuity with script supervisor and property master.

Set Medic
The set medic provides for the medical needs and emergency medical logistics of the entire cast and crew and is the safety liason between production/construction and various agencies. This person may be an emergency medical technician, paramedic, nurse, or physician. Most often the set medic is involved in the production from the beginning of preproduction or construction through filming or production through striking the set or post-production .

Set-Top Box (STB)
External receiver that converts broadcasts (such as analog cable, digital cable, or DTV) for display on a television. HDTV-ready TVs must be connected to a compatible HDTV tuner set-top box in order to receive digital television programs.


Shooting Script
The script from which a movie is made. Usually contains numbered scene s and technical notes. See also lined script .

Short Subject
AKA: Short
A movie that is shorter than 45 minutes. Contrast with feature .

Shot
A continuous block of unedited footage from a single point of view. See also scene , take , frame rate .

Shot Composition
The arrangement of key elements within the frame . See also shot selection .

Shot list
A list given to the film production crew which indicates the sequence of scenes being shot for the day. This list may include the scene number, the location of where the scene is being shot, a description of the scene, the length of a scene (listed by number of pages from the script), a list of actors who will be involved in the scene, and, special notes to all departments of what will be needed or required for a particular scene being shot.

Shot Selection
AKA: Camera Angle
The location of the camera , and what can be seen with it. See also shot composition , POV, mise-en-scene .

Shot/Reverse Shot
A sequence of three shot s: 1) a person's face; 2) what that person is looking at; and 3) the person again, giving the audience a chance to process the person's reaction to what (or who) s/he is seeing. See also reverse shot .

Shutter Speed
The length of time that a single frame is exposed for. Slower shutter speeds allow more light to enter the camera , but allow more motion blur . See also aperture , depth of field , go motion .

Ssidebars
See windowbox bars .

Sign writer
The person in charge of writing and making signs shown in a production; possibly part of the set designer 's team.

Silent Film
AKA: Silent
A film that has no synchronized soundtrack and no spoken dialogue. It was a form predominate in film until the late 1920's when practical synchronized soundtrack technology was developed and its use became popular. See also intertitles .

On the web: List of silent titles at the IMDb.


Singer
A featured vocalist; often the person who sings a film's theme song.

Singing Voice
Someone who performs an actor 's vocal parts. Marni Nixon was the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964) ; during post-production , Nixon's voice was dubbed over Hepburn's for the musical numbers.

Situation Comedy
AKA: Sitcom
A comedy in which humor is derived from people being placed in uncomfortable, embarrassing, or unfamiliar situations.

Sketch
An short scene that typically lasts less than 15 minutes that is typically shown as part of a TV series' content. It is typically used in comedies that feature these productions such as "Saturday Night Live" (1975) and "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969).

Slapstick Comedy
AKA: Slapstick
A comedy in which the humour is derived from physical interactions, often involving exaggerated but ultimately harmless violence directed towards individuals. Named after a device used by circus clowns - two boards which slap together loudly when swatted on someone's backside.

On the web: A list of slapstick comedies at the IMDb. , The Three Stooges: masters of slapstick


Slate
The recorded identification of scene and take numbers, usually done with a clapboard . Most takes are identified at the beginning; a "tail slate" marks the end instead.

Sleeper
AKA: Sleeper Hit
An unpromising or unpublicized movie that suddenly attains prominence and success.

Slow Motion
AKA: Slow Mo, Slow-Mo
A shot in which time appears to move more slowly than normal. The process is commonly achieved by either repeating frames (see also freeze frame ), or by overcranking . See also motion artifact , judder , frame rate , contrast with stop motion .

Slug Line
AKA: slug
A header appearing in a script before each scene or shot detailing the location, date, and time that the following action is intended to occur in.

SMPTE
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, a professional engineering organization that reviews technological advancements and sets professional video standards.


Sneak Preview
AKA: Preview
An unannounced screening of a movie before the premiere , often used to gauge audience reaction and feedback for final editing . See also focus group .

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
AKA: SMPTE
An international technical society devoted to advancing the theory and application of motion-imaging technology including film, television, video, computer imaging, and telecommunications. The abbreviation also refers to various measurements and standards defined by the organization.

On the web: Official Home Page


Society of Operating Cameramen
AKA: SOC
An honorary organization composed of several hundred men and women internationally, of outstanding and dedicated talent, who make their living operating film and/or video cameras in the cinematic media. Use of the abbreviation after a name indicates membership in the society.


Solarization
See false contouring .


Sony Dynamic Digital Sound
AKA: SDDS
Sony has produced a noise reduction and sound enhancement process. Competitors include Dolby Digital and DTS .


Sound Crew
AKA: Sound, Sound Engineer, Sound Assistant
The group of crewmembers directly involved with creating of a movie's soundtrack . Individual job titles include: sound designer , sound editor , sound effects , sound mixer , sound recordist, boom operator , re-recording mixer , music supervisor , and foley artist . See also MPSE .

Sound Designer
The conceptual chief of a movie's soundtrack , responsible for designing and creating the audio component of a movie.

Sound Editor
A member of the sound crew who performs editing on the soundtrack . See also dialog editor .

Sound Effects
Sounds added during post-production by the sound crew . Also used as a job title.

Sound Effects Editor
A sound editor who specialises in editing sound effects .

Sound Mix
AKA: Mix
The process of recording the production sound on the set at the time of shooting.

Sound Mixer
An audio engineer who works with a boom operator to record the production sound on the set at the time of shooting.

Sound Recordist
See tape recorder operator .

Soundstage
A large area (usually in a studio ) where elaborate set s may be constructed. Soundstages allow filmmakers greater control over factors such as sound, lighting, temperature, spectators, and security.

Soundtrack
Technically, this term refers to the audio component of a movie. Popularly, it refers to a collection of songs which are heard during the movie, often sold as an album.

On the web: IMDb Soundtrack Section


Spaghetti Western
A western filmed in Italy, many times with American leading actors. This term appeared following the appearance of Clint Eastwood in a number of Sergio Leone movies.

On the web: List of Spaghetti Westerns at the IMDb.

Spatial Artifact
A compression-induced DTV image imperfection that occurs in a single field or frame when an image on screen is not translated accurately; often results in fuzzy or slanted edges, often on text. Similar to temporal artifacts , both often referred to as mosquito noise.



Speaking Role
AKA: Non-speaking Role
A speaking role is one in which the character speaks scripted dialogue. A non-speaking role is a character specifically mentioned in the script but who doesn't have any lines of dialogue in the finished film. Speaking roles typically pay much more than non-speaking roles. While extra s may or may not be heard to speak in a film, they are not included as either speaking or non-speaking roles.

Spec Script
A script written before any agreement has been entered into ("on spec" or speculation), in hopes of selling the script to the highest bidder once it has been completed.

Special Effects
AKA: SFX, Special Effects Assistant, Special Effects Technician
An artificial effect used to create an illusion in a movie. Refers to effects produced on the set , as opposed to those created in post-production .

Fictional Movie(s): Stunt Man, The (1980)


Special Effects Supervisor
AKA: Special Effects Co-Ordinator
The chief of a production 's special effects crew .

Special Makeup Effects
An artist who combines knowledge of makeup and hairwork, with technologies of mold- making and synthetic skin materials (such as foam latex, gelatine and silicone). Many have an art or sculpture background and familiarity with puppeteering, animatronics and CGI.

Fictional Movie(s): F/X (1986)


Speed
An annoucement made by either the director of photography or camera operator indicating to the director that the camera is operating at the correct speed. Called just after lock it down , and just before action .

Spherical
AKA: Spherical Print
An optical system in which the magnifications of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the picture are the same. See also aspect ratio , contrast with anamorphic .

Sprockets
A series of tiny, square holes (sprocket holes) on both edges of a piece of film fit onto notches on wheels (sprockets) similar to gears within a film projector, used to pull the film through the projector from one reel to the other.

Squib
A small explosive device, which - when detonated - will simulate the effect of a bullet/puncture wound or small explosion. When worn by actor s, they typically include a container of blood which bursts upon detonation. See also special makeup effects .

On the web: When squibs go wrong
Fictional Movie(s): F/X (1986)


Stand-In
AKA: Stand In
A person who has the same physical properties of a particular actor , and takes their place during the lengthy setup of a scene . This allows the actor to prepare for the filming itself. Contrast with stunt double and body double .

Standby Painter
A scenic artist available during filming for last minute changes.

Star
A famous actor .

Steadicam
A camera attached to a camera operator via a mechanical harness which reduces or eliminates the unsteadiness of the operator's motion.

Steadicam Operator
A camera operator who operates a Steadicam . See also Steadicam Operators Association .

Steadicam Operators Association
AKA: SOA
An organization which represents Steadicam operators around the world, providing referrals across the entire film and video industry. Additional services include oganizing and conducting workshops, and providing Steadicam equipment rentals.

On the web: Official Home Page


Still Photographer
AKA: Stills Photographer
A person who photographs the action (often alongside the camera ) to be used in publicizing the movie.

Stock Footage
For reasons of simplicity, time, or budget, some shot s in a film may duplicated from other films or a film library. Such shot s are called stock footage.

Fictional Movie(s): Ed Wood (1994)


Stop Motion
AKA: Stop-Motion
A form of animation in which objects are filmed frame-by-frame and altered slightly in between each frame. See also go motion .

Storyboard
A sequence of pictures created by a production illustrator to communicate the desired general visual appearance on camera of a scene or movie.

Storyliner
Commonly working on television series, storyliners create the plot twists for a given story line, keeping in mind the past storylines for a given character or pairing, and the work with the writers to bring those new plot elements to life.

Studio
A company that makes movies. Larger studios (such as the majors ) have extensive in-house soundstage s (also called "studio"s) where filming can be done.

Stunt
AKA: Gag
A non-trivial and often dangerous piece of physical action. Often performed by a stunt performer .

Stunt Co-Ordinator
A person who arranges and plans stunt s.

Stunt Double
A stunt performer who specifically takes the part of another actor for a stunt . Stunt doubles rarely (if ever) speak, are typically chosen to resemble the actor that they are replacing as much as possible. Contrast with body double and stand-in .

Fictional Movie(s): Spaceballs (1987)


Stunt Performer
AKA: Stunt Player, Stunts
A specialist actor who performs stunt s.

Fictional Movie(s): Stunt Man, The (1980)


Subtitles
Words which are superimposed over a film which mirror the dialog that is heard at the time. Most often subtitles are in a different language than that which is being spoken, but this is not always the case: Trainspotting uses subtitles for humourous effect. Contrast with dubbing , intertitles , close-captioned.

Supervising Sound Editor
A chief sound editor .

Supporting Feature
AKA: Supporting Attraction
A feature film which appears (typically in a double-bill) with a feature presentation .

Surround Sound
AKA: Surround
A sound system which creates the illusion of multi-directional sound through speaker placement and signal processing. See also Dolby , SDDS , DTS , THX .

On the web: IMDb Sound Mix Section

S-Video
Common video connection that provides better picture than composite by transmitting the luminance and chrominance portions of a video signal separately. More info

SVM
See scan velocity modulation .



Swing Gang
AKA: Carpenter
A group within the art department that construct and take down a set . The head of the swing gang is a leadman . Contrast with grip s.

Sword and Sandal Epic
A colloquialism for an epic film with biblical or fantasy elements; named for the weapons and costumes that the characters typically wear.

On the web: List of sword and sandal titles at the IMDb.


Sword and Sorcery
A colloquialism for a genre of film, usually set in days of old with magic as well as sword fighting

On the web: List of sword and sorcery titles at the IMDb.


Syndication
A package of off network programs sold or bartered to individual television stations in a local market, either strip (daily) or weekly episodic (series). A package of titles may require cash purchase, bartered or sponsored programming. Most packaged syndicated contracts offer exclusivity to a market for limited number of airings. Contracts are generally designed for one to two full season runs.

Synopsis
A summary of the major plot points and characters of a script , generally in a page or two. Contrast with treatment .