If you’re looking to improve your video marketing strategy, hiring professionals should be your first consideration. After all, you want the quality of your company to be reflected throughout the video, and thus it is of utmost importance to ensure it is done right. With the growing online demand for video, you can’t afford to not invest in a quality video. However, if you are going to hire a media company to do the leg work, it’s important to familiarize yourself with some basic video terminology so you can keep up in conversations.
While you may not necessarily need to use the terms, the more you know, the more you’ll understand what they are talking about. You don’t want to feel lost in a conversation when you are their link to understanding your company. You likely already know more than you think, so we’ll skip over terms like “framing,” “pacing,” and other basics. The more you know, the less communication becomes a barrier during production.
Filming
Shot List: This is the list of shots that the cameraman needs to get in order to make the video they have planned.
B-Roll: These are often short candid clips that are commonly used in voiceovers.
B-Cam: This is the secondary camera that is also getting shots, but from a different angle than the main camera.
Establishing Shot: This is a clip that shows where a scene is taking place. For example, if the scene is taking place in your office, the establishing shot may be a clip showing the outside of the office building or the lobby where your logo and name are clearly seen.
Cut Away Shot: When the video transfers to another shot apart from the main action. For example, during a Q&A video with a marketer, the video may cut away from the speakers to show the product they are discussing.
CU & WS: CU is close up. WS is wide shot. The terms are pretty self-explanatory, but if you see these abbreviations in writing, it’s likely this is what they mean.
Headroom: This is the extra space added into a shot to keep it from looking too cramped.
Video
Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio refers to the dimensions of the frame of shot.
SD & HD: These refer to the resolution. SD is standard definition. HD is High Definition.
4K & 8K: These are also resolutions and give very clear picture. 4K is 4096 × 2160 which is more HD than even HD, and 8K is 7680 × 4320, so even more impressive.
Sound
Voiceover: Talking over a video. This could be a narrator talking over a scene or a cutaway from an interview to show a clip about what the interviewee is talking about.
Boom: This is the extendable rod which holds a microphone. It allows for a microphone to be placed closer to the speakers without being in the shot.
Sweetening: The same way you can adjust color and lighting to adjust the visuals in post production, you can “sweeten” the audio by adjusting certain elements of it.
Post-Production:
Overlay: This can be any type of digital image (titles, graphics, animations) that are put on top of the main video.
Lower Thirds: It refers to the lower third of the screen, often where titles and subtitles are shown.
Graphic: Any static picture or image that is put on the video.
Animation: A moving graphic on the video.
SOURCES:
Foertsch, Catie. “Top 13 Video Production Terms Marketers Need to Know.” Diginovations. 8 February 2017 (visited 8 June 2022).
“The Ultimate Glossary of Video Production Terms.” Nemorin. (visited 8 June 2022)
“Glossary of Terms.” Eyecon Video Productions. (visited 8 June 2022).
Wittman, Bruce. “Best Video/Film Production Glossary of Terms” Eagle Video Productions. (visited 8 June 2022).
“Separating SD, HD, Full HD, 4K and 8K.” Image Engineering. 5 March 2018 (visited 8 June 2022).
“Boom Microphone.” Backtracks.com (visited 24 June 2022)
Knudsen, Sarah Solvsteen. “Your Go-To Film Lighting Dictionary – 46 Terms You Should Know”
Dec 20, 2021 (visited 24 June 2022)