Script Speak
Creator Speak that has to do specifically with TV scripts, script-writing, and production. Compare and contrast Fan-Speak and Creativity Leash.
Script Speak:
- Act Break - Splitting up a program into segments
- Arms Up - Camera movement not as strong as boom up
- Aside Glance - Brief look at camera
- Beat - Short pause
- Blipvert - High speed montage
- Book Ends - Matching scenes at both ends of a story
- Boom Up and Over - Camera moved high over subject
- The Climax - High point of a story
- Establishing Shot - Wide shot covering an area
- Fade In - Dissolve from black
- Fade Out - Dissolve to black
- Fade to Black (see also Smash to Black) - Slow dissolve to black
- Fade to White - Slow dissolve to white instead of black
- Flyaway Shot - Slow zoom out
- Hat and Coat Shot - Closing shot of the movie
- An Insert - Close-up shot of a specific object
- Internal Reveal - Something known to the audience is now known by a character
- Iris Out - Black edges move inward toward the center of the screen
- Landing Gear Shot - Quick airplane landing shot
- Mandatory Line - Strange or quirky piece of dialog probably added for contractual reasons
- Market-Based Title - Title of a work in a foreign language is changed for marketing reasons
- "On the Next..." - Montage to encourage watching the next episode
- "Previously On..." - Montage showing scenes from one or more previous episodes
- Script Life Cycle - How a script is created
- Show Parts - The structure of a TV program
- Smash Cut - Abrupt change in the middle of a scene
- Smash to Black - Immediate cut to black, typically at a commercial break
- The Tag - Short mini-act near end of the show
- The Teaser - Short cold opening used at the beginning to establish a show
- Three Act Structure - Constructing a program to be set up and finished in three acts
- Title In - Indication that words describing something related to the scene are to appear
- Where When Who - The three primary components of scene setting
Writer Speak
- Aborted Arc
- All Just a Dream
- Backstory
- Breather Episode
- Canon
- Character Focus
- Concepts Are Cheap
- Entrance
- Exposition
- Flat Character
- Foil
- Four Lines, All Waiting
- Framing Device
- Fridge Logic
- Half Arc Season
- High Concept
- The Hollywood Formula
- In Medias Res
- Lead In
- Meanwhile Back At The
- Meanwhile Scene
- Mid-Season Upgrade
- Myth Arc
- Negative Continuity
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore
- One-Shot Character
- Opening Monologue
- Opening Scroll
- Out of Focus
- Plot Tailored to the Party
- Recurring Character
- Regular Character
- Reset Button: Examples (see also): All Just a Dream; Negative Continuity; Snap Back
- Retool
- The Reveal
- Rotating Arcs
- Script Salve
- Script Wank
- Sequel Hook
- Series Goal
- Shoo Out the Clowns
- Show, Don't Tell
- Snap Back
- Stand Alone Episode
- Status Quo Is God
- Story Arc: See also: Aborted Arc; Half Arc Season; Myth Arc; Rotating Arcs
- Subtext
- Tableau
- Take That
- Third Line, Some Waiting
- Two Lines, No Waiting: see also: Third Line, Some Waiting; Four Lines, All Waiting
- Understatement
- The Un-Reveal
- Wham! Episode
- Willing Suspension of Disbelief
- Writing by the Seat of Your Pants
- You Bastard
Production Lingo
- ADR
- Audio Description
- Blue Screen or Green Screen: slang for Chroma Key
- Bottle Episode
- Closed Captioning
- Concept Art
- Episode Code Number
- Five Episode Pilot
- Fix It in Post
- Laugh Track
- Looping Lines
- Model Sheet
- MOS
- Multi-Part Episode
- Precap
- Scully Box
- Shoot the Money
- The Slug
- Squib
- Storyboard
- Studio Audience
- Stunt Double: see also Talent Double
- Stock Footage
- Syndication Title
- Talent Double