Video Production Glossary: 35 Terms in Plain English

A video production glossary is the short list of words editors, camera operators and producers use for the picture, the light, the sound and the edit. About 35 of them do most of the work. Know them and you can brief an editor, frame yourself and fix your own setup without guessing. Here are all 35 in plain English.

Why does the jargon matter if you record yourself?

Because the moment a recording goes to someone else, the vocabulary is how you ask for what you want. An editor offers to cover the jump cuts with B-roll, a supplier asks if you want ISO recording, someone mentions your headroom. If those words mean nothing, you nod along and get a video you didn't want, or you pay for a second round of changes.

They aren't film-school words. They're the everyday words of the job, and once you know them you can also judge your own setup. If you'd rather listen, Chris walks through them in the video production terms episode.

What do the framing and shot terms mean?

These describe what is in the picture and how tight it is. They're the ones you'll use most when you record yourself.

Aspect ratio. The width of the frame against its height. 16:9 is landscape, for YouTube and anything watched on a screen. 9:16 is portrait, for phone-first feeds. It matters most when you turn a landscape recording into a vertical one, because the sides get cropped off.

Composition. How everything in the frame is arranged: you, the background, the space around you. Good composition looks balanced without anyone noticing why.

Headroom. The gap between the top of your head and the top of the frame. Chris frames clients with about two fingers of space: enough that the hair isn't clipped, not so much that the head floats in the middle.

Close-up. A tight shot of a face or an object that shows detail and emotion.

2 shot. A shot with two people in it, the standard frame for an interview or a conversation. A 3 shot holds three.

Insert shot. A close-up of a detail inside the scene, such as hands on a keyboard or a product being opened.

Dutch angle. The camera tilted on its side so the horizon runs at an angle. It signals unease or energy, and in a business video it mostly looks like a mistake.

Handheld or locked off. Handheld means the camera is held, so the picture moves and feels personal. Locked off means it sits on a tripod or mount and never moves. A desktop studio is locked off by design.

Which camera and equipment terms come up?

These turn up when you buy gear or someone sets it up for you.

Pan. Turning the camera left or right from a fixed point.

Tilt. Pointing the camera up or down from a fixed point.

Gimbal. A motorised handle that keeps a camera steady while it moves, so a walking shot doesn't wobble.

Mic. The microphone. An overhead mic sits out of shot in a controlled room, a lapel mic clips to your collar so you can move, and a podcast mic sits close to your mouth for the clearest voice.

Switcher. A box that switches between video sources live, such as two cameras and a computer screen, so the edit happens while you record. Here's how a switcher fits a DIY studio.

ISO recording. Recording every camera feed as its own separate file as well as the switched version, so an editor can change the shot choices afterwards. Shrink ISO files before you send them to an editor.

Which lighting terms change how you look on camera?

Four of these decide most of how you look. The fifth is the one people reach for when they should fix the other four first.

Key light. The main light on your face, and the brightest one in the setup. Turn it off and you can barely see the person, which is why it's called the key light.

Backlighting. Light from behind you, opposite the camera. It puts a soft edge of light on your hair and shoulders and separates you from the wall behind, so you don't melt into the background.

Glamour light. A soft, flattering light, often called fill, that lifts the shadows under the chin and around the eyes. Less vital than the key light, but it stops a face looking tired.

White balance. The setting that makes colours look the way they do in real life under different light. Set it by hand: on every Desktop Studio it's fixed manually so the camera doesn't start hunting when someone switches the room lights on.

Green screen. A green backdrop the software removes so another image can go behind you. Phones can do it now, but a badly lit key still looks badly lit. Why a green screen is often more hassle than it's worth.

What editing terms will your editor use?

Once the recording goes to an editor, this is the vocabulary that comes back.

Raw footage. Everything the camera recorded, before any editing.

B-roll. Extra footage laid over the top of you speaking: the product, the office, the screen you're describing. It adds context and keeps the viewer watching. Some editors call it overlay.

Cutaway. A shot of something other than the main action, cut in to add information or cover a change.

Jump cut. The visible jump when part of a take is removed, such as the ums and the restarts, and the clips are butted together. A few are fine. Too many look rough, so a good editor covers them with a small digital zoom or a piece of B-roll.

Cross dissolve. One shot fading gradually into the next, usually to show time passing or soften a change of topic.

Fade in and fade out. The picture appearing from black at the start, or disappearing to black at the end.

Eyeline match. Cutting so that where someone looks in one shot lines up with what they're looking at in the next, which keeps the scene making sense.

Montage. A run of short shots cut together, often to music, to cover a lot of time or information quickly.

Time-lapse. Footage captured at a slow frame rate and played back at normal speed, so a slow process (a sunset, a fit-out) happens in seconds.

Lower thirds. The name and title graphics in the bottom third of the frame, kept low so they don't cover the face.

What do script, sound and production stage terms mean?

The last group covers the words, the sound and the order the work happens in.

Video script. The written plan for the video: what is said, what is shown and where. Chris calls it the most underestimated part of the job, because it's what everyone signs off before filming. Once it's signed off, the shoot runs without anyone stopping to reword a sentence. Grab the script template that keeps you on message.

Voice-over. Narration recorded separately and laid over the pictures.

Sound mixer. On a professional shoot, the person who records the sound on set and balances the levels. The word also means the desk they use to do it.

Subtitles. On-screen text of what's being said, often translated, and part of the picture.

Closed captions. A transcript of the dialogue and important sounds that the viewer can switch on or off. That's the CC button on LinkedIn and YouTube, and it isn't the same thing as subtitles.

Pre-production and post-production. Everything before filming (planning, scripting, booking) and everything after it (editing, sound, graphics, captions).

Which of these terms matter most for a home or office setup?

If you record yourself at a desk, five carry most of the weight: key light, backlighting, white balance, headroom and eyeline. Eyeline is where your eyes sit against the lens. On every Desktop Studio install the camera and teleprompter sit level with the client's eyes, so nothing is shot up the nose and the eyes don't drop while reading. Get those five right and a plain room looks professional. Set up your lighting step by step, or see what a full desktop studio setup involves.

Want a printable copy? Download the 35 terms as a PDF.

If you'd rather skip the setup altogether, we install a Desktop Studio that's lit, framed and white balanced for you, so you press one button and talk. Book a call and we'll work out where to start.

Video production terms: questions we get asked

What is B-roll in video?

B-roll is extra footage laid over the top of someone speaking, such as the product, the office or a screen recording. It adds context and keeps the viewer watching. Some editors call it overlay.

What is the difference between subtitles and closed captions?

Subtitles are on-screen text of what is being said, often translated, and are part of the picture. Closed captions are a transcript of the dialogue and important sounds that the viewer can switch on or off, which is the CC button on LinkedIn and YouTube.

What does a key light do?

The key light is the main and brightest light on your face. Backlighting separates you from the wall behind, and a glamour or fill light lifts the shadows under the chin and eyes, but the key light does most of the work.

What is ISO recording?

ISO recording means recording every camera feed as its own separate file as well as the switched version, so an editor can change the shot choices after the recording.

Chris Schwager
Founder & CEO, Ridge Films