Storage Media
Storage Media refers to the digital recording media — memory cards, SSDs, and other formats — on which camera footage is captured during digital production, requiring careful download and backup management.
Equipment Maintenance
Equipment Maintenance is the regular inspection, cleaning, and servicing of all production gear — a shared responsibility across technical departments that prevents costly on-set failures.
Grip Stand
A Grip Stand (or C-Stand) is a versatile adjustable metal stand used by the grip department to position flags, diffusion, reflectors, and other equipment — one of the most frequently used pieces of set gear.
Grip Truck
A Grip Truck is the production vehicle carrying all the grip department’s equipment — camera support, C-stands, flags, and rigging hardware — to each filming location.
Lens
A Lens is the optical element attached to a camera that focuses light and determines field of view, depth of field, and the aesthetic character of the image — a critical creative and technical choice in cinematography.
Light Board
A Light Board is the electronic control console used to program and execute all lighting cues in theatrical and television productions — controlling hundreds of instruments simultaneously.
Light Cues
Light Cues are pre-programmed lighting changes that occur at specific moments during a theatrical performance — transitions between lighting states called by the stage manager and executed by the board operator.
Monitor
A Monitor is a screen displaying live or recorded footage on a production set — used by the director, script supervisor, DIT, and others to evaluate framing, performance, and technical image quality.
Spiking the Lens
Spiking the Lens refers to an actor making direct eye contact with the camera in a scene where the convention requires them to ignore it — typically an error requiring another take, though sometimes intentional.
Squib
A Squib is a small practical special effects device that simulates bullet impacts — creating bursts of blood or debris through small explosive charges concealed under costumes or within set surfaces.