ANG

Angle

The position of the camera.

BG

Background

Refers to the set and everything happening behind the main action.

BH/CU

Big Head Close-Up

Type of close-up.

CH/SH

Choker Shot

Type of close-up shot.

CL

Camera Left

Left side of the screen from the point of view of the camera.

COMP

Complete

Scene finished shooting.

CONT

Continued

Scene that goes onto the next page in the script.

CR

Camera Right

Right side of the screen from the point of view of the camera.

CS

Close Shot

Another way to say Close-Up

CU

Close-Up

Shot that captures a human subject from about the neck up and includes very little of the surrounding area within the setting.

D/A

Down Angle

Shot where the camera is positioned low, looking up (low angle).

D/I

Dolly In

Wheeled camera move towards the main action of the scene.

D/O

Dolly Out

Wheeled camera move away from the main action of the scene.

DBLE

Double

Type of two-shot.

DIAL

Dialogue

The words spoken by the characters.

DISS

Dissolve

Digital transition between two shots.

E/S

End Slate (End Marker)

Camera slate at the end of the take. Also known as Tail Slate.

ECU

Extreme Close-Up

Shot that captures a specific detail of a character or object with a very close frame.

ELS

Extreme Long Shot

Wide shot that shows a vast amount of the location of the scene, while making the characters appear small, if visible at all, in the space.

ENT

Enter

Character or object enters frame.

EST SHT

Establishing Shot

Shot that conveys the setting to the audience.

EXT

Exterior

Outside setting.

F/I

Fade In

Type of dissolve from a black to video.

F/O

Fade Out

Type of dissolve from video to a black.

F/SH

Full Shot

Shot that shows a person head to toe.

F2/SHT

Full Two Shot

Shot that shows two people head to toe.

F3/SHT

Full Three Shot

Shot that shows three people head to toe.

FG

Foreground

Objects in the frame closer to the camera.

FS

False Start

Mistake near when a director yells "action!"

FT

Feet

Unit of length of physical film.

FX

Special Effect

Visual trick or illusion to simulate an imagined events needed or used in a shot.

GD

Good

Director liked the shot.

GR/SH

Group Shot

Type of medium or wide shot showing multiple characters within the frame.

GS

Green Screen

Green background a scene is shot in front of for chroma key compositing.

H/A

High Angle

Shot where the camera is positioned high, looking down.

HH

Hand Held

When shooting, the camera operator holds the camera with their hands.

INC

Incomplete

Scene with a camera setup remaining to film.

INT

Interior

Indoor setting.

L/A

Low Angle

Shot where the camera is positioned low, looking up.

L-R

Left to Right

Camera moves from the left to the right.

L/S

Long Shot

Shot that shows the characters in their entirety and a large amount of the surrounding environment.

MAST

Master Shot

Recording of an entire scene from start to finish from a camera angle that keeps all the characters in the frame.

MCS

Medium Close Shot

Another way of saying Medium Close-Up.

MCU

Medium Close-Up

Shot that captures a human subject's face from about mid-chest, but includes some of the surrounding area within the setting.

MED

Medium Shot

Shot that captures the subject or subjects from the waist up and includes some of the surrounding area within the setting.

MLS

Medium Long Shot

Shot framed from the character's mid-thigh and up. Also known as a Cowboy Shot or MW.

MOS

Mit out Sound

Scene filmed without sound.

MW

Medium Wide

Shot framed from the character's mid-thigh and up. Also known as a Cowboy Shot or MLS.

NG

No Good

Shot or take that is not good or worth using.

OC

Off-Camera

Something that happens off camera or the frame during a shot.

OOF

Out of Focus

Shot that is not in-focus.

OS

Off-Screen

Something that happens off-screen within the story.

OTS

Over the Shoulder

Shot that shows a character from behind the shoulder of another character.

P/B

Pull Back

Camera is pulled away/back from the main action.

P/I

Push In

Camera is pushed towards the main action.

PU

Pick Up

Small portion of a shot that is re-recorded.

R-L

Right to Left

Camera moves from the right to the left.

R/SH

Rack Focus Shot

Changing the focus of the lens from one character/object to another during a continuous shot.

RS

Reset

Shot starts over again from the beginning.

RVS

Reverse

The reverse angle from a previous recorded shot. Also known as a complimentary shot.

S/C

Steadicam

Camera is placed on a camera stabilizer, allowing for a smooth shot.

SER

Series

Multiple Takes in One Shot

SFX

Sound Effect

Sound artificially created or enhanced recorded or needed in a shot.

SFX

Special Effect

Visual trick or illusion to simulate an imagined events needed or used in a shot.

SGLE/FS

Single Full Shot

Shot that shows one person head to toe.

SND

Sound

Sound was recorded for that take/shot.

T/S

Tracking (or Trucking) Shot

Shot that follows a character as they move around a scene.

T/S

Tail Slate

Slate at the end of a take and typically is placed upside down in the frame.

TRAV/SH

Traveling Shot

Shot that follows a character as they move around a scene.

VFX

Visual Effect

Visual trick or illusion to simulate an imagined events needed or used in a shot.

V.O.

Voice Over

Voice recorded for off-screen use.

W.L.

Wild Line

Line of dialogue that is recorded off camera, with the intention to be edited into the scene.

X'S

Crosses Screen

Character or object cross from one side of the frame to the other.

X'T

Exits Shot

Character or object leaves the shot/frame.

X/ANG

Cross Angle

Two similarly framed, but reverse angles. Also known as complementary angles.

XWIDE

Extreme Wide

Wide shot that shows a vast amount of the location of the scene, while making the characters appear small, if visible at all, in the space.

Z/I

Zoom In

Using a zoom lens on the camera, the frame moves in closer on a subject or object.

Z/O

Zoom Out

Using a zoom lens on the camera, the frame moves out to show a broader perspective.