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euphemisms


rich

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share some good euphemisms heard on set. or indeed in real life.

i expect most of them will be to hide mistakes / operator error as there is less need to hide when things are going well.

 

air gap

 

finger trouble

 

and i remember someone else writing PEBKAC (problem exists between keyboard and chair)

 

 

 

 

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In post, whenever there was a client in the bay, and somebody on the intercom from the machine room was about to say something embarrassing (like "jesus, does this movie suck or what?"), I'd call out, "we're on overscan." That was code for, "shut the F up, there's studio execs in here."

 

(And I'm embarrassed to say that's happened to me, too.)

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An apple box being called a "Grip to ground adapter"

Production Sound Mixing for Television, Film, and Commercials.

www.matthewfreed.com

When used by a member of the sound department, properly referred to as a "sound to ground adaptor."

When an apple box is used to gain some additional reach, it's often referred to as a "man-maker."

 

For me, learned on 16mm, and especially 35mm documentaries (where the nervous-types really watched the footage counter) - doing the typical 'man on the street'- type interviews:

 

(Producer/Director to the DP - And, just loud enough for the rest of us to hear ...)

 

"Do you think the 'French filter' would help you in this light?"

 

In other words, we weren't going to waste film on what was considered a 'courtesy' interview.

So we would quickly all go through the usual routine ... but the DP never actually pulled the trigger.

 

With video tape productions / network news, I started hearing the term "Hollywood Roll" - meaning, basically the same thing - a "courtesy" interview. (i.e. Just go through the motions.)

I did a couple of long 16 mm doc projects with the same producer in the late '80's and early '90's. When she wanted to do the vanity setup, not burning any film, she would suggest that the camera department "load up some 5254 for this setup," a film stock had been discontinued in the late '70's.

 

We've all been on those shoots that are "Gone With the Wind before lunch and ​Dukes of Hazard after lunch."

Best regards,

Jim

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"Paint isn't dry yet." - "We're still working this out, so please give us a couple moments..."

 

To "Hollywood" something - temporarily hand-hold a flag, bounce, etc. to quickly get a shot rather than wait for a C-stand

 

"Carbon-based stand" - boom op, or anyone "Hollywooding" something

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NFG (No F'n Good) for broken gear

WFO (Wide F'n Open) a faded all the way up

"We're rolling 50/50 on this one." When crew rolls without formal calls. It's for nervous talent. The interviewer starts a "pre interview" and the whole thing is over before the talent knows to be nervous.

"He's outwitting himself" when someone is making simple things way too complicated.

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An apple box being called a "Grip to ground adapter"

Production Sound Mixing for Television, Film, and Commercials.

www.matthewfreed.com

Not so much a euphamism, I usually ask to borrow a 'man maker' when i need a box - Been said

 

DFI - Different f***n idea

 

Battery change / script / call-sheet - I find these can refer to any number of things.

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I did a couple of long 16 mm doc projects with the same producer in the late '80's and early '90's. When she wanted to do the vanity setup, not burning any film, she would suggest that the camera department "load up some 5254 for this setup," a film stock had been discontinued in the late '70's.

 

And was 35mm stock, to boot!

 

In my brief 5-year career as a TV cameraman, when a director wanted us to zoom in, and we were already zoomed in all the way, we'd call back "I'm outta glass!" 

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In my brief 5-year career as a TV cameraman, when a director wanted

us to zoom in, and we were already zoomed in all the way, we'd call back

"I'm outta glass!"

Ha that reminds me of working at a network, occasionally a  trainee camera operator would be asked to pan left. The poor nervous guy would pan tentatively to the right. The director would call, " keep goin' keep goin' keeeeep goin' till the poor guy had panned a full 363 degrees to get the right framing.

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Maybe only Canadians and/or hockey fans would get this one.

Camera guys I've been working with the last few months have a shot they call the "Bertuzzi"

It's basicaly a dirty side/profile shot.

We are shooting the series with 2 cameras and when the DP wants a 35mm lens on cam 1 and 50mm on camera 2, they call for "meat and potatoes"

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