A-Z Guide to Film Terms [Paperback]

Tim Moshansky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A handy, pocket-size booklet that lists just about every phrase, slang expression, and job used on a film set." -- Kinema Journal, Spring 1997

"Concise, easy to read and great fun!" -- Director's Guild of Canada Magazine, May 1997

"Vancouver's Tim Moshansky can help you talk the talk." -- Vancouver Weekend Sun, Feb. 8, 1997

Chock full of technical jargon and slang expressions, the guide has become required reading for film students and movie buffs. -- Maclean's Magazine, March 25th, 2002

Great for any film buff who has watched the credits and wondered just what the heck a gaffer is. -- Tribute Magazine, June 2002

There's detailed stuff like "Cuculoris" and "Sparrow Plate," but my favorite is "BFL," which stands for big...uh, light. -- Vancouver Sun, February 28th, 2002

This Tinseltown insider is right, the next trend in movie slang is coming from the folks behind the scenes. -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 8th, 2004

This is an essential reference to the film industry jargon that many have heard, but considerably fewer understand. -- filmmaking.net August, 2002

This small book contains just about every phrase or slang expression used by every department in and around film production. -- Indie Slate Magazine, July, 2004

With this book in hand you won't be baffled when Spielberg starts telling a joke about gobos, griffs and gimbals. -- Edmonton Journal, July 2002

From the Author

I had a lot of fun putting this guide together. It started out as an idea while I was watching crew cars in the parking lot miles from the set for 14 hours a day in Vancouver, Canada. I kept hearing all of these weird terms and phrases, so I just started writing them all down. One of my favorite memories is when I was asked to go get the "second team" at the "honeywagon." I had no idea what they were talking about. I thought the honeywagon was where you got the food. It turns out it's the name for the washroom trailers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: First Wave Publishing (December 21, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0968070213
• ISBN-13: 978-0968070215
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 4.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,350,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanna be in TV?, October 25, 2004

By 

Reel Girl (Edmonton, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A-Z Guide to Film Terms (Paperback)

Are you new to the industry? If so, this guide is an excellent resource. It can help you get through your first day on the job on a television set!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have, June 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A-Z Guide to Film Terms (Paperback)

This book is a must have for anyone starting out in film. The first time someone called in and said we were on "the window" I reached for the A-Z and found out what it meant. An excellent buy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars sound like a pro!, January 15, 2005

By 

Naomi DeBruyn "faecanuck" (Victoria, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A-Z Guide to Film Terms (Paperback)

How many of us have heard terms used in reference to the film industry and not known what the person was talking about? It is like the industry has their very own foreign language, and if you aren't a part of it, you'll never be able to fathom it (and you thought Greek was difficult!). Thankfully, Tim thought to put together a handy and totally comprehensive guide for the uninitiated. There are numerous phrases, slang expressions, titles, job position references and more explained in this pocket- sized tome.

Whether you are a hopeful actor, a movie buff, or it is your very first day on the set, this it the book for you! In it all will be explained, including some of the walkie-talkie code that set people speak in, and some of the signs that can be seen on sets. Not stopping with the witty descriptions, Tim's even included some pictures to help illustrate some of the terms. A whole new world is lying in wait between the covers, and it is in fairly high demand - the copy I received from Tim is a third edition printing.

An aquarium or fishbowl is actually the control booth or mixing room in a recording studio, named for its large window that looks into the recording room. BFL is a technical acronym for Big F#%*ing Light. A Burned Location turns out to be any location that will not allow filming due to previous problems with film crews. There are many reasons that this can come about, apparently.

There are also terms named for real people. The Mae West Shot is a shot that frames an actor from the top of their head to just below their chest. The Abby Singer Shot is the second to last shot of the day, named after the first assistant director who would always say it was the last shot when it wasn't really. (The last shot is known as the Window Shot or the Martini Shot). A Groucho is when a cameraman asks an actor to crouch as he walks, and was inspired by the late Groucho Marx.

There are terms for food, make-up, lighting, costuming, location, and a zillion other things involved with filming. This book is just brimming over with helpful terminology and should be found on any movie buff or actor's shelf. Get to know a little more about the film industry and sound like a pro!