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Save the lights
Turn the lamp heads off during breaks in shooting to save bulb life, money, the cheerleader and the world!!

Sandbag
Essential ‘bags of sand’ used for weighing things down like lights so they don’t fall on people’s heads, leading to law suits.

Scene axis
The invisible line in the scene representing the dramatic axis. All coverage of the scene would be taken from one side of this line and it would not be crossed.

Screen direction
The orientation of elements within a frame.  The actor may be on screen left or screen right etc.

Scrim
Round, metal version of a net, think of a flat siv which can be slotted into gel holders, reducing the amount of light output.  Comes as a single(1/2 stop) and a double(1 stop).

Script development
The necessary stages that a script must go through before it is ready to shoot.  This means at least several improving drafts of the script are made with critiquing and analysis.

Script supervisor or continuity person
This person will keep track of all the details of shots and scenes making sure everything matches throughout entire sequences.

Second unit photography
A crew with its own director which takes care of shots, scenes that don’t involve the major actors, there can be more units depending on the size of the production.

Sequence shot
A long, highly choreographed,  take possibly moving, in which all the action is covered without the need for cutting.  Think of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas with Ray Liotta walking into the restaurant or the war-torn beach scene in ‘Atonement’.

Set light
This light’s only function is to illuminate the set.

Set up
A new camera position or lens denotes a new ‘set up’ and therefore a new slate number.

SFX
Special effects.

Shallow focus
Shallow depth of field.

Shiny board
A type of reflector.

Shooting ratio
The amount of footage spent shooting a scene in relation to the whole amount of stock available.  This is very important when shooting ‘film’, of which there is a limited amount to be used for each scene in order to avoid running out.  Highly disciplined approach compared to shooting video in which people tend to just keep going.

Shooting script
Information packed version of the script with descriptions of shots, shot numbers, locations, time and special effects.

Sight lines
Imaginary line between the subject and the object of attention.

Silks
Diffusion material made now from nylon.

Single
A shot with one character or object in the frame.

Skypan
Open faced source with a 2K or 5k bulb for lighting large areas.

Slate
Marking the clapper board at the beginning of the take.  Alternate name for the clapper board.

Slate number
The number marked on the clapper board indicating the amount of set ups so far.  For example, slate 22, take 1.

SMPTE
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.

Space light
An overhead soft light which contains six 1K bulbs in a silk housing.

Soft focus
Either a shot with a filter that creates a diffused effect or more commonly a shot where the focus has been incorrectly set and consequently the subject is “out of focus”.

Soft light
A light source which creates a wraparound effect upon a subject, i.e. no harsh edges.

Soft source
Any source of soft light.

Sound effects
Other than dialogue sounds designed to enhance the soundtrack and create more reality… BANG BANG, guns, light sabers.

Spark
An electrician.

Specular
Highly reflective surface.

Split focus
Finding a point between two subjects where they will both be in sharp definition used when focusing on one subject would mean losing the other.

Spill light / spill
Unauthorised light escaping from a source. Any light attempting to escape will be exterminated or wrapped in lovely black foil, see blackwrap.

Spot
Focusing the light manually using the casing controls such as a dial or sliding mechanism. The opposite of ‘flooding’ the light.

Spot effects
Practical sound effects recorded at the source or later effects added to the sound track.

Spot meter
A type of reflectance light metre which has a very narrow angle of acceptance ad enables the DP to determine light values/problems for very specific areas of illumination on set.

Spreader
Three armed device that sits flat on the floor and into which a tripod’s feet will sit and be fixed by rubber clasps. This prevents the tripod’s legs from slipping apart which can be distracting for the operator.

Stage directions
EXIT LEFT, EXIT RIGHT etc.

Stand in
Poor smo who gets to stand in the place of actors whilst the crew work out lighting and camera moves.

Star filter
Crappy filter used in holiday programs, wedding videos and the like.  It gives a star effect around lights in a shot. Woooooo.

Static camera
A shot where the camera does not move.

Steadicam
A gyroscopic mount for the camera and a harness worn by an operator allowing him/her to carry out smooth hand held shooting. You have to be very fit to wear this on and off all day. ‘Steadicam‘ is a registered trademark of Tiffen.

Steenbeck
Traditionally used ‘flat-bed’ film editing desk.

Step outline
Short version of the screenplay set out as numbered steps.

Sting
Stopping down – turning the F-stop ring toward the higher numbers, effectively closing the iris, which lets in less light.

Sticks
Another name for a camera tripod.

Story
A sequence of events designed to enthrall and engage an audience.  Lacking in most films…just kidding.

Storyboard
Drawn or generated images representing shots in the film or in a sequence, making it easy to see exactly what needs to happen when shooting or when organising sequences during pre-production.

Streaks and tips
An aerosol spray for colouring hair and often used by the electrical crew for lowering the intensity of reflective surfaces.

Strike
‘Striking the set’ means taking down the set and removing everything therein after shooting.  Also when lighting an arc lamp.

Strobing
An unnatural and unattractive effect occurring at different camera shutter speeds when shooting or moving across patterned surfaces such as iron bars, fences or loud shirts. Dirty.

Style
The individual look and feel of a film.  The totality of all the elements born from the director’s vision.

Sync sound
Sound that is recorded along with the picture.

Subjective camera
A camera technique that represents a character’s veiwpoint in a shot or scene.

Sub-plot
A minor plot running concurrently with the major plot through the film.

Subtext
The underlying themes and meaning to the text.  Makes for much improved performances and interest for the audience.

Superimpose
The method or act of placing one image over another already exposed or recorded image.  Often a ‘double exposure’ in film terms which involves exposing once, running the film back and exposing again having calculated the correct values for each exposure.

Sun gun
A portable, battery powered light.

Swish pan
Rapid movement of the camera from side to side. Also known as a whip pan, flash pan.

Synopsis
A summary of the story. Can be one line or a paragraph.  If you have written a script it is a great exercise to have different length versions of your synopsis and be able to rattle them off the top of your head.