Arri (and Arriflex)

Trade names of a German company, Arnold and Richter, who make film cameras.  The term Arri is often used to mean their 16mm camera specifically.

If you need to check the specification on any of their cameras then they have details on their website at: http://www.arri.com/entry/camera.htm

ASF

Windows Media file format ending with the extension .asf. Used for delivering streaming video.

Aspect ratio

Aspect ratio describes the relationship between the width of an image and its height.  To fill a widescreen television screen a picture needs to have an aspect ratio of 16:9 (16 by 9).  This means that for every 16 centimetres of width there are 9 centimetres of height.  This is the aspect ratio in which many programmes are now shot as they are made for widescreen transmission.

To show the picture on a standard television with an aspect ratio of 4:3 the sides can be chopped off the widescreen picture.  The normal television screen is then filled.  This is sometimes called "centre cut-out".

For more on 14:9 and deep letterbox go to the next page: 

If it's important to see the whole widescreen picture on a 4:3 TV then broad bands of black can be added at the top and bottom of the picture.  This is often called deep letterbox.

A compromise is to show the picture in 14:9 format which means that only the very edges of the picture are missing and there's a very narrow band of black at the top and bottom.  This is sometimes called "shoot and protect".

For much more about aspect ratios and for a useful resource to print and read here is a link to the Widescreen Book.

Assembly

A rough ordering of clips prepared at an early stage of editing

Aston

Trade name of a type of character generator which is used to add captions to an image either in an edit suite or in the studio.  Aston is used to add the names of interviewees at the bottom of the screen as they appear or to make up a credit roller. Aston is often used as a generic term for the text that appears on the screen, regardless of which brand of character generator has been used to create it.

ASX

Windows Media file format ending with the extension .asx. This is a metafile which works in conjunction with ASF files for delivering streaming video.

Audio description

A service for the visually impaired to enable them to keep track of the plot or argument of a television programme even if there's no dialogue or commentary, audio description will cut in to keep the viewer up to date with what's happening.

Audio dub

The process of adding audio to a video recording without disturbing the pictures. The original audio may be replaced, or kept and combined with the new audio.

Audio Insert

A feature of some video equipment which allows audio dubbing.

Auto-conforming

A computer controlled editing process in which the EDL (edit decision list) and the original rushes tapes are taken to a broadcast quality editing system where all the edits are repeated automatically in order to recreate the programme to broadcast standard.

Autocue

Autocue is the trade name of a type of television prompting system.

Autoscript

Autoscript is the trade name of a type of television prompting system.

Auxiliary Channel

On audio mixers, a bus which has an independent feed from each individual channel. Each channel has a control to adjust the level being sent to the auxiliary master output, which in turn has a control to adjust the overall level at the output bus. The auxiliary channel may be a simple output (to feed a device such as a tape machine or monitor), or it may be a "loop". An auxiliary loop sends a signal from the auxiliary output bus to a signal processing device such as a reverb generator, then brings the output of that device into an "auxiliary return" bus (thus creating a loop from the desk to the device, back to the desk). This return bus will have a level control pot, which is used to mix the incoming signal into the mixer's master output bus.

AVI: Audio Video Interleaved

A common digital video format, in which the audio is interleaved as "packets", into the video frames.

Avid

Avid is the trade name of a company which produces editing equipment, particularly offline systems. http://www.avid.com/products/index.html

B-roll

Additional (non-interview) footage relevant to the story e.g. if an interviewee is talking about life in a refugee camp you would take shots of the living conditions, of people working, of people preparing meals, of the conditions in the schools. These will be used to 'cover' (i.e. provide visuals while someone speaks) both interviews and narration.

Baby legs

A tripod with shorter legs than the standard tripod.

Back Focus

The focus between the lens and the camera. Adjusted by a ring at the rear of the lens (the closest ring to the camera body). If the camera appears focused when zoomed in, but becomes out of focus when zoomed wide, the back focus needs adjusting.

Backlight

A light which is positioned behind the subject. It's primary purpose is to make the subject stand out from the background by highlighting the subject's outline.

Backlight Correction (BLC)

A feature of some cameras which increases the apparent brightness of the subject when lit from the rear.