Beginning Video Glossary
 The following is an alphabetical list of terms and definitions included in the Newspaper Association of America’s report on online video on newspaper Web sites.
A-Roll: Camera footage that focuses on the main subject of the video. In productions with more than one camera, it refers to footage taken by the primary camera. In news, it refers to video that will become the main focus of the clip, such as that of a person being interviewed.
analog camera: A camera that takes non-digital video. The term “analog” in video refers to a recording method that stores red, green and blue waves in a fixed number of rows; analog video is generally less crisp in detail than digital video. With modification, an analog camera can shoot digital video.
B-Roll: Extra video taken to “color” a story, set an overall scene or add visual detail. In productions with more than one news camera, B-roll is taken by the secondary camera. In news, B-roll is edited in with A-roll to prevent visual boredom.
boom microphone: A microphone designed to go on the end of a boom pole (see next); often used when a videographer does not want a microphone in the shot, but still needs to amplify certain sounds, such as voices.
boom pole: A long pole, usually metal, designed to hold a microphone above or to the side of a scene to capture sound but remain out of the visual field.
color shot: see B-roll, above.
compression: The process through which a video file is reduced in size for storing and streaming on the Web.
digital camera: A camera that does not take analog video; digital video cameras can capture truer color and more details than analog cameras. Digital cameras frequently use digital video tapes, internal hard drives or memory cards. Digital video is not always high-definition.
DivX: A compressed video format associated with the company DivX Inc.
green screen: A screen placed in a video studio images can be projected onto. Television meteorologists frequently present the weather in front of a green screen or blue screen, and producers place maps over the blue portions of video footage, creating the appearance of the meteorologist standing in front of a large map. If the person standing in front of the screen wears the same color clothing as the screen, the projected images will appear on the person’s clothing.
hand-held microphone: A microphone designed to be held in the hand.
HDV: A relatively inexpensive high-definition video recording format.
high definition (HD): Technically, any video that is of higher resolution than standard definition.
lavaliere microphone: Also called a “lapel” microphone; a small microphone that clips onto a person’s clothing, generally placed within a foot or so of a person’s mouth to amplify voice.
light kit: a set of lights and related equipment such as tents to focus the light. Light kits vary widely in components and price.
light stand: A stand, similar to a tripod, to mount lights.
MiniDV tape: a small format digital video cassette
monopod: A video camera stand that functions similarly to a tripod, but only has one leg.
.mov: A video publishing format associated with Apple’s QuickTime.
MPEG-2: An older standard format for digital television signals set by the Moving Pictures Expert Group.
MPEG-4: A more recent standard format than MPEG-2, this format includes most MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 features and also contains support for external digital rights management and interaction.
P2 card: A type of memory card for a video camera.
post-roll ad: An advertisement that runs following an online video presentation.
pre-roll ad: An advertisement that runs before an online video presentation.
rule of thirds: This rule involves envisioning a tic-tac-toe board on top of a video shot, so the image is divided into nine squares. The videographer should choose one of the four points of line intersection as a focal point. According to Digital Photography School, “The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally.”
shotgun microphone: A microphone that looks in shape somewhat similar to a gun. It only amplifies sound that the microphone directly points toward.
skin: Portions of a video player that are customizable in look and feel; may include ads. Advanced skins may programmed to increase video player functionality.
soft box: A box that fits around a light that diffuses the light so it appears “soft”.
standard definition (SD): For years, this was the common video quality for broadcast television; most television is moving to higher-definition quality video.
switcher: a device that allows a video producer to switch between multiple cameras to create a more visually interesting video and reduce editing time if the video is not live. Switching is used in most live television broadcasts.
teleprompter: A screen placed in front of a person from which that person can read text while looking directly into the camera. The trademarked name is TelePrompTer.
three charge-coupled devices (3CCD): Camera technology that allows the camera to record red, green and blue light on three separate signals for better video quality.
tripod: A three-legged stand for a camera to prevent unwanted movement.
user-generated video (UGV): Video that is shot by a member of the audience; non-professionally produced video. This type of video is common on YouTube, but many news outlets are accepting video from the audience.
zoom (optical, digital): Optical zoom relies on the camera’s lens to bring the subject closer in the recorded video. Digital zoom does not use the lens, but rather enlarges a portion of the image digitally. While digital zoom can be more powerful than most optical zoom features, digital zoom may cause grainy images.
Sources for this glossary include: Google definitions, Wikipedia, Photoxels, Digital Photography School Online, Video Expert, Webopedia, Video University.
See these other video glossaries for more definitions:
First Published:
May 7, 2008 
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