Master Videography with Canon’s Glossary
Introduction to Videography Terms
Expanding your creative skills is exciting; however, learning the new set of terms that comes with a new hobby can be intimidating. The first step to mastering videography is become familiar with some common terminology used in pre-production, filming and post-production. Here are 35 terms to get you started.
4K/8K resolution
Resolution is the number of pixels that make up a video image, measured width by height. The higher the resolution (meaning the more pixels), the higher the quality of the video, and the more editing options available in post-production. Full HD (high definition) resolution is 1920x1080. A video with 4K resolution has approximately 4000 pixels horizontally. Most TV screens and monitors now display 4K UHD (ultra high definition), which has a resolution of 3840x2160. Most cinema screens display 4K DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives), which has a resolution of 4096x2160. An 8K video has a resolution 7680x4320 – four times as many pixels as a 4K UHD video.
Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio is the ratio of the width to the height of a video. Two of the most common aspect ratios are 4:3 (for example, 640x380), which is standard TV format; and 16:9 (for example, 1920x1080), which is standard for wide-screen TV, DVD or HD video.
Bit rate
Bit rate – also known as data rate – is the amount of video data recorded (or played back) in one second. The higher the bit rate, the higher the quality of the video. Bit rate is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
B-roll
B-roll is supplemental footage that supports your main video clips. This secondary footage can establish a scene, help with transitions and generally add colour and a change of scenery to a story. Compare this to A-roll, which is the main focus of the video. For a documentary-type video about a veterinarian, for example, A-roll would be the vet being interviewed; the B-roll could show the veterinarian and interviewer walking through the hospital or the vet treating an animal. A-roll tells the story; B-roll helps show the story.
Canon Log
Canon Log is a logarithmic gamma curve designed to achieve the widest possible dynamic range of tones from shadows to highlights. It’s available in all Canon Cinema EOS professional video cameras, many EOS R System cameras and some Canon DSLR cameras. There are three Canon Log gamma curves: Canon Log (12-stop dynamic range; excels at colour grading); Canon Log 2 (15 stops [16+ on some newer Cinema EOS cameras]; excels at preserving midtones and shadow details) and Canon Log 3 (13.3 stops; excels at retaining highlights).
Chroma sub-sampling
Chroma sub-sampling is a compression method that discards some colour information but retains luminance and brightness data.
Colour bit depth
Colour bit depth refers to the number of unique colour values that can be captured by a camera’s sensor. The higher the bit depth, the greater range of tonalities your camera can record.
Colour grading
Colour grading is the process of changing the colours of a video to create a desired look or feel. Compare this to colour correction, which involves adjusting things like exposure, contrast and white balance to ensure footage looks as natural as possible.
Colour space
Colour space refers to the range of reproducible colours possible on a capture or display device. Three common colour spaces you’ll see specs for with Canon Cinema EOS cameras are BT.709, BT.2020 and Cinema Gamut.
Compression
Compression refers to the process of reducing the amount of data in a video file while maintaining its visual and audio quality. Standard compression methods include All-I, IBP (Standard), IBP (Light) and Long GOP. All-I (all I frames, where I stands for Intraframe) compresses the data after analyzing each frame separately. IBP (Standard), also known as GOP (Group of Pictures), is a method that analyzes the I frame and records only what’s different on subsequent frames. IBP (Light) is similar to IBP (Standard) but records the video at a lower bit rate. The Long GOP (more than 15 frames) format compresses data at a higher rate, creating an even small file size.
Depth of field
Depth of field describes how much of your frame is sharp or blurry. With a shallow depth of field, only your main subject will be sharp, everything else will be blurry. With a deep (or wide) depth of field, everything in the frame will be in focus.
Drone videography
Drone videography is the practice of using an unmanned aerial vehicle – drone – to capture video footage. With a drone, you can capture not only video from the sky – think sweeping aerial views that establish an opening shot – but also unique views closer to the ground that wouldn’t be possible with a handheld camera.
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which video frames are captured, expressed in frames per second (fps). The standard frame rate for movies is 24fps; 30fps is frequently used for streaming and online videos.
Gamma
Gamma is a function that corrects the difference between how a camera records a digital image and what a person can actually see. It preserves information in the tonal ranges perceptible to the human eye, and retains fewer detail of the ranges perceptible only to your digital camera.
Gimbal
A gimbal is an electronic device used to stabilize your camera when you’re shooting a video. It can be used handheld or rigged to a drone or vehicle. It allows you to capture smooth footage even when you’re in motion and to capture unique angles and more creative shots than if you just shot handheld. The typical gimbal has three motorized axes – pan, tilt and roll – that work together and balance one another out. Pan (or the yaw axis) refers to the camera moving side to side (left to right); tilt (or the pitch axis) refers to the camera moving up and down; and the roll axis, which moves horizontally.
HDR (high dynamic range)
HDR (high dynamic range) refers to technology that can expand the range of colour and contrast in a video, making footage appear more realistic and re-creating what you’d see with the naked eye.
ISO
ISO is a camera setting that controls the image sensor’s sensitivity to light. A low ISO (100 or 200) is less light sensitive and ideal for well-lit conditions. A high ISO (1600 or 3200) is needed to shoot video is low-light conditions. However, if you push the ISO too high, your footage may look grainy.
Jump cut
A jump cut is an edit in a sequential shot that makes the action appear to move forward in time. Filmmakers may want an obvious, abrupt transition to help convey passage of time, create a sense of urgency in a scene or accentuate a character’s psychological state.
LUT (Look-Up Table)
LUT – an acronym for Look-Up Table – is a tool that takes the colour input values captured by your camera and remaps them to predetermined RGB output values. This template helps filmmakers achieve a consistent look for their footage. Some cameras – including Canon’s EOS C500 Mark II, EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C700 FF – support User LUTs, which allow you to customize your own LUTs and pre-load them on the camera for viewing and recording.
Montage
A montage is the film technique of editing together multiple shots or stills into one longer continuous sequence. It’s an effective way to establish a character, progress a storyline or show passage of time in just a few moments.
ND filter (neutral density filter)
An ND (neutral density) filter is a lens accessory that reduces the amount of light reaching the camera sensor. The filter allows the videographer or filmmaker to use whatever exposure settings they choose without it affecting the colour balance of their footage.
Overcranking
Overcranking is when you record with a shooting frame rate that is faster than the playback frame rate. This creates a slow-motion effect. Typically, anything shot at more than the standard 24 frames per second is overcranked. Conversely, a slower frame rate will result in a fast-motion effect (called undercranking).
Pan
Pan refers to a smooth lateral camera movement. With a pan, the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates left to right (or vice versa) to follow a moving subject or highlight a larger surrounding scene.
Post-production
Post-production refers to everything that happens after filming is complete. This involves editing (video and audio), visual effects and sound.
Rack focus
Rack focus refers to the technique of adjusting the focus of a lens during a continuous shot. Filmmakers may shift the focal plane from one subject or object in a frame to another to transition between scenes, draw attention to a specific detail or connect characters. In a scripted video, for example, a filmmaker may change the focus from two characters having a private conversation to a third character listening in.
Rolling shutter
A rolling shutter refers to a type of image capture in which the camera sensor captures a frame line by line instead of all at once. A rolling shutter effect can happen when trying to capture footage of fast-moving subjects – with different parts of the camera sensor exposed to light at slightly different points in time, the lag can lead to a wobbly or distorted recording.
Shot composition
Shot composition refers to the arrangement of visual elements in a frame, as well as how they collectively tell a story.
Slow motion
Slow motion is a video editing technique in which the playback speed of recorded footage is intentionally decreased, making the action in the clip appear slower than it actually happened.
Stabilization
Stabilization is a video editing process that removes unwanted camera shakes, tilts and pans without affecting intentional camera movements used during filming.
Time-lapse
Time-lapse is a filmmaking technique where each video frame is captured at a slower-than-normal rate. When the footage is played back at normal speed, it gives the illusion of time passing quickly.
Tilt
A tilt is a camera movement in which the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates top to bottom (or vice versa) to establish a location or suggest an imbalance in power between characters.
Tracking shot
A tracking shot is where a camera – usually mounted on a dolly or slider – physically moves alongside a character or the action of a scene.
Video codec
Video codec is a software layer for encoding and decoding video files at recording and playback. Popular recording formats include XF-AVC, HEVC/H.265 and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264.
White balance
White balance is a camera setting that lets you adjust for the colour temperatures of different sources of light. When you select your white balance, you are adjusting the colour tone of a shot to match the lighting source so that white tones appear white and the colours look accurate.
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is a type of lens with a range of focal lengths, allowing you to get closer to – or farther away from – your subject without physically moving the camera.
Conclusion: Utilizing Your New Knowledge
Now that you know the difference between colour bit depth, colour grading and colour space, it’s time to apply your new know-how in the field. Becoming comfortable with the language of videography and filmmaking will take time, but will be incredibly rewarding – as will seeing the footage you will soon expertly capture.
Canon Canada’s Guide to Making Cinematic Videos
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