Video post-production is a vast industry full of many technical jargon and terms. These are used right from the first audition to the final recording. Being familiar with these terms can enhance your proficiency and give you a better understanding of the post-production activities. Let’s have a look at the following glossary containing the commonly used terminology that can make your job easier.
1. ADR – Automated Dialogue Replacement or ADR is a process of replacing the original dialogue in a film or video with a voice-over. It is also known as looping.
2. Adlib – It means improvised lines not written in the script. The voice-over artist purposely speaks these lines wherever they fit.
3. Air – Air or Airtime is the media time slotted for a commercial.
4. Ambience – It means the background noise behind the voice-over. It is used to set the tone for a specific scene or setting, like a hospital, retail store, restaurant, etc.
5. ANNC – An abbreviation for ‘announcer’.
6. Announcement – Also known as a spot, it means a commercial or non-commercial message.
7. Billboard – It means to emphasize a particular phrase or line in the script while maintaining the tone of the overall performance.
8. Bleed – Any noise that is produced by the headphones and is picked by the microphone.
9. Booth – An enclosed and soundproof room where a voice actor performs.
10. Buy – Also known as keeper, buy means the best take selected by the client. It also refers to the amount of money spent on purchasing a commercial spot.
11. Call time – The time scheduled for an audition.
12. Cattle call – It is the word used for an audition where hundreds try out for a specific part or role.
13. Cold reading – Reading a script during an audition without getting any chance to rehearse.
14. Control room – A room where the producer, director, and engineer sit together during the recorded session. This room is usually separate from the booth.
15. Copy – It means the script read by the voice actor.
16. Cue – It is the signal given by the producer or engineer to the voice talent to start reading.
17. Dead Air – A long pause between lines when recording.
18. Drop off – A word or a phrase with a weak ending.
19. Drop out – A moment of silence inside the word or phrase.
20. False start – It is a situation when a voice actor makes a mistake or misread a line at the beginning of the recording.
21. Foley – It refers to sound effects for movements, where the Foley artist matches the sound with what’s happening on the screen, such as walking, door opening, glass breaking, etc.
22. Inflection – Emphasizing the meaning of a word or a phrase by lowering or raising the pitch of your voice.
23. Jingle – Music made for the commercials.
24. Lay out – A direction given to the voice artist telling him not to speak for a moment.
25. Level – It is used to explain how loud or soft the voice actor will speak throughout the recording session.
26. Master – Original recording of a track.
27. Mix – It means blending all the elements, such as voice-over, sound effects, music, and ambience into a final product.
28. Music bed – The music played behind or mixed with the voice-over.
29. Pick-up – A process of re-recording a line to correct a vocal mistake or a technical glitch.
30. Session – The total time taken to record the script, starting from the initial call time.
DUBnSUB is a post-production agency with offices in Germany, France, USA, Myanmar and Head Office in Gurgaon (India). With our vast pool of experienced voice-over artists and an extensive network of recording facilities/studios, we offer Dubbing, Voice-over, Audio Description, Post Production, Localization, Subtitling & Closed Captioning in around 100 languages.
For requirements/queries drop an e-mail at [email protected] or call us at +91 124 498 2484.