Film Production Glossary
Every term you need to know on a professional film set — explained plainly and practically.
C
Call Sheet
A daily document distributed to cast and crew detailing the schedule, locations, and requirements for a shooting day.
Continuity
The practice of ensuring visual and narrative consistency between shots and scenes — tracking props, wardrobe, actor positions, and story details so that edits appear seamless.
L
Line Producer
The producer responsible for managing the production budget and overseeing the day-to-day logistics of physical production, from pre-production through wrap.
Location Manager
The crew member responsible for finding, securing, and managing all filming locations — from scouting and permits to managing the location during the shoot and restoring it afterward.
P
Page Count
A standardized script measurement system where one page of properly formatted screenplay equals approximately one minute of screen time, used to estimate scene length and plan shoot days.
Pre-Production
The planning phase before filming begins — encompassing script breakdown, scheduling, budgeting, casting, location scouting, and all preparation needed to start shooting.
Production Manager
The key crew member responsible for overseeing the physical production logistics — managing budgets, schedules, crew hiring, and ensuring the production runs smoothly from prep through wrap.
S
Scene Breakdown
A detailed analysis of an individual scene identifying all production elements required — cast, location, props, wardrobe, special effects, and technical needs.
Script Breakdown
The process of analyzing a screenplay scene-by-scene to identify every production element needed — cast, locations, props, wardrobe, special effects, and more.
Shooting Schedule
The master plan that determines the order in which scenes will be filmed, organized by shoot day with cast, location, and timing details.
Shot List
A detailed list of every camera setup planned for a scene or shoot day — specifying shot type, framing, lens, movement, and any special requirements.
Stripboard
A visual scheduling tool where each scene is represented as a colored strip that can be rearranged to plan the optimal shooting order.