Above the Line:
Refers to the creative elements of a production such as the writer, producer, director and actors. Literally, these are the elements which appeared above a bold line which divided standard production budget sheets.

Accent Light:
A light unit that emphasizes a subject. Often, an accent light is used to light the hair during an interview, or to "accent" a portion of a product.

Acoustics:
The science of the transmission or reflection of sound waves. Generally refers to the characteristics of auditoriums, theatres and studios with respect to their design.

Action Cutting:
The cutting of film from one shot to another in a way yielding the impression that action is continuous and uninterrupted. (Film Editing)

ADC:
Analog-to-Digital Converter. an electronic device used at the input of digital audio equipment to convert analog electrical signals to digital values whose numbers represent the level and frequency information contained in the original analog signal. (Sound)

ADR:
Automatic Dialog Replacement. also known as "looping." a process of re-recording dialog in the studio in synchronization with the picture.

Aerial Shot:
An extremely high angle view of a subject, taken from a crane or a high stationary camera position, but may also refer to a shot taken from an actual airplane or helicopter.

Aliasing:
An undesirable distortion component that can arise in any digitally encoded information.

Ambient Light:
General, non-directional, room light.

Ambient noise:
The total sound in a given are which is peculiar to that space (room tone).

Amplitude:
The strength of an electronic signal as measure by its waveform height.

Amplitude Distortion:
The nonlinear relation of input and output induced harmonics which is a function of voltage fluctuations or power consumption.

Analog Recording:
A means of recording audio or video whereby the recorded signal is a physical representation of the waveform of the original signal.

Anamorphic:
An optical system having different magnifications in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the image.

Animation:
Any type of computer-created graphic that changes position over time.

Angle of View:
This is the size of the field covered by a lens, measured in degrees. However, because of the aperture masks in film, the angle of view for a given lens is generally described in terms of the height and width of a lens. (Cinematography).

Answer Print:
The first print combining picture and sound which is submitted by the laboratory for the customer's approval.

Anti-aliasing:
Filtering of erroneous frequencies that are created during the analog to digital conversion process.

Aperture:
A variable opening inside a lens that regulates the amount of light reaching the image plane. also known as an iris.

Apple Box:
A box build of a strong wood or plywood, capable of supporting weight. May be of various sizes, the smallest of which is also known as a 'pancake' because it is nearly flat.

Arc:
A lighting unit that generates illumination from an electrical arc between two carbon electrodes. (Lighting)

Aspect Ratio:
The proportion of picture width to height (1.33:1, 1.66:1, 1.85:1 or 2.35:1).

Associate Producer:
This is normally the person who acts as the liason between a production company and the various personnel involved in the post production process.

Atmosphere:
Extras who are staged and photographed to portray normal human traffic needed to add detail in various script situations.

Attenuate:
To reduce a signal's strength.

Audible Spectrum:
When wave motion in the atmosphere has a frequency that lies between 20 and 15,000 Hz it produces a sound which is apparent to the average human.

AVCHD:
A compression format for shooting High Definition video/audio.