Just like most industries, post-production and distribution both have their own specific jargon. Since some terms may not be shared with other industries, a Google search might not yield helpful results. Fear not! We’ve compiled a handy lexicon to assist you as you navigate this complex and challenging linguistic landscape.

Audio

Dubbing
When it comes to audio, “dubbing” refers to the process of remixing a film’s audio, replacing the original dialogue with dialogue in a different language. The resulting foreign language version is a referred to as a foreign language dub or, simply, a dub. Note: language dubbing shouldn’t be confused with the process of duplicating a physical asset, which is also referred to as dubbing.

Fully-Filled M&E
When an M&E is fully-filled, it means the M&E contains absolutely all sound effects found in the full mix, including all sounds from the production audio, except dialogue. In other words, it is identical to the full mix in every way except for the dialogue, which is excluded. The fully-filled M&E is used to create foreign language versions (or “dubs”) of films. In those circumstances, a new dialogue track is recorded and mixed with the fully-filled M&E to create a new foreign language mix.

A Fully Filled M&E will contain:

All physical action by characters and extras.
All footsteps that could be heard from the POV of the camera.
All hand gestures (Examples include hands on tables, clapping, slapping, etc.).
All props (Examples include papers, dishes, keys, etc.).
All other sounds in the full mix that are not included in the effects stem (Examples include applause, traffic, car interiors, industrial sounds, baby cries, dog barks, ambience/atmos, wind blowing, etc.).

Mix
A general term referring to the audio of a film resulting from the combination (or “Mixing”) or multiple tracks (or “streams”) of recorded audio. For example, the final “Full English Mix” of a film is generated by mixing together the music, effects and English dialogue tracks. Mix can also be a verb and, in that instance, refers to the process of mixing. Common types of audio mixes include:

7.1: A mix made up of seven discrete channels of audio + an LFE/Subwoofer channel.
5.1: A mix made up of five discrete channels of audio + an LFE/Subwoofer channel.
2.0 (Stereo): A mix with only Left and Right channels, with proper stereo separation.
2.0 (Dual Mono): A mix with only Left and Right channels, but the channels have no stereo separation. In other words, the Left and Right channels are identical, and sum to a mono signal.
Mono: Only one channel of audio.

Music and Effects (M&E) Tracks
Music and Effects tracks or, simply, the “M&E,” is a mix of the separate music and effects stems without the inclusion of any dialogue or other distinguishable spoken words. A feature’s M&E is most often used for dubbing into another language, cutting a trailer, or for other marketing and publicity efforts.

Stems/Splits/DME
These are separate audio components comprised of discrete Dialogue, Music and Sound Effects audio files. When mixed together, they create a full Stereo or 5.1 audio mix. Or, if the dialogue stem is excluded, they can be mixed together to create an M&E. Respectively, each of these DM&E stems contains only Dialogue (with no music or effects), only Music (with no dialogue or sound effects), and only Effects (with no music or dialogue). They may be configured either as Mono, Stereo, or multi-channel (like 5.1 or 7.1).

Deliverables

Asset
A general term for any digital file, physical document, hard drive, disk, tape cassette, or information related to, and used in the distribution of, filmed or animated entertainment. Examples would be a video file, layered key art, a dialogue list, or a closed caption file.

Closed Captions
Closed captioning displays the audio portion of a movie or TV show, such as spoken dialogue, as text that pops on to the screen. Closed captions allow people who are deaf or hard of hearing to enjoy entertainment and information without hearing the audio.

DCP (Digital Cinema Package)
A DCP is the standard asset accepted worldwide for theatrical exhibition and projecting movies digitally. DCP is an acronym that stands for Digital Cinema Package. DCPs have taken the place of physical film prints and are much more robust and secure. Read more about DCPs here.

Delivery
Transfer of an asset or package from one point to another via the internet, on hard drive, or on some other digital or analog media (like tape or optical disc).

Dialogue List
A dialogue list is a verbatim transcription of a film’s dialogue accompanied by the speaking character’s name, as well as timecode. Some dialogue lists may also be referred to as an “As Broadcast Scripts” (ABS). Some distributors (generally studios) may require a much more detailed but similar asset called a Combined Continuity Spotting List (“CCSL”) or a Combined Dialogue and Spotting List (“CDSL”). Dialogue lists are primarily used for creating closed captions, foreign subtitles, dubbing into a foreign language, or for legal clearances and copyright purposes.

Forced Narratives
Forced narratives are text overlays denoting things such as locations, date, or the passage of time (such as “Ten Years Later”). These overlays are generally “burnt in” to picture. For localization, forced narratives may exist as separate files (similar to subtitle files) that allow viewers to toggle on/off the display of text translating or clarifying foreign text on screen. For example, if the film is French and playing for an English-speaking audience, a forced narrative may overlay picture to translate a sign on screen that contains French text.

Textless Elements
These are textless versions of shots that contain text over active video (i.e. text added during post-production). This includes the main titles/credits, end titles/credits, forced narratives, burnt-in subtitles, and lower thirds. Textless elements are generally not required for text over solid colors (like text over white or text over black). See our blog post about textless here.

Watermark
A visual or audible marking, either hidden or visible, that denotes ownership or allows tracking of an asset meant for limited or restricted use, like screening. Watermarks are generally used in sales or promotional screeners and are intended to prevent piracy or any other unauthorized distribution.

Mastering & Transcoding

Mastering
Mastering is the process of taking multiple separate assets or streams, such as the final audio mixes and final video, and combining them into a complete and self-contained “master” asset. This “master” is complete on its own and does not rely on any other assets. The master is the source from which other versions of the film originate. For example, a UHD ProRes 4444 feature master file (containing UHD Video as well as Stereo and 5.1 Audio mixes) can be used to create a submaster with HD (i.e. lower resolution) video and just the Stereo audio.

Artifacts / Artifacting
Artifacts are perceivable defects in audio or video resulting from improper encoding, file conversion or transcoding. Examples include macroblocking (compression artifacting) combing (interlace artifacting), and duplicate or skipped frames (conversion artifacting).

Aspect Ratio
The proportional relationship between the width and height of a video frame. Common broadcast ratios are 16×9 (also written as 1.78:1) and 4×3 (or 1.33:1).

Compression
Compression is a technique used to reduce file size by reducing redundancy in audio, video or both. Compression almost always results in a noticeable loss of quality, but with substantially smaller files that playback smoother and transfer quicker. Improper or low-quality compression can result in artifacts (see below), which impact quality and overall viewer experience.

Frame Rate
The number of frames displayed during one second of elapsed screen time. Common frame rates are 23.976fps (VOD and Blu-ray), 24fps (Digital Cinema), 25fps (Overseas Broadcast, VOD and Home Video), and 29.97fps (US Broadcast and DVD).

HD (1080) / UHD (4K)
Both HD and UHD (sometimes referred to as 4K) are video resolutions. Full raster HD is 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall (1920×1080), while UHD is 3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall (3840×2160). In digital cinema, 4K (also called DCI 4K or True 4K) refers to a frame 4096 wide by 2160 tall (4096×2160).

Interlaced Video
Interlacing is a technique used to store, transmit and display video by breaking up each frame into 2 fields. When displayed on a progressive display (like a standard computer display), interlaced video can look like this.

Mezzanine Master
A mezzanine master (sometimes referred to as a “Mez”) is a very high quality, slightly compressed first-generation file-based master. At a minimum, it consists of the final video and final audio, combined into one file. This master can be considered the “starting point” for all future versions or submasters of a film. Ideally, mezzanine masters should have video compressed in an intra-frame compressed codec, like Avid DNxHD or Quicktime ProRes, and have PCM audio.

Progressive Video
Progressive video is when each frame of video is displayed in its entirety (instead of broken up into fields). This form of video is much more common in non-broadcast systems, like OTT VOD or Digital Cinema.

Slate
A static frame of video listing information about the asset, usually located at the beginning of that asset, prior to the featured content. Slates contain information about the title, version, runtime, file format, aspect ratio, audio configuration, mastering facility, creation date, etc.

Submaster
A submaster is a lower-quality, less-complete, or converted version of the master. Additionally, a submaster should be of suitable quality for duplication as well as further conversion, as necessary. As an example, again with a UHD (3840×2160) video master, an HD (1920×1080) downconversion would be considered a submaster.

Transcode
To convert a file from one format to another, creating a new file (or submaster) in the process.

Video On Demand

VOD (SVOD/TVOD)
VOD stands for “Video On Demand,” which is a system to watch content when and wherever consumers choose, on a TV, computer or mobile device, without the need for physical media (like a DVD or Blu-ray).

SVOD stands for “Subscription Video On Demand” and consists of services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime, for which users pay a monthly or annual subscription fee. With SVOD, users do not have to pay on a per-title basis to view content, like with TVOD (see below).

TVOD stands for “Transactional Video On Demand.” With TVOD, users pay a one-time fee to rent (with viewing allowed during a set window, usually 24 or 48 hours) or buy (unlimited viewing) a single title. TVOD purchases (when a user buys a title instead of renting it) are called DTO (Download to own) or EST (Electronic sell-through).

Metadata
In the broadest sense, metadata is data that refers to other data. For entertainment, metadata generally refers to information about the feature and feature asset used in the release of a film. Metadata is usually stored as a spreadsheet, XML or plain text document and contains info like film title, synopsis, cast, crew, runtime, aspect ratio, rating, etc.

OTT
OTT stands for “Over the Top” and refers to any form of VOD that is delivered directly to the consumer over the internet. OTT is not dependent on a dedicated third-party network, like a telephone, cable or satellite company.

Package
Used as a noun, Package refers to a group of related assets (generally for the same title/film). A VOD package, for instance, usually consists of a feature master, a trailer master, a closed captions file, artwork and metadata. As a verb, Package (or packaging) refers to the process of staging a group of assets in preparation for delivery.

Quality Control

Quality Control (QC)
QC is a very thorough review and inspection of the final version of a feature film, trailer or other audio or video assets, usually with a detailed report provided at the end of the process. Learn more about QC here.

Checksum
A checksum is a string of characters representing the data in a stored or transmitted file, against which comparisons can be made to detect errors in the file’s data. Checksums are very helpful in detecting data corruption and maintaining quality.

Data Corruption
Data corruption is an error in computer data that occurs during writing, reading, storage, transmission, or processing of data. These corruptions introduce unintended changes to the original data and may or not manifest themselves as audio or video defects.

Dropout
A dropout is any sudden and noticeable absence of video, audio, or other file data.

Safe Area (Title / Action Safe)
A rectangular area in a display that allows text or graphics to display completely and without distortion on all (or virtually all) types of displays, including broadcast displays. Title safe is closer into the center, with action safe being closer to the screen edges.

Spot QC
Spot QC is a process conducted upon re-delivery of a fixed asset. This process focuses on the “spots” of audio or video that were modified following a 100% written QC of that asset. Spot QC is literally a check of “spots” that have been modified and is intended to verify that those “spots” have been properly fixed or improved as much as possible. A Spot QC is not a check of an entire asset, only certain specific sections of that asset.