Information they need from a file to facilitate the interchange of audiovisual

material, data, and metadata.

Metadata Simply put: data about data. In audio postprodcution, it describes the

contents of an audio file, such as timecode, scene/take, sample rate/bit depth,

and the like, which can squeeze into the metadata area of a file.

Negative cutter The individual in the lab who conforms the camera original film

to match the picture editor’s edits. The negative cutter uses the cut list to locate

and assemble the correct sections of negative. A copy of the digital dump (output

tape) is used as a reference.

NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) (1) The color television standard

for North America and a smattering of other places. (2) The standards body that

long ago set the NTSC standard—525 interlaced vertical scan lines at a frequency

of 59.94 Hz results in 29.97 frames per second (fps)—which is occasionally

lovingly referred to as “Never Twice the Same Color.”

Nudge value A user-definable value in any DAW that allows the editor to offset a

region or a selection by a fixed amount.

OMF See OMFI.

OMFI (Open Media Framework Interchange) format A translation language that

allows material to move (relatively) easily from one platform to another. In dialogue

applications, the OMFI allows complete access to sounds for films edited

on a variety of nonlinear picture workstations. Usually shortened to “OMF.”

One light transfer A quick telecine transfer from original negative film to videotape.

Normally, processed original camera film is developed and then transferred to videotape prior to digitization into a nonlinear picture editing

workstation. When shot-specific color correction is needed, a timed or graded

transfer is necessary.

Optical camera, optical recorder A recording device for converting sound from a

final mix (whether on DAT, mag, hard disk, or in another format) to an optical

negative track. An optical camera works much the same as an analogue tape

recorder, converting an electrical signal into a print analogous to the sound

wave. Unlike a tape recorder, which stores information as a magnetic “snapshot,”

an optical camera stores the sound information as visible lines of varying

density and width.

Optical soundtrack The soundtrack on a finished fi lm exhibition print. When passed

through a projector’s optical reader, the soundtrack’s squiggly lines alter the

voltage generated by a photo cell. This voltage is then amplified and decoded

to play as sound. Prints with digital soundtracks carry digital information as

well as analogue tracks. The digital information is stored in the form of small

dots—a high-density type of barcode. Both digital and analogue soundtrack

information is printed with the picture to reduce costs.

Output tape (or digital dump) The video output of a nonlinear picture workstation

recorded to videotape, which becomes the work picture tape the sound crew

will use when editing the film’s soundtrack. Once the negative has been cut,

printed, and transferred to videotape, the output will be replaced with the much

more attractive first answer print telecine tape.

Overlap In dialogue editing, an interruption by an off-mic character of an on-mic

speaker, which inevitably ruins part of the take.

PAL (phase alternating line) A color video system used throughout much of the

world that consists of 625 lines per frame, interlaced. In the PAL environment,

the frame rate is 25 fps and EBU timecode is used for production and

postprodcution.

Perspective cut Organizing dialogue tracks in a manner that allows easy manipulation

of the sound at a picture cut. Often used to enhance physical or psychological

separation between characters, to focus on a specific element of a shot,

or to enable two simultaneous conversations, as in a phone split.

PFX (production sound effects) Tracks within a dialogue session that contain nonverbal

events removed from dialogue tracks. PFX may be split off from the dialogue

for better control or manipulation, or to facilitate creation of an M&E

mix.

Phone split A type of perspective editing that allows for easy control of both sides

of a telephone conversation.

Pilot tone A very stable tone used to keep a sound recording device in sync with

a camera. Synchronous analogue recording devices, such as the Nagra series of

field recorders, need a means of ensuring that original recordings are played

back at precisely the same speed at which they were recorded. On mono Nagras,

this is accomplished by recording a 50 Hz (60 Hz in the Americas) sine wave along with the location audio. The pilot tone is generated by a crystal within

the recorder. When the location tapes are played back for transfer to mag or

another working format, a resolver compares the pilot tone recorded on the tape

with a reference and slews the tape to match the recording speed to ensure

accurate sound sync. The original Nagra pilot tone was replaced with Neopilot

tone, which consists of two out-of-phase sine waves. On later Stereo Nagras, a

high-frequency FM pilot signal is used. Timecode Nagras are resolved with EBU

or SMPTE timecode.

Plop (sync pop, beep) A 1-frame-long tone used to synchronize soundtrack with

picture. Temporary plops can be used anywhere within a reel for temporary

sync references, but the final plops are placed 2 seconds before FFOA (9 feet

after the start mark) and 2 seconds after LFOA.

Point of view (POV) A shot from the perspective of one of the characters, as though

the audience is seeing the scene as he does. A POV shot is more subjective than

the normal coverage of a scene’s shots and thus may receive special sound

treatment.

PostConform (a trademark of Digidesign) An application for auto-assembly (autoconform)

that uses edit information from the picture editor’s EDLs to automatically

extract and conform sounds from original fi eld recordings. The result is a

Pro Tools session containing the picture edits recreated with original sound

material. Currently, it is supported only in Mac OS 9.

Premix (predub) A mix (dub) preceding the final mix in which like elements

(usually elements from an entire department: dialogue, SFX, BG, or Foley, etc.)

are mixed and organized to facilitate a more efficient final mix.

Preroll (1) In linear video editing, the amount of time programmed to allow all