Appendix A
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
The terms below are referenced in this white paper and therefore defined below. Note that many of these terms have various definitions, but those provided below are how we have defined them for the purposes of this document.
ACES Workflow
Animatics
Application Programming Interface or API
Audio Stems
Blockchain
Color Decision List or CDL
Content Distribution/Delivery Network or CDN
Cloud
Compositing
Conform or Conforming
Dailies
DCP or Digital Cinema Packages
DeBayering
Digital Intermediate or DI
Distribution
DP, DoP or Director of Photography
Editorial Decision List or EDL
High Dynamic Range or HDR
Interoperable Media Format or IMF
Media Elements (MELs)
OpenEXR
Light Field Camera
Lookup Tables or LUTs
Offline Renderer
Over-the-Top or OTT
Point Cloud
Postproduction & Mastering
Preproduction
Previsualization, Previz
Principal Photography
Production
Public Cloud Provider
RAW File
Real-Time Engine (RTE)
Real-Time Engine Package
Rotoscoping
Variable Bit Rate or VBR
Virtual Production
VFX, Visual FX, Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)
Volumetric Capture
XR
Zero Trust Network
Academy Color Encoding System enables a color-accurate workflow with interchange of high-quality motion picture images regardless of source
An animated storyboard
A clearly defined set of subroutines with a standardized communication protocol to initiate, communicate and derive results from the program
A combination of audio tracks grouped together and used in the final mix of a piece of content
An implementation of a distributed ledger used to secure and track transactions
A metadata file that describes the global, regional and intra-frame modifications to color, tint, temperature, etc. made by a colorist to set the visual look of a piece of content
A geographically distributed network of proxy servers and their data centers. The goal is to provide high availability and high performance for web content by caching frequently accessed content close to end users
We define cloud in this paper as not just the hyperscale cloud providers, but any internet-accessible storage platform that can be used as a common space for collaboration and exchange of data
Overlaying and blending different media elements together to create a single image – used, for example, to insert VFX elements within a piece of video (“the back plate”) such that they look seamless with the original content.
The final step in editing, when the EDL is used to replace the proxy files with the original camera master files to create a cut of the content with the highest quality source video
The video output of each day of shooting with synchronized sound. Typically, dailies include only content of interest to the director.
A packaging format developed by the studios to securely package all the elements of a movie (video files, audio assets, playlist) for distribution and playback in theaters
A step to take the RAW output from digital camera sensors (expressed as a pattern of red, green and blue subpixels) and create usable video files
A legacy term for film being scanned into a digital file format for the application of digital color processes. Now most projects are created digitally anyway, but the phrase is typically applied to the theatrical color pass and the master creative “look” used by all subsequent color grades
Preparing and delivering numerous versions of the final content masters to the content creator’s distribution partners for onward delivery to consumers
The creative responsible for all cameras, lenses and shots during principal photography and whose approval is typically required for the subsequent DI as well
A metadata file that contains an ordered list of reel and timecode data representing where each video clip can be obtained and its in/out cuts, transitions and other elements in order to conform the final cut. EDLs are created by offline editing systems
Dynamic range refers to the difference between the darkest (blackest) point in a piece of video and the brightest highlight point. High Dynamic Range typically refers to capture systems capturing greater than 14 stops of light, a workflow to maintain that dynamic range and final graded video with low to zero black levels and greater than 1000 nits of brightness
An evolution of the DCP, an IMF package is a SMPTE standard for providing a single, interchangeable master file format and structure for the distribution of digital master packages between businesses around the world. The IMF package can contain all possible distribution variations for a piece of content
The components of a finished piece of media, which could be video (down to individual frames), audio assets (music, dialogue, dub, sound FX) or CG assets (animated characters, CGI objects)
An open image file format developed by Industrial Light & Magic for use in storing digital elements at the highest dynamic range so they can be inserted into scenes with varied contrast levels
A light field camera, also known as a plenoptic camera, captures not only the color and intensity of light (as with traditional cameras), but also the angle at which light rays are hitting the sensor(s). Although this increases the amount of captured data, the spatial information can be used for a variety of purposes, such as creating a depth map and adjusting picture parameters including depth of field, focal distance and Bokeh at a later time
A format for predefined color transforms that change the look of an image, often with a specific target display in mind
A tool or process to composite and render disparate media elements (CG, video, audio) to a video in non-real-time (i.e., at less than the frame rate of the finished content). Currently, it can take hours for every frame of video
Distribution of video via broadband IP connections (a historic reference to cable systems, in which video was delivered as the primary signal but IP traffic was delivered as an auxiliary data stream)
A set of data points in 3D space, typically created by scanning an object or scene and allocating a set number of data points to represent the scene
Often the lengthiest part of the creation process, including steps such as editing, adding visual effects (VFX), audio mixing/editing, color grading and the creation of dozens of international masters by combining the various finished media elements together
Includes script development, production design, casting, budgeting and other steps required to greenlight and prepare a piece of content
An early production process that uses rapid prototyping to enable creative teams to visualize shots, sequences or whole movies before they enter principal photography
The capture of media, typically on set or on location. The term is used for live action captured with a camera
The steps in capturing and creating content on set, on location, in animation, in VFX, etc. Includes lights, cameras, sets, talent, grips, green screens and huge media files
A provider of cloud services (storage, compute, database services, etc.) that are generally available for any individual or company to sign up for. We prefer the term hyperscale cloud providers to describe companies providing these services
A file created by a camera as a direct stream of the data from the image sensor in its “raw” format that needs to be interpreted, typically by a DeBayering process, to make recognizable images on a screen. RAW files can be large, are sometimes uncompressed and are proprietary to each camera manufacturer, unlike a standard compressed image format (JPEG, MPEG, etc.)
A tool or process to composite and render a disparate media element (CG, video, audio) to an output device in real time (i.e., at or higher than the frame rate of the finished content). Referred to more commonly in 2019 as game engines because their original function was the real-time rendering of game elements and physics
A proposed new packaging format to collate and describe all the MELs within a piece of media, where they move and how they should be rendered to the screen. RTE packages are required by real-time engines to accurately describe a frame or sequence and a finished piece of content
A process in VFX to extract one video element from another in a video (for example, to remove a foreground character from the background they were shot against)
A video compression system that encodes a video file in multiple different quality levels and bit rates to enable playback that adapts to a consumer’s device characteristics or bandwidth constraints and is also used to enable rapid start-up of streamed content
A relatively new process combining VFX elements in real time during principal photography to enable creatives to see and interact with both physical and digital worlds simultaneously
Terms largely used interchangeably now to refer to assets generated by computer artists or simulations rather than captured by cameras
An additional step during photography that adds capture of data from different angles that describe where characters and physical objects are in 3D space. Can enable many more camera angles than a traditional camera and can be used to interpolate additional 3D angles and computational images/sequences not possible with a physical camera
A catch-all phrase to encompass the general technologies of augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR) and other immersive video formats like 360° video
The zero trust model is a security principle that says organizations should not automatically trust anything inside or outside an organization, and that anything and everything must be verified before access is granted