Video Production Glossary: 60 Terms Every Marketing Team Should Know

Every video project is run in a vocabulary most marketing teams are never taught, and the undefined words are where projects drift. This glossary defines 60 video production terms, from brief to buyout, with what each one means for your timeline, your approvals or your final files.

Terms run A to Z, with numbered formats first. Where a term has a fuller treatment in our Resources library, the definition links to it. Use the letters to jump.

0–9

2D animation

Animation on a flat plane: illustrated characters, shapes and scenes moving in height and width only. It is the B2B explainer default because it revises quickly and turns abstract product ideas into clear pictures. Our guide to 2D, 3D and motion graphics compares all three.

2.5D animation

2D artwork arranged in layers and moved through a virtual 3D space, so the camera can push in or show parallax depth. It adds a sense of dimension while keeping the speed of a 2D workflow.

3D animation

Objects, environments or characters built as digital models, then lit, textured and rendered. Choose it for hardware and anything a viewer must see from every angle. Modelling and rendering add weeks to the schedule.

4K

A resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels, four times the pixel count of full HD. Shooting in 4K lets the editor reframe and crop in post. Ask for a 4K master file plus lighter HD files for upload.

A

A-roll

The primary footage that carries the story, usually interviews or a presenter speaking to camera. Everything else is cut around it. Strong A-roll depends mostly on who speaks and how well they are prepared.

Animatic

The storyboard cut to time against a scratch or final voiceover, so you can judge pacing before animation begins. It is the last easy point to change structure, so sign it off carefully.

Aspect ratio

The shape of the frame, written as width to height. 16:9 suits websites and YouTube, 9:16 suits Stories and Reels, and 1:1 or 4:5 suit social feeds. Decide ratios before production so every shot can be framed for all of them.

B

B-roll

Supporting footage cut over the A-roll: the office, the product in use, a team at work. It gives the edit room to breathe and hides interview cuts. Plan it in the shot list, because generic B-roll makes every film look alike.

Brand film

A film about what a company believes and why it exists, built to make an audience feel something about the brand. It sits at the top of the funnel and is judged on memorability and fit.

Brief

The document telling a studio what the video must achieve: audience, business problem, one message, placement and deadline. Every later decision is checked against it. Our guide to choosing a studio shows what a good one contains.

Buyout

A licence for unlimited use of an asset, such as music, footage or on-camera talent, across all media and territories with no end date. Nothing needs renewing, so the asset cannot expire mid-campaign. See usage rights.

C

Call sheet

The daily document for a shoot: call times, location, contacts, schedule, parking and safety notes. The producer sends it the day before. Forward it to anyone from your team appearing on camera.

Captions

On-screen text of the dialogue plus relevant sounds, for viewers who cannot or choose not to hear the audio. Closed captions switch on and off; open captions are burned into the picture. On muted social feeds they are close to essential.

Case study video

A customer’s story on film, ideally in their own words: the problem, the decision and what changed. It works late in the funnel, where buyers want evidence from someone like them. Here is one built under a confidentiality agreement.

Character animation

Animation of figures who act and emote, from simple icon people to fully expressive characters. It is labour-intensive, because every gesture is performed by hand or through a rig. Use it when the story needs a human point of view.

Codec

The compression scheme that turns raw footage into a file small enough to store and stream. H.264 is the near-universal delivery codec, H.265 (HEVC) gives similar quality in smaller files, and ProRes is a high-quality editing format. You only need the right file for each platform.

Colour grade

The post-production stage where colour, contrast and tone are adjusted shot by shot for a consistent look that matches your brand. It follows colour correction, which fixes exposure and white balance. Agree the look early, while it is quick to change.

Compression

Reducing file size by discarding data the eye is unlikely to miss. Every platform re-compresses uploads, so start from a high-quality master. Over-compression shows worst on text and interface shots, where a SaaS video most needs to stay sharp.

Corporate video

The umbrella term for video a company makes about itself for business audiences: company profiles, internal communications, recruitment, event films and investor updates. Our corporate video guide breaks the formats down.

Creative brief

The studio’s answer to your brief: the core idea, tone, visual approach and key message. Your brief says what the video must do; the creative brief says how. Approve it before any script is written.

Crew day

One day of a filming crew’s time, including setup, shooting and pack-down. Most live-action schedules are planned in crew days, so fewer locations and a tighter shot list shorten the shoot directly.

CTA (call to action)

The single next step a video asks for: book a demo, start a trial, read the case study. Use one per video, matched to the funnel stage. Our guide to creative video ideas for B2B brands pairs formats with each stage.

Cutdowns

Shorter edits made from a longer master, such as 30, 15 and 6 second versions for ads, social and email. Planned at script stage they come together quickly, because key lines can be written to stand alone.

D

Deliverables

The full list of files you receive: every length, aspect ratio, language, caption file and format. Write it into the contract at the outset, since each extra version is edit and export time. A clear list prevents late surprises.

Dubbing

Replacing the original voice track with a recording in another language. It is straightforward for animation, where there are no lips to match. See our Southeast Asia localisation guide for when subtitles suit better.

E

Easing

The acceleration and deceleration of movement between keyframes. Eased motion starts gently, speeds up and settles, the way physical objects move. Viewers notice it without knowing the word.

Edit

The assembly of footage, voice, music and graphics into the final sequence, usually in two passes: an offline edit to settle structure, then an online edit to finish quality. Give structural feedback at the offline stage.

Explainer video

A short video, typically a minute or two, explaining what a product does and why it matters to a specific buyer. Most B2B explainers are animated. See eight B2B SaaS examples and how long yours should be.

F

Frame rate

Still images played per second, written as fps. 24 fps gives the cinematic look, 25 fps is standard in PAL regions including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, and 30 fps suits screen recordings. Agree one rate at the start.

Frame-by-frame animation

Animation drawn one frame at a time, the traditional hand-drawn method also called cel animation. It gives fluid, expressive movement with a handmade feel, and it is the slowest 2D technique to produce.

G

Gaffer

The head of lighting on a shoot, who designs and runs the lighting plan with the director of photography. On small crews the camera operator may cover it. For interviews in difficult spaces, a dedicated gaffer earns a place on the crew.

Green screen

Filming against a solid green backdrop so the background can be replaced in post. It needs careful lighting and adds compositing time. For most B2B work, a real, well-lit location is quicker and more credible.

K

Keyframe

A point on the timeline where an animator sets an element’s position, scale, colour or other property, and the software fills the frames in between. More keyframes mean more control and more hours.

Kinetic typography

Animated text that moves in time with a voiceover or music, so the words carry the visual story. It suits messages built on a few strong phrases, where the words themselves are the hook.

L

Lavalier microphone

A small clip-on microphone, usually fixed near the collar, for clean interview dialogue. It keeps voice levels consistent as the speaker moves. Clothing rustle is its main enemy, so avoid noisy fabrics on the day.

Localisation

Adapting a video for a new market: language, voice, on-screen text, cultural references and sometimes imagery. Editable text layers and spare runtime planned from pre-production make each version far quicker to produce. See our localisation guide.

M

Master file

The highest-quality finished version of a video, usually in an editing codec such as ProRes, from which every other version is made. Name it in your contract and store it safely. Edits made from compressed copies lose quality.

Moodboard

A collection of reference images, colours, type and motion examples that sets visual direction before design starts. Pictures settle arguments adjectives cannot. Note what you like about each reference.

Motion graphics

Animated graphic design: type, shapes, icons, charts and interface elements moving with purpose. It is the workhorse of B2B video because it handles data and product screens well and re-versions easily. See what the best ones share.

Music licensing

Securing the right to use a piece of music in your video. Stock libraries license per track or by subscription; commercial releases need clearance from both the label and the publisher. Check the licence covers paid ads and every platform and territory you plan to use.

P

Post-production

Everything after filming or asset creation: editing, colour grading, sound design, music, voiceover, captions and export. On live-action projects it often takes longer than the shoot. Changes are easiest at the start of post.

Pre-production

The planning phase: brief, research, script, storyboard, casting, locations and scheduling. It is the easiest phase in which to change your mind. See the explainer video production process step by step.

Product demo video

A video showing your product in use, usually through its real interface, for a buyer already evaluating it. An explainer answers why; a demo answers how. Our explainer vs product demo guide covers when each fits.

R

Rendering

The process in which software calculates and outputs the final frames of an animation or effect. Complex 3D scenes can take a long time to render, which is why late changes in 3D are slow.

Retainer

An ongoing agreement in which a studio reserves monthly capacity for your videos, updates and cutdowns. It suits teams with a steady flow of launches and keeps one visual system consistent.

Revisions

The rounds of feedback included in a production agreement, usually tied to script, storyboard and animation. Check how a studio defines a round and a change of scope. One consolidated feedback document per round keeps projects on schedule.

Rigging

Building a digital skeleton and controls inside a character or object so an animator can pose it efficiently. It takes time upfront and pays back in every scene the character appears in, a hidden stage in character animation schedules.

S

Script

The words of the video, voiceover and on-screen text, with notes on what the viewer sees. As a planning rule of thumb, a minute of voiceover holds roughly 130 to 150 words. The script is the easiest place to fix a video.

Shot list

Every shot needed on a filming day, with framing, subject and priority. It turns a creative plan into a schedule. Review it before the shoot, because shots added on the day take time the schedule may not have.

Sound design

The effects, ambience and audio texture that support the picture, such as a click as a button is pressed. It makes animation feel physical and helps hold attention.

SRT file

A plain-text subtitle format listing each caption with a sequence number, start and end timecode, and the text. YouTube, LinkedIn and Vimeo all accept it. Ask for one per language in your deliverables.

Stems

Separate audio tracks for voiceover, music and sound effects, delivered alongside the final mix. With stems, an editor can swap the voice for another language without remixing everything. Request them in the contract.

Storyboard

A sequence of drawn frames showing what the viewer will see at each moment, matched to the script. Visual ideas are tested here before anyone animates or films. Approving a storyboard means approving the film’s structure.

Style frames

A handful of fully designed stills showing exactly how the finished video will look: colour, type, illustration and composition. Approve them before animation starts, because changing the look later means redesigning every scene.

Subtitles

On-screen text that translates or transcribes speech, mainly for viewers who can hear the audio but may not speak the language. They are the fastest route into a new market for live action. Deliver them as an SRT file.

U

UI animation

Your software interface rebuilt and animated in motion design tools. It looks cleaner than a screen recording, can highlight any element and survives small product changes. Lightweight formats such as Lottie can also carry it inside the product.

Usage rights

Permissions covering where, how long and in which territories you may use a video and its parts: footage, music, voice and talent. Restricted rights can expire mid-campaign. Agree usage before production. See our buyer’s guide.

V

Versioning

Producing variations of one video for different audiences, languages, lengths or platforms. With editable text, stems and a clean master, each version takes a fraction of the original effort. Put the version list in the brief.

Voiceover

Narration recorded by a voice artist and laid over the picture. It sets tone as much as the visuals do, so audition voices against your brand. Record it before animation, because every scene is timed to it.

W

Whiteboard animation

A style in which drawings appear as if sketched in real time on a white surface, often by an animated hand. It is quick to produce and clear for simple ideas. For a premium B2B brand it can feel dated.

Video production terms: the short version

Most surprises in video production trace back to five terms: brief, revisions, usage rights, deliverables and versioning. Define those in writing before production starts, sign off at the storyboard and animatic stages where changes are easy, and ask for a master file, stems and caption files as standard. The rest of the vocabulary is craft, and a good studio will explain it as it comes up.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a storyboard and an animatic?

A storyboard is a sequence of still frames showing what the viewer will see; an animatic is that storyboard cut to time against a voiceover. The storyboard tests visual ideas, and the animatic tests pacing. Both come before full animation, which makes them the easiest points in a project to change structure, so involve every stakeholder at these two stages.

What is the difference between captions and subtitles?

Captions transcribe dialogue and relevant sounds for viewers who cannot hear the audio, while subtitles translate or transcribe speech for viewers who can hear it but may not understand the language. In practice the terms overlap, and both are usually delivered as SRT files. For social video, which often plays muted, captions in the original language are close to essential.

What do usage rights mean in a video production contract?

Usage rights define where, for how long and in which territories you can use the video and its parts, including music, footage, voice and on-camera talent. Restricted rights can expire mid-campaign. If the video will run in paid ads, across several countries or for more than a year, ask for a buyout or confirm that the licences cover it.

Which terms matter most when localising video for Malaysia, Indonesia or Hong Kong?

Localisation, versioning, stems, subtitles, dubbing and SRT files matter most. Ask for audio stems so the voice can be replaced without remixing, editable on-screen text so each language can be typeset properly, and an SRT file per language. Check that usage rights cover every territory. Planning these at the brief stage keeps each extra language version quick to produce.