parts, and non-speaking roles.    walk-through

parts, and non-speaking roles.

walk-through		the first rehearsal on the set, to figure out lighting, sound, camera positioning, etc.
walla walla		refers to the atmospheric, background sound effect for the indistinct murmurings and buzz of voices in a crowd; extras in crowd scenes, in older films (or in radio), would be asked to murmur a phrase ('walla walla,' 'rhubarb,' 'peas and carrots,' or 'watermelon,' etc.) to create the sound of the crowd and to pretend that they were talking; see also foley artist, dubbing, and non-synchronized sound
wardrobe		the general name for the costume department, or the costumes (and their accessories) themselves; see also costume
weenie		refers to the object that motivates the main action in a serial (e.g., a lost city, buried treasure, or missing plans, etc)
white (or color) balance		refers to electronically setting or 'color-correcting' a camera's white balance - or the true color of white, since white doesn't appear 'white' with all lighting conditions
whodunit		refers to a mystery/detective film						Example: The major or lead character in a whodunit is a crime-solving detective, such as in the Sherlock Holmes series of films
whoop-whoops		in sound effects, this refers to the extra noises added to a sound, e.g., bells, horns, or whistles to an explosion, to make it more interesting or exciting
wide-angle shot		a shot (often abbreviated WS) taken with a lens that is able to take in a wider field or range of view (to capture more of the scene's elements or objects) than a regular or normal lens; a wide-angle shot exaggerates the distance, depth or disparity between foreground and background planes, thereby creating greater depth-of-field and keeping all objects in focus and in perspective; an extreme or ultra-wide-angle lens giving a 180 degree view is called a 'fish-eye' lens						Example: In Citizen Kane (1941), the famous wide-angle scene in Mrs. Kane's boardinghouse that kept all objects in the shot in sharp focus
widescreen		refers to projection systems in which the aspect ratio is wider than the 1.33:1 ratio that dominated sound film before the 1950s; in the 1950s, many widescreen processes were introduced (to combat the growing popularity of television), such as CinemaScope (an anamorphic system), VistaVision (a non-anamorphic production technique in which the film is run horizontally through the camera instead of vertically), and Todd-AO and Super Panavision (that both used wider-gauge film); also known as letterboxing						Examples: Oklahoma! (1955), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
wipe		a transitional technique or optical effect/device in which one shot appears to be "pushed off" or "wiped off" the screen by another shot replacing it and moving across the existing image; also called a push-over; a flip-over (or flip) wipe is when one scene rotates or flips-over to the new scene; wipes were very commonly used in the 30s						Example of a wipe right, often used in various Star Wars films.
word of mouth		a term referring to the public discussion or buzz that a film can acquire, fueled by sneak previews and advance advertising; word of mouth is an important marketing element in a film's success or failure - positive word of mouth gives a film legs, while negative word of mouth may prematurely close it down						Examples: The Hulk (2003) opened with $62 million but fell 69.7% by its second weekend, due in part, to negative word of mouth, whereas Disney's Finding Nemo (2003) had incredible word-of-mouth and staying power over many weeks; A Fish Called Wanda (1988) also had a prolonged period of positive word-of-mouth during its initial opening
wrap		refers to the completion of film shooting (either for the day or for the entire production or project); in the early days of cinema, the cameraman would say after filming: "Wind, Reel, And Print' - abbreviated as WRAP; a entirely completed film is termed in the can
writer		refers to the individual who authors the content of the piece from pre-existing material or uses an entirely new idea; usually there are many writers involved with re-writes, adaptations, character development, etc.; aka screenwriter
yawner		a slang term, meaning a boring film
Z-film or Z-movie		refers to a very low-budgeted, independently-made, non-union, less than B-film grade movie, usually with first-time director and actors; often quickly-made for the teenaged youth market and amateurish-looking, but with campy appeal; with exploitational subject matter that includes surfing films, motorcycle flicks, cheap horror films, etc.; Z-films become prime candidates for cult film status						Examples: American International Pictures specialized in Z-films, such as Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), Roger Corman's Gas-S-S-S! (1971) (aka (Gas! Or It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It), and The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971); also Octaman (1971), Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), and The Curse of the Screaming Dead (1982). The best known Z-film, Manos, The Hands of Fate (1966) (pictured), was an extreme low-budget film made by fertilizer salesman Hal P. Warren, a film that became famous by the satirical TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000; also, director Ed Wood's films were Z-pictures, such as Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), as was Vic Savage's The Creeping Terror (1964) and Fred Olen Ray's Attack of the 60-Foot Centerfold (1995) and Bikini Cavegirl (2004) (aka Teenage Cavegirl)
zoom shot		a single shot taken with a lens that has a variable focal length, thereby permitting the cinematographer to change the distance between the camera and the object being filmed, and rapidly move from a wide-angle shot to a telephoto shot in one continuous movement; this camera technique makes an object in the frame appear larger; movement towards a subject to magnify it is known as zoom in or forward zoom, or reversed to reduce its size is known as zoom out/back or backward zoom						Example: Hitchcock's much-imitated and unsettling Hitchcock-zoom (or contra-zoom) in Vertigo (1958) using a combination zoom in and dolly back, resulting in a dramatic change in perspective; the camera tracked in one direction while zooming in the opposite direction, causing an apparent "lengthening" of distance down the stairway
zoptic special effects		a revolutionary special effects, 3-D process invented by cameraman Zorian Perisic, incorporating a camera system and a projector with synchronized zoom lenses, to create the illusion of movement in depth						Example: the unique flying sequences of the Man of Steel in the first two Superman movies and in Disney's Return to Oz (1985), in which a projected background scene remains constant while the camera zooms in on the foreground subject

This is not a complete collection of all film-making terms, because so many of them are too obscure or technical to be included. However, this listing should provide enough background for a majority of the important terms, and prompt the reader to research them further. When discussing film and the creative craft of film-making, many of these terms are used to describe the complicated and expensive process or task of making movies - from conception to finished product. The multiple areas of film-making included within this fairly comprehensive glossary are:

• 
  the key film theories, movements, and genres
  
• 
  aspects of film history and film criticism
  
• 
  various slang, lingo or buzzwords
  
• 
  kinds of film-making equipment
  
• 
  the basics of cinematography and stylistic information (types of camera shots)
  
• 
  numerous industry-specific, business terms or technical terms
  
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  the various movie crafts (screenwriting, directing, special effects, sound, editing, etc.)
  
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  the personnel involved (including actors, writers, directors, producers, designers, and behind-the-scenes technicians)