Being on set for the first time can be pretty confusing and overwhelming, especially if you’re not prepared for all the special lingo that gets thrown around.
Did that guy just ask for a martini?
It may feel a little ridiculous sometimes, but every industry loves its jargon, right? It can be hard to keep up with all the weird terms people use on set, so here’s a short list of jargon and slang to get you started!
Stinger- An extension cord. Easy enough.
20- Used over the walkie, as part of the phrase “What’s your 20?” It’s used to ask where somebody is.
Apple box- These are wooden boxes used to prop things (or people) up to the height they need to be. They come in four sizes: full, half, quarter, and pancake.
Blonde/Redhead- Types of lights with particular wattage, each used for different purposes. Blondes, especially, are very bright.
Bogie- A random stranger who’s managed to make his way on set and walk through the shot.
Brick- A battery. A hot brick is a charged one, and a cold brick is a dead one.
C-47- A clothespin. I sincerely wish I knew why they were called this.
Dummy Check- A last check around a location before leaving to make sure that nothing was left behind. As in, “what dummy left this here?” (I don’t know if that’s why it’s called this—I just think it makes sense.)
Gary Coleman- A small C-stand. Named, of course, after the small actor. Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?
Genny- The generator used on set.
Gobo- Not just the lovable Fraggle—a gobo head goes on a C-stand to hold lights, flags, or other pieces of equipment.
Hot Points- Said when someone is carrying something that might hit someone, like a C-stand or a tripod. If you hear this, get out of the way!
Kill- Despite the fact that you’re shooting all kinds of things and the director’s yelling “Kill that blonde!”, nobody’s being murdered. Killing something (usually a light) means to turn it off.
Martini- The last shot of the day. Because by then probably everyone could use a martini.
Rhubarb- Background noise from extras. It’s called this because extras will frequently say the word “rhubarb” to make it look like they’re talking.
Sides- A small script that only contains the pages being shot that day.
Sticks- Another word for tripod.
Bonus:
A bag of f-stops- Don’t ever fall for this; there’s no such thing. It’s a cruel trick crew members will play on brand new PAs who don’t know better, leaving them to scramble around everywhere for something they’ll never find. Check out my post about camera settings to learn about what f-stops really are!
When you get on set and someone asks you for a stinger, now you’ll know that they’re definitely not asking for something out of a wasp’s nest! On set, there’s not much time to ask questions, so the more you know before you get there, the better.