Filmlexikon.
Term of the day · June 13
Iris Out
Editing · Terms

Iris Out.

Iris schließen.

Circular wipe where the image closes from edges to a point, created via iris diaphragm or digital radial mask.

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One pictogram per category. Click → A–Z of that discipline.

Camera 2.354 Lighting 1.205 Editing & Post 419 Sound 404 Art Department 202 Directing & Theory 480 VFX & SFX 613 Production 1.060 Grip & Stage 136 Stunts & Action 37 General 273 Manufacturers 49 Suggest + new

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60 terms
Camera · Technique H.264 H.264 is a widely-used video compression standard (also known as AVC or MPEG-4 Part 10) that provides… Camera · Technique H.265 H.265 (HEVC - High Efficiency Video Coding) is the successor to H.264, providing approximately 50% better… Sound Haas Effect Haas-Effekt Psychoacoustic phenomenon: the ear localizes sound by earliest signal arrival, not by volume — a delayed… Theory Habsburg Film Habsburgerfilm Austrian cinema from 1950s–70s romanticizing the Austro-Hungarian Empire — Sissi, operettas, court intrigue… Theory Hagiographic film Hagiographischer Film Portrait that idealizes its subject—historical or living—without critique or contradiction. Sanctifying… Directing Hagiography Heiligenlegende Filmmaking that mythologizes subjects and abandons critical distance—hagiographic biopic that glorifies over… Theory Hagiography Hagiographie Uncritical glorification of a person or historical event — idealization without distance. On film: selective… Theory Hagiopic Biopic that canonizes its subject without ambiguity — saint without flaws. Marketing hagiography disguised as… General Hahaganda Propaganda disguised as comedy — laughter carries the message, not argument. Subtler and deadlier than direct… Sound Ha-Ha Mono Ha-Ha-Mono Japanese sound mixing technique — dialogue layers deliberately skewed slightly out of sync for natural feel… Camera · Technique Hair and Fur Haare und Fell CGI simulation creating realistic hair, fur, and similar fibrous materials on digital characters. Production · Terms Hair Department Head Frisuren-Abteilungsleiter Senior staff member overseeing all hair styling and maintenance on production. Art Department · Terms Hair Design Frisur Creates hairstyles and hairpieces for film characters using human hair wigs (120–160 hairs/cm²), extensions… Production · Terms Hair in the Gate Haar im Gate Problem where a hair, dust, or debris is visible on film, requiring the scene to be re-shot. Lighting · Terms Hair Light Haarlicht Focused light positioned above and behind the subject to sculpt hair and define head contours; typically uses… Art Department · Material Hair Piece / Hairpiece / Wig / Toupee / Hair Extension Haarteil / Perücke / Toupet / Hair Extension Any supplemental hair worn by actors – includes full wigs, partial pieces, toupees, extensions, falls, and… Art Department · Roles Hair Stylist Friseur Specialist responsible for creating and maintaining hairstyles, wigs, and hairpieces on set throughout… Camera Halation Light halo around bright areas from film-base reflection — creates soft, dreamy halos. Intentionally enhanced… Theory Hale's Tours of the World Hale's Tours Early cinema attraction (1905–1912) — theater built as railway car, audience experienced scenery as if… Lighting · Terms Half Apple Half-circular black matte aluminum screen mounted in front of lights to block a precise semicircular light… Grip · Equipment Half Apple Box 12mm birch plywood platform for precise height adjustment of lights and actors; 10cm high, 150kg capacity. Lighting · Equipment Half Double Scrim Halb-Doppel Scrim Half Double Scrim: single-sided double-layer cotton diffusion frame (6″–24″) creating directional light… Camera Half Frame Halbformat Aspect ratio 1:1.5 — between full frame and portrait orientation. Rare in cinema, used in experimental or… Camera Half-Frame Camera Half-Frame-Kamera Compact camera with halved film format (18×24 mm instead of 24×36 mm) — more frames per roll, smaller optics… Camera Half-Frame Process Halbbild-Verfahren Two images exposed vertically stacked on one strip — masked double exposure for in-camera effects… Lighting · Equipment Half Grid Graduated ND filter for matte box systems that darkens only one image area—typically sky against foreground… Editing Half Second Halbsekunde Missing single frame in timecode continuity — usually a cutting or rendering error. Nearly invisible on… Lighting · Equipment Half Single Scrim Halb-Single Scrim Diffusion fabric in asymmetrical frame reducing half the light by 0.3 stops, creating soft transitions for… Camera · Terms Half Stop Halbe Blende Aperture setting midway between two full f-stops (e.g. f/2.4 between f/2 and f/2.8) for precise exposure… Production Halfway Party Bergfest Crew celebration at production midpoint — marks psychological turning point, boosts morale. Ritual on… VFX Hallucination Halluzination AI-generated or visual artifacts where algorithms invent image details that don't exist. Major issue with… VFX Hallucinogenic Hypnovision 1960s psychedelic effects technique — color feedback loops, optical distortion, synchronized light pulses… Theory Hallyu "Korean Wave" — South Korean pop, film, and TV dominance globally since 2000s. Reset production standards and… Production Hal Roach Studios Inc. Hal Roach Studios Legendary indie studio (1919–1955) — comedy, slapstick, 'Our Gang' serials. Roach directed, produced, and… Directing Ham Exaggerated, broad acting that breaks character—oversized gestures, loud delivery, ham-fisted emotion. Rookie… Directing Hamartia The tragic character flaw that dooms a protagonist—not malice, but internal contradiction. Walter White or… Production Hamburg Filmmakers' Cooperative Hamburger Filmmacher-Cooperative 1960s Hamburg artist collective—documentary and experimental filmmakers organized production, distribution… Theory Hammer Films British production house (1948–1979) — vivid Technicolor horror, saturated reds, Gothic studio sets. Lee and… Camera HammerScope Hammer's proprietary widescreen format — anamorphic distortion on 35mm, cut-rate cinematic muscle. Cheaper to… Editing Hammocking Editing trick: sandwich weak scene between two strong ones—the strong scenes carry the weak. Classic pacing… Lighting · Terms Hampshire Frost Lee Filters polyester diffusion gel with microparticles for controlled light scatter across 30°. Softens hard… VFX Hand-Coloring Handverarbeitete Filmfarbgebung Pigment or dye applied directly to B&W film stock frame by frame — labour-intensive, unpredictable results… Camera · Terms Handheld Handkamera Camera operated without a tripod or mechanical stabilization, held or supported directly by the operator… Camera Handheld Freihandaufnahme Camera without tripod or stabilization — deliberate shake creates immediacy and visceral energy. Documentary… Camera · Terms Handheld / Free-Hand Camera Handkamera-Aufnahme / Freihand-Kamerabewegung Camera technique in which the camera is held directly by the operator without mechanical stabilization for… Editing · Terms Handle Überhang Extra footage before and after an edit point, enabling trim adjustments in post. Standard: 24–48 frames… Editing Handles Extra frames at shot start/end for flexible trimming during edit — gives editor breathing room without… Lighting Hand Light Handlampe Portable fixture for precise close-range fill — eyes, face details, accents. Complements hard light, doesn't… Theory Handmade Film Low-budget production shot guerrilla-style with skeleton crew and whatever gear you have — raw, immediate… Production Hand Props Objects actor handles on camera—glass, cigarette, gun, book. Props master tracks these; set decorator sources… Theory Handschiegl Process Handschiegl-Prozess Early hand-coloring method (1910s–1940s) — individual film frames stenciled and hand-dyed in color… VFX hanging miniature Miniaturmodell am Faden Scale model suspended on invisible wire in front of camera — creates depth without building full sets… Directing Happening Performance-art event involving audience in semi-planned or spontaneous situations — blurs real and staged… Directing Happy Ending Happy-End Resolution where protagonist's central conflict resolves positively and character exits satisfied — classical… General Happy Slapping 2000s viral phenomenon: random violence against strangers, recorded and shared — documents blur between… VFX Haptic Arm Robotic motion-control arm with haptic feedback for VFX — operator steers live motor movement, then automates… Directing Hard-Boiled Hyper-kinetic action aesthetic — everything oversaturated, handheld chaos, bullets flying. Woo and Tarantino… Theory Hardcore Genre subcategory with extreme depiction—graphic violence, sexual content, or psychological brutality… Editing Hard Cut Harter Schnitt Immediate transition between shots with no dissolve or fade — creates impact and pace. Standard tool for… Editing · Terms Hard Cut / Straight Cut Harter Schnitt Direct cut between two shots with no transition effects, creating an abrupt and often jarring change between…
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