Last Updated 4 days ago
Filmmaking Dictionary / Letter E
Browse filmmaking terms starting with E, including EAD (Estimated Arrival Date), E.C.U. (Extreme Close-Up), Edge Number. Find a quick explanation below and follow the full-definition links where a detailed guide is available.
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- EAD (Estimated Arrival Date)
- E.C.U. (Extreme Close-Up)
- Edge Number
- Edge of Frame
- Edit Decision List (EDL)
- Editing
- Editor
- Effects Plate
- Eighty Six (86)
- Eisensteinian (Sergei Eisenstein Montage)
- Electronic News Gathering (ENG)
- Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
- Ellipsis
- Emulsion
- End Credits
- End Slate (Tail Slate)
- Episode
- Episodic
- Establishing Shot
- Executive Producer
- Exposition
- EXT. (Exterior)
- Extra
- Extras Holding
- Eye Light
- Eyeline
- Eyeline Match
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EAD (Estimated Arrival Date)
Short for estimated arrival date, used when planning deliveries or the arrival of equipment and personnel. It is a forecast rather than a confirmed receipt time; production schedules may depend on later confirmation.
E.C.U. (Extreme Close-Up)
A shot isolating a small detail, such as an eye, mouth or part of an object. It directs attention to information that may be hard to read in a wider frame.
Edge Number
Identification printed along the edge of motion-picture film. Edge numbers and related keycode information help track material and match frames through laboratory and editorial workflows. They are distinct from a camera’s timecode display.
Edge of Frame
The boundary of the recorded or intended displayed image. Crew use the phrase when checking whether a person, prop, microphone or other element enters the shot. Framing guides and delivery crops may define different boundaries.
Edit Decision List (EDL)
A structured record of edit events, typically including source identifiers and in/out timecodes. It helps transfer or reconstruct an edit between systems, although complex effects and multi-layer timelines may require other interchange formats.
Editing
Selecting and arranging picture and sound to build the finished work. Editing shapes structure, performance, rhythm and meaning, while also dealing with continuity and the practical material available from production.
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Editor
The person who assembles and refines the film’s picture edit with the director and other collaborators. The work involves storytelling and performance choices as well as timing, continuity and the technical editorial workflow.
Effects Plate
Footage intended as an element in a visual-effects shot. A plate may provide a background, foreground or reference for compositing. A clean plate is one specific kind, without the subject or action that must later be removed or added.
Eighty Six (86)
Informal shorthand meaning to remove, cancel or stop using something. On set it may refer to a prop, setup or plan. The intended item should be clear from the conversation.
Eisensteinian (Sergei Eisenstein Montage)
A description of editing or filmmaking associated with Sergei Eisenstein, especially montage that creates meaning through the collision of shots. The relationship between images can provoke an idea or emotion that neither shot communicates in isolation.
Read the full Eisensteinian (Sergei Eisenstein Montage) definition →
Electronic News Gathering (ENG)
The capture of news using electronic cameras and sound equipment, especially outside the studio. ENG workflows prioritise mobility and timely reporting and differ from producing a scripted scene with a full film crew.
Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
A package of promotional material supplied for media coverage, often including interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, clips and production information. Its filming and release are coordinated around the production’s publicity needs.
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Ellipsis
The omission of a stretch of story time or action. An edit can move directly from preparing to travel to arriving, for example, leaving the audience to infer what happened in between.
Emulsion
The light-sensitive coating on photographic film. Exposure creates a latent image that chemical processing develops into a visible result. Film stocks differ in their emulsion structure, sensitivity, colour response and grain characteristics.
End Credits
The credit sequence presented at the end of a film or episode. It identifies contributors and may include acknowledgements, notices and other required information. Wording and order can be subject to agreements and delivery requirements.
End Slate (Tail Slate)
A slate recorded at the end of a take when a head slate is unsuitable or was missed. It is often presented upside down initially to identify it as a tail slate, then turned for readable identification.
Episode
One instalment of a television, web or other episodic series. It may tell a complete story or continue a longer narrative. Its place within a season does not require it to stand alone.
Episodic
Describing work organised into episodes. Episodic production may involve self-contained stories, a continuing serial narrative or a mixture of both. The term also refers broadly to the production of television and streaming series.
Establishing Shot
A shot that helps the audience understand a scene’s location, geography or relationship to its surroundings. Often wide, it can also establish time or atmosphere. It does not have to show a sign or precede every scene.
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Executive Producer
A senior producing credit whose responsibilities depend on the project. It may recognise financing, company leadership, rights or substantial creative oversight. In television, executive producers can be closely involved in writing and running the show.
Exposition
Information that helps the audience understand the story’s characters, setting or prior events. It can be conveyed through dialogue, action, imagery or sound. Effective exposition gives context without unnecessarily stopping the scene.
EXT. (Exterior)
A screenplay scene-heading abbreviation indicating an exterior setting. It identifies where the scene is meant to take place, alongside the location and time of day, rather than specifying the production’s actual shooting method.
Extra
A background performer who helps populate a scene without being its principal focus. Their movement and placement are coordinated for the shot. Specific classifications and permissions for dialogue depend on the production and agreement.
Extras Holding
An area where background performers wait and prepare when they are not required on set. It supports their organisation and movement to filming, with arrangements determined by the location and production.
Eye Light
Light positioned to create a visible reflection or catchlight in the eyes. It can make the eyes more readable without substantially changing the facial lighting. The effect depends on the source, angle and performer’s gaze.
Eyeline
The direction in which a performer looks. Matching eyelines across coverage helps characters appear to look at each other or at the intended object. Camera position and framing influence the correct off-camera target.
Eyeline Match
An edit connecting a character’s look with the object or view they appear to see. Matching direction and spatial relationships helps the audience understand the connection, even when the shots were filmed separately.
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