Below is the V section of our film and television dictionary. If you would like to add a term to our dictionary, please feel free to get in contact with us.

Film & Television Dictionary – Letter V

Variac: Brand name for a variable transformer. It is used by the lighting/electrical department to dim lights.

Vertigo Shot: A camera technique created by Alfred Hitchcock while filming Vertigo that involves dollying backwards while zooming in at the same time, making the person or object in the center of the frame seem stationary while their surroundings change.

Video Assist: Video assist is the monitor system that is used on set for viewing what the camera sees and watching playback of takes. Commonly known as video village, this is where monitors are set up for the producer, director, script supervisor, and anyone else who may need to see what is happening on screen. The size of the video assist depends on the size of the production.

Videographer: A term that was used to distinguish digital camera operators from cinematographers who shot on film. The camera advancements of the last 10 years have increased the use of digital cameras in all filmmaking, therefore making this distinction less necessary.

View Finder: The piece on the camera that you look through to see what the camera is seeing.

Vignette: A vignette is a scene that can stand on its own. A vignette is also a mask that can be applied to an image, usually seen as a blurring of the images corners.

Visual Effects (VFX): Visual effects are the alterations made to a picture in the post-production process of a film or television show. There are visual effects that can be achieved in camera, but the most common are achieved using a computer in post.

Voice Over (VO): Dialogue that is heard from a character who is not appearing on camera.