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unbilled role: A supporting role usually for a major star that is officially credited, but no
biling is made in advertisements or opening credits. Example: Jack Nicholson in "Broadcast News" (1987).
uncredited role: A role that an actor plays that is not credited in credits or on the film's
poster.
underacting: An understated, neutral, and muted acting performance.
underground film: Low budget, non-commercial film, usually independent without traditional sources
of funding or distribution.
unions: Organizations that represent professionals in the motion picture industry: Examples:
Director's Guild of America (DGA), Writer's Guild of America (WGA), and Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
vaudeville: A stage variety entertainment show featuring a series of short acts. Highly popular
in American from the 1880s throughout the 1920s. Many early Hollywood performers got their start in vaudeville performances.
VCR: Video Cassette Recorder; A machine for home entertainment that plays back and records images
and sounds from TV on magnetized tape. Largely replaced by DVD players.
verisimilitude: The quality of appearing to be real.
vigilante film: Film in which the protagonist takes the law into his/her own hands, usually for
justice or revenge. Examples: "Taxi Driver" (1976) & "Falling Down" (1993)
vignette: A scene in a film that stands on its own.
voice over: Recorded dialogue, usually in narration fom that is unseen and off the screen. Example:
William Holden's narration for Billy Wilder's 1950 film "Sunset Boulevard."
walk through: First rehersal on the set that figures out lighting, sound, camera positions, etc.
wide angle shot: A shot taken with a lens that is able to take in a wider view and capture more
elements of a scene.
widescreen: Projection system in which the aspect ratio is wider than the 1.33:1 that dominated
film before the 1950s.
wind noise: Unwanted sound from the wind hitting a microphone.
wrap: The completion of film shooting for the day or for the entire production.
Wilhelm Scream: A stock sound effect that first appeared in 1951's "Distant Drums" and is usually
credited to actor Sheb Wooley. The Wilhelm scream received its name from Pvt. Wilhelm, a small character who features the
scream in 1953's "The Charge at Feather River." The Wilhelm scream has been used many times in film and television. It is
often used by characters falling large distances or being shot. The Wilhelm scream can be heard in "Them!" (1954), "PT 109"
(1963), "The Green Berets" (1968), "The Wild Bunch" (1969), "Star Wars" (1977), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), and
"Reservoir Dogs" (1992).
zoom shot: A single shot taken with a lens that has variable focal lengths, 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 movement.
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