Grip and Lighting Illustrated Online Dictionary for Film and Video Production
 
S - from Sandbag to Snoot

S

Sandbag - a sand-filled canvas bag with a nylon web strap used to weigh down stands, set pieces, or any item on a film set/location. Sandbags come in various weights and sizes, and are basically used for preventing top-heavy equipment or set elements from tipping over. Creative grip crews often find many other uses for sandbags. They can be used in some cases like apple boxes to elevate items, as counter-weights for jibs and cranes, and are pretty comfortable to sit on when waiting for the next set-up or equipment move. Sandbags have even used as barriers to prevent actors from overshooting their marks in scenes. They may be used on dollies as ballast to smooth out the movement if required. Originally, sandbags were used as counterweights in theatrical staging for curtain pulls and to secure set pieces and temporary stage platforms. Sandbags are particularly needed on exterior shoots, where wind is a factor against reflectors, diffusion frames and flags, etc. This basic and useful piece of grip gear is sometimes referred to as "dirt" or even "beach" with crews who enjoy playing around with terminology.

Scene dock - a storage area in a studio for set pieces, flats, props and backdrops.

Scenery - refers to larger props, flats (temporary "walls"), flats, drapes, and backdrops. Hand props may sometimes be included under this term.

Scenic Designer - (a.k.a. Art Director) is the production crew member who designs, creates or chooses scenic pieces and larger props as interpreted from the production script in collaboration with the Director and Cinematographer on both interior/studio and exterior scenes. Scenic Directors may have their own grip or construction crew, or may share the main grip crew on lower-budget productions.

Scoop - an incandescent lighting fixture with a large open faced shell or trough with a soft reflective interior surface. Scoops dont't have focus or lamp movement controls, and are about as basic a light fixture as you will find in a lighting package or studio.

Scrim - a type of light diffuser or limiter. Scrim technically refers to a metal wire screen as opposed to a bobbinet/textile type screen. Scrims are usually mounted in a round metal frame to match the diameter of a given lighting intstrument's lens or open face. The wire screen may fill the frame, or may only cover half of the frame. Based on the tightness of the wire spacing in the screen, scrims are referred to as "single" or "double" (density). Usually the rim of the scrim is color coded - green for singles, red for doubles, whether they are halves or fulls. So a gaffer, LD or DP may call for a "half single", a "full double" or logical variations thereof. Scrims do have some diffusion capability, though very slight, but are mostly used to cut down the amount of light thrown by the light.

Second Unit - (aka B-team) is a sub-unit of the production crew and may include a director, cinematographer, gaffer and grip(s). Second unit crew responsibilities can include background/establishing shots without principal actors or action (such as a city or location wide shot(s), stunt shots. pick up shots and re-takes (occasionally). Usually the Second Unit operates somewhat independently, and may be near the main shoot or could be very distant (even overseas from the main location). Second units may be present as the "B-camera" on the main set location, shooting alternate angles and shot sizes to increase efficiency through multi-camera style shooting, or as a "behind the scenes" unit.

Senior - is another name for a 5K tungsten fresnel lighting instrument. It is in between a Junior/2K and a larger 10K fresnel light.

Set - is the area in a studio (but the term may be used on location shoots) built for the performance and recording/shooting of scenes in a film/tv production.

Set Designer - the person who creates sketches and/or blueprints to enable the construction of sets and set pieces.

Shot bag - like a sandbag, but filled with lead or other metal shotgun pellet-sized balls as the weight.

Shoot - to film or record still or motion visual images. Also used a to describe the general film-making activity - "We're doing a shoot at the studio or location today."

Silk - a polyester or silk fabric stretched on a frame for diffusion of hard light. Silks can come in flag, 4x4 frame mounts, while larger silks are tie-mounted on location to or in studio to 6'x6', 12'x12 or larger collapsible frames.

Single - can be a wire scrim fitted to a light's lens or a textile net diffuser. Both have the most open weave and the least effect of scrim/net set choices.

Scoop - an incandescent lighting fixture with a large open faced shell or trough with a soft reflective interior surface. Scoops dont't have focus or lamp movement controls, and are about as basic a light fixture as you will find in a lighting package or studio.

Scrim - a type of light diffuser or limiter. Scrim technically refers to a metal wire screen as opposed to a bobbinet/textile type screen. Scrims are usually mounted in a round metal frame to match the diameter of a given lighting intstrument's lens or open face. The wire screen may fill the frame, or may only cover half of the frame. Based on the tightness of the wire spacing in the screen, scrims are referred to as "single" or "double" (density). Usually the rim of the scrim is color coded - green for singles, red for doubles, whether they are halves or fulls. So a gaffer, LD or DP may call for a "half single", a "full double" or logical variations thereof. Scrims do have some diffusion capability, but are mostly used to cut down the amount of light thrown by the intstrument.

Snoot - is a metal tube attached to the front of a lighting instrument, used to tighten the beam, causing a spotlight effect somewhat. Like so many things in grip and lighting, snoots come in a variety of sizes and are designed for use with specific light sizes from specific manufacturers. Snoots often come in sets, with different diameter tubes for creating small spots of light.