See Oscar.

Recording format that captures images magnetically rather than digitally.

The root word for animation, meaning soul, breath or life.

Trademarked term for the animated stop-motion films of Rankin-Bass Studios.

A reel that syncs storyboard drawings or 3D models to a soundtrack to provide a blueprint for the final appearance and pacing of a show.

The act of an object moving in the opposite direction before executing any action.

A structure made of plastic, wood, balls-and-sockets, or wire that provides a poseable skeleton for a stop-motion puppet.

The opposite of symmetry, having variations between the left and right halves of a character.

A contractual obligation for movie studios to distribute film packages to theaters in a specific format, mainly implemented in the US in the early 20^th century.

A brand of 16mm film camera.

Manual trigger device that can be attached to a film camera for capturing frames without touching the camera itself.

Trademarked brand of papier-mâché craft material.

Abbreviations for “Computer Generated” or “Computer Generated Imagery.”

Video technique that replaces a universal background color with another image for compositing.

Term coined by Will Vinton for his brand of stop-motion films animated in clay.

The manner in which objects, lights, and background are arranged in the frame.

Production artwork used to develop the design of a show.

Animation term for a slow-out or slow-in, a gradual deceleration or acceleration of spacing between positions.

Studio procedure where employees gather in a screening room to review, analyze, and discuss shots in a show as they are completed or in progress.

A short video or DVD showcase of an animator’s work, used for applying at a studio.

“(Dinosaur) Digital Input Device” armature developed by Phil Tippett and his colleagues with electronic encoding for translation into 3D computer models.

“Single Lens Reflex” camera with manual settings for capturing images digitally.

A vernacular term for exposure sheet.

Digital Video, term for brand of camera or tape that captures images digitally.

Trademarked term for animation and film compositing techniques used in the films of Ray Harryhausen.

Award for excellence in television given out annually to winning nominees by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the Emmy Awards.

A two-part compound material used for plumbing, masonry, and concrete repair, which is also often used for adhering puppet pieces together.

A chart that serves as a guide for an animator to plan movements, break down dialogue, and establish timing for an animation sequence.

Strip of celluloid used to capture sequential still images with a movie camera, available in widths measured by millimeters: 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm.

A brand of polymer clay.

A serial bus interface connection that provides real-time speed and communication between a computer and video device or hard drive.

Material used to create puppets out of molds, consisting of a base and different agents for foaming, curing, and gelling.

A person who uses various items in a sound studio to create sound effects for film.

An animation principle used when an object causes another part of that object to trail behind it and overlap its motion.

An animation/film term for each individual image captured and projected.

A video device or software feature that allows an animator to store captured frames and compare them with their current live frame.

Compositing technique that involves projecting foreground elements or other images onto a screen to combine with an actor or puppet set.

Term coined by Phil Tippett and his colleagues at Industrial Light and Magic to describe their stop-motion technique with motion blur effects to achieve greater realism.

Brand of analog or digital camera or tape that captures high-resolution images on 8mm video tape.

An animation term for when a character or object pauses for more than one or two frames, which should generally be a minimum of six frames.

A transition between two shots independent of each other in location, time, or action.

Brass tubes bought in hobby shops.

The art of drawing from real-life observation.

A device that measures the amount of light reflected by an object so that the correct exposure setting can be adjusted for filming.

Slang term based on the popular television personality, involving the creative use of found objects to solve problems or to build pieces for film sets or puppets.

Computerized dots or marks in a software application that provide reference points for the animator.

Trademarked term for brand of fiberboard.

A transition between two shots in the middle of an action.

A black card that obscures part of an image for compositing effects in film.

A preliminary version of a puppet or set created for scale or experimentation purposes.

Oil-based non-hardening clay commonly used for clay animation.

A hollow two-part form for shaping plastic or latex material into an exact duplicate of a sculpt.

Vernacular term for the transition of one form into another.

A blurring effect given to an object in motion.

Computerized device that programs camera movements.

Digital feature allowing a stored video image to be superimposed behind a transparency of a live video image.

Award for excellence in film given out annually to winning nominees by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Academy Awards.

An animation principle that involves the staggering of different parts of an object in motion.

The scientific principle of the illusion of continuous motion caused by rapid succession of still images.

A stop-motion technique involving the animation of live actors posing for each individual frame.

A specific brand of oil-based clay originating from the UK, also used as a generic term for all modeling clay.

Trademarked brand of transparent plastic sheeting.

An animation term for adding extra exaggeration or emphasis to a pose or action.

Moldable clay that can be baked in an oven for hardening.

Final stages that follow principal photography for a show, typically including sound effects, scoring, editing, rendering, duplication, and distribution.

Preliminary stages that precede the actual shooting of a show, typically including scripting, storyboarding, concept art, puppet-building, sound recording, and animatics.

A static object that either serves as a background object or for a character to interact with.

See Epoxy Putty.

A special kind of doll or sculpture manipulated by a puppeteer or animator to create the illusion of life.

Film series directed by George Pal at Paramount Studios in the 1930s-40s.

Compositing technique that involves projecting background elements on a screen behind an actor or puppet.

Technique made famous mostly by George Pal, involving several different puppets or puppet appendages being replaced in front of the camera for each frame.

Different individual mouths created for changing syllables in character dialogue.

Device used for holding up an object, often painted out in post-production in each frame.

Trademarked brand of craft material consisting of gauze caked with plaster.

A film technique that involves using live-action for reference and drawing or positioning an animated character directly over it for an exact duplication of the movement.

A brand of polymer clay.

A sculpture made of polymer or modeling clay created to shape a mold around.

A miniature background and environment surroundings for a show.

A single uninterrupted sequence or image within a film.

Vernacular term used by industry professionals to describe a production.

See Demo Reel.

Animation technique involving the squashing and stretching of objects to give the illusion of elasticity, texture, or weight.

A series of static drawings in individual panels that visually describe the action, camera angles, and pacing of a show.

A metal pointer on a stand that is used by stop-motion animators to keep track of their movements in each frame.

Video connection format that divides a video signal into luminance and chrominance channels.

Acting term used to describe characters reacting to or changing their mind about something.

The practice of creating tiny sketches to explore a particular movement of animation.

The act of taking a series frames in long intervals over an extended period of time to condense time into a shorter span on screen.

Flipping back and forth between stored frames and live frames with a frame-grabbing device.

A three-legged stand used for keeping a camera steady and positioned into any angle.

A universal serial bus interface connection for computer devices and video units.

Method of placing a video camera either alongside or looking into the viewfinder of a film camera or still camera in order to feed into a video monitor.

Hardware used for capturing video images.

Alternative to a computer mouse that uses a pen and an electronic tablet.

A brand of camera used for broadcasting live images directly into a computer.

An early device used to demonstrate the illusion of moving drawings inside a rotating drum.