Infinity cove
A studio wall that curves seamlessly into the floor (and often a third wall) so the background reads as endless, with no visible join. Lit white, black or any colour. Granary Digital's White Space cove is two walls, 5.3m x 7.1m, with a return on the third.
Cove
Short for infinity cove. The curved cyclorama corner that removes the horizon line from shot.
Cyclorama (cyc)
A large, smoothly curved background wall used to create an even, shadowless backdrop. A cove is a cyclorama curved on more than one axis.
Green screen
An evenly lit green background removed in post-production (chroma keying) and replaced with another image. The Green Space is pre-lit specifically for an even key.
Chroma key
The post-production process of removing a single colour (usually green or blue) and replacing it with another image. Only as good as the evenness of the lighting on the screen.
Blackout
The ability to remove all ambient and stray light so the studio is fully dark and controllable. The White Space has a 360-degree blackout curtain track.
Blackout curtain track
A perimeter rail of heavy light-blocking curtains that turns a lit cove into a controllable black box in about twenty minutes.
Rain rig
Overhead plumbing that produces controllable rain on set for filming. Rare in the South of England; Granary Digital installed one in 2025. Quoted per production.
Lighting grid
An overhead framework of bars from which fixtures are hung. Granary Digital's is an 8-bar grid 4.5m up.
DMX
Digital MultipleX, the control protocol that lets a lighting desk dim and cue fixtures. The White Space runs 42 channels of DMX dimming.
Gel
A coloured transparent sheet placed in front of a light to change its colour, used for washes and effects.
Fresnel
A focusable tungsten or LED fixture with a stepped lens (named after Augustin-Jean Fresnel) giving a controllable, even beam. Granary stocks an Arri 2k Fresnel.
Kino Flo
A brand of soft fluorescent and LED fixtures favoured for flattering, even light on faces and presenters.
Octobox
An eight-sided softbox that wraps soft light around a subject, popular in portrait and product work. Granary stocks an 85cm octobox.
Grip
The kit (and the crew) that supports and shapes light and camera: C-stands, flags, bounce boards, apple boxes, clamps.
C-stand
A century stand, the heavy-duty adjustable stand used to position flags, lights and grip hardware.
Flag
An opaque panel used to block or shape light, cutting spill where it is not wanted.
Bounce
A reflective board or surface used to fill shadow by bouncing light back into a subject.
Apple box
A standard-sized wooden box used to raise talent, props or crew; comes in full, half, quarter and pancake sizes.
Autocue / teleprompter
A reflective screen over the lens that scrolls a script so a presenter can read while looking down the barrel. The Green Space has an integrated autocue.
Day rate
A fixed price for a person or space for a working day, the standard unit of pricing in production. Granary's spaces and crew are quoted as half or full days.
Half day
A four-hour studio booking. Suits a single, well-prepared setup.
Full day
A ten-hour booking of the White Space (eight hours for the Green Space and Grain Hopper). The right call for any multi-setup shoot.
Kit hire
Hiring equipment (cameras, lights, lenses, grip) separately from, or on top of, the room and crew.
Runner
The most junior production crew member, who supports the team with logistics, refreshments and errands; the traditional first rung on a film career.
Gaffer
The head of the lighting and electrical department, who executes the DoP's lighting plan safely and on schedule. From £450/day.
Spark
A lighting electrician who rigs, cables and operates fixtures under the gaffer. From £350/day.
Best boy
The gaffer's second in command, responsible for crew, kit logistics and power distribution on larger productions.
Director of photography (DoP)
The head of the camera department, responsible for the look of the image: lighting design, lensing and camera movement. From £575/day.
Director
The person responsible for the creative vision and the performances; on commercial work, often the person who turns a brief into a shot list. From £750/day.
Sound recordist
The crew member responsible for capturing clean location and studio audio. From £495/day.
Boom
A long pole holding a microphone above or below frame to capture dialogue out of shot.
Lapel / lav mic
A small clip-on microphone (lavalier) worn on clothing for hands-free dialogue capture.
Three-point lighting
The foundational lighting setup of key, fill and back light, used to model a subject with depth.
Key light
The main light on a subject, which sets the exposure and the direction of the modelling.
Fill light
A softer light that lifts the shadows created by the key, controlling contrast.
Back light
A light behind the subject that separates them from the background; also called a rim or hair light.
Colour temperature
The warmth or coolness of a light source measured in kelvin; mixing temperatures unintentionally makes faces mismatch between shots.
White balance
The camera setting that tells it what counts as white under a given colour temperature, so colours render accurately.
Haze
A fine atmospheric mist that makes light beams visible and adds depth, common in music videos. Granary stocks a low fogger.
Turntable
A rotating platform for spinning products or vehicles smoothly in shot. Granary has a 1m turntable in the grip package.
Drive-in access
Ground-level studio access wide enough to bring a vehicle onto the floor for car and motorcycle shoots.
Load-in
The process of bringing kit and set into the studio; ground-level load-in saves crew time and back.
Pre-light
Lighting a set before the shoot day so the crew arrives to a ready stage; the Green Space is permanently pre-lit for keying.
Reset
Changing the lighting, set or wardrobe between shots; resets are the hidden cost that turns eight planned videos into four.
Shot list
The ordered list of every shot a production needs; the only honest way to know whether a shoot needs four hours or two days.
Call time
The time each crew member or performer is required on set; good schedules stagger calls (gaffer before talent).
Wrap
The end of the shoot; 'that's a wrap' marks the final shot.
Post-production (post)
Everything after the shoot: editing, grading, sound, captions and export.
Grade
The colour-grading stage of post, where the look of the footage is finished shot to shot.
Infinity cove vs green screen
Two ways to a clean background: the cove gives a real, finished background in camera; green gives no background, to be added in post. See the full guide.
Acoustic treatment
Panels and materials that control reflections and reverberation in a room; the Podcast Studio is acoustically treated for clean dialogue.