A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z

D.P.: Director of Photography, also known as Cinematographer.
Dailies: Screening of footage before it is edited (also, see Rushes).
Dark Theatre: A day or night when there is no performance.
DAT: Sound recording term: digital audio tape. A very high quality audio recording method in which sound is digitally recorded on tape (often video S-VHS tapes are used).
Day Player: An actor hired to play a certain role for one day only, rather than a longer term contract.
Daytime Drama: A daily daytime dramatic television show with an ongoing theme, commonly referred to as Soap Operas because of the soap companies that originally sponsored them in the early days of television.
DBO: Lighting term. Dead blackout: a sudden, instantaneous switching off of all lights.
Dealer Commercial: A national commercial produced and paid for by a national advertiser and then turned over to local dealers to book air time, usually with the dealer's tag added on.
Deck: The stage level, derived from ship terminology.
Deep Focus (depth photography): - Keeping images close by and far away in sharp focus simultaneously.
Demo Tape: An audio or video tape that agents use for audition purposes.
Depth of Field: The area within which objects are in focus; a large depth of field allows a great range of objects to be in focus simultaneously, while a shallow depth of field offers a very limited area in focus. Depth of field normally depends on how far "open" a lens is (a lens works much like an eye, with the pupil opening or contracting to control light). An "open" lens (for example, f 1.4) creates a shallow depth of field while a "stopped down" (contracted) lens (for example f 16) creates a large depth of field.
Designer: Designs all aspects of the production: set, costumes, wigs, make-up etc. Not, however, responsible for lighting design, although he will work closely with the Lighting Designer.
Desk: See "Board"
DGA: Directors Guild of America.
Dialect: A distinctly regional or cultural sound.
Dialogue: The scripted words exchanged by Performers.
Dim: To decrease the intensity of a stage light.
Dimmer: An electrical apparatus used to control the intensity of the lighting instrument to which it is circuited. Found on the lighting board.
Dips: Electrical socks set into the floor of either the stage or the wings , and, usually, covered by little trapdoors.
Director: The person responsible for coordinating and overseeing all artistic and technical aspects of a production.
Discovered: A person or object on stage when the curtain goes up.
Dissolve (lap dissolve): A method of making a transition from one shot to another by briefly superimposing one image upon another and then allowing the first image to disappear. A dissolve is a stronger form of transition than a cut and indicates a distinct separation in action. Dolly A platform on wheels serving as a camera mount capable-of movement in any direction.
Dolly Shot: A moving shot taken from a dolly. A Dolly-In moves the camera toward the subject, while a Dolly-Out moves the camera away from the subject. A dolly shot creates a sense of movement through space by capturing changes in perspective.
Double Exposure (superimposition): Two distinct images appearing simultaneously with one superimposed upon the other.
Double: A performer who appears in place of another performer (i.e. in a stunt).
Doubling: One actor taking more than one part in a play.
Downstage: Towards the audience.
Dress Parade: A designated time when the costumes are worn by the actors under stage lights in order for the director and costume designer to make any necessary changes or improvements to the costumes.
Dresser: Crew person assigned to help with quick changes and general maintenance of costumes throughout the run of the show.
Dressing A Set: The decoration of the set with items that are principally for aesthetic purposes only such as curtains, furniture, props, etc.
Drop-Pickup: A contractual situation where a performer is laid off and rehired on the same production.
Dry Tech: A technical rehearsal without actors.
Dry: Verb: an actor who forgets his words is said to "dry". Can also be used as a noun.
DSL: Down stage left: towards the front of the stage on the left-hand side as you look at the audience.
DSR: Down stage right.
Dubbing (lip sync): The process of matching voice with the lip movements of an actor on the screen; dubbing also refers to any aspect of adding or combining sounds to create a film's final soundtrack.
Dupe: A duplicate copy of a film or tape; also, a dub.
Dutchman: Thin strips of cloth used to mask cracks between flats. (Sometimes wide masking tape is used).