Film and series junkies can’t ignore them – abbreviations, anglicisms and foreign words appear in almost every film production. We explain the abbreviations that sometimes seem cryptic and the technical terms that are not always self-explanatory.
Anyone who enjoys going to the cinema, especially watching films and series via streaming services, is confronted with various terms and abbreviations. Most people probably still know what a blockbuster or a cameo appearance is. But what is behind the abbreviation CC, for example? Or how do OmU, OmeU and OV differ from each other? TECHBOOK gives a comprehensive overview.
The most important streaming terms
Film fans will probably be familiar with most of the terms listed here. However, with the importance of streaming, the weighting of the individual definitions changes to some extent. A blockbuster in the cinema is not the same as a blockbuster on Netflix. And a franchise is even more versatile for streaming services than on the big screen.
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General terms from the streaming area
A Blockbusters is a film that achieves exceptionally good audience numbers and therefore high profits. In relation to the cinema, the term means queues in front of the box office that stretch for several blocks. However, the original meaning comes from the military and referred to the exceptionally large aerial bombs used in World War II, one of which could destroy an entire block of houses.
A Cameo appearance is the unexpected, very brief appearance of a well-known personality in a film or series. Since this person usually doesn’t play a role but plays themselves, the cinematic illusion is broken. The Brit Alfred Hitchcock was particularly known for his cameo appearances. With his Hollywood successes such as “Psycho” and “The Birds”, he is one of the most important directors of all time. And director Peter Jackson also had fun walking through the screen chewing a carrot in his “Lord of the Rings” films. The term cameo also comes from English and stands for an engraving that was made as a raised relief from gemstone.
Also interesting: All information and rumors about the second season of “The Rings of Power”
franchise or franchising (English for licensing) is initially a term from business. A franchisor allows a franchisee to use its business concept and the corresponding company name for a corresponding fee. An example of franchising is the fast food chain McDonalds. In relation to streaming, cinema and TV, the term franchise means that, for example, an already established series such as “Yellowstone” is expanded to include new productions with content related to the original series (in this particular case, “1883”, “1923” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” which opens in November).
The English term Slapstick (to slap – English for: hit; stick – English for: stick) results from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte (16th-18th centuries), a comedic acting and theater genre in which the protagonists are already hit each other once with sticks and make a loud noise. In the context of film, slapstick means physical situational comedy that is sometimes taken to the extreme. This could include throwing cream cakes or slipping on a banana peel. Laurel and Hardy or Charlie Chaplin films use these stylistic devices a lot. Later examples of slapstick can be found, among others, in the films of Louis de Funés and in the “Kevin Alone” series.
Forms and genres
Mockumentary: Mockumentary is a combination of “to mock” and “documentary” and means a film production that only at first glance looks like a documentary . In fact, it is a fictional parody of a documentary theme. Examples for a film would be “Borat” or “Exit Through The Gift Shop”, for a TV series “Superstore” or “Stromberg”.
Prequel: A prequel (English portmanteau of “pre” for “before” and “sequel” for “episode”) is the (chronological) history of a film or series that has already been released. This means that you should already know the relevant film or series if you want to understand the context better. Example of a series: “Better Call Saul” (2015-2022 is a prequel to “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013); Example of a film: “Hannibal Rising – How it all began” (2007) is a prequel to “That Silence of the Lambs” (1991).
Reboot: The reboot has a close relationship to the remake. However, in the reboot, the original is not retold, but rather reinterpreted – which at the same time means that the logic of the original’s plot no longer applies to the reboot. An example is Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” (2005), which makes no direct reference to the plot of previous Batman film adaptations, such as “Batman Forever” (1995) or “Batman & Robin” (1997).
Remake: A remake is the remake or remake of a film that has already been released, the plot of which is retold more or less faithfully to the original. An example of this is Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller “Psycho” (1960), which was filmed again in 1998 under the same title by Gus Van Sant.
Sequel: A sequel is the continuation of a film that has already been filmed, which follows on from the original plot in terms of content/chronology. Examples of sequels include the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy or the “John Wick” and “Rambo” series.
Technology terms for cinema and streaming
3D movie: 3D film (also “stereoscopic film”) stands for a film that gives the viewer a three-dimensional moving image with an impression of depth, which appears more realistic than the commonly used 2D process, in which representations only appear in height and width .
Off-tone/on-tone: If the viewer can see the source of the sound in the picture (dialogue, etc.), it is called On-toneif it is not visible in the picture, it is Off-tone. In addition, a distinction can be made between active and passive off-tone when it comes to the off-tone. Active voiceover is part of the film’s plot, but is not visible (such as the sound of an approaching police siren). The passive voiceover, for example, is the film music that is intended to convey a certain atmosphere to the viewer.
In the context of a film or series a Teasers a rather short preview that is intended to encourage you to watch a film that will be released later in the cinema or on a streaming service or to buy the DVD or Blu-ray Disc. A teaser usually does not contain any film excerpts, but is produced specifically for advertising purposes and can certainly be shown a year before the publication of the work in question.
In contrast to the teaser, this one is tempting Trailer with original scenes from the respective film/series.
You should know these streaming abbreviations
In addition to the terms in the streaming area, there are various abbreviations. On the one hand, we explain what terms are behind them and, of course, what they mean.
Common abbreviations in streaming
FSK stands for “Voluntary Self-Control of the Film Industry”. This refers to an agreement between the German film industry on the protection of minors. This includes an age recommendation for films and series, with which – in the form of a kind of seal – cinema films, TV shows, DVD and Blu-ray Disc cases, etc. are provided.
VÖ stands for release date and means the date from which a film or series is available, whether as a stream, download or DVD/Blu-ray.
Subtitles etc.
C.C.C stands for Closed Captions. This is a form of subtitling media content that is primarily aimed at the deaf and hard of hearing. Closed captions not only offer verbatim transcriptions or translations, but also refer to background noise, for example. These can be simple elements such as wind and the slamming of a door or even dramatic music. While closed captions can be activated optionally, open captions are an integral part of a film.
DF simply stands for “German version”, i.e. the dubbed version or the original German version of a film or series.
“Original with subtitles” is included OmU abbreviated. So if a German viewer wants to watch a film dubbed only in English, they can access subtitles. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to German subtitles.
OmeU stands for “Original with English subtitles. No matter what language the film was originally filmed in, the subtitles are in English.
OV means nothing other than “original version”. What we mean is the original version of a film. There are no subtitles in this case.
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Techniques abbreviated
CGI stands for “computer generated imagery”. This is the collective term for all digital computer-generated image effects through which, for example, characters or backgrounds in live-action or animated films are completely redesigned or changed. The process is used primarily – but not exclusively – in science fiction or fantasy productions. Prominent examples include the “Star Wars” or the “Lord of the Rings” series.
DTR stands for “Download to Rent”. This means that the digital version of a film or series can be rented for a certain period of time for a rental fee and then viewed offline.
HDTV stands for “High Definition Television”, which is translated as “high-definition television”. This is a digital TV standard that primarily stands for better picture quality compared to analogue technology (PAL) or standard digital technology (SDTV).
VOD stands for “Video-on-Demand” (English), which means something like “video on demand”. This refers to the offer of accessing and watching a film or series online at any time.