Plain-English Resource
Video and Content Terms for Small Businesses.
Video and content work comes with a lot of language that can make a simple project feel more confusing than it needs to be. These plain-English terms cover the language a small business owner is most likely to hear before hiring a video creator, editor, drone operator, or content partner.
Use the section links to jump to the language that came up in a quote, project conversation, or internal planning meeting.
08 Terms
Planning terms
Words that define what is being made, why it matters, and what happens before production starts.
- Content audit
- A review of what content already exists, what is missing, and what may be worth making next.
- Workflow
- The repeatable path used to move an idea through planning, capture, editing, approval, publishing, and reuse.
- Content pipeline
- The organized flow of ideas and footage waiting to become finished content.
- Brief
- A short summary of the business, project goal, audience, timeline, and useful context.
- Scope
- The agreed boundaries of a project: what is included, what is not, and how much work is involved.
- Deliverables
- The finished files the business receives, such as one website video, four vertical edits, or a folder of photos.
- Revision
- A requested change after reviewing an edit, such as replacing a shot, trimming a section, or correcting text.
- Usage rights
- The agreement covering where, how, and for how long finished content can be used.
10 Terms
Shooting terms
Common language used when planning and capturing footage.
- A-roll
- The main footage carrying the message, often an interview, presentation, demonstration, or person speaking to camera.
- B-roll
- Supporting footage that shows the place, people, product, details, or process while the main story continues.
- Raw footage
- The original camera files before editing, color work, audio cleanup, captions, or final delivery.
- Shot list
- A practical checklist of the people, actions, details, and scenes worth capturing.
- Vertical video
- Tall video, usually 9:16, designed for phones and platforms such as Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
- Horizontal video
- Wide video, usually 16:9, commonly used for websites, YouTube, presentations, and television.
- Shortform
- A focused, usually vertical video designed to communicate one useful idea quickly.
- Longform
- A longer video with room for deeper explanation, story, interviews, process, or education.
- Product shot
- A shot designed to clearly show a product, its details, how it works, or how it is used.
- Establishing shot
- A wide opening shot that quickly shows where the viewer is and gives the next shots context.
10 Terms
Editing terms
Words used while footage is being shaped into a finished video.
- Rough cut
- An early version used to review the overall structure, selected footage, and direction before final polish.
- Final cut
- The approved edit after revisions, polish, audio work, color, captions, and delivery checks.
- Pacing
- How quickly or slowly an edit moves, where it pauses, and how long each moment stays on screen.
- Hook
- The opening idea, line, image, or moment that gives someone a reason to keep watching.
- Caption
- On-screen text that makes spoken words easier to follow, especially when viewers watch without sound.
- Thumbnail
- The still image used to represent a video before someone clicks or presses play.
- Aspect ratio
- The shape of the frame, such as vertical 9:16, square 1:1, or horizontal 16:9.
- Repurposing
- Turning existing footage or a finished piece into additional useful edits, clips, posts, or formats.
- Color correction
- Fixing exposure, white balance, and color consistency so shots look natural and match each other.
- Color grade
- The creative color treatment used after correction to shape mood, contrast, and visual style.
07 Terms
Audio terms
Audio-minded post is part of finishing an edited video, not a random extra.
- Sound design
- The intentional use of natural sound, effects, transitions, silence, and music to shape how an edit feels.
- Dialogue cleanup
- Reducing noise, balancing volume, and improving spoken audio so it is easier to understand.
- Mix
- Balancing dialogue, music, natural sound, and effects so the important parts are clear.
- Music bed
- Music placed underneath dialogue or visuals to support the mood without taking over.
- Ambient sound
- The natural sound of a place, such as kitchen activity, shop tools, wind, traffic, or a crowd.
- Room tone
- A short recording of a space with nobody speaking, used to make dialogue edits sound smoother.
- Voiceover
- Recorded narration added over footage to explain, guide, or connect the story.
06 Terms
Drone terms
FAA Part 107 drone work is used when location, movement, scale, or context matters.
- FAA Part 107
- The federal certification required to fly a drone commercially in the United States.
- LAANC
- A system used to request near-real-time authorization for some flights in controlled airspace.
- Controlled airspace
- Airspace near certain airports where drone flights may require authorization or have added limits.
- Aerial establishing shot
- A wide drone shot that quickly shows a property, location, landscape, route, or surrounding context.
- Visual observer
- A person who helps the remote pilot watch the drone, airspace, and nearby conditions during a flight.
- Flight restrictions
- Rules or temporary conditions that can limit drone operations because of airspace, events, emergencies, weather, safety, or location.
08 Terms
Content strategy terms
Language used to explain where finished content goes and what job it should do.
- CTA
- Short for call to action: the next step a viewer is invited to take, such as visit, order, learn more, or request a quote.
- Content lifecycle
- The useful life of content from planning and publishing through reuse, updates, and eventual replacement.
- Content library
- An organized collection of useful photos, footage, edits, graphics, and messaging a business can reuse.
- Platform-native
- Content shaped for how people actually watch and interact on a specific platform.
- Search intent
- What someone is genuinely trying to find, understand, compare, or do when they search.
- Evergreen content
- Content that stays useful beyond a short event, trend, launch, or season.
- Campaign
- A connected group of content and actions built around one goal, offer, launch, or time period.
- Content system
- A practical way to plan, capture, finish, publish, organize, and reuse content consistently.
From Language to Scope
Need help translating a project idea into a clean scope?
The quote form can start with plain language. Share what the business needs to show, what already exists, and what the finished content should help people understand.