Blog / Resources / Other The Very Strange Language of UK TV Production Other Do you know a Honka Bonka from an FO? Or know what to do with a Turtle? How about being insulted or impressed to be called a DFI? Whilst every family, company and industry have their own idiosyncratic terms, none seem so strange as our beloved TV Industry, so dive in and see how much you know! 1. Turtle No, not one of those! A Turtle stand is a low base stand with a (wait for it), turtle base. Whew – glad we sorted that one out. 2. Sausage Mark Actors are given instructions on where to stand and, more precisely, where to pause during a scene. These positions are typically marked on the set floor with gaffer tape. To help hit their marks without looking down during a shot, actors sometimes use small foam tubes on the floor, allowing them to feel the spot with their feet. Ingenious. 3. Ride On Giraffe Really? This is a type of camera crane. Claudio, our own senior client/drama contact, recalls a story from his previous career as a freelance DP before VMI, when he was working on a film which included a very intense and demanding Director, who was keeping everyone on their toes. The production designer overhead the Director in a lively discussion with the line producer, conveying loudly that would be needing a ride-on-giraffe for the morning and this was very important. The story goes that in the morning, the Production Designer arrived on set looking rather haggard, accompanied by a toy zebra ride-on circus ride. He apologised that he had been up all night trying to find a ride on giraffe and that this was the best that he could do. The Director looked at him blankly and said that he had needed a specific camera crane called a ‘ride on giraffe’ and not to worry, as the LP had already arranged it. 4. 10-1 10-1 is the walkie talkie code for the bathroom. While literally meaning you need to pee, using as this as a catch-all saves your film crew from t.m.i. 5. Charli Bar Nice Try! Charlize Theron is unlikely to use one of these because a Charli Bar is a really small wooden flag, used to matte unwanted light. 6. Russian Arm/U-Crane No, not one of those! A Russian Arm is a super-expensive car-mounted crane, which is likely to blow your budget. For reference, this is now called a U-Crane, since it is a) made in Ukraine and B) – err, well, they don’t make invade their neighbours without provocation. Think Fast and Furious and you will know what a Russian Arm, I mean a U-Crane is! 7. FO Stand An FO stand is a light stand that is SO HEAVY, that the gaffer’s eyes will betray a “F*** OFF” at you, when you ask them to bring one off the van… 8. TBA – Teddy Bear’s Arsehole This honestly is what it stands for! A TBA is a chamois eyepiece cover, to ensure that the DP’s eyes are warm and comfortable when shooting and this attachment looks just like a … – well, you have the idea! Thanks to DP, Benedict Bannister, who also volunteered, that if you want to make an American crew member laugh, just tell them what a TBA is. Priceless. 9. DFI There are several versions of this, though according to Claudio, “Different to First Instruction” may be the official acronym. He thinks though that a more common usage is Different F***** Idea or Directors A F**** Idiot. PS – it’s not a complement if they are referring to you as a DFI. 10. ATC Filter No, not Air Traffic Control, but a good guess, nonetheless! I was asked for this last week and it totally flummoxed me. I queried it with the Producer and they proudly told me that they had carefully written it down and we were the ONLY company to stock this. After some head scratching, we realised that they wanted an 80C filter, which is a colour correction filter used for film! 11. Honka Bonka You can be forgiven for not knowing what a ‘Honka Bonka’ is and frankly, my wife didn’t even believe that it was a real name! In fact, it is a set of 3 x steel stand extensions of different lengths which make light stands longer. 12. Martini Don’t become too excited… in the mysterious world of TV production, a Martini or Martini Shot is the last shot of the day. 13. Hot Set Now you are being ridiculous. A Hot Set is simply a set which is ready to shoot, so DON’T TOUCH IT, (else you will probably be sent to this place.) 14. Kill That I think that you are getting the hang of this now… NOT Kill it, simply means please turn off the light. 15. Stinger Very good, but no. For our transatlantic visitors, stingers are mains extension cables, which we call distro. 16. Sticks Tripod legs used to be wooden, so maybe that’s why they are still referred to as sticks. PS – these are just sticks. 17. Fluffy Dog A fluffy dog is a windjammer, or fluffy microphone cover that I seem to recall, most producers used to enjoy stroking when I used to operate! Strangely, our US colleagues apparently refer to these as Dead Cats – I bet noone would want to stroke one of those! 18. Barn Doors I think that you are being a bit literal here Barn doors fit to light fixtures to shield unwanted light. (I know that you already knew this!) 19. Apple Box These are wooden boxes of different heights, used for a multitude of reasons and strangely, are available in US and UK variants too (the UK ones stack more easily). In case you haven’t gone to sleep already, the pancake is the thinnest one. I hope that you enjoyed this playful piece – PS, no dogs, cats, zebras, turtles etc were harmed in the writing of this article. Barry Bassett and Claudio Cadman. May 2025 Related articles Protected: The Evolving Landscape of the Production Kit Rental Sector Other, Technology There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. An Ideal Marriage – How to build a kit hire relationship that lasts Other Most GTC members will either regularly or occasionally need to hire items of camera equipment, whether it be a full kit for a long, ongoing shoot, or a one-off lens … Read more DON’T LEAVE EQUIPMENT IN UNATTENDED VEHICLES – PREVENT THEFT Other Theft from vehicles and sets accounts for more than half of all equipment theft. Here are some guidelines to assist you to reduce this growing problem.
Protected: The Evolving Landscape of the Production Kit Rental Sector Other, Technology There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
An Ideal Marriage – How to build a kit hire relationship that lasts Other Most GTC members will either regularly or occasionally need to hire items of camera equipment, whether it be a full kit for a long, ongoing shoot, or a one-off lens … Read more
DON’T LEAVE EQUIPMENT IN UNATTENDED VEHICLES – PREVENT THEFT Other Theft from vehicles and sets accounts for more than half of all equipment theft. Here are some guidelines to assist you to reduce this growing problem.