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Strike the Baby and Kill the Blonde: An Insider's Guide to Film Slang
Everything You Need to Know to Become a Film-Industry Insider
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a gaffer and a grip? Or what makes the best boy so great? In Strike the Baby and Kill the Blonde ,* Dave Knox, a top camera operator and longtime veteran of the film industry, gives you the inside story on the lingo and slang heard on the set. This is an A-to-Z guide to making a the equipment, the crew, and the sometimes hilarious terminology—everything you need to know to sound like a seasoned pro.
* Remove the small spotlight from the set and switch off the two-kilowatt quartz light.
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a gaffer and a grip? Or what makes the best boy so great? In Strike the Baby and Kill the Blonde ,* Dave Knox, a top camera operator and longtime veteran of the film industry, gives you the inside story on the lingo and slang heard on the set. This is an A-to-Z guide to making a the equipment, the crew, and the sometimes hilarious terminology—everything you need to know to sound like a seasoned pro.
* Remove the small spotlight from the set and switch off the two-kilowatt quartz light.
- GenresFilmNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 12, 2018
Reading this for factoids only. For that alone, it works.
Its not a discursive or narrative work, just an enlarged "glossary style" format. Every page has a handful of dictionary-definitions and that's it. That's all it is.
I suppose its the best way to deliver the info, in this format. Nevertheless it comes off as kind of a 'non'-book. You can't 'read' it, you merely flip through it. The entries are in alphabetical order and you read one definition after the other, in a 'plodding' fashion.
Okay, I'll take it. But there's no chapters or sections, items aren't grouped by theme. I suppose that is what bugs me.
But what is worse than all this, is the author's horribly 'snide' writing style. Its smarmy, corny... he's constantly name-dropping and displaying how well-up he is on his pop-culture. So many cheesy little 'asides' and 'confidences' and all the bon-mots he tucks in to the info.
What is the net effect of adding all this into a supposed work of reference? It kills the authority it should have. Yields a result opposite of what he intends to convey.
Its unnecessary. He should simply define the term and leave it at that. But no, here he is making 'Star Wars' references and all that kind of coy, childish shyt.
This garrulousness is a kind of modern tongue-wagging 'West Coast'ness, the type of chatty, gossiping that only simpletons participate in, and which I utterly loathe. The act is tired. Stop turning all discourse into a late-nite TV talkshow. Stop with the celeb buzz.
The content of the book is decent but the personality of the author makes me want to take a shower after laying the spine down on the table.
Its not a discursive or narrative work, just an enlarged "glossary style" format. Every page has a handful of dictionary-definitions and that's it. That's all it is.
I suppose its the best way to deliver the info, in this format. Nevertheless it comes off as kind of a 'non'-book. You can't 'read' it, you merely flip through it. The entries are in alphabetical order and you read one definition after the other, in a 'plodding' fashion.
Okay, I'll take it. But there's no chapters or sections, items aren't grouped by theme. I suppose that is what bugs me.
But what is worse than all this, is the author's horribly 'snide' writing style. Its smarmy, corny... he's constantly name-dropping and displaying how well-up he is on his pop-culture. So many cheesy little 'asides' and 'confidences' and all the bon-mots he tucks in to the info.
What is the net effect of adding all this into a supposed work of reference? It kills the authority it should have. Yields a result opposite of what he intends to convey.
Its unnecessary. He should simply define the term and leave it at that. But no, here he is making 'Star Wars' references and all that kind of coy, childish shyt.
This garrulousness is a kind of modern tongue-wagging 'West Coast'ness, the type of chatty, gossiping that only simpletons participate in, and which I utterly loathe. The act is tired. Stop turning all discourse into a late-nite TV talkshow. Stop with the celeb buzz.
The content of the book is decent but the personality of the author makes me want to take a shower after laying the spine down on the table.
February 11, 2012
A useful and fun dictionary for anyone who works on a film set. Most of the unusual slang used by grips, electrician, and camera crews.
October 26, 2017
If you’re a high school senior, about to embark on her scary and exciting journey as a film major, you’re probably trying to pre-study up on industry terms so you’ll fit in from Day One. If you’re insanely interested in film slang and terms everyone in the film industry uses when they’re on a production, you’ll probably want to pick this book up.
I bought the book to fit in at school. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t end up memorizing any of the terms and therefore did not fit in on Day One. Maybe others who buy it will get more out of it.
Dave Knox organizes his thin paperback as a dictionary, with the terms in bold and a paragraph description. That’s pretty much it. There’s no filmic tidbits, screen stills, or anything else to help readers actually remember the dry vocabulary lessons on every page.
Still, if you’d like to learn the secret meanings of the words “cookie”, “sparks”, or “jib”, you can pick up a copy of this book and stash it next to your Webster’s.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/strike...
I bought the book to fit in at school. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t end up memorizing any of the terms and therefore did not fit in on Day One. Maybe others who buy it will get more out of it.
Dave Knox organizes his thin paperback as a dictionary, with the terms in bold and a paragraph description. That’s pretty much it. There’s no filmic tidbits, screen stills, or anything else to help readers actually remember the dry vocabulary lessons on every page.
Still, if you’d like to learn the secret meanings of the words “cookie”, “sparks”, or “jib”, you can pick up a copy of this book and stash it next to your Webster’s.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/strike...
October 26, 2023
A surprising amount of filmmaking terms and definitions, some of interesting origin. Don't know how much I will be able to remember.
This is probably a must read for anyone going to work on a set, and a fun read for those who want to know more about the complex collaborative process of making movies. The author has years of experience and writes with a good sense of humor.
This is probably a must read for anyone going to work on a set, and a fun read for those who want to know more about the complex collaborative process of making movies. The author has years of experience and writes with a good sense of humor.
October 14, 2015
This book is a super helpful guide to some of the many foreign terms you may here on a film set. I will definitely continue to use this as a reference.
I do wish it had pictures for some of the items though because a visual would be even that much more helpful.
The best parts were all of Knox's anecdotes and insider stories.
I do wish it had pictures for some of the items though because a visual would be even that much more helpful.
The best parts were all of Knox's anecdotes and insider stories.
September 13, 2016
Not bad, but not as good as Movie Speak by Bill Tony.
Too many failed attempts at humour. He may be a very funny man in person, but the jokes were predictable and got in the way of the real purpose of the book. Knox seems to speak knowledgeably about the subject, which ultimately gives the book value, but it was a bit of work to get past the comments and asides.
Too many failed attempts at humour. He may be a very funny man in person, but the jokes were predictable and got in the way of the real purpose of the book. Knox seems to speak knowledgeably about the subject, which ultimately gives the book value, but it was a bit of work to get past the comments and asides.
February 25, 2014
Dave did a great job with this informative & lighthearted guide to the moviemaker's dialect. Diving in or reading sequentially are both enjoyable experiences.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews