Okuzeka
Film & Television vocabulary · Film Crew and Roles

Second unit

Meaning in film & television, with examples

nounCommon term

In film & television, second unit means: A separate filming crew that records additional material independently of the main unit, often working at another location or on a different schedule.

In Turkish: ikinci çekim ekibi

How it is used

Used for action, inserts and location material; a second unit has its own filming tasks.

Example sentences

  1. The second unit filmed the city traffic while we shot the restaurant scene.

    Two crews record different material at the same time.

  2. The director reviewed the second unit footage before choosing the chase shots.

    The separate crew's work is evaluated for the main film.

Common collocations

  • second unit director
  • second unit footage
  • crewThe people who work behind the camera on a film or TV production, such as the camera, lighting, sound, art, costume and production teams.
  • cinematographerThe head of the camera and lighting departments, who decides with the director how the film will look: framing, lenses, camera movement and light.

More terms: Film Crew and Roles

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: