Movie Trivia Team Names: 182 Clean Names from Set to Screen: how it works
These movie trivia team names come from how films get made, not from the films: crew titles, screenplay terms, camera shots, sound tricks and the popcorn counter. No title, character or studio is named. Press New team names for five of the 182, and Lock any that gets a laugh.
Seven chips, from the set to the back row
At the movie theater is the largest chip, with 36 names from Kernel Knowledge to Armrest Negotiators. Editing, sound and effects has 29. Plot and script, Camera and shots and Genres and sequels hold 25 each, On set and crew 24 and Cast and acting 18.
The end credits are a list of jobs
Sit through the crawl and the odd titles start to make sense. The gaffer is the head lighting electrician. The key grip runs the crew that moves and supports the camera. Each has a chief assistant, credited as the best boy. Foley artists re-create footsteps and door slams in a studio, and two halves of a coconut shell stand in for a horse. All four are names in this deck.
Tips
Match the name to the head count. Two-Shot and Double Feature are written for a pair, Limited Release suits a small table, and Cast of Thousands the biggest.
Kernel Knowledge is for the microphone: read aloud, it turns into Colonel Knowledge. Interior, Quiz Night is the opposite, a joke only the answer sheet can tell.
Set the size to 10 on Plot and script and ask which name describes your last outing. Third Act Problems wins more often than it should.
Questions and answers
Why is no film, character or famous line in the list?
Titles, characters and quotable lines belong to their studios, and a pun on this summer's release is stale by winter. Film-making vocabulary belongs to nobody and does not date: a plot twist, a stunt double, a rough cut. Nobody has to have seen one particular film to get the joke.
Why are previews called trailers when they come first?
Because they used to come last. Early previews ran after the feature, trailing it, and the name stuck. Audiences tended to leave once the film ended, so theaters moved them to the front. The Trailers Were Better is in At the movie theater.
Is this list only for a film quiz?
No. Plot Holes, Roll Credits and Mixed Reviews make sense at any general quiz. The deeper crew jargon, such as Check the Gate or Half Apple, Quarter Apple, Pancake, suits a film club, a film class or an awards-night party, where somebody will enjoy explaining it. Every name is also in the full list at the bottom of the page.
Apple Box StandersAn apple box is a wooden crate the grips use to prop up anything, including an actor who needs a few more inches.
Back to OneThe call that sends everyone to their starting positions for another take. Useful after a rough round.
Best BoysIn the credits, the best boy is the chief assistant to the gaffer or the key grip. A real job title, not a boast.
Boom in the ShotThe boom operator holds a microphone on a pole just outside the frame. When it dips into view, it counts as a famous kind of mistake.
Check the GateCalled after a shot on film: an assistant checks the camera's gate for a sliver of debris, known as a hair, before the crew moves on.
Clapper LoadersThe second assistant camera, who loads the film and claps the slate so picture and sound can be lined up later.
Continuity ErrorsThe mug that refills itself between shots. A script supervisor takes notes on every take to stop that happening.
Cut to the ChaseFilm editing slang that became an everyday saying: skip ahead to the exciting part. For a team that answers fast.
Dolly GripsThe dolly grip operates the dolly, the wheeled platform that carries the camera along its track.
First on the Call SheetThe call sheet is the daily schedule that tells cast and crew where and when to turn up. The assistant director oversees it.
Gaffer Tape Fixes EverythingCloth tape that tears by hand, has a matte finish so it does not shine under the lights, and peels off cleanly. Crews hold cables down with it.
The GaffersA gaffer is the head electrician on a set, in charge of the lighting. The title has been used on film sets since the 1920s.
Get a Key GripGet a grip, plus the key grip, who heads the department that moves and supports the camera.
Half Apple, Quarter Apple, PancakeThe apple box sizes below a full one, each a fraction of it. A pancake is one inch tall.
Here for Craft ServicesCraft service is the snack table that stays open all day for the crew. Catering handles the full meals.
Hit Your MarkA mark is a piece of tape on the floor that shows an actor where to stop. Hit it and you are in focus and in the light.
Lights, Camera, AnswersLights, camera, action, with the last word swapped for what you came here to give.
Location ScoutsThe people who find the real street, diner or mountain where a scene will be filmed. Send yours to find a table near the host.
Magic HourWhat cinematographers call the golden hour, just after sunrise or before sunset, when the light is redder and softer.
Quiet on the SetThe call that goes out before the camera rolls. Also what happens at your table when the host asks about geography.
Second UnitA separate crew that films scenery, stunts and inserts while the main unit works with the lead actors.
Shooting Day for NightNight scenes filmed in daylight, underexposed and tinted blue. In France the trick is called the American night.
Tail SlateWhen the clapperboard is filmed at the end of a take instead of the start, it is held upside down. A name for a team that finishes strong.
Take Forty-SevenEach attempt at a shot is a take, and its number goes on the slate. This team needed a few.
Plot and script 25
The Book Was BetterSaid in the lobby after every adaptation, by somebody who wants you to know they read it.
Called the Twist EarlyThe person who whispers the ending forty minutes in. Every table has one, and at trivia they are useful.
The CliffhangersThe word was first recorded in 1936, for film serials that ended every episode in a desperate spot.
Deus Ex MachinaLatin for god from the machine. In Greek theater a crane lowered an actor playing a god to fix the unfixable. A lucky last-round guess.
Exposition DumpWhen a character explains the whole backstory in one breath, usually starting with As you know.
Fade In, Fade OutThe traditional first and last directions in a screenplay.
Heavy-Handed ForeshadowingA cough in the first act, a slow look at a loose railing. You know what is coming.
Interior, Quiz NightEvery scene in a screenplay opens with a slug line: interior or exterior, the location, and the time of day.
It Was All a DreamThe ending that undoes everything before it. Audiences rarely forgive it.
Loosely Based on a True StoryThe caption that lets a film change anything it likes. Also how this team treats the facts.
The MacGuffinsA MacGuffin is the object everyone in the story is chasing. It drives the plot and hardly matters in itself.
Meet CuteScreenwriters' term for the scene where a future couple first meet, usually by accident. It has been in print since 1941.
One Page a MinuteThe screenplay rule of thumb: one page is roughly one minute of screen time. Scripts are typed in 12-point Courier to keep it so.
Plot ArmorFan slang for the invisible protection that keeps a main character safe because the story still needs them.
Plot HolesGaps in a story's logic that you only notice on the drive home. Also the gaps in this team's knowledge.
Plot Twist: We StudiedNobody saw it coming, least of all the team that usually beats you.
Script DoctorsWriters brought in, often without credit, to fix a screenplay that is not working. Offer the same service to your answer sheet.
Show, Don't TellThe first rule of screenwriting. At trivia, sadly, you have to tell.
Spoiler AlertThe warning before somebody gives away the ending. Here the ending is that you win.
Third Act ProblemsMost screenplays run in three acts, and the last is the hardest to land. So is the final round.
Ticking ClockA deadline written into the story to keep the pressure on. Your host has one too.
To Be ContinuedThe three words that send an audience home without an ending.
Training MontageMonths of practice squeezed into two minutes of short clips and music. This team skipped it.
Untitled Quiz ProjectFilms in development are often listed as an untitled project until somebody thinks of a name. Same problem here.
Villain MonologuersThe villain explains the entire plan instead of getting on with it, which gives the hero time to escape.
Cast and acting 18
Blink-and-Miss-It CameoA cameo is a brief appearance by a well-known face. The word comes from the small carved gemstone.
Breaking CharacterWhen an actor drops the role mid-scene, usually by laughing. It ends up in the blooper reel.
Cast of ThousandsWhat posters promised for the old epics, when a crowd scene needed a real crowd. For the largest table in the room.
Character ActorsActors known for distinctive supporting parts, not leads. You know the face and not the name.
Chewing the SceneryTheater slang for overacting so hard there are tooth marks on the set.
The Comic SidekicksNever the hero, always the one with the good line.
Dramatic PauseThe silence before the line that matters. Also the silence before your captain admits nobody knows.
Ensemble CastA film with no single lead, where the main parts share the screen about equally. How a good trivia team works.
Extras With No LinesBackground actors fill the street or the restaurant and never speak. Here to make the room look full.
Miscast as ExpertsWrong for the role and doing it anyway.
Scene StealersA supporting player who takes over every scene they are in.
Screen TestA filmed audition, to see how an actor looks and sounds on camera.
The Stand-InsA stand-in takes the actor's place while the crew sets the lights and the focus, and does not appear on camera.
Stunt DoublesThe performers who take the falls on camera so the lead actor does not have to.
Supporting RolesEveryone at the table who is not the captain.
Table ReadThe first time the cast sits down together and reads the script aloud, start to finish.
That Guy From That ThingThe character actor you recognize at once and cannot name. A whole trivia round in one phrase.
Typecast as the Smart OnesAn actor who keeps getting the same kind of part is typecast. There are worse parts to be stuck with.
Camera and shots 25
24 Frames a SecondThe standard speed for sound film, settled between 1927 and 1930. Silent films were hand-cranked at anything from 16 to 24.
All in One TakeA long take runs for minutes without a cut, so one mistake sends everybody back to the start.
B-RollExtra footage cut in over the main shots: hands, streets, clouds. The team that fills the gaps.
Crossing the LineThe 180-degree rule keeps the camera on one side of an imaginary line between two actors. Crossing it flips them on screen.
Cue Mark SpottersThe dot that flashes in the upper right corner about 8 seconds before a reel ends tells the projectionist to get ready to change over.
Depth of FieldHow much of the picture is sharp from front to back. This team's is shallow but pretty.
Dolly ZoomThe camera rolls one way while the lens zooms the other, so the subject stays the same size and the background seems to stretch.
Dutch AngleA shot with the camera tilted so the horizon slopes, used to make a scene feel uneasy. Tilt your head at the hard questions.
Establishing ShotThe wide view at the start of a scene that tells you where you are: the skyline, the house, the school.
Extreme Close-UpA shot that fills the screen with one detail, such as an eye or a ticking watch.
Focus PullersThe first assistant camera, who keeps a moving actor sharp by adjusting the focus distance as they go.
Fourth Wall BreakersThe fourth wall is the imaginary one between the actors and the audience. Looking into the camera and talking breaks it.
Freeze FrameOne frame held still on screen, a favorite way to end a film.
Keeping It ReelThe oldest pun in the projection booth, and still the easiest for a host to read out.
Lens FlareStreaks and circles of stray light when the lens points near a bright source. Once a flaw, now often added on purpose.
Long ShotsA long shot shows the whole figure from far away. It is also what most of this team's answers are.
Low Angle HeroesA camera placed low and looking up makes a character seem powerful. Film your captain this way.
Over the ShoulderThe standard shot for a conversation, filmed from behind one speaker. Not a way to read the next table's sheet.
POV ShotA point-of-view shot shows what a character sees, as if the camera were their eyes.
Rack FocusShifting the focus from one subject to another during a shot, so your eye moves with it.
Reel TalkReal talk, spelled the way film used to arrive at a theater: on reels.
Shaky CamHandheld camerawork that wobbles on purpose, to make a scene feel like news footage.
Slightly Out of FocusA fair description of this team by the last round.
Two-ShotA shot that frames two people. A name for a team of two.
Whip PanA pan so fast the picture blurs into streaks, often used to jump between scenes.
Editing, sound and effects 29
Blooper ReelThe collected mistakes: fluffed lines, giggles and doors that would not open.
Coconut Shell HoovesThe classic Foley trick: coconut shells cut in half and clopped together sound like a horse.
Cornstarch SnowFoley artists squeeze cornstarch in a leather pouch to make the crunch of footsteps in snow.
Director's CutThe version of a film edited the way the director wanted, often released later and usually longer.
Dubbed in LaterDialogue re-recorded in a studio after the shoot and matched to the actor's lips.
Fix It in PostPost is post-production, everything after the shoot. The phrase is how a crew talks itself out of another take.
Foley ArtistsFoley is the craft of re-creating everyday sounds in a studio after filming: footsteps, doors, rustling coats.
Forced PerspectiveAn optical illusion that makes something look larger, smaller, nearer or farther than it is, by where it stands relative to the camera.
Green Screen SceneActors perform in front of a plain green backdrop and a computer swaps the green for anything. Green works because no skin tone is close to it.
Jump CutsA cut that removes a piece from the middle of one continuous shot, so the action seems to skip ahead in time.
Left on the Cutting Room FloorWhere unused footage went when film was cut by hand. Where this team's right answers go after a debate.
Matte PaintersA matte painting is a painted landscape or set combined with live footage. They were traditionally painted on large sheets of glass.
Practical EffectsEffects done for real in front of the camera, with models, makeup and rigs, not on a computer.
Rhubarb, RhubarbWhat British actors mutter to make background crowd noise. American sound crews call the same murmur walla.
Roll CreditsWhat you say when the last answer is in and there is nothing more to be done.
Room ToneThe recorded silence of a location, laid under the dialogue so the edits never drop to dead quiet. Every room has its own.
RotoscopersRotoscoping is tracing over live footage frame by frame to get lifelike animated movement. The technique was invented in 1915.
Rough CutThe first assembled version of a film, before the fine trimming. Like a first guess on the answer sheet.
Slow DissolveOne picture melting gradually into the next, usually to show time passing.
Smash CutAn abrupt cut from one scene to a very different one, for a shock or a laugh.
Stay Through the CreditsFor the extra scene some films tuck in after the names have rolled. Also sound advice for the bonus round.
Stock FootageFilm shot for something else and reused: a skyline, a rocket launch, a crowd. This team reuses old answers too.
Stop-Motion ThinkersStop motion moves a puppet or model a tiny amount between photographs, so it seems to move on its own. Slow, careful work, like this team.
Subtitles OnFor the team that likes to read the dialogue too. It helps with the names.
Sugar Glass WindowsThe glass that shatters so safely on screen is often brittle, clear sugar, boiled to the hard crack stage like candy.
The TalkiesWhat sound films were called when they arrived. The first feature sold as a talkie opened on October 6, 1927.
Title CardsPrinted text cut into a silent film to give the dialogue or explain the action. The proper name is intertitles.
Walla GroupThe performers who record background crowd murmur. By one account the name comes from early radio, where people simply repeated the word walla.
Widescreen ThinkersA wide film on a narrower screen gets dark bands above and below, called letterboxing, so nothing is cropped.
At the movie theater 36
3D Glasses Over Regular GlassesTwo pairs at once, neither sitting straight. A team of people who wear glasses will understand.
Aisle Seat StrategistsLeg room, a clear path out, and nobody to climb over. The thinking person's seat.
Armrest NegotiatorsTwo seats, one armrest, no treaty. The middle seat gets both, by ancient custom.
Art House RegularsThe small theater that shows subtitled and independent films, and the people who never miss one.
B-Movie BuffsThe B movie was the cheaper second half of a double feature, often 70 minutes or less.
Back Row CriticsFar enough from the screen to whisper a review of every scene.
Box Office FlopsHuge budget, empty seats. It can happen to anyone.
Coming Soon to a Table Near YouThe line that ends every trailer, with a change of venue.
Could Have Been Ninety MinutesThe review that fits most films over two and a half hours.
Cult ClassicsFilms that were ignored on release and found devoted fans later.
Double FeatureTwo films for one ticket. A name for a pair, or for a team that plans to win twice.
Drive-In RegularsThe first patented drive-in opened in New Jersey on June 6, 1933. Later ones sent the soundtrack to the car radio.
Extra ButterThe only upgrade that matters at the counter.
Front Row Neck CranersThe only seats left, a screen three stories tall, and a stiff neck by the end credits.
Intermission Snack RunLong films once stopped in the middle for a break. Also when this team compares notes.
Kernel KnowledgeKernels pop when the water inside turns to steam, and swell to 20 to 50 times their size. Say it aloud and it is Colonel Knowledge.
Limited ReleaseA film that opens in only a few theaters. A name for a small team.
Matinee PricingA matinee is a morning or afternoon showing, often at a lower price. The word is French, and in Old French it meant morning.
Missed the TrailersArrived late on purpose and calls it a strategy.
Mixed ReviewsSome critics loved it and some walked out. About right for this team's last outing.
No ConcessionsThe concession stand sells the snacks. This team gives none.
Nominated, Never WonAlways on the shortlist, never on the stage. There is dignity in it.
Opening Night CrowdIn line early, in costume if allowed, and clapping when the lights go down.
Our Feature PresentationThe card that comes up after the trailers, when the talking is supposed to stop.
Please Silence Your PhonesThe last message before the feature, and a fair rule for quiz night too.
Popcorn for DinnerTheaters have sold popcorn since the 1930s. Owners disliked it at first because they thought it distracted from the films.
The ProjectionistsThe person in the booth who, in the days of film, swapped reels without you noticing, on the cue of a dot in the corner.
The ShushersEvery showing needs one. Every trivia table has one too, usually during the music round.
Sleeper HitA film that opens quietly, then becomes a surprise success by word of mouth. Watch this team in round four.
Sneak PreviewA showing ahead of the official release, often unannounced.
Speaker Still on the WindowFrom 1941, drive-in speakers hung on the car window, and drivers often pulled away with one still attached.
Sticky Floor SurvivorsEvery old theater has one patch of floor that holds on to your shoe.
Straight to StreamingA film that skips theaters and turns up on your couch. Not always a bad sign.
Test AudienceStudios show unfinished films to a preview crowd, collect questionnaires, and sometimes change the ending.
Ticket Stub CollectorsA shoebox of paper stubs going back years, each one a film and a night out.
The Trailers Were BetterTrailers got the name because they were first shown after the feature, trailing it. People left, so they moved to the front.
Genres and sequels 25
Animated ShortsA short cartoon shown before the feature. Also a fair name for a lively team in summer clothes.
Based on the Board GameFilms have been adapted from novels, comics, toys and, yes, board games. Yours is next.
Coming-of-Age StoryOne summer changes everything. A good name for a team of students.
Film Noir-It-AllsFilm noir is French for black film, a label first given to shadowy Hollywood pictures in 1946. Know-it-alls, in a hat.
The Gritty RebootThe same characters, but it rains all the time and nobody smiles.
In a World of Wrong AnswersIn a world: the two words that opened a generation of trailers, in the deepest voice available.
Indie DarlingsA small independent film that the festival crowd adores.
Mismatched Buddy ComedyTwo people with nothing in common are forced to work together. So, any trivia team.
Mockumentary CrewA mockumentary is fiction filmed as if it were a documentary. The word is a blend of mock and documentary.
Nobody Listens to the ScientistThe first rule of the disaster movie. The second is that the dog survives.
Origin StoryHow the hero got started. Yours involved a free evening and somebody's cousin.
Rom-Com Airport DashThe romantic comedy ending where somebody sprints through a terminal to say what they should have said an hour ago.
Screwball ComediansScrewball comedy, a fast-talking style of the 1930s and 1940s, is named after a baseball pitch that breaks the wrong way.
The Sequel Nobody Asked ForBack for another week whether the room wanted it or not.
Shot-for-Shot RemakeA remake that copies the original one camera setup at a time. For the team that writes down what last week's winners wrote.
Slapstick ThinkersSlapstick is named after a stage prop: two thin wooden slats that make a loud slap without hurting anybody.
Space OperaAdventure among the stars on the grandest scale, with more feelings than physics.
Spaghetti WesternersThe nickname for the westerns made mostly by Italian directors in the mid-1960s, many of them filmed in Almeria, Spain.
Spin-Off MaterialA side character popular enough to get a film of their own. Every team has one.
Spontaneous Musical NumberIn a musical, the whole street knows the choreography and nobody asks why.
Summer BlockbustersBlockbuster was first used of a film in 1943. The summer kind dates from the mid-1970s.
Summer Popcorn FlickA film that asks nothing of you but two hours and a large bucket.
The TearjerkersBring tissues. Mostly for the scores.
The Third One Is Never as GoodThe rule of trilogies. A team of three can argue about the exceptions.
Unnecessary PrequelThe story of what happened before the story, which nobody needed explained.