Behind the camera in Chinese 幕后
mùhòu
Behind the scenes in Chinese is 幕后 (mù hòu).
Also searched for as: film crew, filmmaking, making a movie, behind the scenes, film production.
Directors, scripts and the people who make it happen. 15 essential behind the camera words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The phrase for behind the scenes in Chinese is 幕后 (mù hòu), literally 'behind the curtain'. These words cover the people and processes that make a film or series, from the 导演 (dǎo yǎn, director) and 编剧 (biān jù, screenwriter) to the moment a production 杀青 (shā qīng), or wraps. They're especially handy if you follow Chinese entertainment news, where filming updates and casting changes are reported constantly.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 幕后 | mù hòu | behind the scenes |
| 导演 | dǎo yǎn | director |
| 编剧 | biān jù | screenwriter |
| 剧本 | jù běn | script |
| 拍摄 | pāi shè | to film; to shoot |
| 剧组 | jù zǔ | film crew; cast and crew |
| 片场 | piàn chǎng | film set |
| 镜头 | jìng tóu | shot; camera lens |
| 制片人 | zhì piàn rén | producer |
| 剪辑 | jiǎn jí | editing; to edit |
| 特效 | tè xiào | special effects |
| 杀青 | shā qīng | to wrap (finish filming) |
| 配音 | pèi yīn | dubbing; voice-over |
| 群演 | qún yǎn | extra (background actor) |
| 改编 | gǎi biān | to adapt |
Usage tips
- 杀青 (shā qīng) comes from the ancient practice of drying fresh bamboo strips before writing on them, which marked a finished work; today it simply means filming has wrapped.
- 剧组 (jù zǔ) is the whole cast and crew of a production, and 探班 (tàn bān) is visiting someone on set, as in 去片场探班 (qù piàn chǎng tàn bān).
- 横店 (Héng diàn) in Zhejiang is one of China's biggest filming bases, and it is known for the many 群演 (qún yǎn), or extras, who work there.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 导演 (dǎo yǎn, director) and 导游 (dǎo yóu, tour guide), which share the first syllable → remember 演 (yǎn) as in 演员 (yǎn yuán, actor).
- Reading 剪辑 with a falling tone on the second syllable → 辑 is second tone, jiǎn jí, as in 编辑 (biān jí, editor).
Mini dialogue
- A听说你上个月去片场了？Tīng shuō nǐ shàng gè yuè qù piàn chǎng le?I heard you went to a film set last month?
- B对，我在剧组当了三天群演。Duì, wǒ zài jù zǔ dāng le sān tiān qún yǎn.Yes, I worked as an extra with the crew for three days.
- A见到导演了吗？Jiàn dào dǎo yǎn le ma?Did you meet the director?
- B见到了，他一个镜头拍了二十多遍。Jiàn dào le, tā yī gè jìng tóu pāi le èr shí duō biàn.Yes, he did more than twenty takes of one shot.
- A那什么时候杀青？Nà shén me shí hou shā qīng?So when do they wrap?
- B下个月吧，然后还要剪辑。Xià gè yuè ba, rán hòu hái yào jiǎn jí.Next month, I think, and then there's the editing.
Example sentences
- 我对电影的幕后故事很感兴趣。I'm really interested in behind-the-scenes stories about films.
- 这个导演拍的电影我都看过。I've seen every film this director has made.
- 编剧把原著改得面目全非。The screenwriter changed the original beyond recognition.
- 他拿到剧本以后读了好几遍。When he got the script he read it several times.
- 这部电影是在云南拍摄的。This film was shot in Yunnan.
- 剧组在这儿拍了三个月。The crew filmed here for three months.
- 今天我去片场探班了。Today I visited the set.
- 这个镜头拍了二十多遍。This shot took more than twenty takes.
- 制片人决定换掉男主。The producer decided to replace the male lead.
- 剪辑得太乱了，看不懂。The editing is so messy I can't follow it.
- 这部电影的特效花了很多钱。The special effects in this film cost a lot of money.
- 这部剧昨天杀青了。This show wrapped yesterday.
- 这部电影是后期配音的。This film was dubbed in post-production.
- 我在横店当过群演。I worked as an extra in Hengdian.
- 这部剧是根据小说改编的。This show is adapted from a novel.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Behind the camera speaking island has 8 everyday questions about behind the camera to prepare your own answers to.