Wrap, as used in the phrase "That's a wrap", has been used by
directors
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
since the early days of the
film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre- ...
to signal the end of filming. Since the 1920s, filmmakers have been using this phrase when
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
is concluded and the film is ready to go into
post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
. At that point, it is traditional to hold a wrap party for the cast and crew of the film. This marks the end of the actors' collaboration with each other, the director, producer, and crew on the film (except for possible
dubbing
Dubbing (also known as re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and the video production process where supplementary recordings (known as doubles) are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production audio to cr ...
or
pick-ups). However the
leading cast members may be called in several months or years later to help
promote the film when it is ready to be released.
The long-commonplace phrase "Let's wrap it up" or "Time to wrap things up" is the most likely origin. The term "wrap" is sometimes incorrectly said to be an acronym for "wind, reel, and print", though this is a
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
and there are no industry citations for this source. Printing would typically be done at the end of each shoot day (or when else desired, usually as soon as possible for safety of the picture) and not at the end of an entire shoot. This is illustrated by use of the phrase "cut and print", which was used to signify a request the film just shot should be "printed" (the negative developed and transferred to a positive print) for viewing.
Film is neither wound nor reeled at the end of a shoot but rather unloaded and "canned", which is where "It's in the can" originates.
"That's a wrap!" can also be heard in similar contexts such as
photo shoots
A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location.
A photo shoot is a series of images that are taken, ...
.
Some directors also announce "wraps" for each actor when their work concludes (e.g., "That's a wrap for John Doe").
References
External links
*{{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/magazine/its-a-wrap.html, title='It's A Wrap', last=Safire, first=William, date=2005-02-27, work=The New York Times, access-date=2018-12-10, language=en-US, issn=0362-4331
Hulu: 'House' Wrap Party
Film and video terminology
English words and phrases