This article is from the rec.arts.movies.tech FAQ, by Scott E. Norwood snorwood@nyx.nyx.net with numerous contributions by others.
Film `dailies' (quickly made prints of camera negative) are often
known as `work prints,' as, after they are viewed by directors and
cinematographers, they are the actual prints with which film editors
(assuming they actually are editing on film) `work' as they cut and
splice the film together to appropriately reflect a film's story. Work
prints come in two varieties: one light and timed. A `one light' print
is simply a print made without extensive scene-to-scene exposure and
color (if the film is in color) correction (known as `timing'). A
timed print, on the other hand, is more expensive, and involves
several `lights' (exposure/color corrections) in order to make the
images look prettier. These timed prints can help the director,
editor, and cinematographer gain a better idea of how the final prints
will look.
 
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