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Action: Command of Director for movement of
actors.
A.D.: Assistant Director. Second under the
Director. Coordinates.
Agency: Ad agency employed by client.
Angle: View from the camera.
Apple Box: Wooden boxes of different sizes used to
elevate an actor.
Atmosphere: General crowd of people. “Extras”
Audio: Any element of sound in a film
Audition: An interview or first reading for a
commercial or film.
Availability: Can you work the shoot days.
Baby Spot: Smallest spotlight, used to highlight
players face.
Background: Same as atmosphere or extra.
Back light: Light on an actor from back of set.
Back with music: Dialogue spoken over music.
Best Boy: Assistant to the electrician on the set.
Blocking: The direction by the director for
movement or placement on the set.
Booking: You have the job. You are given the
tentative shoot dates.
Boom: Adjustable pole with microphone held above
actors picking up dialogue
Buyout: The whole shot, all days included, on flat
rate.
Callback: An audition following the original. Can
be more than one.
Camera left: Subjects, actors or objects are moved
from the viewpoint of the camera. Camera left is your right.
Camera right: The opposite of camera left. This will be confusing for a
while.
Casting: Process of choosing players for the
roles.
Casting Director: Hired by the Ad agency or
producer of project to cast talent.
Cattle call: Large number of talent all
auditioning for the same job.
Cheat: Direction by director or camera man to
angle your body or face a certain direction. Example: Please cheat camera
left.
Choker: From the neck up. A close up
Cinematographer: In charge of camera and lighting.
D.P., Director of Photography
Class A Spot: National or Regional commercials
usually run Class A. Prime time Network.
Client: Usually the big shots from the company.
Hershey’s , Cadillac, etc.
Close up: Very close on the subject. Usually a
head shot.
Cover shot: An extra take of a scene. Just in case
they do not like the last one.
Crane Shot: Camera is mounted on arm or elevated
platform for shots at different heights
Credits: The list of people involved in the
production by their position. Also on the resume of talents.
Cue Cards: Dialogue written on large cardboard
sheets for talent to read.
Cut: Director calls out in a shot when he wants
all actors , film etc., to cease.
Dailes: Film from previous days shoot. Show in
rough form.
Day-Player: Talent that is hired by the day.
Demo-reel: Edited clips from your commercials,
film and television work. Used to get agents or work.
Dialogue: all the words spoken by the actors
during a scene.
Director: The boss. Hired to run every aspect of
the production. The man calling the shots.
Dolly: Allows the camera to move smoothly for long
walking shots etc. Camera rests on a platform and the wheels ride on a set of
tracks.
Double: A person who substitutes or stands in for
a principal actor.
Downgrade: Either edited out or made less visible
in a shoot. Can mean drop in wages.
Downstage: The movement of actor or object closer
to camera.
Dubbing: Dialogue that has to be re-recorded for
insertion into the film.
End Marker: A slate at the end of a take or
audition to cover a mistake or remind the people holding the audition who the
person was.
Establishing shot: Setting shot that gives the location of the scene.
Exclusive: A signed contract between agent and
actor meaning only one agent for a certain region.
Extra: Background, Atmosphere, people who are
hired to fill in the dead space around principle talent.
Extreme close- up: Very close on the talent or
subject.
Fade in: Scene starts black and slowly comes into image.
Fade out: Scene gradually disappears to black
Final cut: Complete edited version of shoot.
First refusal: Keep these days open. Not a
guarantee of work.
First team: Refers to principal performers in the
scene. Differentiates them from extras or stand ins who were in for lighting.
Floor manager: has direct line with talent. Same as
an assistant director. Used in studio shoots.
Gaffer: crew member who handles lighting
equipment.
Grip: Crew member who handles props.
Group shot: Four or more subjects in a shot.
Headshot: Photograph of talent usually in 8x10
black & white form. Sent to Casting people and agents.
Hitting your mark: Placing either your self or a
product in a designated area. Marked with tape.
Hold: you have been given dates and time of the
shoot. If they don’t shoot you can be paid for the day.
Holding fee: A session fee paid every 13 weeks to
reserve the right to air or hold you in the spot.
Improvisation: To create a scene with or without
another actor with little preparation.
Infomercial: a long commercial. Usually in lengths
of 20-30 minutes. Carries different rules as to airing and rates.
Industrial: Film, video, or live presentation used
for training or position.
Interior: Scene that takes place indoors.
Kill: Removing a light or strike it.
Left to right: Camera direction that designates
movement from left to right.
Local hire: hired locally, no payment for travel
expenses.
Location: a set away from a studio.
Long shot: Distant shot of talent or object with
camera
Looping: Dubbing by synching with the original
footage your new dialogue or replacement dialogue.
Major markets: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago...
largest cities for airing.
Mark: A designated place for you to begin or end.
Marked usually with tape.
Master shot: Film that comprises the full
performances of a scene.
Medium close up: The frame holds subject from
waist up
Medium Long shot: Same as medium close up , with
more space between and around figures.
Medium shot: from around the thighs up of the
subject.
Monitor: Television that picks up images recorded
by the camera.
MOS: Mit Out Sound. An abbreviated form for no
sound.
National: Commercials Ran east to west coast with
residuals.
Ninety- one day out clause: In the SAG contract.
If you do not obtain work within 91 days of signing,
you may terminate contract.
Off-Camera: Actions or sound that is out of range
of camera view.
Off-Screen : action that is within the limits of
shot but out of camera view.
On Camera: Subjects that are in front of the
camera.
Out of frame: Subjects or part of subjects that are out of camera lens
view.
P.O.V: Point of view. Could be of the camera, or
the subject in the shot.
Per diem: Expenses pad to you for lodging, meals,
travel. Etc.
Places: your starting position. The order given is
“take your positions”
Playback: The pre-recorded tape of singing that is
played during filming.
Print: Satisfactory take that will be developed at
la.
Principal: All roles where you face camera. May or
may not involve lines.
Production Company: Company that will shoot the
film. Oversee the production.
Red light: Rotating or flashing light warning you
not to enter and that recording has begun.
Regional: Commercial spot aired in a certain area
only
Release: A legal form you sign allowing your image
to be used for airing.
Residual: payment for network broadcasts. Based on
a descending schedule.
Resume: The industry resume varies from the
ordinary resume. It focuses on credits, training, statistics and skills.
Right to left: Camera direction denoting movement
from right to left.
Scale: Union rate of pay that is determined by
contract.
Scene: A segment of a script. Activity within a
single time period or locale.
Scene number: a number applied to a scene in a
script
Session fee: Fee paid for days work
Set: Site where filming takes place.
Setup: the prescribed area in a set where filming
takes place.
Shot: single un-interrupted scene.
Shoot around you: Re-arrangement of schedule to
accommodate un available actors.
Sign in sheet: Various forms filled out at a
casting. Generally giving name, age, ss#.
Slate: Begins the audition on tape. You give
name, number , agent, age, height, etc.
Slot: Time given to you to audition. The days auditioners are given these to break up the people from being there all at the
same time.
Speed: Called out by the sound man when his
recorder is ready to record.
Stand-by: Count down for start of shoot. Starts at
one- minute and goes to a count of 30 seconds, 10,9,8, to five where they use
hand signals.
Story board: Drawings illustrating scenes to be
shot.
Street casting: Casting of people from the street
to get a real book.
Strike: Take down or remove sets, props, lights.
Sync: Picture and sound correctly lined up
Tag line: Final important line of a scene.
Teleprompter: Script typed onto paper roll and
electronically rolled in a device under camera lens.
Test commercial: Shot for a small region and aired
for effectiveness and results.
Tight shot: The frame holds subjects that fill the
space of the frame of the camera.
Titles: name of any inscription beginning or end of
a film. Known as Opening and Closing titles
Trades: Publications of the entertainment industry
Turn Around: Amount of time between wrap of a shoot
and time you must be back on set.
Upgrade: Moving from “extra” to principal
Upstage: move up and away from camera or end of the
stage.
Under crank: Slow down film camera speed to increase
screen action. Overcranking is the opposite effect to create slow-motion.
Un
employment: Where actors spend time in between jobs.
Voice-over: Voice heard onscreen without appearance
of speaker.
Voice tape: Demo of talents work.
Walk on: non speaking role. Walks on to set no
dialogue.
Wardrobe: Clothes brought by talent or provided by
production company.
Weather day: Location for outdoor shoot. If weather
is bad you’ll be paid half day wages for each weather day the shooting does not
take place.
Wild spot: A commercial that runs in a non network
station or on network at non scheduled times.
Wrap: The shoot is complete. May also mean the end
of the shooting day.
Video:
what we see, usually camera direction
Audio:
What we hear, usually actor’s words
VO:
Voice Over, off camera actors voice.
VOC:
Voice on camera. The actor’s voice and face are used on camera
OC:
On camera, what we see.
MOS:
Mit out sound
CU:
Close up
ECU:
Extreme close- up
MS:
Medium shot
LS:
Long shot
WA:
Wide angle shot
Super:
Superimpose, when an image is place on another (insert)
Diss:
Dissolve, when one scene blends into the next
CUT:
one scene abruptly changes to another
WIPE:
Line moves across a screen, another scene replaces it. (Push)
INT:
Interior
EXT:
Exterior
ALT:
Alternate, usually in reference to alternate dialogue or scene
LOGO:
Slogan or product name
SFX:
Special effects
HERO:
Usually the product in commercial
PAN:
Camera moves across the screen
ANGLE ON:
The person, place or thing is favored in a shot
CUT AWAY:
To another spot
POV:
From a person’s point of view, how something is seen by him
OS:
Over the shoulder shot, usually the back of a character’s head is foreground
Frame line:
This is the boundary line of what the camera sees
Body shots:
Mid(waist up), 3/4(knees up), Full (toes up)
Feed:
to be given a cue
Stand in:
A person stands in actor’s place while lighting, angles are set up
Character actor:
Person who usually plays a small, common part
Extra:
A subsidiary or supporting part, used for background purposes. Lower pay.
Principal:
A main or speaking part. In commercials, face can be seen and supportive of
product.
Talent:
The actors is referred to as the “talent”
Residuals:
Use fee. The monies paid to the talent for continual airing on national ,
union work.
Storyboard:
Cartooning or b/w photo layout describing commercial in a shot by shot
sequence.
Contact sheet:
sheet or sheets with 1" x 1" pictures in rows. This is used so choices for
enlargements
can be made.
Lupe:
Round magnifying glass with circular base which is held to contact sheet to
enhance viewing for
selection process.
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