Industry Terms Quiz; TV/Film Acting, Acting IIIA, Tepe Period 3 (Blue)

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Questions and Answers

What is the role of an agent in the entertainment industry?

To serve as a casting director

To represent actors and take a percentage of their earnings (correct)

To direct films and television shows

To manage the production budget

In the context of audition processes, what does 'callback' refer to?

The first audition a performer attends

A final audition which is always filmed

An audition where actors perform in front of an audience

A second or third audition with key decision-makers present (correct)

What is the primary function of the 'EA' (Actors Equity Association)?

To represent artists in television and radio

To cast television shows

To ensure fair working conditions in theater (correct)

To manage film production contracts

What does 'on-avail' mean in casting?

The process of checking an actor's availability for a role Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'breakdown' in the context of casting calls?

A synopsis of a project distributed to talent agencies Signup and view all the answers

What does 'above the title credit' indicate for an actor?

The actor's name appears before the title of the film Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the 'FTRA' (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)?

To advocate for fair working conditions in various media industries Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'casting assistant' refer to?

Someone who helps with scheduling and administrative tasks in casting Signup and view all the answers

What does 'billing' refer to in the film industry?

On-screen credit for actors or crew members Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of a casting associate?

Schedule auditions and give callbacks Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes a chemistry read?

A process to evaluate the dynamic between actors Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'day player' refer to in the casting context?

A performer engaged daily, without a long-term contract Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a deal memo?

To summarize the negotiation points for an actor Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes a co-star role from a guest star role?

Co-stars have significant screen time but lack the name-value of guest stars. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'executive callback' refer to in the auditioning process?

An audition where studio executives must approve the actor’s performance Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary responsibility of a script supervisor?

Maintain accuracy of the script during filming Signup and view all the answers

What type of audition requires an actor to perform with full make-up and costume?

Screen test Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'network test' in the context of television casting?

The final audition stage for actors with network executives present Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines a 'wrap party'?

A celebration for the end of shooting a film or TV show Signup and view all the answers

What does 'personal manager' refer to in the context of acting?

A representative overseeing all aspects of an actor’s career Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Glossary of Industry Terms

Above the Title Credit: Screen credit given to stars whose names draw in audiences, appearing before the title of the film or project.
ADR (Additional Dialogue Required): Dialogue re-recording for an artist after filming, also known as "looping".
AEA (Actors Equity Association): Performers' union for professional theatre productions ensuring fair working conditions, salaries, and benefits.
AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists): Performers' union for television, radio, soap operas, commercials, recordings, ensuring fair working conditions, salaries, and benefits.
Agent: Represents actors commercially/theatrically or both, taking a percentage of their earnings, usually 10%, and is franchised by the union.
Atmosphere (Background): Group of actors acting as extras on a project, receiving lesser pay and often having no lines or close-up screen time.
At Producer's Discretion: Term in contracts indicating a specific detail will be determined solely by the producer at a later date.
Availabilities/ "On-Avail": Process used by a casting director to check an actor's availability and interest in a role, not a guarantee of a job.
Billing: An on-screen credit for an actor or member of a film/TV crew/technician.
Blind Submission: Sending a headshot/résumé to a casting director, agent, manager, director, or producer without prior contact.
Breakdown: Short plot synopsis, character details, and production information for plays, films, etc., released by casting directors and distributed by Breakdown Services, Inc.
Cameo: Brief appearance by a celebrity in a TV show or film.
Callback (Producer's Session): Second or third audition following a pre-read, usually attended by the director, writers, and producers.
Cards: Billing term indicating a performer's screen credit will appear on screen for a set time, not displayed in a crawl.
Cast Contingent: Term used by executives indicating a project will be approved/financed for production only if an acceptable cast can be found.
Casting Assistant (Casting Coordinator): Individual in a casting office responsible for scheduling, filing, phone calls, and other miscellaneous duties.
Casting Associate: Position between casting assistant and casting director, potentially auditioning actors, giving callbacks, negotiating deals, and other related tasks.
Casting Director: Individual(s) hired by a network, studio, or production company to locate, present, and negotiate for principal talent.
Casting Society of America (CSA): Organization of professional film, TV, and theatre casting directors, requiring two years of online casting experience, dues, and recommendations (offices in NY & LA).
Check Authorization ("Check Autho"): Legal form filled out by an actor at the request of their agent/manager authorizing production companies to send paychecks to the agent/manager instead of the performer's address.
Chemistry Read: Additional audition step where an actor reads with a star or another actor for producers to evaluate "chemistry".
Closed: Term signifying a performer's negotiation process has completed.
Continuity: On-going record of scenes shot and how actors may have deviated from the original, maintained by the script supervisor.
Co-Star: A role with significant screen-time but not one of the leading roles.
Crawl: List of cast and crew names appearing in a fast scroll on screen at the end of the production.
Credits: Listing of film, TV, and theatre projects an actor has worked on.
Day Player: An actor hired on a daily basis instead of a weekly contract.
Deal Memo: An outline of deal points negotiated on behalf of an actor.
Development Deal: An agreement to develop a project around an artist, negotiated when executives are impressed with an actor's talent and willing to create a project specifically for them.
End Titles: A performer's screen credit that appears during the closing credits.
Episodic: A segment in a television series that is broadcast weekly.
Executive Callback (Studio Reading): Audition for a series regular role in a pilot where studio executives must approve the actor before they can test for network executives.
Favored Nations: Contractual term stating that a certain deal point, like salary or dressing room type, in an actor's contract shall be equal to all other performers hired.
Feature Film: Comedic/dramatic project shot on film for theatrical exhibition or DVD release, usually 90 minutes to 1 ½ hours in length.
Financial Core ("Fi-Core"): Individuals become Fee Paying Non-Members (FPNM) of SAG, unable to represent themselves as members on headshots, résumés, etc.
General Interview: Actor's meeting with a casting director, producer, or agent/manager where no audition takes place, often for introductory purposes.
Guaranteed Days: The number of days a performer is guaranteed to be employed/paid during a project.
Guest Star: Actor who is not a series regular, but is hired on a weekly contract to play a large role or name-value cameo on an episodic television project.
Headshot (8x10): An 8” x 10” color or black-and-white photograph of an actor, often printed on photo paper or lithographically.
Industrial: A project filmed under the SAG Industrial Agreement, not intended for theatrical distribution or TV broadcast, but for education, instruction, training, or information.
Location/ On-Location: Locale of a film/TV/commercial shoot when the day's work is not shot in a studio or soundstage.
Local Hire: An actor hired locally when a project is on location, often living in the area and not eligible for contracted benefits of a performer traveling for overnight employment.
Low Budget Feature: A feature film with a budget of $2 million or less, produced under the SAG Low Budget Agreement.
Main Titles: The first appearance of a screen credit following the title of the project.
Mini-Series: Dramatic film project made for TV exceeding 2 hours in length and shown over at least 2 nights, not part of the weekly schedule.
Movie-of-the-Week (MOW): Feature length film made for TV shown as a special presentation, not regularly scheduled.
Name Actor: Recognizable performer whose presence in a project ensures substantial box office revenue, overseas sales, or TV ratings.
Network Test: Final stage in the audition process for series regular roles on TV pilots or programs, a reading before network executives that determine casting.
Non-Consecutive Looping Days (NCL Days): Number of days negotiated by an agent where producers can use an actor for ADR without additional costs, but these days cannot be used all in a row, at least one day must separate their use.
Non-Union: Indicates that a performer is not a member of SAG/AFTRA/AEA.
No Quote: Indicates a performer has worked for less than their quoted rate.
Offer Only: States an actor will not audition for a role, but will consider working on the project depending on an equitable deal.
On-or-About (O/A): References work start dates, stating producers are permitted to start an actor on the date specified or within one day in either direction.
Open Call/ Cattle Call: A large-scale audition where all professional or amateur actors are encouraged to attend, often through trade papers or popular press.
Passing: An actor's decision not to audition or accept employment for a project.
Pay or Play: Contractual term referring to the right of an artist to be paid for all guaranteed days or weeks of employment, whether they have worked or not.
Per Diem: Amount paid to an actor for each day they are required to be out of town to work on a project, including travel days, meant to cover meals and expenses.
Personal Manager: Individual or company who represents actors in all areas of their careers, usually working in conjunction with the actor's agent.
Photo Approval: Right of an artist to accept or reject publicity photos.
Pilot: The first produced episode of a proposed TV series from which network executives decide if the series will be place on the schedule, "picked up".
Pitch: Verbal presentation where an agent/manager notes an actor's qualifications to have them meet a casting director or producer.
Pre-Read: First audition for a TV/film project with a casting director or associate.
Producer: Individual within a network/studio/production company who oversees financial and/or creative aspects of a film/TV/commercial/stage production.
Production Company: Company that has developed and produced a film/TV or stage production, responsible for all aspects of production, including pay.
Publicist: Hired by actors, responsible for keeping them in the public eye.
Put-on-Tape: When an actor's audition is videotaped by casting directors for evaluation and casting by producers/directors.
Quote: Brief summary of the major deal point of an actor's last job, series, or network test on which casting directors base their offer.
Reader: Individual hired/asked (seldom paid) to read with auditioning actors so casting directors can focus on the actors.
Recurring Character: A character in a TV series appearing in multiple episodes, usually performed by the same actor, but not a series regular..
Résumé Complete list of an actor's film, TV, stage, and commercial credits, as well as special skills, union affiliations, and agent/contact information.
SAG (Screen Actors Guild): Union ensuring fair working conditions, salaries, and benefits for the most films, TV projects, and commercials.
SAG Deferred Agreement: Agreement where actors work for free and are only paid if the film is sold.
SAG Low Budget Agreement: Agreement covering films with a budget of $2 million or less, allowing lower minimum pay for union actors.
Scale: Minimum salary payable to a union actor under union rules.
Scale + 10: Minimum salary payable to a union actor under union rules plus an additional 10% for the performer's agent.
Schedule F: SAG agreement allowing producers to ask for an actor's additional services without incurring additional costs.
Screen Test: On-camera audition with full make-up and costume, occurring when an actor is being considered for a major role in a feature film/mini-series/MOW, etc.
Script Revisions: Color-coded pages of a film/TV/stage play indicating changes from the original.
Separate Card: Billing term indicating a performer's name will be the only one on-screen at that moment in the credits.
Series: Episodic television project airing once or more per week.
Series Regular: An actor appearing in most or all episodes of a series.
Shared Card: Billing term indicating a performer's screen credit will appear with one or more other performers at the same time.
Short Film: Film project whose entire length is 30 minutes or less.
Side-Pocket/Hip-Pocket Client: Any actor not signed with a union-franchised talent agent but unofficially represented and submitted on projects by that agency, usually occurring when the agent wants to evaluate the talent before signing them.
Sides: Set number of pages selected from a script for an actor to read during an audition.
Situation Comedy/ Sitcom: Half-hour or hour-long television series where comedy is derived from established characters in different situations each week.
Sketch Comedy: TV or theatre project where comedy is derived from a repertory troupe of actors portraying various characters in short scenes.
Spiking the Lens: Looking directly into the camera lens, potentially breaking the fourth wall and acknowleding the camera, to be done only if directed.
Stack the Session: When casting directors schedule two or four actor auditions every fifteen minutes to minimize downtime for casting.
Stand-In: Person hired to "stand in place" of a principal actor while rehearsing on a set or setting up a shot, often looking like them.
Straight-to-Producers: Term used when an actor auditions for the producer and director without pre-reading for the casting director beforehand.
Stunt Cast: Indicates that production executives intend to hire an established star for a co-starring or cameo role to boost TV ratings.
Submissions: Online or physical packages with information on an actor sent to casting by agents, managers, or actors themselves for consideration regarding a specific project.
Take: The uninterrupted running of a camera during filming; each take represents the next try an actor gets in a scene..
Taft-Hartley: Process by which a non-SAG/AFTRA actor can legally join the union if they are hired to work on a SAG project, requiring the casting director/producer to request this to the union, outlining that the performer is more qualified than any other available union actor.
Table Read: First reading of a script with all cast members/crew present.
Test Option Deal (TOD): Document used when an actor is in the final stages of consideration for a series regular role on a TV pilot or episodic series.
Thirteen On-the-Air: TV pilot which has received an order from the network for 13 episodes even before the pilot episode has filmed.
Top-of-Show: Minimum salary due and payable under SAG agreements to an actor performing a major (guest starring) role in an episodic television program; while being a union minimum, this is often the maximum producers will pay for a major role performer who is not a name-value.
Trades: Magazines/newspapers used by the entertainment industry to keep them updated on production deals, ratings, industry news, and some contain casting notices.
Travel Days: One day on either side of an actor's work start and finish days when they are required to travel outside of their local area of employment, paid per diem but not a salary unless paid travel days are negotiated.
Under 5: On-camera role with 5 or fewer lines of spoken dialogue.
Union Franchised: Talent agency sanctioned by applicable performers' unions and bound by their rules and regulations.
Voice-Over: Acting job where only the actor's voice is used in a production off-camera.
Wardrobe Fee: Amount an actor is paid if they wear their own wardrobe on-camera.
Weekly Player: Actor hired to work for at least 5 consecutive days on-set.
Work Stop Date: Date in which production is not allowed to work an actor after.
Wrapped: At the end of a shooting day, "It's a wrap!" is called to signal shooting is finished, used at the end of a film/TV shoot to signal its completion.
Wrap Party: Party for the cast and crew of a film/TV show once it has "wrapped".