Actor's Glossary of Industry Terms PDF
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This document is a glossary of industry terms relevant to actors in the film and television industry. It details terms such as ADR, AEA, and AFTRA, and many more. It is useful to actors in understanding the industry.
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An Actor’s Glossary of Industry Terms: bove the Title Credit: Performer’s screen credit/billing appearing before title of the film A or project; usually reserved for stars whose names draw and audience DR (Additional Dialogue Required): Rerecording of an artist’...
An Actor’s Glossary of Industry Terms: bove the Title Credit: Performer’s screen credit/billing appearing before title of the film A or project; usually reserved for stars whose names draw and audience DR (Additional Dialogue Required): Rerecording of an artist’s dialogue after filming A has been completed; also known as “looping” EA (Actors Equity Association): Performers’ union which ensures fair working A conditions, salaries and benefits in professional theatre productions FTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists): Performers’ union which A ensures fair working conditions, salaries and benefits in soap operas, TV newscasts, commercials, recordings and radio projects GVA (American Guild of Variety Artists): Performers’ union which ensures fair A working conditions, salaries and benefits in areas not covered by SAG, AFTRA or AEA, including non-broadcast cabaret shows, circuses, and stand-up comedy djustment (also known as Direction): A directorial note given to an actor during the A audition process from a casting director, producer, director or writer. gent: Person who represents actors commercially/theatrically or both and takes a A percentage (usually 10%) of the actor’s earnings and is franchised by applicable union tmosphere (also known as Background): A group of actors who acts as extras on a A project; receive lesser pay and often have no lines or close-up time on-screen t Producer’s Discretion: Term included in contracts that indicates that a specific detail A shall be determined solely by the producer at a later date vailabilities/”On-Avail”: Process by which a casting director checks to see if an actor is A available and/or interested in a role and is not otherwise booked; is not guarantee of a job Billing: An on-screen credit for an actor or member of a film/TV crew/technician lind Submission: When an actor sends a headshot/resume to a casting director, B agent, manager, director or producer without any prior contact reakdown: A brief synopsis of the plot, characters and production information of a B given play, series, episode, film or MOW released by casting directors and distributed to union franchised talent agencies through Breakdown Services, Inc. Cameo: A brief appearance (usually by a celebrity) in a TV show or feature film allback (also known as Producer’s Session): A 2ndor 3rdaudition (usually following a C pre-read) at which the director, producers and writers are present 17 ards: Billing term that designates that a performers’ screen credit shall not roll by in C a crawl, but shall appear on screen for a certain amount of time ast Contingent: Term used by executives to indicate that the proposed project will be C approved/financed for production only if an acceptable cast can be found asting Assistant (also known as Casting Coordinator): Individual in a casting office C responsible for scheduling, filing, fielding phone calls and other misc. duties asting Associate: Position between casting assistant and casting director; may audition C actors, give callbacks, negotiate deals, schedule auditions, field calls etc. asting Director: Individual(s) hired by a network, studio and/or production company to C locate, present and negotiate for the services of principal talent asting Society of America (C.S.A.): An organization of professional film, TV and C theatre casting directors; membership is acquired by earning two years of online casting experience, payment of dues, and recommendations (has offices located in NY & LA) heck Authorization/”Check Autho”: A legal form that an actor fills out at the request of C their agent and/or manager authorizing production companies to send the actors’ paychecks to agent and/or manager as opposed to the performer’s home address Chemistry Read: Additional step in the audition process where an actor is asked to r ead with the “star” or another actor so that producers can evaluate “chemistry” Closed: Term that indicates that an actor’s negotiation process has completed ontinuity: The on-going maintenance of a record of scenes shot and how actors C may have deviated from the original script; done by the script supervisor on a set Co-Star: A role that has significant screen-time but is not one of the leading roles rawl: List of cast and crew names credited with participation on a TV/film project, C usually appearing on-screen at the end of the presentation (very quickly, ironically) Credits: Listing of film, TV and theatre projects on which an actor has worked Day Player: An actor hired on a daily basis rather than on a weekly contract Deal Memo: An outline of deal points negotiated on behalf of an actor’s services Development Deal: An agreement to develop a project around an artist’s talent; egotiated when executives are impressed with an actor’s ability and are willing to create n a project specifically for that actor and removes that actor from the market nd Titles: A performer’s screen credit that appears during the closing credits E Episodic: A segment in a television series that is broadcast on a weekly basis xecutive Callback (also known as a Studio Reading): An audition for a series regular E role in a pilot at which studio executives are present and must approve each actor who is auditioning before that actor tests for the network executives. avored Nations: Contractual term stating that a certain deal point (i.e.: salary, dressing F rooms) in an actor’s contract shall be equal to all other performers hired eature Film: Comedic/dramatic project which is shot on film to exhibit in movie F theatres and/or to be released on DVD; standard length is 90 minutes/1 ½ hours inancial Core: Turning “Fi-Core” (FPNM) means individuals become Fee Paying Non F Members of SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and can NOT represent themselves as SAG members on their headshots, résumés, electronic submissions or websites etc. eneral Interview: Actor’s meeting with a casting director, producer or an G agent/manager in which no audition takes place, often for introductory purposes. uaranteed Days: Number of days which a performer is guaranteed to be G employed/paid in a project uest Star: Actor who is not a series regular but is hired on a weekly contract to play G a large role or name-value cameo on an episodic television project/series. eadshot (also known as 8 x 10): An 8” x 10” color or black-and-white photograph of an H actor; often printed on photo paper or lithographically Industrial: A project filmed under the SAG Industrial Agreement which is not produced for theatrical distribution or TV broadcast, rather it is produced as a tool for education, instruction, training, and information or as an interactive format. ocation/ On-Location/: Locale of a film/TV/commercial shoot when that day’s work is L not filmed in a studio or a soundstage; all actors and crew report there ocal Hire: An actor that is hired locally when a film/TV project is on-location; often the L performer lives in the area of the production and would not receive the contractual benefits of a performer traveling to the location on an overnight employment contract ow Budget Feature: Feature film with a budget of $2 million or less and produced under L the SAG Low Budget Agreement Main Titles: First appearance of any screen credit following the title of the project Mini-Series: Usually a dramatic film project made for TV which exceeds 2 hours in length, is not part of the weekly schedule and is shown over at least 2 nights ovie-of-the-Week (MOW): Feature length film made for TV that is shown as a special M presentation and is not slated to appear regularly on a network schedule ame-Actor: Recognizable performer whose presence in a film/TV project N ensures significant box office revenues, overseas sales or television rating etwork Test: Final stage in the audition process for series regular roles on TV pilots N or programs; a reading before network executives that determines casting onconsecutive Looping Days (NCL Days): Number of days negotiated by agent that N producers may us the artist for ADR without incurring additional costs; these days may not be used all in row-at least 1 day must separate the use of a NCL Non-Union: Designates that a performer is not a member of SAG/AFTRA/AEA No Quote: Designates that a performer has worked for less than their quotedrate ffer Only: States that an actor will not audition for a role but will consider work on the O project pending an equitable deal n-or-About (O/A): References work start dates on a project, stating that producers are O permitted to start an actor either on a specified date or within 1 day if that date in either direction (i.e.: if work starts o/a 8/11/12, it could mean actor works on 8/10/12 or 8/13/12) pen Call/Cattle Call: A large-scale audition where, through trade papers or popular O press, all professional and/or amateur actors are encouraged to attend Passing: Decision of an actor not to audition or accept employment for a project ay or Play: Contractual term referring to an artist’s right to be paid for all guaranteed P days or weeks of employment whether they have worked or not er Diem: Amount paid to an actor for each day that they are required to be out of town P to work on a project, including travel days; meant to cover meals/expenses ersonal Manager: An individual or company who represents actors in all areas of their P careers and usually works in conjunction with the actor’s agent through the submission, negotiation and/or scheduling process and takes a percentage (usually 15-20%) of the actor’s earnings both theatrically or commercially etc. Photo Approval: The right of an artist to accept/reject publicity photo/photos ilot: The first produced episode of a proposed TV series from which network P executives decide if the series will be placed on the network schedule (“picked up”) Pitch: Verbal presentation when an agent/manager notes an actor’s qualifications in an attempt to have their client met by a casting director or producer for project Pre-Read: A first audition for a TV/film project for a casting director or associate roducer: Individual within a network/studio/production company who oversees P financial and/or creative aspects of a film/TV/commercial/stage production roduction Company: A company which has developed and produced a film/TV or stage P production and is responsible for all aspects of production, including pay ublicist: Hired by actors and is responsible for keeping the actor’s name and face in P the public eye by arranging print, TV interviews and/or personal appearances ut-on-Tape: When an actor’s audition is videotaped by casting directors and is shown P to producers and/or directors for evaluation and casting purposes uote: A brief summary of the major deal point of an actor’s last job, series or Q network test upon which casting directors base their current offer to an actor eader: An individual hired/asked (though seldom paid) to read with auditioning actors R so that casting directors can give their entire attention to auditioning actors ecurring Character: A character in a TV series that is not a series regular but appears R in multiple episodes and is usually performed by the same actor ésumé: A complete list of an actor’s film, TV, stage and commercial credits as well R as any special skills/abilities, union affiliations and agent/contact information AG (Screen Actors Guild): Performers’ union which ensures fair working conditions, S salaries and benefits in the most films, TV projects and commercials AG Deferred Agreement: An agreement through the Screen Actors Guild that defers S pay, meaning the actors work for free and only get paid if the film is sold AG Low Budget Agreement: An agreement through the Screen Actors Guild S covering films with a budget of $2 million or less, allowing a lower minimum pay than is used in regular SAG feature film contracts for the use of union actors Scale: Minimum salary payable to a union actor under union rules cale + 10: Minimum salary payable to a union actor under union rules plus an S additional 10% as a commission for the performer’s agent chedule F: Schedule under the SAG agreement that allows a producer to S negotiate additional services of an actor without incurring additional costs creen Test: An on-camera audition with full make-up and costume which occurs when S 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 which indicate that dialogue or stage directions have changed since the original pages were printed eparate Card: A billing term indicating that a performer’s name shall be the only name S to appear on-screen at that particular moment in the on-screen credits Series: An episodic television project which airs once or more per week Series Regular: An actor that appears in most or all of the episodes of a series Shared card: A billing term that indicates that a performer’s screen credit shall ppear with the names of one or more of the other performers at the same time a Short Film: A film project whose entire length is 30 minutes or less ide-Pocket/Hip-Pocket Client: Any actorwhohasnotsignedacontractwithaunion S franchised talent agent but who is unofficially representedandsubmittedonprojects by thatagency;usuallyoccurswhenagentwishestoevaluatetalentbefore“signing” them Sides: A set number of pages selected from script for an actor to read at audition ituation Comedy/Sitcom: Half-hour/one hour television series where comedy is S derived from a set of established characters in different situations each week ketch-Comedy: TV or theatre project in which comedy is derived from a troupe of S repertory actors portraying varied characters in a series of different short scenes Spiking the Lens: Looking directly into the camera lens, thereby breaking the “fourth all” and acknowledging the camera; should only be done if directed to w tack the Session: When casting directors schedule two or four actor auditions S every fifteen minutes in order to keep lapses of time at a minimum for casting tand-In: A person who is hired to literally “stand in place” of a principal actor (who often S looks like them) while rehearsing on a set and/or setting up a shot traight-to-Producers: Term used in casting when an actor auditions for the producer S 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 in order or boost the ratings of a television project ubmissions: Online or physical packages with information on an actor sent by S agents/managers/actors to casting for consideration regarding a certain project ake: Refers to the uninterrupted running of a camera while filming a film/TV or T commercial; each “take” delineates the “next try” that the actors get in each scene aft-Hartley: Process by which a non-SAG/AFTRA actor can legally join SAG/AFTRA if a T non-union actor is hired to work on a SAG project; the casting director/producer must r equest this to the union outlining that the performer is more qualified for the role than every other available union actor and then actor is permitted to work on the project as well as any non-union projects before joining the guild via dues/initiation payment Table Read: The first reading of a script with all cast members/crew present to read it estOptionDeal(TOD):Adocumentusedwhenanactorisinthefinalstagesof T consideration for a series regular role on a episodic series or TV pilot that has been negotiatedbetweenanactor’sagentandacastingdirectorandincludesall terms of employment for up to 5½ years; must be signed and approved by actor after testing for the pilot and then automatically serves as the actor’s contract upon being cast in the series hirteen On-the-Air: A TV pilot which has received an order from the network for 13 T episodes even before the pilot episode has been produced or filmed Top-of-Show: The minimum salary due and payable under SAG agreements to an actor ho is performing a major (guest Starring) role in an episodic television program; while w being a union minimum, top-of-show is very often the maximum producers will pay for a major role performer who is not of name-value rades: Magazines/newspapers used to by the entertainment industry to keep them T updated on ratings, production deals and industry news; some contain casting notices ravel Days: One day on either side of the actor’s work start and work finish dates T when the actor is required to travel outside of their local area of employment; an actor is paid per diem for these days but is not paid a salary unless paid travel days are negotiated Under 5: An on-camera role which has 5 or fewer lines of spoken dialogue nion Franchised: A talent agency sanctioned by applicable performers’ unions and U bound by said unions’ rules and regulations Voice-Over: An acting job where only the actor’s voice is used in a production off-camera Wardrobe Fee: Amount that an actor is paid if they wear their own wardrobe on-camera Weekly Player: An actor who is hired to work for a minimum of 5 consecutive days on-set Work-Stop Date: Date in which production is not allowed to work an actor after rapped: At the end of a day of shooting, “It’s a wrap!” is often called to signal that W shooting is finished; also called at the end of a film/TV shoot to signal it’s completion Wrap Party: A party for the cast and crew of a film/TV show once it has “wrapped” Copyright © Amanda Tepe/ACT II, Inc. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or distributed. 23
