GLOSSARY

A

Actors union: The Actor’s union is an organisation that represents actors, and works to protect their rights and interests in the entertainment industry.

Action: When someone calls Action, get ready to go. This is the Actors cue to start.

Actor notes: Actor notes are the directions or instructions given to the actor by the director regarding their character’s emotions and actions for a scene. Actor notes can also be the actor’s own notes regarding the character.

Auditions: An audition is the process of showcasing your acting abilities in front of Casting directors or production teams in order to be considered for an acting role.

B

Background Action: This is the cue for background extras to start if you are a background actor.

Background Talent: This is the name used for extras.

Backlot: Americanism. An open air part of the studio where sets can be constructed.

BECTU: Stands for the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematographic and Theatre Union. This is a Union that represents Supporting Artists.

Blonde: Type of light.

Blocking: This is when you are directed from one starting position to the end position and how you will move through that space. This gives the movement for a scene and is a form of rehearsal. This is referred to as Blocking a Shoot so you know where you’re going.

Bluescreen: Sometimes called Greenscreen or chroma-key. Filming takes place against a blue or green background. The background can then be replaced by a different location.

Body Cast: You may be asked to go to a body cast. A plaster cast will be made of part of your body or even your whole body.

Body shot: A photograph that captures your entire body, usually taken in addition to headshots to provide a full picture of your physical appearance. The costume dept often take Body Shots to ensure their costume fits.

Boom: A boom is the pole that the boom operator holds, attached to an overhead microphone.

Box office: Refers to the commercial success of a film, measured by the revenue generated from ticket sales.

Breakout role: A significant acting opportunity that brings recognition and launches an actor’s career.

Broken Lunch: An additional payment if you are not given a meal break within a set time. This may occur when you work through meal breaks on set.

Buy out: On certain jobs you may be offered a Buy Out of rights, instead of repeat fees.

C

Callback: A second audition or interview where selected actors are asked to return to further demonstrate their skills and suitability for a role. Often this is the last stage to showcase your acting skills and prove you are the right fit for the role.

Call Sheet: A daily report normally produced by the 2nd Assistant Director. This is distributed to the crew so that they know what is being filmed on that day.

Call Time: The time you must report to your given location. You must be on time.

Camera right and Camera left: Describes the view from the cameras point of view. If you are told to move camera left and you are facing the camera you would move to your right, and vice versa.

Check the Gate: Checking a part of the camera to ensure no unwanted objects such as hairs have gone across the lens.

Checking: Waiting on response from the control room

Chit/Voucher: Like food vouchers, this is the paperwork given to you when you arrive on location. You must get it signed before you leave set to ensure you get paid.

Cinematography: The art and technique of capturing images on film or digital media, including camera work, lighting, composition, and visual storytelling.

Clapperboard: Also called the slate. This is used to mark each take by number and help the editor co-ordinate and synchronise the audio and visual.

Close Up: A close up is a shot of a person close up, the camera would be only be focused on the head.

Closed set: A closed set is where only essential crew members are allowed during sensitive scenes, such as nudity or sex scenes. Only the essential crew members would be on set.

Cold Reading: An audition where actors are given a script to read with little or no time to prepare in advance.

Confirmed Booking: You got the gig! This is a firm commitment to work on this day. Do not take another job on that day.

Continuity: When filming a sequence over more than one day, or over multiple shots, it is essential that nothing changes to upset the continuity of the scene.

Continuous working day / night: Filming through the day or night where you are not given a meal break, but a running buffet is provided while filming continues.

Corpsing: Got the giggles? This is when an actor succumbs to uncontrollable laughter during a serious scene, disrupting the filming process.

Costume Fitting: You may need to have a costume fitted before filming. You may be measured if a custom costume is required. You may also be asked to go to a wig or prosthetics fitting if they are going to change your appearance.

Craft Services also known as Unit: Tea, coffee, beverages and water station.

Crane Shot: The camera may pan up at great height. A crane is used to lift the camera into the air and is called a crane shot.

Credit: Acknowledgment of an actor’s contribution in the form of credits on screen or in print.

Crowd Base: When arriving on set if you are part of the background extras or extras or part of a crowd you will all congregate here.

Cue: An action, signal or linen that lets you know its time  for another actor to speak or perform a specific action.

Cut: The director calls this out and its your cue to stop. You will then often be asked to return to your first positions.

D

De-roling: A technique used by actors to mentally and physically detach themselves from the character after a performance

Dining Bus: A lunch room or holding Area.

DOOD (Day Out Of Days): A document that lists specific dates an actor is scheduled to work on a project.

E

Easter Eggs: Subtle or hidden messages/references within a film. Giving extra clues.

Edge of Frame: Frame of film where the camera sees.

Equity: A union that represents actors and artistes.

Establisher Shot: A general view of any location or building.

Exclusivity: A clause in a contract that limits the actor from taking part in any other work during a certain time frame.

Eye line: The direction you are required to look in a shot.

F

FAA: Film Artistes Association. Part of BECTU

Fat suit: A costume or prop designed to simulate being overweight.

Featured Artiste: Another name for an actor.

Fight choreography: The planned and coordinated movements and actions in fight scenes, ensuring the safety of the actors involved.

Film noir: A genre of film characterised by its dark and moody visual style, often featuring crime, mystery, and suspense. Think Hitchcock.

Finals/Final Checks: Hair and make-ups last chance to get everything right before filming starts.

First Positions: Sometimes referred to as Number Ones. You will be given a starting position for each take of a scene.

Foley stage: A room or studio where the sound effects for a film is recorded and created.

From The Top: To start from the beginning.

G

Gel: A coloured piece of plastic/gel to change a lights colour.

Going again: Repeating the scene again.

Green room: A designated area for actors to wait between scenes.

H

Hair and Makeup ready: The actors are ready to shoot as all hair and make up is good to go.

Headshot: Professional photographs of an actor’s face, typically used for casting purposes and to give casting directors an idea of an actor’s appearance.

Hold the Red: Another take is about to happen.

Holding Area: Similar to Crowd Base. The place where talent are waiting before a shoot.

Honey Wagon: The toilet/the loo/the bathroom.

House: Refers to the audience seating area in a theatre.

I

Insert: Close-Ups of importance. e.g. a hand picking up a gun.

Italian run: This is a technique where lines are read as quickly as possible to check if there are any weak spots when the actors have maybe had struggles in memorising the lines.

It’s a buy: The scene is complete and correct and they can move on to the next shot.

L

Lead role: The main or central character in a play, movie, or TV show.

Location: Not filming at a specific studio? Filming outside of the production office or its normal location. IE Lord of the Rings filmed in numerous locations around New Zealand.

Long Shot: Full-length shot with some of the background.

Lookbook: A collection of images used by directors to show the desired look, feel, and vision of a film or project, sometimes used by casting directors to find actors with specific appearance characteristics.

M

Mark: Marks a position, so you can move to it. This is sometimes tape stuck to the floor so you know your starting position.

Masking: Obscuring the vision for the camera

Master Shot: Wide shot that covers the main action throughout.

Method Acting: A technique emphasising emotional authenticity by immersing oneself in the character’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Mid Shot: Shot of the top half of the body.

Monologue: A solo performance where an actor delivers a speech or dialogue from a play, film, or other source.

Montage: A sequence of quick shots to create a specific effect or convey a story and sometimes this is put to music.

More Level: You can’t be heard so you need to speak up.

Moving on: Time to move to the next shot.

Multi-episodic: An additional payment paid under some Equity agreements if more than one episode of a production are recorded in one day.

N

Nightshoot: Filming through the night. No set hours but could start as early as 4pm and finish as late as 7am.

O

Off-book: The actor knows their lines inside out, upside down, and backwards and no longer needs to use their script.

Open Castings: Auditions or casting calls that are open to anyone, usually posted online or circulated on social media.

P

Pan: The camera moves from left to right, or right to left.

‘Pay or Play’: A term in contracts ensuring actors are paid their negotiated fee regardless of whether they are used in the final production.

Pencilled Booking: A provisional booking, yet to be confirmed. Sometimes you may be given a heavy pencil. This is more likely to happen but still not confirmed.

Perpetuity clause: A contractual provision granting the advertiser the right to use an actor’s image indefinitely.

Pick Up: This may be shot by second unit and is a small part of a scene which has been missed or needs to be reshot.d

Plot: The sequence of events and storyline in a movie or television show.

Post-production: The last part of the film making process. This involves editing, sound design, visual effects etc.

Pre-production: Everything that happens at the beginning of a production from getting crew, cast, locations etc

Premiere: The first public screening or opening of a show.

Production Office: The main office used by all the production staff.

Prompter: An individual positioned offstage who helps actors with their lines if they forget them during a performance.

Prop: This can be any object you may be given in addition to your costume that is movable, such as a handbag, phone, sword etc.

Prosthetic: An artificial body part, applied in the make-up dept.

R

Read Through: This is where the actors of the scene read through it without any action.

Realism: The portrayal of events, characters, and settings in a way that appears true to life.

Recording: Filming is taking place and red light goes on above doors of studio when recording – don’t go in until the red light goes off.

Red Light and Bell: A red light and bell will be sounded (usually in a studio) before filming is about to happen. Also, Save the Red, marked by two bells, means filming has stopped.

Redhead: A type of light.

Rehearsal: This is when you rehearse a scene.

Repeat Fee: Featured artistes sometimes receive a fee every time something is shown.

Reset: Moving the camera to a different position.

Residual payment: Additional compensation actors receive for reruns or repeat showings of movies or television shows.

Reverse Shot: A 180-degree angle from the last position of the camera.

Roll it/ Rolling/Roll Camera: Said to the sound and film crew to start machines rolling.

Running lines: Here the actors will rehearse their lines to practise the timing, emotion, delivery etc.

Rushes: A first look at what has been filmed on a given day.

S

Safe: If an AD tells you ‘you’re not safe’ it usually means that you could be in shot (in the background of the filming taking place).

Scene: A sequence of events or actions that take place in a play, movie, or television show, typically in a specific location.

Screen Credit: Acknowledgment of an actor’s name in the credits of a film or television show.

Second Unit: Usually a smaller crew not part of the main unit that is used to shoot inserts or pick ups.

Self-tape: Refers to an audition where actors record themselves performing a scene and submit it electronically.

Set: Where filming is taking place.

Sides: These are the days scenes that will be given to you when you arrive on set. Also this could be a set of scenes given to you at an audition.

Shoot: Filming or Film

Showcase: A performance or presentation, usually held by drama schools, to showcase the talents of graduating students to agents or industry professionals.

Showreel: Every actor needs one of these. Usually a short 3 minute video showing a selection of your best acting. This is where you showcase your abilities to casting directors and agents showing your versatility as an actor.

Sign In / Out: Sign your name on a form with the AD to prove that you turned up, did the work and finished – this is used to work out your wages.

Signed Off: You have your chit/Voucher signed by an AD and you are free to leave

Slating: Introducing oneself on camera by stating name, height, agency, and any other required information. Can also be done at the start of a scene to keep track of the takes.

Soundstage: At the studios an enclosed space where the set is built.

Special FX: Special effects can be anything used in shot such as fire, wind, rain or snow.

Speed: The Camera has reached its required speed.

Splicing: Cutting and joining different parts of footage together during the editing process.

Split Day: A shifted day in hours. For example a mid-morning start and a late evening finish. Pay is still a standard day.

Squib: This is an explosive charge to create the effect of a bullet or small explosion and may be filled with fake blood to show you have been shot.

Stand By: This is a warning that filming is about to commence.

Steadicam: A harness that allows the camera to be attached to a camera operator. This reduces or eliminates the unsteadiness of the motion by the operator.

Storyboard: A visual representation of a film or video project, consisting of a sequence of drawings or images that outline the planned shots and camera angles.

T

Table reads: This is where the entire group of actors for a film or show sit around a huge table and read through the whole film or show.

Take: Filming of a particular sequence. This will be repeated until the director is happy.

Tilt: The camera moves either up or down.

Title card: A screen or graphic displayed at the beginning of a showreel, containing the actor’s name and other relevant information.

Tracking Shot or Dolly: The camera moves smoothly forwards or backwards by running on tracks.

Tripod: A three-legged stand used to stabilise the camera during filming.

Turnaround: The required period of rest between shooting times for actors.

Turning Over/Turning: This means the camera is about to roll.

Two Beats: Count to two before speaking.

U

Unit Base: This is where the production team will base itself on any given day when on location.

W

Wild Track: A recording of atmospheric sound.

World-wide usage clause: A contractual provision allowing the advertiser to use an actor’s advertisement globally without additional compensation.

Wrap: This indicates the end of the filming day and also the end of the entire shoot.