Above the Line
A budgetary term for movies and TV. The line refers to money budgeted for creative talent, such as actors, writers, director and producers.

Action
The command from the director for the scene to begin.

Ad Lib
Term used when an actor creates dialogue beyond what is in the prepared script.

Agency
The term for a company formed by one or more agents.

Agent
A negotiator between talent/models and the companies hiring them. Agents are responsible for the business dealing of actors, directors, musicians and many other types of artist. Agents help their clients find jobs and negotiate contracts on their behalf, for which they receive a percentage of their clients' earnings (commission).

Avail
A courtesy extended by a performer or agent to a producer indicating availability to work a certain job. Avails have no legal or contractual status.

Back to One
The verbal cue for performers to return to the mark where they started the scene.

Background
Background performers; also know as extras. when "background!" is called on the set, this is the cue for the extras to begin their action.

Beauty Shot
A close-up shot of part or all of the face. This kind od photo is usually used in cosmetics print ads and magazine editorials about skin care products, make-up products, etc.

Bellow the Line
A budgetary term for movies and TV, referring to production costs, including production manage, cinematograph, editor and crew members such as gaffers, grips, set designers., make up etc.

Blue Screen
Some scenes will be shot indoor with a blue or greenish backdrop. This backdrop allows a background scene to be superimposed later on the final image.

Book
Noun: The same as portfolio; a binder for the presentation of the model's photographs.
Verb: the process whereby the client agrees to retain the services of a particular model.

Booker
An agency employee who sets appointments for talent/models.

Booking
A job assignment.

Boom
An overhead microphone, usually mounted on a pole and controlled by a boom operator.

Breakdown Service
A listing provided to agencies by movie, film, television and stage project. The list details the roles being cast in a specific production. Agents use this list to match their clients to a project's needs.

Call
An appointment, interview or audition.

Call Sheet
The notice that goes out to all people involved in a photo or commercial shoot that gives the details of the shoots, including time, location and other requirements.

Call Time
The time an actor is due on the set or a model is due at a shoot.

Callback
A second round of auditions. A casting director will "call back" a limited number of actors for a second audition, narrowing the pool of people being considered for a role

Cast
Collective term referring to the actors appearing in a television, film or theater production.

Casting
The process of hiring the necessary actors for a production.

Casting Director
The person in charge of selecting suitable actors for roles in a production. Casting directors serve as the liaison between the directors, the actors and their agents. Casting directors also negotiate deals with agents once the actors have been cast.

Catalog Modeling
Modeling for photographs which will be used in catalogs produced by a manufacturer or distributor to sell clothing or other items.

Character Actor
An actor who specialize in portraying a unique, quirky or offbeat character type, often humorous or stereotypical.

Character Model
A model who, while not necessarily a classic beauty, has strong or interesting facial features and selling attributes for specific products.

Choreographer
A person who plans and directs dance sequences.

Cold Reading
Reading a script for the first time in front of a client, without having had time to prepare or memorize lines.

Commercial
Promotional advertisement that appears on television on the radio or print media.

Commission
The percentage of a model or actor's earning collected by their agent.

Composite Card (or Comp Card)
A grouping of 3-5 photos of a model on one sheet which includes the model's statistics and sometimes biographical information. Used for promotional purposes. The photos should include at least one headshot and show poses which highlight the model's best features.

Concept
A statement that summarizes a screenplay or teleplay, before the outline or treatment is written.

Contact Sheet
A page which shows several espoused from the same role of film.

Cover Letter
A brief descriptive letter sent with photographs submitted to an agent.

Curriculum Vitae
Short account of one's career or qualifications, like resume. Also called vitae or CV.

D Person
Development person. Includes readers and story editors through creative executives who work in development and acquisition of properties for TV and movies.

Day Player or Day Performer
A principal performer hired on a daily basis rather than on a longer-term contract.

Day Rate
The fee that a model receive for a single booking that lasts the entire day.

Demo Reel
A video tape containing clips of an actor from several different jobs. A demo reel should show an actor's abilities in a range of situations (or their expertise in one role/type of production, if they specialize). Beginners with limited experience need not worry about compiling a demo reel.

Demonstrator
A model who demonstrates the use of a product at a trade show, convention or store location.

Docudrama
A fictional film rendition of recent news making event or people.

Double
This refers to an actor who stands in for another actor in a scene or scenes. Most commonly used are stunt doubles, for dangerous scenes, and body double, for scenes requiring nudity.

Dubbing
Combining multiple sound components in post production. This term may also mean replacing dialogue in another language for foreign distribution or the use of a singing voice.

Editorial Print
Editorial print work involves photographs used to compliment the story line of an article in a magazine.

Episodic Drama
Hour long continuing TV show.

Equity
Commonly used shorthand for the Actor's Equity Association (AES)

Extra
An actor who has no speaking line. These roles are typically cast to "fill the background" of a scene. Extra roles are valuable for beginners who need to familiarize themselves with the working set.

Fashion Modeling
The modeling of clothes where the clothing is the central focus of the photos, not the model. Fashion models must meet size and height requirements to properly display clothing in runway shows and fashion layouts.

Figure Modeling
This is a form of nude modeling normally used for art rather than glamour.

Fit Models
Clothing manufactures use fit models to test the sizing of sample garments. Fit models must match the company's predetermined sample size exactly.

Foley
The process of recreating sound effects, such as footsteps, door slamming, furniture breaking, to match the visual action of a movie. A practitioner is called a Foley artist.

Franchised
Term used to describe an agent who has agreed to abide by the regulations set up by a specific union.

Glamour Modeling
A broad term for modeling where the model's appearance, rather than the attire or product, is the central focus.

Go-see
Similar to an audience; describes a model visiting a client to investigate what a particular assignment entails.

Golden Time
If filming requires an extra to work more than 16 hours in one day, each hour after the 16 is considered golden time and is pain in units of one full day per hour.

Hairstylist
The person who creates and maintains actors' and models' hairstyles during filming/shooting.

Hardtop
A slang term referring to an indoor movie theater.

Headshot
A black and white photograph showing and actor or model's head and shoulder. The standard size for a headshot is 8x10. Actors will typically staple or glue their resume to the back of their headshots.

Headsheet or Headbook
The sheet, poster or book of models' headshots an agent send to a prospective client interested in using one of their models.

Industrial
This term covers most non-broadcast film productions, from educational films to sales promotions.

IRC
International Reply Coupon, available at U.S. Post Office. Enclose IRCs with material sent outside your country o cover the sot of return postage.

Junior Model
Models with a young look or who wear junior sizes; typical measurements for junior model is usually junior size 7 and about 105 pounds.

Lead Role
the most important role in a film; often differentiated as male lead or female lead.

Long Line
A one-line description of a plot as it might appear in TV Guide.

Long-form TV
Movies of the Week or miniseries.

Make-up artist
The person who applies and change make-up for photo sessions and film sets.

Meet and Greet
A first meeting with a client where a model is out auditioning for a specific assignment. This is done for introductory purposes, in the hope that the client will consider the model for future assignment.

MFTS
Made for TV series. A series developed for television. See also episodes.

Miniseries
A limited dramatic series written for television, often based upon a popular novel.

Model Release
A contract the model sign which gives the client permission to use their photograph.

MOS (Mit Out Sound/Motion Only Shot)
A scene recorded on film without sound. Dialogue and sound effects are dubbed in later.

MOW
Movie of the week.

Open Call
Casting when the client sees all models suitable for the type requested.

Ozoner
A slang term referring to a drive-in theater

Parts Model
Parts models are used for shoots which require photographs of a specific body part, not photographs of the whole person. An example is a model whose hands are photographed for a jewelry advertisement featuring rings.

Per Diem
A payment given to a model who travels to cover daily expenses.

Pickups
Movies that have been made by one studio but which are later acquired by a second studio.

Pipeline
A listing or schedule of movie projects in some stage of production.

Pixelation
A variation on stop motion animation where actors, instead of the typical dolls or other inanimate objects, are filmed.

Portfolio
A collection of photos that depict a model in several "looks". Portfolios also typically include tearsheets of previous modeling jobs and can de bound in a leather or vinyl book.

Post-production
The period after filming of a movie when scenes are edited together and sound effects are added.

Pre-production
Task completed before filming of a movie begins, such as casting, set design and wardrobe selection.

Principal
The main performer(s) in a film or television production. Unions have specific definitions as to what constitutes a principal actor.

Proof
An intermediate stage of photos development. Proof are often used to determine which photos are best suited for the job.

Reel
See Demo Reel

Residuals
A payment made to talent or models for subsequent use of a material after its initial release.

Resume
This is an informational listing of the work that a model or actor has done to date. Established/experienced models and actor will include only highlights on their resumes.

Right-to-work State
In a right-to-work state, actors who have not joined a union may do both union and nonunion work. Companies cannot refuse to hire an actor because they do not belong to a union or do not want to join a union. This does not mean that a union actor in one of these states may do both union and nonunion work; union actors must still abide by union rules. The right-to-work stare are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.

Room Tone
The sound present in a set or on-site location when no action is talking place. This natural "silence'-which may include low-level background noise- is typically recorded for reference purposes, should the sound editor need to create a period of silence in post-production.

Runaway Modeling
Live modeling on a stage or walkway where clothing is central focus of the show.

SASE
Self-addressed, stamped envelope; should be included with all correspondence.

Scale
Scale wage is the minimum wage set by the applicable union.

Screen Test
This is a type of audition during which an actor will be filming performing a particular role, often not on the set or in proper wardrobe or makeup.

Screenplay
A script written to be produced as a movie.

Script
Broad term covering teleplay, screenplay or stage play.

Set
The physical surroundings in a scene, such as living room or an opera field.

Shoot
Photography session.

Sides
A portion of a script given to an actor to read at an audition.

Singing Voice
This term refers to the person who performs an actor's vocal parts. This is done in the dubbing process in post-production.

Sitcom
Situation comedy. Episodic comedy script for a television series. The term comes from the characters dealing with often uncomfortable or embarrassing situations with humorous results.

Slapstick Comedy
A comedy in which humor is created by physical action, often exaggerated violence that is ultimately harmless, and example is the Three Stooges.

Slate
The chalkboard and clapper device, often electronic, which is used to identify each shot for editing purposes. Also refers to an actor verbally identifying themselves for a taped audition (you might hear the phrase "slate your name")

Soundstage
Large indoor areas where sets are constructed.

Spec Script
A script written on speculation without confirmation of a sale.

Stage Right or Stage Left
These directions tell a performer which way to move. Stage right is the performer's right side when facing the audience; stage left is the performer's left side when facing the audience.

Stand-in
A person who literally "stand in" for an actor during st-up of a scene. The stand-in is used to gauge lighting, camera angle and other details so the set is ready for the principal to read their scene. The stand-ins on a set may be referred to collectively as the second team.

Stop Motion
An animation technique in which objects are filmed frame by frame, with the crew making minor alterations to the object between shots. The combined effect of these small alterations is one of fluid movement.

Stunt Double
The person who performs stunts for a principal.

Take
The performance of a scene. Directors commonly request several takes to ensure all the needed aspects of the scene have been captured without actor or technical errors.

Talent
Actors

Tearsheet
A copy of previous print modeling work, such as ad from a magazine or newspaper.

Teleplay
A script written to be produced as television show,

Transparencies
The slide form of a photograph.

Treatment
An abridged version of a script which summarizes the plot and general action.

U5 or Under 5
A speaking role of 5 lines or less.

Understudy
An actor who serves as a back-up for a featured player in live theater. An understudy would perform when the primary actor is ill or otherwise unavailable for a scheduled show time.

Voice Tape
An audio tape (CD are also acceptable) demonstrating a person's voice through clips of previous voiceover work. like a demo reel, this ia a marketing tool for the established/experiences person, not the beginner.

Voiceover
Voiceover talent is heard, not seen. This includes reading radio commercials, narration and cartoon voices.

Walk-on
A minor role in film, and rarely have lines.