Agency Terms

Availability Check - Where we check to see if you are able and willing to work.

Bomb (Verb. also ~ing, ~er) - When you have accepted a booking but don't Call In. We have to replace you at very short notice, which may make you unpopular!

Booker - The person at the agency that doles out the work. Be nice!

Booking - A confirmed days work.

Call In - When you call us for details of a job the following day. Call in on Friday if you are working over the weekend or on a Monday.

Casting - A meeting between the Casting Director and sometimes other Production staff (sometimes even the Director) and an actor, model or extra.

Check In - When you call up to see if any work is available. Not too often please ? but it?s always nice to hear from you!

Chit - Your timesheet for your days work.

Contract - Some larger jobs and all BBC work involves the creation of a contract. We sign these on your behalf for background work, but sometimes may need your signature.

Invoice - The bill we send production for everybody?s work on each job.

No Show - You Call In, it's all fine, then don't turn up for the job. This may make you very unpopular!

Pencil - A provisional booking. Keep the time clear unless you are Released.

Pink - Our chits used to be pink, so they sometimes got called 'Pinks'

Release Form - A commercial's equivalent of a Chit.

Released - This is where you are penciled, but never used.

Repeats - Additional money paid to featured artistes when a production is re-broadcast or sold for broadcast internationally.

Self-Billed - Productions that automatically send us your money (no invoice). Perversely, it usually takes longer for these productions to pay.

Suggestion - Putting you forward. We send your photograph to the 2nd AD or Casting

Usage - Another name for repeats, usually used in photographic production.

Industry Terms

Audition - Another name for a casting. Often an Audition will require more formal 'performance' from the artiste, rather than being a meeting.

Casting Director - The Casting Director oversees the casting of a project, finding suitable actors to attend interviews or auditions.

Corporate - A production made for use only within a particular company. Usually staff training related. Usually not very well paid.

Extra - A usually non-speaking performing artiste who appears in the background of a film or television production.

Feature - A non-background role. Could be anything from a 'small feature' requiring a little characterisation to a full speaking part. In commercials this has special meaning - see the section on Commercial Fees.

Ident - A small insert used to establish branding on a TV channel.

Pop Promo - A music video.

Production - Any job within the industry. A production could be a film, a television series or one off programme, a commercial, a photo shoot - literally anything that creates some form of media, meaning potential work for you and us.

Production Company - A company that develops and produces productions!

Commercial - A production advertising a particular product or company.

Promo - A promotional production. Often promoting a TV show or channel.

Special - (For an extra) Where you are asked to do something that will attract a supplementary fee, for additional performance or service. See the fees section for information.

Upgrade - Where you have been booked as background but end up being featured.

Crew

Producer - The head of the film on the financial side. The producer finds the money to make the project, and ensures that everything runs smoothly. Often the project will start with just a producer with an idea.

Director - The head of all the creative aspects of production.

1st AD - First Assistant Director. In charge of the set as a whole, and is responsible for making sure that everything keeps to schedule.

2nd AD - Second Assistant Director. In charge of making sure everything is where it is supposed to be when it's supposed to be there. Usually, the 2nd AD books the Extras for a shoot.

Crowd 2nd - On extremely large projects, the 2nd may not have time to book the Extras as well as arrange everything else. The Crowd 2nd assists with background casting, and may also find members of the public to be extras if very large numbers are required or filming is in a remote location.

3rd AD - Third Assistant Director. Assists the First and Second but may also direct background action and look after the Extras between takes and set-ups.

D.O.P - Direct of Photography or Lighting Cameraman. The man / woman who creates the shot and the lighting.

Operator - The man / woman who watches through the eye piece.

Focus Puller - The man / woman who checks the focus on every shot.

Clapper Loader - The man / woman who loads the film and claps the board

Gaffer - The head lighting man or woman.

Best Boy - The Gaffers number two. A lighting technician.

Spark - An elex (lighting) technician.

Grip - The man who pushes the dolly and lays the track.

Runners - Runners are general Assistants for the unit. May be found doing just about anything.


On Set

1st positions - Where the action will start from.

A Take - Recording a scene or part of a scene for posterity.

Action - Start to immortalize your work.

Banana - Move in a curve to allow the camera to see behind you (in the shape of a banana).

Checks - Make-up and hair checks before each 'take'.

Continuity - Where two different shots (possibly filmed some time apart) will form a continuous timeline in the finished film. Action, set, costume and everything needs to be exactly the same.

Cross - Like wipe but further away from the camera.

Crossing the line - A bad thing. Characters talking to each other need to be looking at each other. There is a pretend line across which the camera cannot cross. If the line is crossed characters will look like they are talking to themselves i.e. looking the same way, right to right or left to left.

Cut - Stop filming and check the gate. The gate is only checked after filming the 'take' the director wants to print.

DFI - Old BBC term meaning different f***ing instruction i.e. take it away or change of plan

Eye Line - When two or more people speak to each other, their eye line (to each other) governs the line that the camera is going to have to take. It also sometimes means 'get out of my eye line' which means don't watch me doing this. Note - never watch actors act unless it is a requirement of the scene. Avert your eyes or go away.

From the top - Start again from the top of the scene.

Hitting your mark - The focus of the camera is very important, the mark is a focus point. Hitting your mark means that you will be in focus.

Hold the Red - Means going for another 'take'.

Leading eye - The eye that is closest to the camera. Very important for focus in a close up.

Moving/Turning around - Means the camera is going to be facing in the other direction, revealing all that has so far not been seen.

Pick up - Cutting into a scene to pick up only a small part of it. Continuity becomes very important.

Prop - The things that actors and background carry on a set.

Red light and Bell - Studio term meaning prepare to shoot. One bell means 'shooting'. Two bells means we've 'cut'. The red light means don't enter the sound stage.

Save the Red - Two bells, means that they have stopped filming. Relax and talk.

Turning - Film is running in the camera.

Wipe - Cross close to the camera left to right or right to left.

Lighting

Blonde - A light not a girl.

Charlie bar - A small rectangle board, which is used to block lighting from hitting the actor/actress. Principally a Charlie bar was used (in the old days) to concentrate light on the breasts of the leading lady.

Gel - A coloured film that covers a light, creating colour on the set.

Redhead - Another light.

Scrim - A thin gauze covering a light to cut down the glare.

Camera

Clapperboard - The slate that marks each 'take' by number and synchronizes sound & vision.

Checking the gate - Happens after every take to check the film c/o the Focus Puller.

Dolly - The trolley carrying the camera that the grip pushes.

Hair in the gate - A sliver of celluloid has lodged in the aperture of the camera.

Jib - A small arm that attaches to the dolly, allowing the camera to move sideways.

Rolling, Turning or Speed - Film is running in the camera.

Track - The tracks that the dolly rolls along.

Sound

Atmosphere - Sound are recording the sound of silence for the dub.

Click track - A sound term used when counting dubbed music onto a scene. A click track can be used on set or during the sound dub.

Dub - What happens during the sound editing of the film.

Sound speed - The sound recordist is running up ready to record the sound. Links back to the old days of tape recording rather than present digital recording.

Wild Track - The sound engineer is recording either lines for the dub or atmosphere.

On Location

Background Bus - A converted double-decker bus, commonly used as a rest area for Background Artistes on location.

Call time - The time you are expected at the unit base. Don?t ever be late.

Checking in - Once at the unit base, check-in with the 2nd AD or 3rd AD to let them know you have arrived.

Honey Wagon - The name given to the portable loos on location.

Signing off - A background term for checking that your chit is correctly filled in. Do not sign off before checking the details.

Wrap - Wind, reel & print (camera term) and go home - your day's work is finished.