Terms and Definitions

Question 1

1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Answer 1

The 1st assistant director works with both the production manager and the director to make the shooting schedule efficient as possible. The 1st A.D. breaks the script down into a shooting schedule and also helps manage the scheduling of talent, crew and equipment needed for each shooting day. This person sometimes helps direct the background extras in a scene.

Question 2

ABOVE THE LINE

Answer 2

Part of budget reserved for major players in the productions such as the director, producers, writers, actors, etc. Everything else is below the line.

Question 3

ACTOR

Answer 3

Refers either to a male or female performer.

Question 4

Adaptation

Answer 4

The presentation of one art form through another medium; a film based upon, derived from or adapted from a stage play or from another medium such as a short story, book, article, history, novel, video game, comic strip/book. etc. which basically preserves both the setting and dialogue of the original. Can be in the form of a script or a proposal treatment.

Question 5

Ancillary Rights

Answer 5

Contractual agreement in which a percentage of the profits are received and derived from the sale of action figures, posters, CDs, books, T-shirts, etc.

Question 6

Art Director

Answer 6

The art director works with the production designer and is responsible for the design and construction of a movie set. They are essentiall assistants to the production designer and help construct the look and feel of the movie

Question 7

Art House Film

Answer 7

films, often low budget or ‘art films’, that are acknowledged as having artistic merit or aesthetic pretensions, and are shown in an arthouse theatre, films shown usually include foreign-language films, independent films, non-mainstream (sometimes anti-hollywood) films, shorts, documentaries, explicitly-erotic films, and other under-appreciated cinema of law mass appeal: began to appear in the 1950s and provided a distinct contrast to commercial films.

Question 8

B-Movie

Answer 8

A low-budget, second tier movie often 2nd movie in a double-feature billing. B-films were cheaper for studios because the did not involve the most highly paid actors or costly sets. Movie theatres also liked them because they draw in revenues while remaining cheap to bring in.

Question 9

Backlot

Answer 9

A large, undeveloped area on studio property used for constructing large open-air sets.

Question 10

Below-The-Line-Expenses

Answer 10

All physical production costs not included in the above-the-line expenses, including material costs, music rights, publicity, trailer, etc.

Question 11

Best Boy

Answer 11

Also called the Assistant Chief Lighting usually of the gaffer or key grip. In charge of the people and equipment, scheduling the required quantities for each day’s work. The term originates from promoting the crew’s ‘best boy’ to supervising.

Question 12

Billing

Answer 12

The placement of display of names of actors, directors, and producers for a movie in publicity materials, opening (or closing) film credits, and on theatre marquees. A person’s status is indicated by the size, relative position, and placement of their name.

Question 13

Blockbuster

Answer 13

An impactful movie that is a huge financial success; the term may also refer to a costly film that must be exceptionally popular in order to recoup its expenses and make a profit; the opposite of a blockbuster is a bomb, flop, or turkey.

Question 14

Bollywood

Answer 14

Refers to the burgeoning film industry of India, the world’s biggest film industry, centered in Bombay; the etymology of the world; from Bo)mbay) + (Ho)llywood; unlike Hollywood, however, Bollywood is a non-existent place.

Question 15

Call Sheet

Answer 15

A type of schedule given out periodically during a film’s production to let every department now when they are supposed to arrive and where they are to report.

Question 16

Casting Director

Answer 16

This person works closely with the director during the audition process. While the director or producer usually has the final say on selecting, hiring, and contracting all of the other major characters with speaking roles.

Question 17

Composer

Answer 17

The musician who creates (writes or adapts) the film’s musical score; contrast to a conductor (who directs the orchestra’s performance of the score), or a lyricist (who writes a song’s words).

Question 18

Computer Generated Imagery

Answer 18

Abbreviated to CGI and used to enhance special effects.

Question 19

Costume Designer

Answer 19

The costume designer makes decisions on which wardrobes and costumes actors will wear based on the script requirements and character portrayals. Costume designers create or choose various clothing patterns, designs, colors, sizes, and accessories for each wardrobe used during production. On larger movies, the costume designer has several assistants helping to organize, disperse and maintain all the costumes used by the cast.

Question 20

Cinematographer

Answer 20

The cinematographer or director of photography (D.P.) is in charge of the overall visual look of the movie as seen through the camera. They assist in choosing film stocks, camera bodies and which lenses to use. They decide on shot framing and camera movements in conjunction with the director. They are also in charge of the camera crew, lighting design and collaborating with the gaffer.

Question 21

Craft Service

Answer 21

Craft services are the various snacks and beverages that are provided to the film crew throughout the day. This is separate from catering. The person in charge of craft services sets up and maintains a station near production that provides these snacks and beverages. The craft service person is given a budget prior to attaining all the refreshments.

Question 22

Credits

Answer 22

In genera, this term refers to the text appearing on screen-composed of a list of technical personnel, cast, and production crew of a film; specifically, it refers to the list of names and function of persons and corporations contributing and responsible for the artistic or intellectual content of a film.