ADR Additional dialog recording is often required and is done during post. The actors come back and lip sync and loop (re-record) dialog that wasn't sharp or clear during filming.
Breakdown services A company that receives audition material (called “sides”) from the production company and distributes it to talent agents and managers.
Callback A second audition. Generally, a callback means the actor is seriously being considered for the role. A “chemistry callback” allows the director, producers, and casting director to see ensembles of actors and determine whether they would make believable relatives, love interests, etc.
Chain of title Written proof (in the form of legal contracts, copyright certificate(s), assignments, and other documents) that you (the producer) control the rights to all the elements in your film.
Character breakdowns Descriptions of the characters in your film, including age, gender, race, and any other key characteristics critical to the film (i.e., the character must be able to ride a horse, play the piano, speak French, etc.).
Color correction specialist A postproduction professional who digitally improves and unifies footage that might have been taken at different times of the day, on different cameras, or even in entirely different locations and “corrects” them to match seamlessly.
Credits The title you get for the work you did on the film. Films often have a few key credits that roll at the beginning of the film and the full credits at the end. A “single-card” credit means that your name appears by itself on screen.
Deal memo A short-form contract that lays out the essential elements and terms of the agreements.
Deferments Postponed payment(s) promised to cast and crew until a particular time or event (defined profit or box office is achieved, distribution contract is consummated, etc.).
Development The time during which the screenplay undergoes any necessary rewrites.
Delivery The list of items “deliverable” to a distributor to enable them to promote and distribute your film, such as proper chain of title, script clearance report, E&O insurance, various digital or film masters of your movie (with and without music and dialog for subtitles, etc.), production stills, key art, and other items.
DGA The Directors Guild of America.
Dialog list A transcript of every word spoken in the film used to translate it into other languages. A combined dialog and spotting list (CDSL) is an efficient cross-reference; the spotting list is a list that contains the actual subtitles, in and out times, and calculated duration.
Distribution The screening of your film for the general public. Domestic distribution refers to releasing the film in your home country; International distribution covers selling the film to other countries or territories.
Errors & Omissions insurance (E&O) An insurance policy that indemnifies (protects and holds harmless) producers (and distributors and other partners) from lawsuits alleging libel or slander, invasion of privacy, plagiarism, unauthorized use of trademark, etc. Usually a prerequisite to distribution, this policy will pay any and all liability (and cover legal fees) in the case of mistakes.
Editor’s assembly This, the first rough edit of the film, is usually done by the editor, alone, with a fresh set of eyes, often oblivious to any of the drama or challenges of the shoot or the politics or intentions of the parties involved thus far. He or she simply selects the best of the material actually available “in the can” and puts them together in the most satisfying order to him or her and prepares for the director to join him or her to work side-by-side from this as a starting place to create the director’s cut. The producers often add their input, sometimes based on feedback from test audiences. Final cut is when the picture is “locked” and (ostensibly) no further changes are made.
Film festival An organized competition, series of screenings and often a celebration of films (with parties, panel discussions, workshops, etc.). Typically of films completed that year (or the year prior), sometimes focused on a particular genre (ScreamFest for horror films) or type (Frameline for LGBT).
Film markets Trade shows for the film industry where filmmakers, distributors, and sales agents meet with the main purpose to sell or license films.
Four-wall Renting out a cinema by paying for all (or a minimum number of) the seats to show your film to the public. This is sometimes done to qualify undistributed movies for Oscar candidacy or to pique distributor’s interests.
Headshots A professional, close-up photo of an actor’s face. Some actors have several variations that show their different “looks” and submit according to the role they hope to secure an audition for.
Keys Heads of the various production departments (hair, make-up, wardrobe, etc.).
Line producer The professional who breaks the script down into a reasonable schedule and manageable budget and coordinates and oversees all the details of the physical production to ensure both are adhered to.
LLC (limited liability company) Arguably the most common business entity chosen to make independent films, as it isolates the project as a separate entity distinct from all your other business and personal assets, and if anything goes wrong, all liability is contained by the LLC.
Lock picture The final edited version of the film. You need to lock picture before you can add the soundtrack and other elements, such as sound effects. It becomes extremely difficult and expensive to make any changes after the picture is locked because of the “domino effect” that occurs when new edits affect all the other elements such as sound, music, special effects and so forth.
Locations Structures and settings “on location” that your cast and crew will have to physically travel to in order to shoot (as opposed to movie studio sets).
Making-of photographer The making-of is a featurette, usually a bonus for the DVD or website, of behind-the-scenes interviews and footage chronicling the making of the film.
One-sheet The color poster or 8½ × 11” sell sheet for your film.
Operating agreement The legal document that everyone signs that spells out the bylaws of your LLC.
Option An agreement between you and the rights holder (usually the screenwriter, but could be the novelist, playwright, journalist – or the individual whose true story you’re adapting, etc.) that gives you exclusive rights to buy (and ostensibly shop and raise money and secure attachments for) their intellectual property or life rights for a certain amount of time, usually for a token amount of money against a larger purchase price (which may be spelled out or left to further negotiation). Exercising the option means paying the full price to legally fully acquire the material. If the option is not exercised in the allotted time period, control of the material reverts back to the writer (or subject matter).
Pan-and-scan TV screens are smaller than movie screens, so when a movie is reformatted for home video/DVD, the editor must decide what part of the frame will be seen by the viewer and what will be cut off.
Pick-up shots Critical missing shots that an editor determines he or she needs in order to satisfactorily edit the story. These may be close-up inserts of objects or reaction shots of characters that allow the editor something to cut away from the master shot or underline something of importance in the storytelling that the audience might otherwise miss.
Postproduction Everything that happens after the “martini shot” (the last scene shot) to make a movie out of the raw footage. This includes editing, sound design, music, color correction, and special effects.
Preproduction The time period when you have your team on board – and on salary – preparing everything (from casting, securing locations, and building sets to fitting costumes) leading up to the physical shooting of the film.
Principal photography The time during which the film is actually being shot.
Private placement memorandum (PPM) If you decide to raise funds from a small number of private investors (without an initial public offering), your fund raising efforts will be subject to the Securities Act of 1933, typically Regulation D. This specific legal document will spell out what the terms of the film investment opportunity are, what exactly it is you’re selling (shares of common or preferred stock, membership interests, promissory notes, etc.), how and when they’ll get their money back, and the associated risks and how you plan to mitigate them.
SAG The Screen Actors Guild is the union for actors, stunt people, and extras.
SAG delivery book A binder delivered to SAG after production that details all their required accounting of your actors’ deal memos and schedules. To ensure you honor this request, they require a deposit before they allow you to start shooting with any SAG actor.
SAG signatory A production company that has signed the Screen Actors Guild contract and has agreed to abide by the rules set by the union for employing their actors. If you want to use SAG actors, you – or more likely your project’s LLC – must become a SAG signatory.
Sales agent A salesperson, middleman, or broker who may be able to help you market and sell your movie, especially to international distributors.
Script clearance report A certificate that confirms (usually to a distributor) that an independent third party has done sufficient due diligence to ensure that all the legal concerns of your script have been vetted and your project is eligible for errors and omissions insurance (to protect the distributor from being sued – or to pay the damages in the case of an oversight). This could range from the right to show a particular brand to defamation of character (if a real person has the same name as one of your characters) or if copyright infringement has occurred (i.e., perhaps you used a song that you thought was in the public domain but the recording you used isn’t). Your film (or ideally the script) must to “clear” this legal hurdle before it can be distributed (sometimes before it will even be shot).
Sound designer The postproduction professional in charge of all the sound in your film. He or she will make sure we can hear and understand the dialog, but will also make sure that you are as audially-emotionally engaged as you are visually and that the sound effects and music don’t compete with the dialog.
Spotting list The spotting list is used for creating subtitles and closed-captioning. A full transcript of the dialog as well as a blueprint of when and where the subtitles should appear. (See dialog list.)
Subscription agreement The actual legal document that allows your investor to become a part of your LLC (based on the terms spelled out in your PPM) and invest in your movie. This and all binding legal agreements should be drafted or at least vetted by your attorney.
Table read Unlike a staged read, where there might be some blocking or pantomimed action, a table read collects as many of the actors as possible for them to run through the script together, just sitting around a table, reading from the script, sometimes to rehearse but often for the writer to trim and punch up the dialog and for all the department heads to familiarize themselves with the project.
Trades The nickname for the trade newspapers (or magazines) in the entertainment industry. Traditionally referencing The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety, there are several websites, daily e-newsletters, and social media platforms that cater to movie professionals (The Wrap, Deadline Hollywood, Twitter feeds, etc.) that are changing how Hollywood gets its news.
Units Also called shares, these are the percentages of your film that you sell to investors. The amount of money you need to raise will determine how much each unit costs.
WGA The Writers Guild of America is the union for writers.
Wrap book A binder created by the line producer at the end of principal photography that contains the final script, schedule, crew, case and vendor list, call sheets, and production reports.