In this business we call show (yes, I went there, so sue me) there are all kinds of bits of jargon used, including some on this site.
For instance, you’ll oftern see the term Key Art used. This simply means something like a Poster(s). Then there’s the term TX, which means Transmission (as in Transmission Date, for example). Other key show business terms include Above-the-Line (creative talent/producers) vs. Below-the-Line (production crew) costs, Gross Participation (percentage of revenue), and Force Majeure (contract clause for unforeseeable events). Digital media includes AVOD (Ad-supported Video-on-Demand) and FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV), while live music hinges on Promoters and Booking Agents.
Production & Film Terminology
Attached: A director or actor is officially committed to a project.
Day Player: An actor hired for one day.
EPK (Electronic Press Kit): Promotional materials for a film(this is where I get most of my poster artwork, images, trailers and featurettes from).
Martini Shot: The last shot of a production day.
Abby Singer Shot: The second-to-last shot of the day.
Music & Live Events
Agent: Represents the artist for live performances and negotiates fees.
Promoter: Finances and organizes an event.
Headliner: The main, highest-paid act.
Rider: Specific technical or hospitality requirements for a performance.
Merch: Merchandise sold at a venue.
Streaming & Digital Media
AVOD/FVOD: Ad-supported/Free Video-on-Demand.
FAST: Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (e.g., Tubi, Pluto TV).
Churn: The rate at which subscribers cancel a service.
Algorithm: Formulas that surface content to users.
Aggregator: Platforms (like Netflix or Spotify) that collect content.
Financial & Contract Terms
Above-the-Line/Below-the-Line: Major creative costs (above) vs. technical crew costs (below).
Net/Gross Profit: Earnings after or before expenses are deducted.
Pay or Play: A guarantee that an artist will be paid regardless of whether the project is made.
Option: A studio’s right to buy a script or extend a contract.
Clearance: Permission needed to use copyrighted material.
General Industry Terms
Spec Script: A script written without a commission or guarantee of sale.
Development Hell: A project stuck in the pre-production phase for years.
Showrunner: The executive producer who manages the day-to-day operations of a TV show.
For even more information there is an excellent article by Mark Litwak (@ Entertainment Law Resources) in which he posts a Glossary of Industry Terms.
Here’s a selection (click the link above ^^^ or at the bottom of THIS article to see the rest):
Above-the-Line Costs: Portion of the budget that covers major creative participants (writer, director, actors and producer) including script and story development costs.
Adaptations: Derivative works. When a motion picture is based on a book, the movie has been adapted from the book.
Adjusted Gross Participation: Gross participation minus certain costs, such as cost of advertising and duplication. Also called “Rolling Gross.” If many deductions are allowed, the participant is essentially getting a “net profit” deal.
Administrator: Person appointed by a court to manage the assets of a deceased person.
Advance: Up-front payment that counts against monies that may be payable at some time in the future. Non-recoupable advances are payments that are not refundable even if future monies are never due.
Affirm: To ratify or approve.
Aforesaid: Previously said.
Amend: Change, modify.
Answer Print: The first composite (sound and picture) motion picture print from the laboratory with editing, score and mixing completed. Usually color values will need to be corrected before a release print is made.
Art Theater: Shows specialized art films, generally in exclusive engagements, rather than mass-market studio films.
Aspect Ratio: (A.R.) The proportion of picture width to height.
Assign: Transfer.
Assignee: Person receiving property by assignment.
Assignor: Person giving or transferring property to another.
Assigns: Those to whom property has or may be assigned.
Attorney-in-Fact: Person authorized to act for another.
Auteur: A French term; the auteur theory holds that the director is the true creator, or author, of a film, bringing together script, actors, cinematographer, editor and molding everything into a work of cinematic art with a cohesive vision. Anyone who has worked on a movie knows what nonsense this is. Filmmaking is a collaborative endeavor and the director is only one of the contributors.
Author: Creator, originator. Under U.S. copyright law, the author may be the employer of the person who actually creates the work. See “work for hire.”
Back End: Profit participation in a film after distribution and/or production costs have been recouped.
Balance Stripe: A magnetic stripe on the film, which is on the opposite edge from the magnetic sound track.
Below-The-Line Costs: The technical expenses and labor including set construction, crew, camera equipment, film stock, developing and printing.
Blind Bidding: Requiring theater owners to bid on a movie without seeing it. Several states and localities require open trade screenings for each new release. Guarantees and advances may
be banned.
Blow-Up: Optical process of enlarging a film, usually from 16mm to 35mm.
Box Office Receipts: What the theater owner takes in from ticket sales to customers at the box office. A portion of this revenue is remitted to the studio/distributor in the form of rental payments.
Break: To open a film in several theaters simultaneously, either in and around a single city or in a group of cities, or on a national basis.
Breakout: To expand bookings after an initial period of exclusive or limited engagement.
Cause Of Action: The facts that give a person the right to judicial relief.
Cel: A transparent sheet of cellulose acetate used as an overlay for drawing or lettering. Used in animation and title work.
Color Correction: Changing tonal values of colored objects or images by the use of light filters, either with a camera or a printer.
Color Temperature: The color in degrees Kelvin (K) of a light source. The higher the color temperature; the bluer the light, the lower the temperature, the redder the light.
Completion Bond: A form of insurance, which guarantees financing to complete a film in the event that the producer exceeds the budget. Completion bonds are sometimes required by banks and investors to secure loans and investments in a production. Should a bond be invoked, the completion guarantor may assume control over the production and be in a recoupment position superior to all investors.
Consideration: The reason or inducement for a party to contract with another. Usually money, but can be anything of value. The right, interest or benefit to one party, or the loss or forbearance of another. A necessary element for a contract to be binding.
Contrast: The density range of a negative or print. The brightness range of lighting in a scene.
Convey: To transfer or deliver to another.
Covenant: An agreement or promise to do something or not to do something.
Cross Collateralization: Practice by which distributors off-set financial losses in one medium or market against revenue derived from others. For example, the rentals obtained from France are combined with those from Italy, and after the expenses for both are deducted, the remainder, if any, is net revenue. Filmmakers don’t like to have revenues and expenses pooled because it may reduce the amount of money they receive.
Crossover Film: Film that is initially targeted to a narrow specialty market but achieves acceptance in a wider market.
For MUCH more, click HERE.