Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of filmmaking terms, concepts, and techniques.
Showing 19 terms
A
2Above the Line
The section of a film budget covering writer, director, producer, and principal cast fees.
Actor
A person who performs a role in a film by embodying a character through voice, body, and presence.
B
3Below the Line
The operational production costs in a film budget: crew, equipment, locations, sets, and post-production, managed by the line producer.
Billing
The contractual placement and prominence of a performer's name in a film's credits and marketing materials.
Blacklisting
The practice of excluding individuals from industry employment through informal employer coordination, historically the Hollywood Blacklist of 1947-1960.
C
3Credits
On-screen text acknowledging everyone who contributed to making a film, displayed at opening or close.
Crew
The collective technical and logistical workforce that builds and operates a film production.
Cast
The collective group of actors who perform the roles in a film, from principals to background performers.
G
2Greenlight
Formal approval by a studio or financier that commits funding and authorizes a film to enter production.
Gross
Total revenue a film earns before any deductions, across box office, streaming, home video, and ancillary sources.
L
2Line Producer
The production professional responsible for managing the below-the-line budget and daily financial operations of a film.
Local 600
The International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600, representing camera department crew on US productions.
P
3Pay or Play
A contract clause guaranteeing that a talent will be paid their full fee whether or not the film is ultimately produced.
Producer
The person who initiates, finances, and oversees a film from development through delivery and release.
Pre-Production
The planning and preparation phase of filmmaking that occurs after greenlight and before principal photography begins.
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