Professional Terms Glossary

ADVERTISING AGENCY - creates advertising campaigns for clients, selects models.
AFTRA - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, union for all TV performers.
AGENT, AGENCY - third party negotiator, receives percentage fee of bookings;
could be an individual person or a company.
ART DIRECTOR - artist who creates layout for ads, illustrates model's poses.
BACKDROP - background used in a photographer's studio.
BLOCKING - the actual physical movements by actors in any scene.
BLOW-UP - enlargement photo from a negative or slide.
BOOK - see PORTFOLIO; BOOK (verb) - to secure a job.
BOOKER - person at agency who sets appointments for models.
BOOKING - specific job assignment.
BOOK OUT - when you tell your agency that you are unavailable to work for certain day(s), for example, a vacation or another job.
BREAKDOWN SERVICE - a professional listing available only to agencies that lists movies, film, TV, and stage projects with what types of actors are being cast.
BUYER - retail store employee who purchases clothing from the manufacturer; models show the line of clothing to store buyers.
BUYOUT - advance payment for future use of a print ad or a commercial for a specific
period of time
CALL - appointment.
CALL-BACK - second interview after go-see/audition which means they are narrowing down the selection and they are considering you.
CALL TIME - actual time you are due on set.
CASTING - choosing models/actors for a specific job.
CASTING DIRECTOR - selects suitable models to represent the comp or storyboard.
CANCELLATION - 24 hour notice before booking is to begin or money is due agency and talent.
CATALOG MODELING - posing for mail order items for major retailers.
CATTLE CALL - several agencies send many models of the same general type to a casting session.
CLIENT - company who hires the ad agency, pays the model's fee.
COLD READING - a script that you are reading for the first time in front of the client, without time to memorize the lines.
COLLECTION - group of coordinated clothes being shown by a designer.
COMMENTARY - script used to describe clothes for a fashion show.
COMMERCIAL - promotional advertisement on TV, radio or other media.
COMMISSION - a percentage of model's fee required as payment to agency.
COMPOSITE CARD, COMP CARD, CARD - card with 3-5 photos of model and their height, eye and hair color and size information to promote and distribute to prospective clients.
CONTACT SHEET - proofs of black and white film used to determine best shots.
COPY - written words to be spoken on a commercial.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR - ad agency employee who determines the model type.
DEMONSTRATOR - model who shows use of product at a trade show or store.
DESIGNER - creator of the fashion collections.
DRESSER -helps models dress backstage for fashion shows.
EXTRA - acting job where the actor has no speaking lines, but stands in the background and adds to the atmosphere of a scene
FASHION COORDINATOR - puts fashion show outfits together in retail stores.
FASHION TRENDS - gradual changes in fashion styles.
FIT MODELING - modeling the original sample garment to test for sizing ? clients chose a model whose measurements match the sample size exactly.
FITTING - trying on clothes to determine fit and style, usually before a fashion show.
FLIPPER - false teeth used for young children to temporarily fill in for lost teeth.
FORMAL FASHION SHOW, RUNWAY SHOW - invited audience, stage, music; models walk down runway to show designer clothing.
FREELANCE - modeling for clients without agency representation.
FULL-LENGTH SHOT - head to toe photograph.
GO&SEE - job interview, model meets a client and shows portfolio.
HAIR STYLIST - works on hair changes.
HEADSHOT - photo of head and shoulders.
HEAD SHEET - agency sheet, poster, or book of models they represent that goes to prospective clients
HIGH FASHION - extreme, chic, sophisticated model type.
HOLD - when the agency puts you "on hold" for a job, it means the client is seriously considering you and wants you to keep the time available for them first.
ILLUSTRATION MODEL - poses for artists.
INDUSTRIAL - non-broadcast production, often educational or sales films & tapes.
INFORMAL FASHION SHOW - in stores or restaurants, walk around, no runway.
JUNIOR MODEL - youthful type.
LINES -script, words.
LINE-UP - position of model and garment in a fashion show.
LOCATION -assignment site outside the studio.
LOUPE -small magnifying glass to see slides and contact sheet images eight times larger.
MAKEUP ARTIST - applies and changes makeup for photo sessions.
MARKET, JOB MARKET - any location where there is a lot of work.
MARKET WEEK - 4-6 times per year when seasonal collections are shown to buyers.
MODEL BAG - a large tote in which you carry all your makeup and working essentials.
MODEL RELEASE - contract in which the model gives permission to use the photo as the client specifies.
MODEL AGENCY - represents model for employment and receives a percentage of the bookings.
MONOLOGUE - a scene performed by one person for a client, that reflects a particular mood and demonstrates your acting talent.
MOOD -the feeling a model projects to suit the specific assignment.
OPEN CALL -casting when the client sees all models suitable for the type requested.
PORTFOLIO - main promotional tool for models - select photos in a vinyl or leather casebook which show the model at his/her photogenic best and samples of their work (tear sheets).
PRINCIPAL - main performer in the foreground.
PRINT - a photograph printed in newspaper or magazine form.
PRINT WORK - photography taken for catalog and mail order, books, brochures, ads for magazines or newspapers, magazine covers, commercial photography for household products, business products and services, glamour products.
PRODUCER -person responsible for the day-to-day decision-making on a production
PROMOTION - publicity to advance a product, service or person.
PROOF - intermediate stage of photo development from which you can chose best pictures.
PUBLIC RELATIONS - creating an image of a product or service in the eyes of the public, mainly through newspaper articles.
RATES - fees charged by the model.
RESIDUALS - additional money paid when a piece runs in repeat, rates dictated by the unions.
ROUNDS -calling on prospective clients for photography and television.
RUNWAY -a narrow raised platform on which the model shows the clothing.
SAMPLE - piece of clothing from a line, one-of-a-kind.
SCALE WAGE -minimum wage set by the unions.
SCOUT - person looking for prospective models.
SET - arrangement of props and furniture in a TV or photo studio.
SHOOT - photo session.
SHOWROOM WORK - manufacturer's showcase of a clothing line to buyers using live models ? when the seasonal clothing designs are being shown.
SIGN-IN SHEET - on cattle calls, lists the order in which each model arrived to audition.
SLATE - to state your name on camera before your commercial audition.
SPEC SHOT - photographer's idea of a comp which he/she hopes to sell to the client.
SPOKESPERSON - person/model chosen to explain the features of a product/service.
STAGE PARENT - an adult who pushes and watches too closely over a child performer, gets in the way of the shoot.
STATS - statistical information of a model, including measurements, size, height, etc.
STORYBOARD -artwork that shows each scene of a commercial.
STROBE - light unit used by a photographer.
STYLIST - coordinates the fashions and accessories, checks fit of clothing, visual scene.
TEAR SHEET - copy of a print ad that the model keeps in the portfolio as proof of work.
TELEPROMPTER - TV-like screen that displays the cue card words.
TESTIMONIAL - celebrity declaration to the value of a product/service; improvisational endorsement of a product or service that the actor has officially tested, used and approved.
TEST SHOTS, TEST PHOTOGRAPHY - photos used to build a beginning portfolio
3/4 SHOTS - photo from head to mid thigh.
TRADES, TRADE PAPERS - trade publications such as Variety, Backstage, NY Casting, Actor's Resource Network, Ross Reports, Drama-Logue, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter.
TRADE SHOWS - industry promotional display of products/services usually in a hotel or convention center
TRANSPARENCIES ? the slide forms of a photograph.
TRUNK SHOW - informal modeling of one specific designer line, usually in a store or small boutique.
USAGE - additional fees for higher exposure, like a billboard or national use.
VOICEOVER - background voices for radio or video recorded separately in a recording studio and dubbed onto visual.
VOUCHER - three-piece form with a model release on which client acknowledges hours worked by the model, agency copy used to bill and get paid.
WEATHER PERMIT - a location job that is dependent on fair weather, may be canceled the day before or that morning.