Ever watched the credits to your favourite movie and wondered what on earth a "Best Boy" or a "Key Grip" was or even done some "Background" work and got lost in the miriad of terminology being bantered around. Well hear is a complete glossary to these and all the terms used in the film and tv production world.
Some of the terms are only related to the Canadian industry in this first part.
ACTOR. A performance category in the IPA defined by speaking five lines or less
ACTRA. Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists. Dating from 1943, ACTRA is a national organization representing professional performers in the recorded, English-language media in Canada.
ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS) The organization set up by ACTRA members that administers the pension and retirement plan for professional Canadian performers.
AD. Assistant Director. Usually denoted by his/her listing with the production - as in 1st AD, 2nd AD, the assistant director is responsible for helping out the director in choreographing performers, arranging shots and other related tasks.
AFBS. see ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society.
AFTRA. American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The organization representing television performers in the United States
Apprentice Member. A member of ACTRA who is in the process of accumulating speaking roles (or silent on-camera in commercials) in order to fulfil the requirements of full membership. Apprentice members have the same rights as full members, except they can't vote in ACTRA elections or hold office with ACTRA.
Background Performer. A performance category defined by having no dialogue.
Background performers on set come from two groups: cash extras, who receive a small hourly compensation, and ACTRA members, who receive minimum remuneration as outlined in the IPA.
CAEA. Canadian Actors Equity Association. The organization representing professional stage performers in Canada.
Call Time. The specific time that performers are told to report for work on a production.
CAPPRT. Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal. A federal body charged with overseeing disputes between professional performers and engagers on productions and networks that are within the jurisdiction of the federal government.
Cash Extras. Persons working as background performers who are not ACTRA members and are paid a low cash hourly wage (see Background Performers).
CFTPA. Canadian Film and Television Production Association. The organization for Canadian producers which negotiates the IPA with ACTRA and represents the concerns of producers.
Commercial Agreement. The national agreement signed between the ACTRA Performers Guild and the associations representing Canadian advertisers and advertising agencies. The Commercial Agreement sets minimum terms and conditions for the engagement of ACTRA members in radio and television commercials.
Contract. The physical piece of paper that outlines the specific conditions of engagement between a performer and a production. See also rider.
Cycle. A time period, defined in the ACTRA commercial agreement, denoting the "run" of a commercial. The normal cycle of a commercial is 13 weeks, after which engagers have to pay performers again for the use of their performance.
DGC. Directors' Guild of Canada. The organization representing Canadian directors.
EIC. Entertainment Industry Coalition. The organization co-founded by ACTRA that is responsible for promoting a higher standard of ethical conduct for talent agents. Other major EIC members include TAMAC, the Casting Directors Society of Canada (CDC), CAEA and Theatre Ontario.
Engager. The person and/or company that engages ACTRA members to work on a production.
Equity. See CAEA
FIA. Federation Internationale des Acteurs. The international organization, based in London, UK, which represents professional performers' organizations from around the world. ACTRA, Screen Actors Guild and British Actors Equity are all members of FIA.
IATSE. International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees. One of the organizations representing technicians and other on-set workers who are NOT in front of the camera. See also NABET and ACFC
IPA. Independent Production Agreement. The national agreement signed between the ACTRA Performers Guild and the producers' associations that sets minimum terms and conditions for the engagement of ACTRA members in films, independent television series and other non-network recorded media.
MOW. Movie-of-the-Week. Usually a smaller scale production geared to television distribution.
OSLO. On Set Liaison Officer. An ACTRA member who volunteers to visit sets to meet with other members and act as the "eyes and ears" of the stewards.
PA. Production Assistant
PAL. Performing Arts Lodge. Located at 110 The Esplanade in Toronto, PAL provides geared-to-income accommodation for older performers.
PRS. See Performers' Rights Society
Performers' Rights Society (PRS). The organization set up by ACTRA members to track residual monies and ensure that engagers abide by their agreements to pay ACTRA members for future usage of their product.
Principal Performer. A performance category in the IPA defined by speaking six lines or more.
Remittance Statement. Paperwork received from the payroll company or directly from the production company that outlines what monies were earned by performers on that production and how percentages of those monies were allocated to benefits, administration fees, etc.
Residual. Payment owed to a performer for the use of his/her performance. Residuals owed under the IPA are often pre-paid for a set period of time (usually four years), after which they are due to be paid again if the production is still in circulation.
Rider. An addition to a contract that establishes additional conditions for the engagement of a performer. While the contract may contain information on a specific role, a rider may contain clauses, for example, on accommodation while filming, publicity related to the role, etc.
SAG. Screen Actors Guild. The organization representing film performers in the United States.
SOC. Silent On-Camera. A performance category defined in the Commercial Agreement in which ACTRA members are visible in the finished production but have no dialogue.
Stand-in. A performance category defined by the IPA whereby a performer is engaged to "stand in" for another performer for purposes of scene blocking, lighting, etc.
Steward. An ACTRA staff member who is responsible for liaising with productions to ensure that they comply with the terms and conditions of relevant ACTRA agreements.
Stunt. Any action, required of a performer as part of an engagement, that is physically demanding and/or potentially injurious to the performer's health and safety.
Stunt Coordinator. An experienced stunt performer, hired by the engager, who is responsible for the safe execution of stunts.
Talent Agent/ Talent Agency. A person or organization that works on the behalf of performers and is responsible for promoting them for roles. Legitimate talent agents/agencies do not offer classes, take photographs in-house or offer services other than direct representation. See also EIC, TAMAC.
TAMAC. Talent Agents and Managers Association of Canada. The umbrella organization representing major Canadian talent agencies.
UBCP. Union of British Columbia Performers. The ACTRA branch representing performers who work in B.C.
UdA. Union des Artistes. The organization representing professional performers in the French language in Canada.
Voucher. A form issued by ACTRA to a production that serves as a contract for background roles. Vouchers come in different colours which are used to distinguish between full members, apprentices and non-members.
Work Permit. Authorization given by the local ACTRA office to non-members or apprentice members to work on a set that is signatory to ACTRA agreements. When productions agree to work under ACTRA agreements, they agree to give preference of engagement to ACTRA members. If they intend to use non-ACTRA members in certain roles, the production or performer must purchase a work permit. Work permits act as an incentive for engagers to hire ACTRA members and for non-members to join ACTRA.
WGC. Writers Guild of Canada. The organization representing Canadian professional writers.
Here is a more extentsive list.
Abby Singer
The second-to-last shot of the day. Named after production manager Abby Singer, who would frequently call "last shot of the day" or "this shot, and just one more," only to have the director ask for more takes. See also martini shot.
Above-the-Line Expenses
The major expenses committed to before production begins, including story/rights/continuity (writing); salaries for producers, director, and cast; travel and living; and production fees (if the project is bought from an earlier company). Everything else falls under below-the-line expenses.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
AKA: AMPAS, The Academy
On the web: Official Home Page
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards
AKA: Oscars, Academy Awards
The term "Oscar" was coined by an anonymous person who remarked that the statue looked like their Uncle Oscar.
On the web: Complete List of Winners and Nominees, Official Home Page
Academy of Motion Picture Sound
AKA: AMPS
A UK-based organization whose aims are to promote and encourage the science, technology and creative application of all aspects of motion picture sound recording and reproduction, and to promote and enhance the status and recognition of the contribution of those therein engaged.
On the web: Official Home Page
Action
"Action" is called during filming to indicate the start of the current take. See also cut, speed, lock it down.
Actor
AKA: Actress
A person who plays the role of a character. Historically, the term "Actor" refered exclusively to males, but in modern times the term is used for both genders.
On the web: Search for an actor
Factual Movie(s): Rhinoskin: The Making of a Movie Star (1995)
Additional Camera
AKA: B Camera
An extra camera operator, often needed for complicated action sequences or stunts. Contrast with additional photography.
Additional Photography
AKA: Additional Photographer, Reshoots, Reshooting, Pickups
Focus group or studio reaction to some shots or scenes may be bad enough to convince the filmmakers to discard them. In some cases, actors are recalled and parts of the movie are refilmed. This is referred to as "Additional Photography", "Reshoots", or "Pickups". Contrast with additional camera, pickups.
Advance
Of a composite print: the distance between a point on the soundtrack and the corresponding image. Of payment: an amount given before receipt of services. See also against.
Agent
A person responsible for the professional business dealings of an actor, director, or other artist. An agent typically negotiates the contracts on behalf of the actor or director, and often has some part in selecting or recommending roles for their client.
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Alan Smithee
AKA:Allen Smithee
The sole pseudonym that the Directors Guild of America allows directors to use when they wish to remove their name from a film.
American Cinema Editors
AKA: ACE
Honorary society of film editors founded in 1950 by Jack Ogilvie, Warren Low and others.
On the web:
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
AKA: AFTRA
An association with jurisdiction over some works that can be recorded by picture or by sound. See also the Screen Actors Guild.
On the web: Official Home Page
American Society of Cinematographers
AKA: ASC
An organization founded in 1919 and dedicated to advancing the art of cinematography through artistry and technological progress, to exchange ideas and to cement a closer relationship among cinematographers. Membership is international and by invitation based on an individual's body of narrative filmwork. Use of the abbreviation ASC, e.g. for on-screen credits, indicates membership in the society. The society publishes "American Cinematographer" magazine.
On the web: Official Home Page
Anamorphic
AKA: Cinemascope
An optical system which has different magnifications in the vertical and horizontal dimentions of the picture. See also aspect ratio, contrast with spherical. Cinemascope is a tradename of an anamorphic technique.
Anamorphic Widescreen
AKA: 16:9 Enhanced
DVD mastering process whereby a film source with an aspect ratio greater than 4:3 (usually also greater than or equal to 16:9) is transferred to the DVD video master in such a way that the picture is vertically stretched by a factor of about 1.33 (e.g. if the picture had an aspect ratio of 16:9, it now has one of 4:3). The idea is to use as much resolution of the video master as possible so widescreen pictures use the 4:3 frame optimally, gaining another 33% of vertical resolution and looking markedly sharper. When playing a DVD with anamorphic widescreen the display (16:9 capable TV or projector and screen) has to vertically squeeze the picture by a factor of 0.75 so a circle is still a circle. If the display cannot do this the DVD player will do the squeezing and add black bars on the top and bottom of the picture. In that case the additional 33% resolution are not available.
Animation
AKA: Animated, Animator
The process of creating the illusion of motion by creating individual frames, as opposed to filming naturally-occuring action at a regular frame rate. See also computer generated animation, claymation, time lapse. Contrast with motion capture, rotoscoping.
Anime
A style of animated movie which had its roots in the comic books of Japan. Animation enjoys an immense variety of subject matter and audiences in Japan. Outside of Japan, "Anime" is often used to describe only the adult oriented science fiction and fantasy entries in the field.
On the web: List of Anime titles at the IMDb.
Answer print
The first graded print of a film that combines sound and picture, which is created for the client to view and approve before printing the rest of the copies of the film.
Aperture
AKA: F/Number, F-Stop, Effect Aperture, Relative Aperture
A measure of the width of the opening allowing light to enter a camera. The apparent diameter of a lens viewed from the position of the object against a diffusely illuminated background is called the "effect aperture". The ratio of focal length of a lens to its "effective aperture" for an object located at infinity is called the "relative aperture", or "f/number". Larger apertures allow more light to enter a camera, hence darker scenes can be recorded. Conversely, smaller apertures allow less light to enter, but have the advantage of creating a large depth of field. See also shutter speed.
Art Department
The section of a production's crew concerned with visual artistry. Working under the supervision of the production designer and/or art director, the art department is responsible for arranging the overall "look" of the film (i.e. modern/high-tech, rustic, futuristic, etc.) as desired by the director. Individual positions within in this department include: production designer, production buyer, special effects supervisor, draftsman, art director, assistant art director, set decorator, set dresser, property master, leadman, swing gang, and property assistant.
Art Director
The person who oversees the artists and craftspeople who build the sets. See also production designer, set designer, set director, leadman, and swing gang.
Artifact
A visual defect in an image caused by limitations or the malfunction of imaging equipment. See also motion artifact, contrast with cinch marks.
Articulation Artist
A person who takes an artist's designs and builds them in a computer, so that animators can manipulate the figures to tell the story of the film.
Aspect Ratio
AKA: Aspect, Academy Ratio
A measure of the relative sizes of the horizontal and vertical components of an image. "Academy Ratio" is 1.33:1. See also anamorphic.
Assistant Art Director
An assistant to the art director.
Assistant Camera
AKA: Assistant Camera Operator, First Assistant Cameraman, 1st Assistant Cameraman, 1st Assistant Camera, Assistant Cameraman, Camera Assistant
A member of the camera crew who assists the camera operator. This person is responsible for the maintenance and care of the camera, as well as preparing dope sheets. In smaller camera crews, they may also perform the duties of clapper-loader and/or a focus puller. See also additional camera.
Assistant Director
AKA: AD, First Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Director
An assistant director's duties include tracking the progress of filming versus the production schedule, and preparing call sheets.
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Assistant Film Editor
AKA: Assistant Picture Editor, Assistant Sound Editor, Assistant Editor, First Assistant Editor, Second Assistant Editor, Apprentice Editor
Editing room crewmember responsible for providing any and all required logistical assistance to the editor(s). Duties vary, depending on whether the assistant is working with a picture or sound editor and whether the show is being edited on film or on a non-linear editing system. On a film-edited show, assistant picture editors will, during production: liase with the film lab and sound transfer facility regarding the processing of dailies; leader, sync and edgecode the dailies rolls; coordinate and take notes during dailies screenings; organize and maintain camera reports, sound reports, script notes, and lined script pages from the set, as well as lab reports and sound transfer reports; log all dailies footage; and reorganize footage for editing, if necessary. Ongoing, and during post-production, they will: reconstitute trims; locate and pull trims requested by the editor; check sync, clean, measure, re-splice, and add change-over marks to cut reels; coordinate screenings of cut work; take notes during screenings. Once the sound department begins work, the assistants produce change sheets detailing each day's changes to the workprint and production track and send them, along with any necessary duplicate trims, to the sound department. Assistants may be permitted by the editor to do some creative work, such as commenting on the editor's work; cutting temporary ("temp") sound effects and music into the track; and sometimes even editing scenes. After picture lock, the assistant: oversees the creation of optical effects such as fades, dissolves, etc. and cuts them into the workprint; continues to work with the sound department as necessary; and in some cases oversees the final stages of post-production, all the way through sound mix, negative conforming, and the production of final prints. The assistant editor chain of command consists of the First Assistant Editor(s), who bears the most responsibility for the smooth performance of the assistant team; the Second Assistant Editor(s); and the Apprentice Editor(s).
Assistant Production Manager
AKA: Assistant Production Co-Ordinator
An assistant to the production co-ordinator. See also production secretary.
Associate Producer
An individual who performs a limited number of producing functions delegated to her/him by a producer, under the direct supervision and control of that producer. The term may also refer to a person who would qualify as an executive producer of a project, but for the fact that (s)he acts on behalf of a production company which is subordinate to another one on that project. See also co-producer and line producer.
Association Internationale du Film d'Animation
AKA: ASIFA, International Animation Association
ASIFA was founded in 1960 in France, chartered under UNESCO, as a membership organization devoted to the encouragement and dissemination of film animation as an art and communication form.
On the web: International Home Page
Association of Film Commissioners International
AKA: AFCI
WWW: http://www.afci.org A non-profit educational organization founded in 1975 to serve the needs of on-location film, television and commercial production.
Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers
On the web: International Home Page
A membership organization serving local and international film and videomakers—from documentarians and experimental artists to makers of narrative features
Australian Screen Editors
AKA: ASE
A cultural, professional and educational organisation, dedicated to the pursuit and recognition of excellence in the arts, sciences and technology of motion picture film and televisual post-production. It aims to promote, improve and protect the role of editor as an essential and significant contributor to all screen productions.
Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers
AKA: AMPTP
Australian Screen Editors
AKA: ASE
A cultural, professional and educational organisation, dedicated to the pursuit and recognition of excellence in the arts, sciences and technology of motion picture film and televisual post-production. It aims to promote, improve and protect the role of editor as an essential and significant contributor to all screen productions.
Australian Screen Directors Association
AKA: ASDA
The Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA) is an industry association representing the interests of film and television directors, documentary filmmakers, animators and independent producers throughout Australia.
On the web: Official Home Page
Australian Society of Cinematographers
AKA: ACS
Use of the abbreviation after a name indicates that the person is a member of the ACS.
On the web: Official Home Page
Auteur
A filmmaker, generally a director, who creates a body of work with a unified sensibility that reveals, through the interplay of themes and styles, a personal worldview. The term originated with François Truffaut, whose 1954 essay "Une certaine tendence du cinéma français" put forth the idea that the most interesting films were those that functioned as a medium of personal expression--and therefore bore the distinctive imprint of their "author." American critic Andrew Sarris later translated and expanded this idea into an "auteur theory," which proposed an evaluation of films based on their context within the filmmaker's oeuvre, rather than for their technical proficiency or greater historical significance. The term "auteur" later came to refer to any filmmaker who performed or was intimately involved in all aspects of the moviemaking process (writing, directing, producing, editing, etc.).
Automatic Dialogue Replacement
AKA: Automatic Dialog Replacement, ADR, Dialogue Looping, Dialog Looping, Looping
The re-recording of dialogue by actors in a sound studio during post-production, usually performed to playback of edited picture in order to match lip movements on screen. ADR is frequently used to replace production track of poor quality (e.g., due to high levels of background noise) or to change the delivery or inflection of a line. ADR can also be used to insert new lines of dialogue which are conceived during editing, although such lines can only be placed against picture in which the face of the actor speaking is not visible.
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Automatic Dialogue Replacement Editing
AKA: ADR Editing
The process of editing sound during Automatic Dialogue Replacement.
Automatic Dialogue Replacement Editor
AKA: ADR Editor
The person who performs ADR Editing.
Automatic Dialogue Replacement Mixer
AKA: ADR Mixer
The person who mixes the sound during Automatic Dialogue Replacement.
AVID
Manufacturer of a popular non-linear editing system. Often used to refer to the system itself, as "AVID editor". Competitors include Lightworks.
B-Movie
A low-budget, second tier movie, frequently the 2nd movie in a double-feature billing. B-films were cheaper for studios because they did not involve the most highly paid actors or costly sets, and were popular with theater owners because they were less expensive to bring into their theaters while still able to draw revenue.
Back Projection
AKA: Rear Projection
A photographic technique whereby live action is filmed in front of a screen which the background action is projected on. Originally used for scenes occuring in vehicles. Contrast this with a matte shot.
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Background Artist
AKA: Scenic Artist, Backgrounds
A person responsible for designing or constructing the art placed at the rear of a set. See also matte artist.
Backlot
AKA: Back lot
A large, undeveloped area on studio property used for constructing large open-air sets or for filming wilderness scenes.
Banned
Many countries have either government or official movie classification boards who are responsible for determining the suitability of a movie for release in their country or region. These boards occasionally block the release of a movie either in theaters or on video. Often, a banned movie will find its way around a ban by means of bootleg distribution. See also censorship.
Behind the Scenes
The off-camera goings on associated with filmmaking.
Factual Movie(s): Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Below-the-Line Expenses
All physical production costs not included in the above-the-line expenses, including material costs, music rights, publicity, trailer, etc.
Best Boy
AKA: Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Best Boy Grip, Best Boy Electric
The chief assistant, usually of the gaffer, but more often lately used as a general term for the second in command of a group. The origin of the term is from "pre-union" filming days when the line between Grip and Electric departments was less rigid. When the head of either department needed another body temporarily, he'd go the the head of the other department and ask him to "lend me your BEST boy". By default the 2nd in charge of either department came to be known as best-boy. This term may also have been borrowed from early sailing and whaling crews, as sailors were often employed to set up and work rigging in theatres. There are no "best girls" per se; female chief assistants are also called "Best Boys".
Billing
AKA: Top Billing, Diagonal Billing, Equal Billing
A great deal of importance is placed on the relative sizes, positions, and order of names and the movie's title in printed publicity material as well as the opening credits. Generally, higher positions designate higher importance. Additionally, there is significant given to names which appear before or above the actual title of the movie. The person whose name is shown first in the credits or whose name is at the top of an advertisement is said to have received "top billing". If more than one name appears at the same time or at the same height, they are said to have "equal billing", with the importance of the people concerned decreasing from left to right. In some movies with a large number of stars, the publicity department must go to great lengths to satisfy the demands of various parties. "Diagonal billing" is where a different name appears first, depending on whether the material is read from top to bottom, or from left to right. In some extreme cases, multiple stars in the same movie have each demanded top billing, in which case an equal number of differently-billed advertisement have been created.
On the web: IMDb Posters Section
Biographic Picture
AKA: Biopic
A filmed story of a person's life story.
On the web: List of Biographical movies at the IMDb.
Bit Part
A small unimportant role, usually lasting only one scene.
Black and White
AKA: BW, B/W, B&W
Indicates that the images have no color. The first movies were black and white (as color film stock hadn't been invented), but in more recent times many films have been shot in black and white either for artistic reasons or because it is cheaper. Some films are shot using color film stock with the final print in black and white.
Black Comedy
A comedy in which the humour is derived from subjects which are typically considered "serious", or for which humour is usually considered as unsuitable. Common examples are death, war, suffering, and murder.
On the web: A list of black comedies at the IMDb.
Blackface
The make up technique of making an actor, usually white, to resemble an African American or at least a caricature thereof such as in the final scene of The Jazz Singer (1927). There were also equivalents for Asians (Yellowface) and Native Americans (Redface). It was a standard practice in the early 20th century for the casting of actors in non-white roles and abandoned when it was recognized to be an insult to minorities which also cheated them of casting opportunies.
Blacklisting
AKA: Blacklist
A list of filmmakers or actors who have either been formally or informally discriminated against, due to their personal, political, social, or religious beliefs. In 1950s America, McCarthyism resulted in numerous filmmakers being blacklisted.
On the web: Search for blacklisted people., Titles involving Blacklisting
Blockbuster
AKA: Hit
A movie which is a huge financial success. In common usage a "blockbuster" is a movie that has a box-office of more than $100 million upon release in North America.
On the web: IMDb Business Information Section, IMDb Box Office Charts
Blocking
A process during which the director and actors determine where on the set the actors will move and stand, so that lighting and camera placements may be set.
Bluescreen
A process whereby actors work in front of an evenly lit, monochromatic (usually blue or green) background. The background is then replaced in post production by chromakeying, allowing other footage or computer-generated images to form the background imagery. See also greenscreen.
Body Double
For some shots, a director may consider that a particular actor's body may not be suitable for the impression desired. In these situations, the actor is "doubled" (replaced) by a person whose body is more suitible. Typically, body doubles are used for shots requiring nudity or depictions of physical fitness. Contrast with stunt double and stand-in.
Body Makeup
Makeup applied below the neck or above the wrists.
Bomb
A movie which is a financial disaster. Exception: in the United Kingdom, when used with "down" (e.g. "went down a bomb"), the term means a rousing success.
On the web: IMDb Business Information Section, IMDb Box Office Charts
Boom Microphone
AKA: Boom Mike, Boom, Fishpole, Giraffe
A long pole with a microphone on the end. The boom is extended out near the actors. Ideally, the microphone at the end should be placed in the camera's safe area.
Boom Operator
A member of the sound crew who operates the boom microphone. See also sound recordist.
Bootleg
An unofficial and illegally copied or distributed version of a movie, often of a substandard quality. Bootleg videos are often available for movies that have yet to be released in a particular country, or have been banned.
Box-Office
AKA: Gross, B.O., BO
A measure of the total amount of money paid by cinema-goers to view a movie.
On the web: IMDb Box Office Charts, IMDb Business Information Section
Breakdown Script
AKA: Breakdown
A detailed list of all items, people, props, equipment, etc required for a shoot on a day-by-day basis. Recording such lists aids in continuity and allows optimization of the time of actors and the crew.
British Association of Film and Television Arts
AKA: BAFTA
British Film Commission
AKA: BFC
The British Film Commission (BFC) is a government-funded organisation established in 1991, as an initial point of contact to assist in the making of international and domestic film and television throughout every stage of production in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
On the web: Official Home Page
British Film Institute
AKA: BFI
The BFI exists to promote greater understanding and appreciation of, and access to, film and moving image culture in the UK.
On the web: Official Home Page
British Society of Cinematographers
AKA: BSC
Buck
Slang for the US Dollar.
IMDb Box Office Charts
Bundesverband Kamera (German Society of Cinematographers)
AKA: BVK
On the web: On the web: BVKamera.org
Call Sheet
A listing of which actors will be required for which scenes, and when they will be required. Call sheets are created by assistant directors and others.
Cameo
A bit part played by a famous actor who would ordinarily not take such a small part. Originally meaning "a small piece of artwork", the term was borrowed by director Michael Anderson when attempting to attract famous actors to play bit parts in Around the World in 80 Days.
Camera
A device for recording images.
Camera Crew
The group of crewmembers directly involved with operation of the camera. Individual job titles include: clapper-loader, camera operator, assistant cameraman, director of photography, focus puller, grip, key grip, dolly grip, additional camera.
Fictional Movie(s): Ed Wood (1994), Living in Oblivion (1995)
Camera Loader
AKA: Clapper-Loader, Clapper Loader
The person who operates the clapboard at the beginning of a shot, also responsible for loading film stock into film magazines. The action of slapping the clapper was invented as a way of synchronizing the visual and audio components of a shot. Recent innovations in audio-visual synchronization have made this unnecessary, but it still occurs extensively. See also assistant cameraman.
Camera Operator
AKA: Cameraman
The person who operates the camera to the specifications dictated by the director of photography. A director or a director of photography sometimes assumes this role. (Luc Besson always operates the camera on films he directs.) See also Society of Operating Cameramen, Steadicam operator.
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Camp
AKA: Campy
A form of comedic parody where the clichéd conventions of a dramatic form like adventure are deliberately exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness. Often unfairly used to describe superhero films and shows as Batman is a prime example of this form of comedy.
On the web: List of "camp" titles at the IMDb.
Canadian Society of Cinematographers
AKA: CSC
Use of the abbreviation after a name indicates that the person is a member of the CSC.
On the web: Official Home Page
Cast
A collective term for the actors appearing in a particular movie.
Casting
The process of hiring actors to play the characters in a script, typically done by a casting director, but with some input from a director, producer, or studio. See also CSA.
Casting Couch
During the so-called "Golden Age" of Hollwood, it was not uncommon for would-be-stars to grant sexual favours to directors and/or producers in return for a role in films. These favours were usually rumoured to be on a couch in the filmmaker's office. The phrase "Casting Couch" has been popularized, and although the practise has diminished, the term remains in use.
Casting Director
AKA: Extras Casting, Casting Assistant, Casting Associate
The person who auditions and helps to select all of the speaking role actors in film, television shows or plays. The CD must possess a vast knowledge of the actor pool and be able to match a variety of actors with just the right role. Directors and producers rely on the Casting Director to assist them with assembling the perfect cast for their production. Casting Directors are also responsible for serving as the liason between the director, and the actors and their agents. CDs negotiate the deals with agents once the actors have been cast and are also responsible for the contracts and SAG of each actor.
Casting Society of America
AKA: CSA
The Casting Society of America is a professional organization of Casting Directors working in theatre, film, and television. The C.S.A. is not a union or a guild, therefore every Casting Director working in these mediums is not necessarily a member of this organization.
On the web: Official Home Page
Caterer
AKA: Catering
A person or company who provides the main meals for cast and crew either on set or on location. See also craft service.
Cel
A hand drawn sheet representing a single animation frame, usualy made of a clear material like cellulose or mylar to allow several layers of composition.
Cel Animation
A form of animation where hand drawn pictures are transposed on to plastic sheets, each with a different element such as characters and background, and layered on top of each other to create a complete scene. The composition is then photographed and incorporated in the finished film. It was the predominate of form of animation until the rise of computer generated animation in the mid 1990's.
Censorship
AKA: Censoring, Censor
Changes required of a movie by some person or body other than the studio or the filmmakers, usually a national or regional film classification board. See also certificate.
Centre International du Film pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse
AKA: C.I.F.E.J., CIFEJ, International Centre of Films for Children and Young People
A 40-year-old international non-governmental organization whose goal is to promote quality films, television programmes and videos for children and young people around the world.
On the web: http://www.cifej.com
Certificates
AKA: Certificate, Ratings
Various countries or regions have film classification boards for reviewing movies and rating their content in terms of its suitability for particular audiences. For many countries, movies are required to be advertised as having a particular "certificate" or "rating", forewarning audiences of possible "objectionable content". The nature of this "objectionable content" is determined mainly by contemporary national, social, religious, and political standards. The usual criteria which determine a film's certificate are violence and sexuality, with "mature" (adult) situations and especially blasphemy and political issues often being considered more important outside the Western world. This is by no means a hard and fast rule; see the Hays Production Code for an example. In some cases, a film classification board exhibits censorship by demanding changes be made to a movie in order to receive a certain rating. As many movies are targetted at a particular age group, studios must balance the content of their films against the demands of the classification board. Negotiations are common; studios agree to make certain changes to films in order to receive the required rating. The IMDb uses the term "Certificate" as opposed to "Rating" to avoid confusion with "ratings" meaning the opinions of critics. See also: Banned, NC-17, PG, G, XXX.
On the web: MPAA Ratings Explanation, IMDb Certificate Section
CGI
AKA: Computer Generated Imagery
The use of computer graphics to create or enhance special effects.
Change Pages
When a script is being edited during production, changes are distributed to actors and the filmmakers on "change pages", which are usually a different color to the pages of the script.
Change-Over Marks
AKA: Change-Over, Reel Change, Reel Change Marks
Most completed movies consist of more than one reel, and thus for an uninterrupted screening, at least two projectors must be used. Towards the end of a reel, one or more frames may include a small circle in one of the corners. These are signals to the projectionist that the current reel is approaching the end, and he or she should be ready to start the next projector, which should have the next reel prepared for projection.
Fictional Movie(s): Fight Club (1999)
Character Actor
An actor who specializes in playing a particular style of character, often stereotypical, offbeat, or humorous.
On the web: Search IMDb for Character Actors.
Children's Film Foundation
Training scheme in the UK to give schoolchildren experience of all aspects of film making. Now replaced by the Children's Film and Television Foundation
Choreographer
A person who plans and directs dance sequences within a movie.
Chromakeying
An electronic/computerized technique that allows for specific color elements (chroma) to be replaced with different picture elements. See also bluescreen and greenscreen.
Chute Cowboys
Slang term for experienced parachutists that either perform or assist with stunts involving parachutes.
Chyron
Text graphics which appear at the bottom of a screen used to describe time, place, or name of person on screen; can also describe the technology used to add the text to the bottom of the screen.
Cinch Marks
AKA: Scratches
Scratches on a print running parallel to the edge of the strip of film. Typically caused by improper reel winding which allows one coil of the print to slide against another.
Fictional Movie(s): Game, The (1997)
Cinema
A place where screenings occur. Cinemas can be hardtops or ozoners.
Cinema Audio Society
AKA: CAS
A philanthropic, non-profit organization formed in 1964 for the purpose of sharing information with sound professionals in the motion picture and television industry. Use of the abbreviation after a name indicates that the person is a member of the CAS.
On the web: Official Home Page
Cinema Verité
Literally: Cinema Truth. A documentary style in which no directorial control is exerted. The term is frequently misused to describe new-wave "handheld" camera techniques.
Cinematographer
AKA: Cinematography, Cin
A person with expertise in the art of capturing images either electronically or on film stock through the application of visual recording devices and the selection and arrangement of lighting. The chief cinematographer for a movie is called the director of photography.
Factual Movie(s): Visions of Light (1992)
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Clapboard
AKA: Clapper, Slate
A small board which holds information identifying a shot. It typically contains the working title of the movie, the names of the director and director of photography, the scene and take numbers, the date, and the time. It is filmed at the beginning of a take. On the top of the clapboard is a hinged stick which is often "clapped" to provide audio/visual synchronization. See also clapper-loader, continuity report.
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Clapper-Loader
See camera loader.
Classification and Ratings Administration
AKA: CARA
The division of the MPAA which is responsible for administering certificates.
On the web: CARA Home Page
Claymation
Animation of models constructed from clay or plasticine.
Clean Speech
A take in which all dialogue was performed without error.
Cliffhanger
A moment of high drama, frequently used at the end of serials. Named for the (now clichéd) practice of leaving a hero or heroine hanging onto the edge of a cliff.
On the web: List of cliffhanger titles at the IMDb.
Close Captioned
AKA: Close-Captioned, CC
A system which displays the current dialog on screen for deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers. Contrast with subtitles, intertitles.
On the web: National Captioning Institute
Close-up
AKA: CU
A shot in which the subject is larger than the frame, revealing much detail. The abbreviation is often used in a slug line.
Co-Producer
A producer who performs a substantial portion of a creative producing function, or who is primarily responsible for one or more managerial producing functions. A co-producer has less responsibility than a producer for the completion of a project. Note that if a project has more than one producer, it doesn't mean that these individuals are "co-producers" in the technical sense of that term. See also executive producer, associate producer, line producer.
Color Consultant
A technical advisor with expertise in film stock and film developing, who provides advice for cinematographers and color timers.
Color Temperature
Term that describes the color of light sources; literally, the temperature at which a blackbody emits enough radiant energy to evoke a color equivalent to that coming from a given light source. A high color temperature corresponds to bluer light, a low color temperature to yellow light. The color temperature of daylight is around 5500K.
Color Timing
AKA: Color Correction, Color Timer, Color Corrected
A process which adjusts the final print so that colors match from shot to shot, regardless of the film stock and camera used to shoot the scene. So named because one aspect is adjusting the exposure time of each shot. Performed by a color timer. See also color consultant.
Colorization
AKA: Colorized
A film alteration process where an operator digitally alters a black and white image to include color. It is a controversial practice because many filmmakers and viewers believe it fundamentally alters an artistic creation. Early attempts at colorization in the 1980's were relatively crude in their shading range. Examples of this kind of alteration are versions of Casablanca and It's a Wonderful Life. Citizen Kane is notable in that Orson Welles was able to legally prevent its alteration.
Composer
A musician whose music appears in a movie's score. Most movies have at least some original music written for the score, usually after the relevant parts of the movie have been filmed. See also lyrics.
Composite Print
AKA: Synchronized Print
A print with a images and sound on the same strip of film. The sound component may be either a magnetic soundtrack or an optical soundtrack. See also advance.
Conductor
AKA: Musical Conductor, Orchestra Conductor
A person who directs the orchestra's performance of the score, often the composer.
Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d'Art et Essai
AKA: C.I.C.A.E., CICAE, Internationaler Verband der Filmkunsttheater
Construction Co-ordinator
AKA: Construction Foreman, Construction Manager
Financial responsibilities include budgeting, tracking costs, generating reports, etc. Through drawings, a construction co-ordinator is directed artistically by the Production Designer and Art Director to produce their "vision" in three dimensions. Also responsible for the physical integrity of the structures built by the construction department.
Continuity
AKA: Continuity Error
The degree to which a movie is self-consistent. For example, a scene where an actor is wearing a hat when seen from one camera angle and not from another would lack continuity. A person is often employed to check that continuity is maintained since reshooting embarrassing lapses in continuity can be prohibitively expensive. See also continuity report. In modern times, some continuity errors can be corrected through digital compositing. See the Terminator 2: Judgment Day trivia entry for an example.
On the web: IMDb Goofs Section
Continuity Report
AKA: Continuity Script
A detailed list of the events that occured during the filming of a scene. Typically recorded are production and crew identification, camera settings, environmental conditions, the status of each take, and exact details of the action that occurs. By recording all possible sources of variation, the report helps cut down continuity error between shots or even during reshooting.
On the web: A continuity report from Star Wars (1977)
Costume
The clothes worn by actors when being filmed.
Costume Designer
AKA: Assistant Costume Designer
A person who designs the costumes for a movie.
Costume Supervisor
The person in charge of costumes, usually preparing them for use and making sure they are accurate and faithful to the designs. Other responsibilities include consulting with the designers and training, supervising, and scheduling the costume staff.
Costumer
AKA: Wardrobe, Assistant Wardrobe, Wardrobe Assistant
A person responsible for handling the costumes worn by actors.
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990)
Costumes
The person or department responsible for obtaining wardrobe items specified by the costume designer. Most items are borrowed from the studio's costume stock or rented from outside companies; others may be created specifically for the production.
Cowboy Shot
A shot framed from mid-thigh up. Got its name during the filming of many westerns, when this was a common framing used.
Craft Service
AKA: Crafts Service
Responsible for maintaining a table of snacks between meal periods; sometimes they feed the crew or extras. See also catering.
Crane Shot
A shot taken by a camera on a crane; often used to show the actors/action from above. Cranes usually carry both the camera and a camera operator, but some can be operated by remote control.
Creative Consultant
A multi-faceted individual that works primarily for the director of a feature, who helps with the creative process of a film in more than one field (e.g. script, special effects, photography sound design, music, etc.) In many cases, creative consultants go unaccredited, like ghost writers, for various reasons.
Creator
AKA: Concept
The writer or other primary creative force behind a movie, series, or group of characters.
Crewmembers
AKA: Crew
A collective term for anyone involved with the production of a movie who does not appear in the movie. This term is usually used to refer to the more subordinate members of a production team (contrast with filmmakers.)
Critic
A person who publishes a review of a movie from either an artistic or entertainment point of view.
Crosscut
The technique of interweaving pieces of two or more scenes, usually in order to show simultaneous actions or illuminate themes.
Cut
A change in either camera angle or placement, location, or time. "Cut" is called during filming to indicate that the current take is over. See also shot, action. A "cut" of a movie is also a complete edited version.
On the web: IMDb Alternatve Versions Section
Fictional Movie(s): Ed Wood (1994)
Cyberpunk
A subgenre of science fiction that typically has elements which include a futuristic tone, massive urban areas in decay and poverty, partial environmental collapse, extremely powerful business corporations, random street gang violence with the overall presence of extremely powerful computer, robotic and information technology. Blade Runner is considered the definitive cyberpunk movie.
On the web: List of cyberpunk titles at the IMDb.
Dailies
AKA: Rushes
The first positive prints made from the negatives photographed on the previous day. During filming, the director and some actors may view these dailies as an indication of how the filming and the actors' performances are progressing.
Day-For-Night
A shoot done during that day, that simulates night time, using filters, underexposure, and other techniques to create a feeling of darkness.
Deepfocus Shot A shot in which both the foreground and the background are in focus. In other words, a shot with exceptional depth of field.
Denoument
The concluding scenes of a movie where the story elements are finished and the characters' status after the climax is shown.
Depth of Field
AKA: DOF
A measure of the range along a camera's line of site in which objects will be in focus. See also aperture, shutter speed.
Designer
Someone who creates plans for visual aspects of a production (e.g. costume designer).
Dialect Coach
A person who helps train an actor in diction and/or the use of accents to suit the character an actor is playing.
Dialogue Editor
A sound editor who specializes in editing dialogue.
Dialogue Coach
AKA: Dialogue Director
A person who helps train an actor in diction and/or the use of inflections, so that his or her speech fits the character and situation.
Diegetic sound
AKA:Actual sound
A sound that is created by something or someone visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film.
Digital Compositing
A technique whereby separately filmed components are combined through digital editing. Contrast with optical printing.
Digital Editing
Editing a portion of a movie by digitizing one or more frames and altering them electronically or combining them with other digitized images, and then printing the modified frame.
Digital Imaging Technician
A person who provides on-set quality control, image manipulation & color correction, production continuity, trouble shooting and consultation to assist in fullfilling the requirements and vision of the cinematographer in film-style digital production.
Digital Theatre Systems
AKA: DTS
A company which has produced a digital soundtrack standard. Competitors include Dolby Digital and SDDS.
On the web: IMDb Sound Mix Section, Official DTS Home Page
Digital Versatile Disc
AKA: Digital Video Disc, DVD
Digital Versatile Discs resemble audio CDs in appearance, but have a much higher storage capacity. Hence, they can store rich digital media such as video in addition to audio and computer software. DVD was once called "Digital Video Disc" but the name change reflects its wider uses. As a video medium, DVD offers full length feature films to be stored with exceptional picture quality accompanied by high end digital sound, such as Dolby Digital and DTS. Thanks to the huge capacity of discs, DVD movies are often sold with extra features such as the option to view the movie in widescreen or fullscreen, or the option to listen to the movie or director commentaries.
On the web: IMDb DVD browser, DVD FAQ
Directing Animator
The animator responsible for creating the key poses or key frames of an animation.
Director
AKA: Dir, Helmer
The principal creative artist on a movie set. A director is usually (but not always) the driving artistic source behind the filming process, and communicates to actors the way that he/she would like a particular scene played. A director's duties might also include casting, script editing, shot selection, shot composition, and editing. Typically, a director has complete artistic control over all aspects of the movie, but it is not uncommon for the director to be bound by agreements with either a producer or a studio. In some large productions, a director will delegate less important scenes to a second unit.
Factual Movie(s): Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995), Ed Wood (1994), Stunt Man, The (1980)
Director of Photography
AKA: DP, DoP
A cinematographer who is ultimately responsible for the process of recording a scene in the manner desired by the director. The Director of Photography has a number of possible duties: selection of film stock, cameras, and lenses; designing and selecting lighting, directing the gaffer's placement of lighting; shot composition (in consultation with the director); film developing and film printing.
Factual Movie(s): Visions of Light (1992)
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Director's Cut
AKA: DC
Contracts under the terms of the Hollywood Director's Guild usually allow 6 weeks for a director to assemble a cut of the movie without studio interference as he or she would like it to be seen. This director's cut is fully edited and has a synchronized soundtrack. This cut is usually not color corrected or density corrected and may not even have the final music and effects tracks. In more recent times the term Director's Cut has taken on a popular meaning that implies a polished final cut of the movie that the director has complete artistic control over.
Director's Guild of America
AKA: DGA
On the web: Official Home Page
Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan
AKA: Director's Guild of America Trainee, DGA Trainee
The Director's Guild of America has various training programs whereby successful applicants are placed in various productions and can gain experience working in the film or television industry.
On the web: Official Home Page
Dissolve
AKA: Lap Dissolve
An editing technique whereby the images of one shot is gradually replaced by the images of another.
Distributor
AKA: Distrib, Distribution
The organization responsible for coordinating the distribution of the finished movie to exhibitors, as well as the sale of videos, laserdiscs, and other media versions of movies.
On the web: IMDb Distributors Section
Documentary
AKA: Docu
A non-fiction narrative without actors. Typically a documentary is a journalistic record of an event, person, or place. See also: cinema verité.
On the web: List of documentaries at the IMDb.
Dogme 95
A filmmaking movement launched in 1995 by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, among others. The Dogme 95 Manifesto renounces special effects and other forms of "gimmickry" in favor of stripped-down techniques. In order to qualify for Dogme status, filmmakers must abide by the following ten rules (known as the "Vow of Chastity"):
1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot).
3. The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. (The film must not take place where the camera is standing; shooting must take place where the film takes place).
4. The film must be in color. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.) 7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place here and now.)
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
9. The film format must be Academy 35mm.
10. The director must not be credited.
On the web: Dogme
Dolby Noise Reduction
AKA: Dolby, Dolby Labs, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, Dolby 70mm, Dolby Stereo
Dolby Laboratories, Inc has produced a number of noise reduction and sound enhancement processes. Competitors include DTS and SDDS.
On the web: Official Home Page, IMDb Sound Mix Section
Dolly
AKA: Dolly Shot, Dolly Up, Dolly In, Dolly Back, Pull back
A dolly is a small truck which rolls along dolly tracks carrying the camera,some of the camera crew and occasionally the director. "Dolly" is also the action of moving the camera towards (dolly up/in) or away from (dolly/pull back) the object that it is pointing at. The term often appears in screenplays. There is a subtle difference between the results of a zoom shot and a dolly shot. In a zoom, the relative positions and sizes of all objects in the frame remains the same, whereas in a dolly shot this will change as the camera moves. Alfred Hitchcock's much-imitated shot in Vertigo used a combination zoom-in and dolly back, resulting in a dramatic change in perspective.
Dolly Grip
A grip that moves a dolly.
Dolly Tracks
A set of tracks upon which a camera can be moved. See also dolly.
Dope Sheet
AKA: Camera Report
A list of scenes from the script that have already been filmed, or a list of the contents of an exposed reel of film stock. An accurate dope sheet is the responsibility of the assistant cameraman. See also clapboard, continuity report.
Double
An actor who stands in for another actor in certain scenes, some of which may involve dangerous circumstances or require special skills (e.g. a stunt double). Sometimes body doubles are used in scenes that call for nudity or intimacy. Contrast with stand-in.
Double Bill
Two movies shown consecutively, typically for a discounted single admission price. Often the movies are sequels or are otherwise related (by genre, eg). See also feature presentation, supporting feature, and trailer.
Draftsman
A person who creates the plans for set construction. See also swing gang, production designer, and art director.
Dresser
A wardrobe assistant who helps actors with their costumes.
Driver
AKA: Transportation Captain
A person who drives either equipment or passenger trucks, typically between location shootings, sets, and the studio. The chief driver is called the transportation captain. See also transportation co-ordinator.
Dubbing
AKA: Dubs, Dubbed
The technique of combining multiple sound components into one. The term is also used to refer to automatic dialog replacement of a new language.
Dutch Tilt
A shot composed with the horizon not parallel with the bottom of the frame. Used extensively in Batman, and frequently by Orson Welles.
Edge Numbers
Numbers printed on the edge of a print to allow easy identification of frames.
Editing
AKA: Visual Editing, Film Editing
Reconstructing the sequence of events in a movie. See also AVID, editor.
Editor
A person who performs editing (in consultation with the director) on a movie. This term usually refers to someone who does visual editing. See also Motion Picture Editors Guild.
Effects Stock
Special film stock that is typically used by the second unit to generate computerized composites. Effects stock usually has finer film grain, and is usually rated several stops lower than standard stock.
Electrical Department
The department in charge of all electrical matters (primarily lighting) for productions.
Electrician
The person or grip in charge of and familiar with the electrical equipment on the set.
Epic
A film with large dramatic scope or that required an immense production.
On the web: List of epic movies at the IMDb.
Equity
AKA: British Actors Equity Association, BAEA, Actors Equity
A trade union for actors. In the UK, an actor must belong to Equity before being allowed to perform in any "legitimate" theater or film. Similar organisations exist in other countries but because other organisations often exist membership isn't as essential.
On the web: BAEA Official Home Page
Executive Producer
AKA: Executive in Charge of Production
A producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the filmmaking process, but who is still responsible for the overall production. Typically an executive producer handles business and legal issues. See also associate producer, co-producer, line producer.
Exhibitor
An organization which represents cinemas.
Exterior
AKA: EXT
Used in a slug line, indicates that the scene occurs outdoors.
Extra
A person who appears in a movie where a non-specific, non-speaking character is required, usually as part of a crowd or in the background of a scene. Extras are often recruited from wherever they are available. Contrast with non-speaking role.
Extreme Close-up
AKA: ECU
A shot in which the subject is much larger than the frame. Provides more detail than a close-up. The abbreviation is often used in a slug line.
Eyeline Match
A technique used in visual effects to make sure an actor is looking at the "face" of the character/creature to be inserted later. One approach, used on Stuart Little (1999), is to sync a laser to the camera so that it is on only when the shutter is closed, and makes a dot where the creature's eyes would be. More commonly, a grip holds a target on a pole.
Fade
AKA: Fade To Black, Fade In, Fade Out
A smooth, gradual transition from a normal image to complete blackness (fade out), or vice versa (fade in).
Fake Shemp
AKA: Shemp
Anyone appearing on screen whose face is not seen (either because of heavy makeup or camera angles) and who has no lines; can include stand-ins and extras. The term originated with Sam Raimi and his colleagues, who borrowed it from Hollywood lore about a stand-in used to finish Three Stooges films after Shemp Howard's death.
Fast Motion
AKA: Skip Frame
A shot in which time appears to move more quickly than normal. The process is commonly achieved by either deleting select frames (called "skip frames") or by undercranking. See also motion artifact, freeze frame, frame rate, judder.
Feature Film
AKA: Feature
A movie at least 40-45 minutes (2 reels) long intended for theatrical release. Contrast with short subject.
Feature Presentation
AKA: Main Attraction
The main or advertised movie during a screening. See also: double bill, trailer, supporting feature.
Femme Fatale
Literally: "Deadly Lady"; a slang term used to describe a character in a movie.
Festival
An event at which films can often premiere. Festivals can be used as by studios to show their wares and sell rights to distributors, or to officially mark a movie's release so as to make it eligible for award ceremonies with hard deadlines that can't be met if they waited for a general release. Some festivals are competitive, giving awards from a jury or selected by the audiences.
Film Buyer
A person who arranges to purchase films from an distributor on behalf of an exhibitor.
Film Developing
AKA: Developed
A process whereby images recorded on film stock are transfered to a negative print. See also color timing.
Film Grain
AKA: Grain, Graininess, Grainy
The tiny particles of light-sensitive material on film stock that record images. Finer grains give higher image quality, but coarser grains allow a faster shutter speed. Graininess is an artifact which results from the use of coarse grains, and gives images a slight mosaic appearance.
Film Magazines
A reel of film stock ready for use in a camera. The clapper-loader is responsible for inserting these into a camera.
Film Noir
Literally: "Black Film"; describes a genre of film which typically features dark, brooding characters, corruption, detectives, and the seedy side of the big city.
On the web: List of Film Noir at the IMDb.
Film Printing
The process of transfering images from a negative print to a print.
Film Stock
The physical medium on which photographic images are recorded. See also film grain.
Filmmakers
A collective term used to refer to people who have a significant degree of control over the creation of a movie: directors, producers, screenwriters, and editors.
First Assistant Camera
AKA: 1AC
See focus puller.
Flashback
A scene that breaks the chronological continuity of the main narrative by depicting events which happened in the past. Contrast with flashforward.
Flashforward
A scene that breaks the chronological continuity of the main narrative by depicting events which happen in the future. Contrast with flashback.
Foam Technician
AKA: Foam Runner
A person responsible for creating foam latex prosthetic appliances from a sculpture created by a makeup artist.
Focus
The sharpness of an image, or the adjustments made on a camera necessary to achieve this. See also focus puller.
Focus Group
A group of approximately ten to twelve members of the public unrelated to a movie's production who attend a sneak preview. A single focus group is usually composed of a selection of people within the boundaries of a movie's intended audience. The group is extensively questioned by the filmmakers following the screening, and their opinions are incorporated into any further editing that may occur before the premiere.
Focus Puller
AKA: B Cameraman
A member of the camera crew who adjusts the focus of the camera during filming. See also assistant cameraman.
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Foley
The art of recreating incidental sound effects (such as footsteps) in synchronization with the visual component of a movie. Named after early practitioner Jack Foley, foley artists sometimes use bizarre objects and methods to achieve sound effects, e.g. snapping celery to mimic bones being broken. The sounds are often exaggerated for extra effect - fight sequences are almost always accompanied by loud foley added thuds and slaps.
Foley Artist
AKA: Foley Operator
A person who creates foley sound effects; named after early practitioner Jack Foley.
Foley Editor
Edits the sounds created by a foley artist.
Foley Mixer
A sound mixer who works with a foley artist to record sound effects.
Frame
An individual picture image which eventually appears on a print.
Frame Rate
AKA: Frames Per Second, FPS
Movies are created by taking a rapid sequence of pictures (frames) of action. By displaying these frames at the same rate at which they were recorded, the illusion of motion can be created. "Frame Rate" is the number of frames captured or projected per second. The human optical system is only capable of capturing about 20 images per second; hence to give a realistic illusion of motion a frame rate greater than this is required. Most modern motion pictures are filmed and displayed at 24 fps. Earlier films used lower frame rates, and hence when played back on modern equipment, fast motion occurs due to undercranking. See also: slow motion, fast motion, undercranking, overcranking, judder, motion artifact.
Freeze Frame
AKA: Freeze
An optical printing effect whereby a single frame is repeated to give the illusion that all action has stopped. Often used by Martin Scorsese. Contrast with stop motion.
Fullscreen
AKA: 4:3
Fullscreen is a term used to describe the shape of the picture a movie is displayed in order for it to fill a regular (as of 1998) TV screen. At the time of writing, most TVs are squarer than the newer widescreen TVs on the market. With these older sets, for every 4 inches/cm of horizontal screen size there are 3 inches/cm of vertical size, hence a 4:3 aspect ratio. Widescreen TVs have 5 and 1/3 inches/cm horizontal size for each 3 of vertical. Rather than write that as 5.333:3, we use 16:9. So fullscreen=4:3, widescreen=16:9. When a movie is played in fullscreen format for a 4:3 TV, the movie is almost always adjusted to fit. You may be familiar with the phrase "this movie has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit your TV." What that almost always means is that much of the original picture has been thrown away, i.e. the pan and scan procedure has been used to pick the most appropriate pieces of the picture to keep because the old TV screen is the wrong shape to show the whole picture. In terms of home cinema, fullscreen is inferior to widescreen and is often considered to be an unacceptable format. The 4:3 shape TV is expected to become obsolete over the next decade as TV moves to digital and HDTV formats, which are widescreen based. DVDs often offer both fullscreen and widescreen formats, however many are already only available in widescreen and anamorphic format, so as to cater for the growing audience of home cinema enthusiasts who have already abandoned fullscreen.
Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique
AKA: FIPRESCI, International Federation of Film Critics, Internationaler Verband der Filmkritiker, Federación Internacional de la Prensa Cinematográfica
On the web: Official Home Page
Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Film
AKA: FIAPF, International Federation of Film Producers Association, Internationaler Verband der Filmproduzenten, Federazione internazionale associazioni produttori di film
Fédération Internationale des Ciné-Clubs
AKA: FICC, International Federation of Film Societies
On the web: Official Home Page
G
A certificate issued by the MPAA indicating that a film is suitable for all ages. See also PG.
On the web: MPAA Ratings Explanation
Gaffer
AKA: Chief Lighting Technician
The head of the electrical department, responsible for the design and execution of the lighting plan for a production. Early films used mostly natural light, which stagehands controlled with large tent cloths using long poles called gaffs (stagehands were often beached sailors or longshoremen, and a gaff is a type of boom on a sailing ship). In 16th Century English, the term "gaffer" denoted a man who was the head of any organized group of laborers.
Generator
AKA: Genny, Genny Operator
A mechanical engine which produces electricity from fuel (usually diesel). Frequently used for location shooting, either due to the unavailability or insufficient quantities of electricity locally available.
Giraffe
A mechanically extendable and manipulated boom microphone.
Go Motion
AKA: Go-Motion
A form of animation similar to stop motion, but which incorporates motion blur. Ordinary stop motion cannot produce motion blur as motion only occurs between frames. Robotic models that are moved during the exposure of each frame produce motion blur, and thus are more realistic. Pioneered by Industrial Light and Magic for Dragonslayer.
Greenscreen
A newer technique similar to bluescreen, however utilizing a key green background. Research showed that substantially better results could be gained by filming on green instead of blue, as effects stock was more sensitive to separating key green from other (foreground) colors. See also chromakeying.
Greensman
A member of the crew who procures, places, and maintains any vegetation on a set.
Grindhouse
A term used to describe movie theaters common in the U.S. from the 1950s onward, that specialized in showing, or "grinding out" as many B movies as they could fit into their schedules. The term is also used to describe the type of B movies -- commonly violent, exploitative, or just plain racy -- that were shown in such theaters.
Grip
In the USA, a grip is a skilled person responsible for the set up, adjustment and maintenance of production equipment on the set. Their typical duties involve camera movement, lighting refinement, and mechanical rigging. In the UK, grips work exclusively with equipment that the camera is mounted on. Contrast with swing gang, see also key grip.
Hairstylist
AKA: Hairstyles, Hair stylist, Hairdresser, Hair dresser, Hair Styles
Person responsible for maintaining actors' hairstyles during filming.
Hardtop
Slang for a normal indoor theatre. See also ozoner.
Hays Production Code
AKA: Hays Code, Hays Production Office, Hays Office
In the 1920s, the American public became alarmed at the increasingly frequent portrayal of violence, sex, and lawlessness on movie screens. Wishing to avoid government regulation, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America created their own regulatory body and appointed Postmaster General Will H. Hays as head. His influence became so great that this body became known as the "Hays Office". The Hays Production Code for Motion Pictures was introduced in 1934, and by today's standards was extremely strict. It was mainly concerned with violence and sex, but had references to crime in general. After WWII, the growing popularity of television provided the public with more viewing choice. The Hays Office came under increasing fire for restricting the creativity of filmmakers, as it had defined specific requirements for depicting certain events. For example, under the Hays Code a filmmaker could not present revenge in modern times as being justified, nor could they depict details of how crimes were committed, or show a criminal profiting from crime. Following the Supreme Court's Miracle decision in the 1950s, films were recognized as protected under the First Amendment, and as such the Hays Office's demands were not legally enforceable. Films such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Blowup inspired MPAA president Jack Valenti to abolish the Hays Code as his first step in overhauling the certificates system in 1967. See also blacklisting.
High Concept
Describes a film that includes and/or exploits certain elements (e.g. fast action, big-name stars) in order to attract a large audience.
HOD
An abbreviation for "Head of Department". Sometimes known in US as coordinators.
Hold
A word used on a continuity report to indicate that a particular take should be kept, but not developed. See also print.
Honeywagon
Usually a trailer, or truck and trailer combination outfitted for and used as the dressing room for actors when on location shoots away from permanent soundstages.
Hot Set
A set on which a scene is in the process of being shot; labelled thus to indicate that it should not be changed or disturbed.
Hype
Overzealous praise or advertising.
Independent Film
AKA: Indie
A movie not produced by a major studio.
Ingenue
A young actress. Also, a type of role played by a young actress, generally implying a young, fresh-faced, naive character. studio.
Ink
Verb: to sign a contract. Noun: press coverage.
Inning
A period of time.
Insert
A close-up shot of an object, often produced by the second unit. The term probably came about to reflect the fact that this shot will be "inserted" into the final version of the movie during editing.
Interior
AKA: INT
Used in a slug line, indicates that the scene occurs indoors.
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Machine Operators
AKA: I.A.T.S.E., IATSE
WWW: http://www.iatse.com/
Intertitles
A title card appearing intercut with a scene. Contrast with subtitles. Commonly used with silent films.
On the web: List of silent titles at the IMDb.
Jib
The arm of a mechanical crane.
Judder
An instability introduced when images sampled at one frame rate are converted to a different frame rate for viewing. This effect is most noticeable when frames are repeated or deleted in order to obtain slow motion or fast motion. See also motion artifact.
Jump Cut
A cut involving an interruption to the continuity of time, where the image in a shot closely matches the image of the previous shot.
Key
A general adjective denoting importance.
Key Grip
AKA: Key-Grip
The chief of a group of grips, often doubling for a construction co-ordinator and a backup for the camera crew. Key grips work closely with the gaffer.
Kickoff
The start of production or principal photography.
Layout
Layouts
AKA: Blocking
A person responsible for working out the action before filming begins, including where the characters should be, and the camera angles.
Lead Role
AKA: Lead, Female Lead, Male Lead
The most important character in a movie, often distinguished by gender.
Leadman
Member of the art department who is in charge of swing gangs and/or set dressers and reports to the set decorator.
Legs
Of a movie: continuing to return large box-office figures.
Lens
An optical device used by a camera to focus an image onto film stock.
Letterboxing
AKA: Letterboxed, Letterbox
As the aspect ratio of movies are rarely the same as the aspect ratio of a television screen, when showing movies on TV it is necessary to make sacrifices. "Letterboxing" is a video mastering process whereby a film source with an aspect ratio greater than that of the video master (4:3 for NTSC/PAL and 16:9 for HDTV) is transferred to the video master in such a way that no film image is cut off to the left or the right, requiring the addition of (usually) black bars at the top and at the bottom of the image so that it entirely fills the screen--in other words, the technique of shrinking the image just enough so that its entire width appears on screen, with black areas above and below the image. The advantage of this technique is that the film images are shown as originally intended by the film's creators, not interfering with their shot composition and artistic intentions. The disadvantage is that the entire image must be shrunk, which makes viewing on smaller TVs more difficult. Contrast with pan and scan (for DVD, also anamorphic widescreen).
Lighting
AKA: Lights
Most productions use artificial lighting when filming for various technical and artistic reasons, both on location or on a set. Lighting is designed by the director of photography in consultation with the director, and is the responsibility of the electrical department.
Lighting Crew
AKA: Lighting technician, Lighting technicians
A group of technicians who install, operate, and maintain lighting.
Lighting Department
The section of a production's crew responsible for lighting and other electrical matters during filming. Individual positions within in this department include: electrician, lighting crew and genny operator.
Lighting Board Operator
A member of the electrical department who runs a console that controls the level or intensity of the lights, creating a look for the show. This can be simple or complex, involving intensity matching for shot continuity, on-screen effects, moving light control and synchronized work with other departments, like special effects and visual effects.
Lighting Technician
A member of the electrical department that is responsible for operating lights and lighting equipment on a set.
Line Producer
A producer who is responsible for managing every person and issue during the making of a film. Line producers only work on one film at a time. See also: unit production manager, associate producer, co-producer, executive producer.
Lined Script
A copy of the shooting script which is prepared by the script supervisor during production to indicate, via notations and vertical lines drawn directly onto the script pages, exactly what coverage has been shot. A given vertical line indicates, via the line's start and end point, what script material is covered in a particular shot, and whether given dialog or action is on-screen or off-screen in the shot, indicated by the line changing between straight and wavy respectively. Different coloured lines usually represent certain types of shots: close-up, insert, steadicam, etc. Each vertical line is also notated with the slate of the shot (e.g. "3C"), the printed takes (e.g. "1, 3, and 4"), and a brief shot description (e.g. "M2S Rolf & Liza"). The lined script also frequently incorporates the script supervisor's script notes on the facing pages for a given scene. The lined script is used by the film editor as a reference to what coverage was shot and to changes made to the script during production. Lined scripts give editors a quick view of all available coverage at a glance, so that he or she can make quick editing decisions without having to sort through all the footage repeatedly.
Live Area
A camera's viewfinder actually shows (and records on film stock) a greater area of the scene than will appear in the final product. Markings are etched in the viewfinder to indicate to the camera operator the extents of the "viewable" film (called the live area). An area beyond that (called the safe area) is also marked; it is in this area that the camera operator might direct the boom operator to place the boom microphone.
Location Filming
AKA: Location, On Location, Location Shooting
Filming which occurs at a place not constructed specifically for the production. Typically this is either outdoors, a well-known location, or a real place which suffices.
On the web: Find Location By Movie, Find Movie by Location
Location Manager
AKA: Assistant Location Manager
A person who manages various aspects of filming on location, such as arranging with authorities for permission to shoot in specific places.
Location mixer
A sound mixer responsible for mixing sounds recorded on location.
Location Scout
A person who looks for suitable locations for filming.
Lock it down
AKA: Lock it up, a lock up A direction given by the assistant director for everyone on the set to be quiet, move out of frame, and to secure the set against anything or one interrupting the shot as it is happening. It is called just prior to speed.
Looping
See Automatic Dialogue Replacement.
Lyricist
A writer of song lyrics.
Lyrics
The words sung in a song; also refers to their writer.
Macguffin
AKA: Weenie
A term used by Alfred Hitchcock to refer to an item, event, or piece of knowledge that the characters in a film consider extremely important, but which the audience either doesn't know of or doesn't care about. Examples: the engine plans in The 39 Steps, the statue with the microfilms in North by Northwest, and the contents of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.
Magic hour
The minutes just around sunset and sunrise, where light levels change drastically and quickly, lending a warm orange glow to earlier shots, and a clearer blue in later minutes that allows a crew to shoot night scenes while light still remains.
Magnetic Soundtrack
AKA: Magnetic Print
A composite print in which the soundtrack is recorded on the attached strip of magnetic tape. Largely obsolete due to high cost and maintenance difficulties.
Maintenance Engineer
A person responsible for general maintenance and repair.
Majors
The major Hollywood movie producer/distributor studios (MGM/UA, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Universal, and Disney).
Makeup
AKA: Make up, Make-up, Makeup Artist, Makeup Supervisor
The decorations placed directly on the skin or hair of an actor for cosmetic or artistic effect. Practitioners are called artists or supervisors. See also body makeup, special makeup effects, prosthetic appliances.
Martial-Arts
AKA: Martial Arts, Chop-Socky, Chopsocky
A film which features hand to hand combat, usually using various Asian combat systems like Karate and the Chinese fighting styles popularly known in the west as Kung Fu. "Chop-socky" is a slang and scornful term for martial-arts movies.
On the web: List of Martial Arts titles at the IMDb.
Martini Shot
The last shot of the day's shoot... becuase the next "shot" is in a Martini glass. See also Abby Singer.
Matte Artist
AKA: Mattematician
A person who creates artwork (usually for the background of a shot) which is included in the movie either via a matte shot or optical printing.
Matte Shot
A photographic technique whereby artwork - usually on glass - from a matte artist is combined with live action. Contrast this with back projection or a travelling matte.
Method Acting
A style of acting formalized by Konstantin Stanislavsky which is believed by some to create more realistic performances. Essentially, the theory requires actors to draw experiences from their own personal lives that correlate to the character they are playing - an extremely demanding process emotionally. In some cases, "method" actors take the theory even further by arranging events in their private lives to resemble the lives of their characters. See the trivia entries for Down and Out in Beverly Hills and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for examples, and the trivia entry for Marathon Man for an amusing anecdote.
Microphone
AKA: Mike, Mic
A device which converts sound into electrical impulses, usually for recording or amplification.
Mini-Majors
AKA: Mini Majors
Studios which are large but not as large as the majors: Embassy, Gramercy, etc.
Mini-Series
AKA: Miniseries
A television series with a set number of episodes which tell a complete story, usually filmed at the same time. Contrast with serial.
Mise-en-scene
Literally translated as "what's put into the scene", this is the sum total of all factors affecting the artistic "look" or "feel" of a shot or scene. These can include shot selection, shot composition, production design and set decoration, as well as technical camera properties such as shutter speed, aperture, frame rate, and depth of field. Mise-en-scene is often contrasted with montage, where the artistic "look" of a scene is constructed through visual editing.
Montage
An artistic device for creating the artistic "look" or "feel" of a scene, through the use of visual editing. Often contrasted with mise-en-scene.
MOS
AKA: Mit Out Sound
A take that is filmed without recording sound at the same time. MOS stands for "mit out sound"--it is purported that director Erich Von Stroheim couldn't pronounce "without sound" correctly due to his accent.
Motion Artifact
AKA: Strobing, Nyquist Limit
The visual interference patterns between a shot's frame rate and a filmed object's periodic motion or change. If a shot is filmed with a frame rate R, any images of periodic events of a frequency greater than R/2 (the "Nyquist Limit") will be misrepresented on film. A commonly-occuring example of this artifact is the illusion of spoked wheels appearing to turn in the wrong direction or at the wrong rate. Incorrect frame rates and synchronization can also cause strobing during shots of projected movies or of television screens. See also artifact, judder.
Motion Blur
Shots of objects that quickly move in the camera's frame, and/or shots with a slow shutter speed are likely to produce a "smearing" effect, since the object is in a range of positions during a single exposure.
Motion Capture
An animation technique in which the actions of an animated object are derived automatically from the motion of a real-world actor or object. See also rotoscoping.
Motion Control
A camera setup which records the motion of a camera during a shot so that visual effects can be easily synchronized with the photographed scene.
Motion Picture
AKA: Movie, Film, Flick, Picture
Motion Picture Association
AKA: Motion Picture Export Association of America, MPA, MPEAA
The Motion Picture Association of America and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA. Before 1994, the MPA was known as the Motion Picture Export Association of America.
On the web: IMDb and the MPAA, Official Home Page
Motion Picture Association of America
AKA: MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA. Through the Classifications and Ratings Administration (CARA), the MPAA issues certificates.
On the web: Official Home Page
Motion Picture Editors Guild
A professional union for picture and sound editors, which now also includes re-recording mixers, projectionists, recordists, mic boom operators, engineers, and story analysts.
On the web: Official Home Page
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America
AKA: MPPDA
Motion Picture Sound Editors
AKA: MPSE
Motion Picture Stills Photographers Association
AKA: MPSPA
Movematch
The use of computer programs to combine and synthesize real footage with CGI effects.
Music Arranger
Someone who adapts a musical composition for voices, instruments, and/or performance styles other than those for which the music was originally written.
Music Editor
A person who, in collaboration with the music supervisor and composer, performs editing on the score, live vocals, songs and source music of a movie.
Music Preparation
Person who prepares printed parts from the composer's score for the musicians to play from at the score recording sessions.
Music Supervisor
AKA: Musical Director, Musical Direction, Music Director, Music Direction
A person who coordinates the work of the composer, the editor, and sound mixers. Alternately, a person who researches, obtains rights to, and supplies songs for a production.
Musical
A movie whose dramatic story structure includes unrealistic episodes of musical perfomance and/or dancing.
On the web: List of musicals at the IMDb.
National Film Theatre
AKA: NFT
Main showcase cinema in the UK. Located in London, England.
On the web: Official Home Page
National Organization of Theatre Owners
AKA: NATO
NC-17: NO ONE 17 AND UNDER ADMITTED
AKA: NC-17, X-Rated, X Rated, X
A certificate issued by the MPAA indicating that no person aged 17 or under will be allowed to attend a screening of the movie. This category was formerly called "X", but many people's mistaken association of "X" films with XXX films caused the MPAA to change this on September 27, 1990.
On the web: MPAA Ratings Explanation
Negative Cost
The cost of a movie through the production of a finished negative, not including the costs of prints, advertising, or distribution.
Negative Cutter
A person who matches the negative of a movie and conforms (matches) it to the final version of the film as decided by the filmmakers. From this negative the prints are made.
Negative Pickup
An agreement where a distributor acquires a finished negative and agrees to pay P&A and distribution costs. As opposed to deals where the distributor is involved during production.
Negative Print
AKA: Negative, Neg
A reverse light image capture. See also positive print.
NG
AKA: No good
An abbreviation of the phrase "no good", which can be used to describe various aspects of filmmaking, i.e. "a ng take".
Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema
AKA: NETPAC
Non-linear Editing
The computer-assisted editing of a movie without the need to assemble it in linear sequence. The visual equivalent of word processing.
NTSC
The standard for TV/video display in the US and Canada, as set by the National Television Standards Committee, which delivers 525 lines of resolution at 60 half-frames per second. See also PAL and SECAM.
Nut
Operating expenses to be recovered, often deductible in an exhibitor's contract with distributors.
Off-line
The process of preliminary editing done in a lower-cost editing facility, to prepare a list of edits for on-line.
Off-line Editor
A person who performs the off-line work, completing preliminary editing done in a lower-cost editing facility, to prepare a list of edits for the final, or on-line editor.
On-line
The process of final editing and preparation for distribution of film, with edits often from a list of changes created during off-line.
On-line Editor
A person who performs the on-line work, who completes the final editing and preparation for distribution of film, with edits often from a list of changes created by the off-line editor.
Opaquer
An artist who colours in the individual cells of an animated film.
Open
AKA: Opens, Opened, Opening
The time at which a movie is first released in theatres. Movies will often open at different times in different countries/regions.
Opening Weekend
When a movie is first released in each country, its success is often measured in terms of its gross for the first weekend it opened. A disproportionate number of people usually see a movie on its opening weekend so box-office numbers are a good guide as to whether the movie will be a hit or not.
Optical Printer
AKA: Optical Printing
A laboratory machine for combining the images of one or more reels of film through photographic techniques. Contrast with digital compositing.
Optical Soundtrack
A composite print in which the soundtrack is recorded via the varying width of a transparent track which runs beside the sequence of frames on a print. See also advance.
Orchestral Arrangements
AKA: Arrangements, Orchestrations, Orchestration
An adaptation of the score for all instruments in an orchestra.
Orchestrator
A person who writes orchestral arrangements.
Organisation Catholique Internationale du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel
AKA: OCIC, International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisual, La Oficina Católica Internacional del Cine
WWW: http://www.catholic.org/orgs/ocic/ Since 1935 OCIC has been officially recognised by the Holy See as the official organization of the Catholic Church in the field of cinema.
Oscar
AKA: Oscars, Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards
The term "Oscar" was coined by an anonymous person who remarked that the statue looked like their Uncle Oscar.
On the web: Complete List of Winners and Nominees, Official Home Page
Out-Take
AKA: Out take, Outtake, Outtakes
A take of a scene not used in a movie. In some movies, out-takes are shown under the closing credits.
On the web: IMDb Crazy Credits Section
Overcranking
The process of speeding the frame rate of a camera up, so that when the captured pictures are played at the normal frame rate the action appears to be in slow motion. Historically, cameras were operated by turning a crank at a constant, required speed; hence "overcranking" refers to turning the crank too quickly. See also undercranking, frames per second, judder.
Ozoner
Slang for a drive-in theatre. See also hardtop.
P&A
Prints and advertising, the major costs of film distribution.
PAL
AKA: Phase Alternating Line
A standard for tv/video display, dominant in Europe and Australia, which delivers 625 lines of resolution at 50 half-frames per second. See also NTSC and SECAM.
Pan
The action of rotating a camera about its vertical axis. See also tilt.
Pan and Scan
AKA: Panned and Scanned
As the aspect ratio of movies are rarely the same as the aspect ratio of a television screen, when showing movies on TV it is necessary to make sacrifices. "Pan and Scan" refers to the technique of chopping off strips from one or both sides of the picture when displaying. The areas chopped off are typically changed on a shot-by-shot basis, depending on scene composition. The main advantage of this technique is that it allows detail to be seen, the disadvantage is that shot composition is sometimes destroyed. Contrast with letterboxing.
Pen
To write, especially a script.
PG
AKA: PG: Parental Guidance Suggested
A certificate issued by the MPAA indicating that a film's content is suitable for viewing by children, but recommends parental guidance. See also PG-13.
On the web: MPAA Ratings Explanation
PG-13
A certificate introduced by the MPAA on July 1, 1984 to indicate that a movie's content is rated as slightly stronger than a PG certificate. See also R.
On the web: MPAA Ratings Explanation
Pickups
AKA: Picked up
Movies made by one studio that have been acquired by another. Alternately, any footage shot after production wraps. See also additional photography.
Picture Car
A vehicle shown in a movie.
Pipeline
A schedule of movie projects in production.
Pixelation
A variant of stop-motion animation where actors are the objects being filmed. The key example is Neighbours.
Point of View
AKA: POV
A camera angle in which the camera views what would be visible from a particular object's position. The abbreviation is often used in a slug line.
Pornographic Film
AKA: Porno, Skin flick
A film in which sex is graphically depicted to a large degree. See also XXX.
Positive Print
An original light image captured on film. See also negative print.
Post-Production
AKA: Postproduction, Post
Work performed on a movie after the end of principal photography. Usually involves editing and visual effects. See also production.
Post-Production Co-Ordinator
A production assistant working for the post-production supervisor.
Post-Production Supervisor
A person overseeing the entire post-production of a project. They report directly to the producer and/or the studio in charge of the feature. Working side by side with the director and editor, the supervisor has the responsibility of finishing the film on time and on budget while satisfying the wants of the director. Post-production supervisors have authority over post-production co-ordinators. Typical duties include: Controlling all activities with vendors such as optical houses, sound facilities, inserts, ADR, reshooting, CGI, score, delivery requirements to domestic and international distributors, legal clearances, preview screenings, color timing, video mastering and budgeting the movie through the completion and delivery.
Pre-Production
AKA: Preproduction, Pre
Arrangements made before the start of filming. This can include script editing, set construction, location scouting, and casting. See also production.
Premiere
AKA: Bow, Debut
The first official public screening of a movie, marking the opening. The affair is often a gala event attended by the filmmakers, stars, and other celebrities.
Fictional Movie(s): Ed Wood (1994)
Prequel
A movie that presents the characters and/or events chronologically before the setting of a previously filmed movie. See also series, serial, contrast with sequel.
Presenter
AKA: Presents
A presenter is person (often famous or well respected) who introduces a movie or show on screen or via voice-over. Some films include a credit "Presented by", or "presents", which indicates the person is an executive producer as opposed to someone who appears in the film.
Principal Photography
AKA: Principal Filming, Principal, Shoot
The filming of major or significant components of a movie which involve lead actors.
Print
A projectable version of a movie, usually consisting of one or more reels. When refering to a particular take on a continuity report, "print" indicates that the take should be developed. See also hold.
Producer
AKA: Prod
The chief of a movie production in all matters save the creative efforts of the director. A producer is responsible for raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. See also associate producer, co-producer, executive producer, line producer, Producer's Guild of America.
Factual Movie(s): Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991), Battle Over Citizen Kane, The (1996) (TV)
Fictional Movie(s): Get Shorty (1995), Player, The (1992), Ed Wood (1994), Wag the Dog (1997)
Producer's Guild of America
AKA: PGA
http://www.producersguild.org/
Product Placement
A business arrangement whereby the filmmakers agree to show the products or logo of a particular company, usually in return for payment or other consideration.
Fictional Movie(s): Wayne's World (1992)
Production
AKA: Production Date
In the movie industry, this term refers to the phase of movie making during which principal photography occurs. Popularly, however, "production" means the entire movie project. See also pre-production and post-production.
Production Accountant
AKA: Accountant
The person responsible for managing finances during the production.
Production Assistant
AKA: Set Production Assistant, PA, Gopher, Personal Assistant, Assistant To, Assistant To Producer
A person responsible for various odd jobs, which could include such disseparate tasks as running errands, stopping traffic, acting as couriers, fetching items from craft service, etc. Tasks and levels of responsibility can vary greatly, depending on the film, the needs of the rest of the team, and the skills of the individuals PA themselves. Production Assistants are often attached to individual actors or filmmakers.
Production Buyer
A person who purchases supplies, equipment, and property necessary for a production.
Production Company
A general term for a company that is associated with the making of a movie.
On the web: IMDb Production Companies Section
Production Coordinator
The person responsible for overseeing practical matters such as ordering equipment, getting near-location accommodations for the cast and crew, etc.
Production Designer
AKA: Production Design
An artist responsible for designing the overall visual appearance of a movie.
Production Illustrator
AKA: Storyboard Artist, Illustrator
A person responsible for drawing the storyboards and anything else that needs to be drawn during the production of the movie.
Production Manager
AKA: PM
Reporting to the film's producer, this person supervises the budget, hires the crew, approves purchase orders & time cards, and generally makes sure all departments are doing their respective jobs within the parameters of the budget.
Production Report
A daily report of actual progress versus the production schedule. Includes dope sheets, continuity reports, and call sheets, as well as extensive notes regarding on-set happenings, activities of the cast and crew, and explanations of unexpected events. See also lined script.
Production Schedule
A detailed plan of the timing of activities associated with the making of a movie, of particular interest to production managers. See also production report.
Production Secretary
Secretary to the production manager.
Production Sound Mixer
The head of the sound department on the set. They are responsible for the process of recording all sync dialog and sync sound effects in a scene. The Production Sound Mixer has a number of duties: selection and operation of the microphones, and recording equipment used on the set, directing the boom operator, combining the sound of multiple microphones used to capture dialog and effects on a set, recording sound ambiance and room tone for all scenes, and wild track that will aid the editor and sound mixer in matching the different sound takes in a scene for smooth sound transitions.
Projectionist
A studio or cinema employee that operates a projector.
Projector
A device for displaying a reel of a movie on a screen, either for a screening or a back projection.
Prompter
AKA: Prompt
A person who supplies actors with the correct lines from the script if they forget.
Factual Movie(s): Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
Prop
Anything an actor touches or uses on the set; e.g. phones, guns, cutlery, etc. Movie animals and all food styling (food seen or eaten on set/screen) also fall into this domain. See also property assistant and set dresser.
Property Assistant
AKA: Prop Assistant
Responsible for the placement and maintenance of props on a set.
Property Master
AKA: Prop Master, Props, Property, Assistant Property Master
The person responsible for buying, acquiring, and/or manufacturing any props needed for a production. The property master is responsible for all aspects of prop use on the set and, in conjunction with the script supervisor, for maintaining set continuity. Contrast with set dresser.
Prosthetic Appliances
AKA: Prosthetic Makeup, Prosthetics
Makeup that requires gluing additions (prosthetic appliances) made of a material such as latex or gelatin to an actors skin. May be applied by someone other than the designer. See also squib.
Publicity Assistant
Assistant to the publicity director.
Publicity Department
AKA: Advertising
The section of a production's crew responsible for promoting a movie. Individual positions within in this department include: unit publicist, publicity assistant, and stills photographer.
Publicity Director
AKA: Publicity Executive
Person employed by a studio to conceive and oversee the publicity campaign that opens a movie. In many cases, this person never even appears on the set -- especially if the movie is a pickup and didn't have a releasing studio at the time it was produced. In other cases, this person is frequently on the set and directly supervises the efforts of the unit publicist.
Puppeteer
Someone who operates puppets; these may be either physically controlled (e.g., worn), cable operated, or radio controlled. This may also refer to remote-controlled portions of a costume.
Pyrotechnician
A member of the crew with expertise in fire or explosions.
Quarter
A quarter of a year; three months. Used by production accountants and publicity departments for financial issues.
Quid
Slang for a pound sterling (UK).
On the web: IMDb Business Information Section, IMDb Box Office Charts
Quota Quickies
Low budget, short subjects made in the UK in the 1930s. The Cinematographic Films Bill, passed in April 1927 stipulated that all UK cinemas would have to include a proportion of British films in their programmes. The percentage varied, rising to 20% at one time. The "Quota Quickies" were generally of a quite low quality but there are some gems hidden in their midst, notably those by Michael Powell.
R
AKA: Restricted
A certificate issued by the MPAA indicating that persons under the age of 16 would only be admitted when accompanied by an adult. The age was later raised to under 17 years old, and varies in some jurisdictions. See also NC-17, PG-13.
On the web: MPAA Ratings Explanation
Re-recording Mixer
AKA: Sound re-recording mixer
A member of the sound crew responsible for mixing the final sound elements (dialogue, music, sound effects and foley). In most feature films and some television shows there is a crew of three re-recording mixers (one for dialog, one for sound effects and foley and one for music.) Sometimes in television the music mixer mixes the foley for expediency. There are also two-person crews in which the dialog mixer (generally considered the lead mixer) mixes music as well, with the other person mixing sound effects and foley.
Reel
A strip of film wound on a metal wheel. Typical reels hold 15-25 minutes of film.
Release
AKA: Released
When a movie is shipped to exhibitors by the distributor, it is deemed to have been released for public viewing - there are no longer any studio restrictions on who can see the movie.
Reverse Shot
AKA: Reverse Angle
A shot taken at a 120-180 degree angle from the preceding shot. When used in dialogue scenes, reverse-shot editing usually alternates between over-the-shoulder shots that show each character speaking. See also shot/reverse shot.
Rigger
Workers responsible for the setting, hanging and focussing of lighting instruments and constructing scaffolding used in making film sets.
Room Tone
Different sets and locations have different audio characteristics. A sound recordist will typically make a recording of the natural ambient "silence" in a set/location for the sound editor, who will use it as a reference point, or for when silence is required.
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Rotoscoping
AKA: Rotoscope
An animation technique in which images of live action are traced, either manually or automatically. See also motion capture.
Rushes
See dailies.
Sabre Artist
A member of the production team utilizing a combination of software programs to create special effects.
Safe Area
A camera's viewfinder actually shows (and records on film stock) a greater area of the scene than will appear in the final product. Markings are etched in the viewfinder to indicate to the camera operator the extents of the "viewable" film (called the live area). An area beyond that (called the safe area) is also marked; it is in this area that the production sound mixer might direct the boom operator to place the boom microphone.
Scene
A continuous block of storytelling either set in a single location or following a particular character. The end of a scene is typically marked by a change in location, style, or time.
Scene Chewing
AKA: Chewing the Scenery
An extreme, over-the-top performance that dominates the screen. "Chewing the scenery" suggests that actors are so engaged in their histrionic portrayals that furniture pieces and backdrops are left with big dental impressions.
Science Fiction
AKA: Sci-Fi, SF
On the web: List of Science Fiction titles at the IMDb.
Score
The musical component of a movie's soundtrack. Many scores are written specifically for movies by composers.
Screen Actors Guild
AKA: SAG
An association with jurisdiction over some works that can be recorded by picture or by sound. See also AFTRA.
On the web: Official Home Page
Screen Extras Guild
AKA: SEG
Screen Test
A form of audition in which an actor performs a particular role on camera, not necessarily with the correct makeup or on the set.
Screening
An exhibition of a movie, typically at a cinema. See also feature presentation, supporting feature, double bill, trailer.
Screenplay
A script written to be produced as a movie.
Screenwriter
A writer who either adapts an existing work for production as a movie, or creates a new screenplay.
Script
AKA: Against
A general term for a written work detailing story, setting, and dialogue. A script may take the form of a screenplay, shooting script, lined script, continuity script, or a spec script. A script is often sold for a particular price, which is increased to a second price if the script is produced as a movie. For example, a sale may be described as "$100,000 against $250,000". In this case, the writer is paid $100,000 up front, and another $150,000 when the movie is produced. See also advance.
Fictional Movie(s): Player, The (1992), Ed Wood (1994)
Script Department
The section of a production's crew responsible for the script of a movie. Consists of writers, script editors, and prompters.
Script Editing
AKA: Script Editor, Script Doctor
A process whereby a script is reviewed and changed, based on input from various sources such as the director or producer. Writers who specialize in script editing are called "script doctors", and are frequently uncredited.
Script Supervisor
A person who tracks which parts have been filmed, how the filmed scenes deviated from the script; they also make continuity notes, creating a lined script.
Seamstress
A person who makes the costumes.
SECAM
AKA: Sequential Couleur avec Mémoire, Système Electronique Couleur avec
The standard for TV/video display in France, the Middle East, much of Eastern Europe, and some African countries. Delivers 625 lines (formerly 819 lines) of resolution at 50 half-frames per second. See also NTSC and PAL.
Second Assistant Camera
AKA: 2nd Assistant Camera, 2nd Assistant Cameraman, Second Assistant Cameraman
An assistant to the assistant cameraman.
Second Assistant Director
AKA: 2nd Assistant Director
An assistant to the assistant director. Duties include overseeing the movements of the cast, and preparing call sheets.
Second Second Assistant Director
AKA: 2nd 2nd Assistant Director, Third Assistant Director, 3rd Assistant Director
An assistant to the second assistant director; responsible for (among other things) directing the movements of extras.
Second Unit
AKA: 2nd Unit
A small, subordinate crew responsible for filming shots of less importance, such as inserts, crowds, scenery, etc.
Second Unit Director
AKA: 2nd Unit Director
The director of the second unit.
Sequel
A movie that presents the continuation of characters and/or events of a previously filmed movie. See also series, serial, contrast with prequel.
Serial
A multipart film that usually screened a chapter each week at a cinema. The story structure usually has each chapter ending with a cliffhanger to ensure the audience would like to watch following chapter at its release. Contrast with series.
On the web: List of serials at the IMDb.
Series
AKA: Franchise
A sequence of films with continuing characters or themes, but with little other interdependence, especially with respect to plot or significant character development. Until the advent of television series, there were various film series such as The Thin Man and Blondie that were started with the intention of making more than one. In subsequent years, the term would apply to features such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture or Dr. No that made more than one sequel. In modern times, the term ``franchise'' has been used (perhaps cynically) to describe to the practise of creating a movie and product-marketing package which is contingent on commercial success. Batman and its sequels are typically used as an example of a franchise. Contrast with serial.
Set
An environment used for filming. When used in contrast to location, it refers to one artifically constructed. A set typically is not a complete or accurate replica of the environment as defined by the script, but is carefully constructed to make filming easier but still appear natural when viewed from the camera angle.
Fictional Movie(s): Postcards from the Edge (1990), Blazing Saddles (1974)
Set Decorator
AKA: Set Decoration
A person who has total charge of decorating the set with all furnishings, drapery, interior plants, and anything seen on indoor or outdoor sets. The set decorator has authority over a leadman. See also set dresser.
Set Designer
The person responsible for translating a production designer's vision of the movie's environment into a set which can be used for filming. The set designer reports to the art director.
Set Dresser
A person who maintains the set per the Set Decorator's requirements, placing elements such as curtains and paintings, and moves and resets the set decoration to accomodate camera, grip and lighting setups. Contrast with set decorator, property master. Responsible for set continuity with script supervisor and property master.
Set Medic
The set medic provides for the medical needs and emergency medical logistics of the entire cast and crew and is the safety liason between production/construction and various agencies. This person may be an emergency medical technician, paramedic, nurse, or physician. Most often the set medic is involved in the production from the beginning of preproduction or construction through filming or production through striking the set or post-production.
Shooting Script
The script from which a movie is made. Usually contains numbered scenes and technical notes. See also lined script.
Short Subject
AKA: Short
A movie that is shorter than 45 minutes. Contrast with feature.
Shot
A continuous block of unedited footage from a single point of view. See also scene, take, frame rate.
Shot Composition
The arrangement of key elements within the frame. See also shot selection.
Shot Selection
AKA: Camera Angle
The location of the camera, and what can be seen with it. See also shot composition, POV, mise-en-scene.
Shot/Reverse Shot
A sequence of three shots: 1) a person's face; 2) what that person is looking at; and 3) the person again, giving the audience a chance to process the person's reaction to what (or who) s/he is seeing. See also reverse shot.
Shutter Speed
The length of time that a single frame is exposed for. Slower shutter speeds allow more light to enter the camera, but allow more motion blur. See also aperture, depth of field, go motion.
Sign writer
The person in charge of writing and making signs shown in a production; possibly part of the set designer's team.
Silent Film
AKA: Silent
A film that has no synchronized soundtrack and no spoken dialogue. It was a form predominate in film until the late 1920's when practical synchronized soundtrack technology was developed and its use became popular. See also intertitles.
On the web: List of silent titles at the IMDb.
Singer
A featured vocalist; often the person who sings a film's theme song.
Singing Voice
Someone who performs an actor's vocal parts. Marni Nixon was the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964); during post-production, Nixon's voice was dubbed over Hepburn's for the musical numbers.
Situation Comedy
AKA: Sitcom
A comedy in which humor is derived from people being placed in uncomfortable, embarrassing, or unfamiliar situations.
Sketch
An short scene that typically lasts less than 15 minutes that is typically shown as part of a TV series' content. It is typically used in comedies that feature these productions such as "Saturday Night Live" (1975) and "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969).
Slapstick Comedy
AKA: Slapstick
A comedy in which the humour is derived from physical interactions, often involving exaggerated but ultimately harmless violence directed towards individuals. Named after a device used by circus clowns - two boards which slap together loudly when swatted on someone's backside.
On the web: A list of slapstick comedies at the IMDb., The Three Stooges: masters of slapstick
Slate
The recorded identification of scene and take numbers, usually done with a clapboard. Most takes are identified at the beginning; a "tail slate" marks the end instead.
Sleeper
AKA: Sleeper Hit
An unpromising or unpublicized movie that suddenly attains prominence and success.
Slow Motion
AKA: Slow Mo, Slow-Mo
A shot in which time appears to move more slowly than normal. The process is commonly achieved by either repeating frames (see also freeze frame), or by overcranking. See also motion artifact, judder, frame rate, contrast with stop motion.
Slug Line
AKA: slug
A header appearing in a script before each scene or shot detailing the location, date, and time that the following action is intended to occur in.
Sneak Preview
AKA: Preview
An unannounced screening of a movie before the premiere, often used to gauge audience reaction and feedback for final editing. See also focus group.
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
AKA: SMPTE
An international technical society devoted to advancing the theory and application of motion-imaging technology including film, television, video, computer imaging, and telecommunications. The abbreviation also refers to various measurements and standards defined by the organization.
On the web: Official Home Page
Society of Operating Cameramen
AKA: SOC
An honorary organization composed of several hundred men and women internationally, of outstanding and dedicated talent, who make their living operating film and/or video cameras in the cinematic media. Use of the abbreviation after a name indicates membership in the society.
On the web: Official Home Page
Sony Dynamic Digital Sound
AKA: SDDS
Sony has produced a noise reduction and sound enhancement process. Competitors include Dolby Digital and DTS.
On the web: IMDb Sound Mix Section
Sound Crew
AKA: Sound, Sound Engineer, Sound Assistant
The group of crewmembers directly involved with creating of a movie's soundtrack. Individual job titles include: sound designer, sound editor, sound effects, sound mixer, sound recordist, boom operator, re-recording mixer, music supervisor, and foley artist. See also MPSE.
Sound Designer
The conceptual chief of a movie's soundtrack, responsible for designing and creating the audio component of a movie.
Sound Editor
A member of the sound crew who performs editing on the soundtrack. See also dialog editor.
Sound Effects
Sounds added during post-production by the sound crew. Also used as a job title.
Sound Effects Editor
A sound editor who specialises in editing sound effects.
Sound Mix
AKA: Mix
The process of recording the production sound on the set at the time of shooting.
Sound Mixer
An audio engineer who works with a boom operator to record the production sound on the set at the time of shooting.
Sound Recordist
See tape recorder operator.
Soundstage
A large area (usually in a studio) where elaborate sets may be constructed. Soundstages allow filmmakers greater control over factors such as sound, lighting, temperature, spectators, and security.
Soundtrack
Technically, this term refers to the audio component of a movie. Popularly, it refers to a collection of songs which are heard during the movie, often sold as an album.
On the web: IMDb Soundtrack Section
Spaghetti Western
A western filmed in Italy. This term appeared following the appearance of Clint Eastwood in a number of Sergio Leone movies.
On the web: List of Spaghetti Westerns at the IMDb.
Speaking Role
AKA: Non-speaking Role
A speaking role is one in which the character speaks scripted dialogue. A non-speaking role is a character specifically mentioned in the script but who doesn't have any lines of dialogue in the finished film. Speaking roles typically pay much more than non-speaking roles. While extras may or may not be heard to speak in a film, they are not included as either speaking or non-speaking roles.
Spec Script
A script written before any agreement has been entered into ("on spec" or speculation), in hopes of selling the script to the highest bidder once it has been completed.
Special Effects
AKA: SFX, Special Effects Assistant, Special Effects Technician
An artificial effect used to create an illusion in a movie. Refers to effects produced on the set, as opposed to those created in post-production (visual effects).
Fictional Movie(s): Stunt Man, The (1980)
Special Effects Supervisor
AKA: Special Effects Co-Ordinator
The chief of a production's special effects crew.
Special Makeup Effects
An artist who combines knowledge of makeup and hairwork, with technologies of mold- making and synthetic skin materials (such as foam latex, gelatine and silicone). Many have an art or sculpture background and familiarity with puppeteering, animatronics and CGI.
Fictional Movie(s): F/X (1986)
Speed
An annoucement made by either the director of photography or camera operator indicating to the director that the camera is operating at the correct speed. Called just after lock it down, and just before action.
Spherical
AKA: Spherical Print
An optical system in which the magnifications of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the picture are the same. See also aspect ratio, contrast with anamorphic.
Squib
A small explosive device, which - when detonated - will simulate the effect of a bullet/puncture wound or small explosion. When worn by actors, they typically include a container of blood which bursts upon detonation. See also special makeup effects.
On the web: When squibs go wrong
Fictional Movie(s): F/X (1986)
Stand-In
AKA: Stand In
A person who has the same physical properties of a particular actor, and takes their place during the lengthy setup of a scene. This allows the actor to prepare for the filming itself. Contrast with stunt double and body double.
Standby Painter
A scenic artist available during filming for last minute changes.
Star
A famous actor.
Steadicam
A camera attached to a camera operator via a mechanical harness which reduces or eliminates the unsteadiness of the operator's motion.
Steadicam Operator
A camera operator who operates a Steadicam. See also Steadicam Operators Association.
Steadicam Operators Association
AKA: SOA
An organization which represents Steadicam operators around the world, providing referrals across the entire film and video industry. Additional services include oganizing and conducting workshops, and providing Steadicam equipment rentals.
On the web: Official Home Page
Still Photographer
AKA: Stills Photographer
A person who photographs the action (often alongside the camera) to be used in publicizing the movie.
Stock Footage
For reasons of simplicity, time, or budget, some shots in a film may duplicated from other films or a film library. Such shots are called stock footage.
Fictional Movie(s): Ed Wood (1994)
Stop Motion
AKA: Stop-Motion
A form of animation in which objects are filmed frame-by-frame and altered slightly in between each frame. See also go motion.
Storyboard
A sequence of pictures created by a production illustrator to communicate the desired general visual appearance on camera of a scene or movie.
Storyliner
Commonly working on television series, storyliners create the plot twists for a given story line, keeping in mind the past storylines for a given character or pairing, and the work with the writers to bring those new plot elements to life.
Studio
A company that makes movies. Larger studios (such as the majors) have extensive in-house soundstages (also called "studio"s) where filming can be done.
Stunt
AKA: Gag
A non-trivial and often dangerous piece of physical action. Often performed by a stunt performer.
Stunt Co-Ordinator
A person who arranges and plans stunts.
Stunt Double
A stunt performer who specifically takes the part of another actor for a stunt. Stunt doubles rarely (if ever) speak, are typically chosen to resemble the actor that they are replacing as much as possible. Contrast with body double and stand-in.
Fictional Movie(s): Spaceballs (1987)
Stunt Performer
AKA: Stunt Player, Stunts
A specialist actor who performs stunts.
Fictional Movie(s): Stunt Man, The (1980)
Subtitles
Words which are superimposed over a film which mirror the dialog that is heard at the time. Most often subtitles are in a different language than that which is being spoken, but this is not always the case: Trainspotting uses subtitles for humourous effect. Contrast with dubbing, intertitles, close-captioned.
Supervising Sound Editor
A chief sound editor.
Supporting Feature
AKA: Supporting Attraction
A feature film which appears (typically in a double-bill) with a feature presentation.
Surround Sound
AKA: Surround
A sound system which creates the illusion of multi-directional sound through speaker placement and signal processing. See also Dolby, SDDS, DTS, THX.
On the web: IMDb Sound Mix Section
Swing Gang
AKA: Carpenter
A group within the art department that construct and take down a set. The head of the swing gang is a leadman. Contrast with grips.
Sword and Sandal Epic
A colloquialism for an epic film with biblical or fantasy elements; named for the weapons and costumes that the characters typically wear.
On the web: List of sword and sandal titles at the IMDb.
Sword and Sorcery
A colloquialism for a genre of film, usually set in days of old with magic as well as sword fighting
On the web: List of sword and sorcery titles at the IMDb.
Syndication
A package of off network programs sold or bartered to individual television stations in a local market, either strip (daily) or weekly episodic (series). A package of titles may require cash purchase, bartered or sponsored programming. Most packaged syndicated contracts offer exclusivity to a market for limited number of airings. Contracts are generally designed for one to two full season runs.
Synopsis
A summary of the major plot points and characters of a script, generally in a page or two. Contrast with treatment.
Take
A single continuous recorded performance of a scene. A director typically orders takes to continue until he or she is satisfied that all of his or her requirements for the scene have been made, be they technical or artistic. For interesting exceptions, see the trivia entries for Stagecoach, The Gold Rush, , Rope, Shi di chu ma, Some Like It Hot, and The Usual Suspects. A continuity report stores the status of each take. Of the ones that don't contain obvious errors, the director will order some to be printed. See also out-take, hold.
Fictional Movie(s): Ed Wood (1994)
Talent
A general, informal term for actors (and possibly extras).
Talkie
An early term for a film with sound and especially recorded spoken dialogue. It is typically used today to make a distinction between silent and sound films made in the late 1920's and early 1930's when sound films establishing their marketplace dominance.
Tape Recorder Operator
AKA: Sound Recordist
A member of the sound crew responsible for operating the audio recording equipment on a set. See also boom operator.
Fictional Movie(s): Living in Oblivion (1995)
Teaser Trailer
A short trailer that is generally released many months before a movie is actually released, to give a brief peek at what the movie will be like, and to build audience anticipation. Teaser trailers are usually much shorter than the final trailer, which reveals more of the storyline of the film. See also trailer
Technical Advisor
AKA: Consultant
A person with expertise in a particular field who provides advice for the production.
Telecine
The process of transferring moving images from film to a video signal, including frame rate and color corrections. Also the equipment or facility used to do it.
Teleplay
A script written to be produced for television.
Television Movie
AKA: TV Movie, Telepic
A feature-length movie funded by a TV network, intended to be premiered on television.
Television Special
AKA: Special
A television production of a singular event (such as an awards show or concert) as opposed to a regularly scheduled series. Contrast with series and television movie.
Telewriter
A writer who either adapts an existing work for production on television, or creates a new teleplay.
THX
AKA: THX Division
A subdivision of Lucasfilm, Ltd dedicated to improving picture and sound for the cinema and the home.
On the web: Official Home Page, IMDb Sound Mix Section
Tilt
The action of rotating the camera either up or down. See also dutch tilt, pan.
Time Lapse Photography
AKA: Time Lapse
A form of animation in which numerous single frames are filmed spaced at a given interval to show a process that would take a very long time to occur. i.e. a flower blooming, or the motion of the stars.
On the web: List of time lapse titles at the IMDb.
Timecode
Electronic guide track added to film, video or audio material to provide a time reference for editing, synchronization, etc.
Title Design
AKA: Title Designer, Title Sequence, Titles
The manner in which title of a movie is displayed on screen is widely considered an art form. Saul Bass is considered a master title designer.
Track
A single component or channel of a soundtrack. See also sound mix.
Tracking Shot
AKA: Tracking
The action of moving a camera along a path parallel to the path of the object being filmed. See also dolly tracks.
Trailer
An advertisement for a movie which contains scenes from the film. Historically, these advertisements were attached to the end of a newsreel or supporting-feature, hence the name. Doing this reduced the number of reel changes that a projectionist would have to make. See also teaser trailer.
On the web: IMDb Trailer Section
Trainer
Someone who conditions animals to perform various behaviors on cue.
Transportation Coordinator
AKA: Transportation Manager
The person responsible for managing drivers and co-ordinating the transporation of a production's cast, crew, and equipment from the various locations and sets used for filming.
Travelling Matte Shot
AKA: Travelling Matte, Bluescreen, Blue screen
A shot in which foreground action is superimposed on a seperately filmed background by optical printing or digital compositing.
Treatment
An abridged script; longer than a synopsis. It consists of a summary of each major scene of a proposed movie and descriptions of the significant characters and may even include snippets of dialogue. While a complete script is around 100 pages, a treatment is closer to 10.
Trilogy
A series of three movies that are closely connected by plot. Often, a storyline from the first film of a trilogy is altered, twisted or modified by the second or third part of the series.
Fictional Movie(s): Godfather, The (1972), Godfather: Part II, The (1974), Godfather: Part III, The (1990)
Turnaround
A state of limbo that a movie enters after a studio decides to drop it. In turnaround, the producers have a chance to set the project up with another studio or with different talent.
TV Series Pilot
A TV series episode for a proposed television series which is produced for the benefit of the production company, TV network executives and/or syndication customers. The purpose behind is to show the prospective customers how a series' premise and characters would typically be presented to an audience.
Two-Shot
A medium close-up shot of two subjects, usually framed from the chest up.
Undercranking
The process of slowing the frame rate of a camera down, so that when the captured pictures are played at the normal frame rate the action appears to be in fast motion. Historically, cameras were operated by turning a crank at a constant speed; hence "undercranking" refers to turning the crank too slowly. See also overcranking, frames per second, judder.
Unit Production Manager
AKA: Unit Manager, UPM
An executive who is responsible to a senior producer for the administration of a particular movie. Unit Production Managers only work on one film at a time. See also production manager, line producer.
Unit Publicist
Member of the publicity department who works on location during the production of a movie. Duties includes working with the residents of the location where the film is being made, as well as setting up press visits and electronic press kit interviews. In addition, the unit publicist assembles the biographical materials and notes about the making of the movie that are later turned into the movie press kit. Unit publicists are itinerant -- they move from production to production and are on the production payroll. They report to the filmmakers and, if the film has a releasing studio, they also report to the publicity directors. Once principal photography is over, the unit publicist moves on to another job.
Utility Person
The person responsible for various manual tasks, running errands, or performing whatever jobs other members of their crew assign them.
V
AKA: Video, Direct to video
An IMDb notation to indicate that a particular title was originally released on video without a screening or being broadcast.
On the web: More on IMDb title notations
VG
AKA: Video game
An IMDb notation to indicate that a particular title is a video game.
On the web: More on IMDb title notations
Video Assist
Motion picture cameras often include a video camera that allows instant review of a scene to monitor framing, focus, and performance. Both this system and the person operating it are referred to as video assist.
Video Cassette Recorder
AKA: VCR
A common household appliance for recording and/or playing prerecorded video tapes. See VHS, NTSC and PAL.
Video Home System
AKA: VHS
Video Home System is a popular format for VCR systems worldwide. See also DVD.
Visual Effects
Alterations to a film's images during post-production. Contrast with special effects.
Visual Effects Supervisor
AKA: Visual Effects Director
The chief of a production's visual effects crew.
Voice-Over
AKA: Voice Over, VO
Indicates that dialogue will be heard on a movie's soundtrack, but the speaker will not be shown. The abbreviation is often used as an annotation in a script.
Voice-Over Artist
The unseen person who does the speaking necessary to create a voice-over.
Walk-On
A minor role, usually without speaking lines.
Walla
AKA: Rhubarb
Background conversation. Historically, when a script called for "crowd unrest" or "murmuring", the extras would be required to mumble the word "rhubarb", as this produced the required effect.
Wardrobe Department
The section of a production's crew concerned with costumes. Individual job titles include: costume designer, costumer, and costume supervisor.
Wardrobe Supervisor
The head of the wardrobe department.
Western
AKA: Oater, Oat Opera
A movie set in the "Wild West" of the late 19th-century United States.
On the web: List of Westerns at the IMDb.
Whip Pan
AKA: Whip-pan
An extremely fast pan, incorporating much motion blur. The term refers to the "whipping" action that the camera operator uses to move the camera.
Widescreen
A movie which has an aspect ratio which is greater than academy ratio when projected.
Wild Sound
AKA: Wild Track, Wild Sound, MOS, Mit Out Sound
Scenes that are filmed without the sound being recorded at the same time. Dialog and/or sound effects may be dubbed in later.
Wilhelm Scream
Originally recorded as a sound effect for the film Distant Drums in 1951 and named after the character who yelped it out, this distinctive scream was archived in the Warner Brothers sound effects library, and was subsequently used in countless films, first simply as a generic stock scream, and later because sound supervisors and directors used it in their films (including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Toy Story and Pirates of the Caribbean) as a sort of touchstone or homage to earlier films. Though no specific documentation lists the identity of the screamer, sound designer Ben Burtt's research of Warner Brother's recording logs indicates that singer/actor Sheb Wooley is likely the source, as he was one of the bit actors contracted to record sound effects for Distant Drums, and had been known to specialize in yells, laughs, and screams.
On the web: Hollywood Lost And Found's History Of The Wilhelm Scream
Wipe
An editing technique in which images from one shot are fully replaced by the images of another, delimited by a definite border that moves across or around the frame.
Word-of-mouth
Moviegoers can't help warning their friends to avoid or not miss the movie they saw recently. After an opening weekend there's often enough feedback circulating from such warnings that it has a significant effect on how many more people go to see the movie. Negative word-of-mouth is often attributed to highly publicised movies doing poorly after the opening weekend, while positive word-of-mouth can provide a poor opener with legs.
Working Title
The name by which a movie is known while it is being made. This is sometimes different from the title with which it is released.
Wrangler
AKA: Animal handler
A person who is responsible for the care and control of entities used on a set that can't be spoken with. This person is typically a professional, certainly with expertise in handling the item, often with expertise in handling the item on a movie set.
On the web: Unusual Wrangler #1, Unusual Wrangler #2, Unusual Wrangler #3, Unusual Wrangler #4
Wrap
AKA: Windup, Wind
To finish shooting, either for the day or the entire production.
Fictional Movie(s): Get Shorty (1995)
Writer
A general term for someone who creates a written work, be it a novel, script, screenplay, or teleplay. See also Writers Guild of America.
Writers Guild of America
AKA: WGA
The Writers Guild of America is the sole collective bargaining representative for writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, interactive and new media industries. It has numerous affiliation agreements with other U.S. and international writing organizations and is in the forefront of the debates concerning economic and creative rights for writers.
On the web: Official Home Page
Xerography
The technique using an electrostatic process to copy or transfer an image, commonly found in office copiers and used in cartoon production.
XXX
An informal voluntary certificate for a pornographic film, indicating large amounts of explicit sex. Contrast with NC-17.
Yarn
Slang for an apocryphal story.
Zoom Shot
AKA: Zoom, Zoom In, Zooming, Zoom Back, Zoom Out
A shot in which the magnification of the objects by the camera's lenses is increased (zoom in) or decreased (zoom out/back). There is a subtle difference between the results of a zoom shot and a dolly shot. In a zoom, the relative positions and sizes of all objects in the frame remains the same, whereas in a dolly shot this will change as the camera moves. Alfred Hitchcock's much-imitated shot in Vertigo used a combination zoom in and dolly back, resulting in a dramatic change in perspective.
Zoopraxis
AKA: Zoopraxis-scope
An early movie process developed by Eadweard Muybridge in the 1870's, which involves a disc that includes serial pictures being rotated in front of a light source, to create a sense that the objects projected were moving.
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:Jean Arthur
One of the screen's most popular players-and Frank Capra's favorite actress-was a highschool dropout, beginning her career as a model and turning to acting while still in her teens. In 1923 she won a small role in John Ford's Cameo Kirby which launched her in movies. She quickly drifted into ingenue roles in innumerable low-budget Westerns starring Wally Wales, Buddy Roosevelt, and others, and even starred in a serial, The Masked Menace (1927). By 1929, though, she'd landed at Paramount (as a rather lackluster starlet, it should be noted), playing opposite William Powell in two Philo Vance mysteries, The Canary Murder Case and The Greene Murder Case and opposite Warner Oland in two dismal adaptations of Sax Rohmer stories, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu and The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (all 1929).
Signed by Columbia in 1933, she played second fiddle to action hero Jack Holt (in 1934's Whirlpool and The Defense Rests before John Ford's (on loan to the studio) cast her in The Whole Town's Talking (1935), a brilliant comedy-drama that allowed the actress to demonstrate her heretofore unsuspected comic ability. Frank Capra's built on the Arthur image established in Ford's film by featuring her in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), in roles that combined no-nonsense pragmatism with romantic vulnerability. Arthur also played Calamity Jane for Cecil B. DeMille in The Plainsman (1936), and quickly became a favorite of Hollywood's leading directors in such prime 1930s films as Easy Living, History Is Made at Night (both 1937), and Only Angels Have Wings (1938).
The early 1940s offered Arthur two comic gems for director George Stevens: In The Talk of the Town (1942) and The More the Merrier (1943, for which she received an Oscar nomination), she gave seemingly effortless, hilarious performances. Extremely likeable and piquantly sexy, with one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood history, she completely erased the memory of the bland ingenue of the late 1920s and early 1930s. (Her face looked best from the right side, and once a star, she insisted she be photographed that way.)
A dispute with Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn drove Arthur from movies in 1944, though her reputation for being "difficult" followed her to New York, where she deserted the stage production of "Born Yesterday," leaving the role open for newcomer Judy Holliday. (She returned to Broadway in 1950 to play Peter Pan.) She made only two more films: A Foreign Affair (1948), for director Billy Wilder, in which, as a prim congresswoman from the Corn Belt, she gets delightfully drunk and sings the Iowa State Song; and Shane (1953), again with George Stevens, in a decidedly unglamorous role as the frontier housewife whose love for rancher Van Heflin is challenged by deep stirrings aroused by visiting gunfighter Alan Ladd.
She made occasional stage appearances and taught drama, then in 1966 she starred as an attorney in a CBS sitcom, "The Jean Arthur Show." Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee wrote the play "First Monday in October" for Arthur. It offered a meaty role about the then-imaginary first female Supreme Court Justice, but she walked out mid-rehearsal, and retreated to her Carmel home. Her second husband (1932-49) was Frank Ross, who produced or coproduced several of her pictures, including The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), a screwball comedy not to be confused with the similarly titled porno flick of the 1970s. Arthur lived out her later years as a recluse, but came to enjoy some of the latter-day recognition she received for her outstanding work on-screen.
Personal Quotes:
"I am not an adult, that's my explanation of myself. Except when I am working on a set, I have all the inhibitions and shyness of the bashful, backward child...Unless I have something very much in common with a person, I am lost. I am swallowed up in my own silence."
Trivia:
Director George Stevens famously called her "One of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen" while Frank Capra credited her as "My favorite actress".
Was a leading contender for the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939).
As her star began to decline, she was replaced by Rita Hayworth as Columbia Pictures' top female star. Coincidentally, the two stars share the same birthday (October 17).
Later,
Kenaz
Signed by Columbia in 1933, she played second fiddle to action hero Jack Holt (in 1934's Whirlpool and The Defense Rests before John Ford's (on loan to the studio) cast her in The Whole Town's Talking (1935), a brilliant comedy-drama that allowed the actress to demonstrate her heretofore unsuspected comic ability. Frank Capra's built on the Arthur image established in Ford's film by featuring her in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), in roles that combined no-nonsense pragmatism with romantic vulnerability. Arthur also played Calamity Jane for Cecil B. DeMille in The Plainsman (1936), and quickly became a favorite of Hollywood's leading directors in such prime 1930s films as Easy Living, History Is Made at Night (both 1937), and Only Angels Have Wings (1938).
The early 1940s offered Arthur two comic gems for director George Stevens: In The Talk of the Town (1942) and The More the Merrier (1943, for which she received an Oscar nomination), she gave seemingly effortless, hilarious performances. Extremely likeable and piquantly sexy, with one of the most distinctive voices in Hollywood history, she completely erased the memory of the bland ingenue of the late 1920s and early 1930s. (Her face looked best from the right side, and once a star, she insisted she be photographed that way.)
A dispute with Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn drove Arthur from movies in 1944, though her reputation for being "difficult" followed her to New York, where she deserted the stage production of "Born Yesterday," leaving the role open for newcomer Judy Holliday. (She returned to Broadway in 1950 to play Peter Pan.) She made only two more films: A Foreign Affair (1948), for director Billy Wilder, in which, as a prim congresswoman from the Corn Belt, she gets delightfully drunk and sings the Iowa State Song; and Shane (1953), again with George Stevens, in a decidedly unglamorous role as the frontier housewife whose love for rancher Van Heflin is challenged by deep stirrings aroused by visiting gunfighter Alan Ladd.
She made occasional stage appearances and taught drama, then in 1966 she starred as an attorney in a CBS sitcom, "The Jean Arthur Show." Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee wrote the play "First Monday in October" for Arthur. It offered a meaty role about the then-imaginary first female Supreme Court Justice, but she walked out mid-rehearsal, and retreated to her Carmel home. Her second husband (1932-49) was Frank Ross, who produced or coproduced several of her pictures, including The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), a screwball comedy not to be confused with the similarly titled porno flick of the 1970s. Arthur lived out her later years as a recluse, but came to enjoy some of the latter-day recognition she received for her outstanding work on-screen.
Personal Quotes:
"I am not an adult, that's my explanation of myself. Except when I am working on a set, I have all the inhibitions and shyness of the bashful, backward child...Unless I have something very much in common with a person, I am lost. I am swallowed up in my own silence."
Trivia:
Director George Stevens famously called her "One of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen" while Frank Capra credited her as "My favorite actress".
Was a leading contender for the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939).
As her star began to decline, she was replaced by Rita Hayworth as Columbia Pictures' top female star. Coincidentally, the two stars share the same birthday (October 17).
Later,
Kenaz
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:William Powell
It is impossible to write about this popular star without using the words "suave" or "debonair": both call him to mind better than any others in the dictionary. Certainly few other stars could match the casual cynicism and insouciance with which he invested so many of his characters (especially in the talkie era), and his essential urbanity made even the unsympathetic ones seem palatable. (He must also be saluted for his limitless, and seemingly effortless, capacity to drink scotch and make wry faces.)
Powell developed and polished his smooth manner on the Broadway stage during the teens, and he was already a veteran by the time he first appeared onscreen, in John Barrymore's 1922 version of Sherlock Holmes (not as Dr. Watson, as some sources report, but as a minor character). For the remainder of the silent era, he distinguished himself by playing heavies, some charming and sophisticated, others snarling and brutish. He appeared in When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922), The Bright Shawl (1923), Romola (1924), Too Many Kisses (1925), Beau Geste (1926, as the untrustworthy Boldini), The Great Gatsby (also 1926, as George Wilson), Nevada (1927, playing a Western heavy in this Zane Grey story starring Gary Cooper), and Senorita (also 1927), before being assigned the plum role of the cruel movie director who torments Emil Jannings in The Last Command (1928). (Although the picture boosted Powell's stock with Paramount, he refused to renew his contract unless studio brass promised him he'd never again have to work with its director, Josef von Sternberg.)
Powell toiled in a few more silentsincluding the 1929 version of The Four Feathers-before making his talkie debut in Interference But it was his characterization of gentleman detective Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929, started as a silent but finished as a talkie) that finally elevated Powell to stardom. He reprised the role in The Greene Murder Case (also 1929), The Benson Murder Case in a short comedy skit for Paramount on Parade (both 1930), and, under his later contract to Warner Bros., in the best of the bunch, The Kennel Murder Case (1933).
After starring in a string of mediocre movies, including one, Ladies' Man (1931), which paired him with his thenwife, Carole Lombard, Powell left Paramount for Warner Bros., which immediately put him into better pictures, all in 1932: High Pressure and Lawyer Man were crackling melodramas with elements of comedy, in the best Warner Bros. style; Jewel Robbery was a Lubitsch-like romantic comedy that showed him and Kay Francis at their best; and One Way Passage reunited Powell and Francis for a classic shipboard romance about a captured killer and a woman who's dying. By the time Powell left Warners in 1934 he was a top box-office draw.
At that time a movie actor couldn't do much better than MGM, the studio with "more stars than there are in the heavens." Powell began his 13-year tenure there with Manhattan Melodrama (1934), which pitted him, a crusading district attorney, against boyhood pal Clark Gable, now a vicious gangster. Also featured in the successful film was Myrna Loy, with whom Powell was teamed later that year for what was to be a low-budget mystery, an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man directed by W. S. Van Dyke. Powell and Loy were born to play the witty, lighthearted, cocktail-sipping sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, and audiences loved them in those roles. The performance earned Powell his first Oscar nomination.
Powell and Loy were reunited for the first time in Evelyn Prentice (1934). Reckless (1935) costarred Powell with platinum blond superstar Jean Harlow, to whom he was engaged at the time of her tragic death in 1937. In 1936 Powell and Loy made the first of five sequels, After the Thin Man then costarred in The Great Ziegfeld in which she played Billie Burke to his Flo Ziegfeld, and Libeled Lady which also featured Harlow and Spencer Tracy. All three were big hits, with Ziegfeld winning the Best Picture Academy Award.
During this period Powell, at the peak of his popularity, was loaned out several times. RKO starred him in two pretty good attempts to replicate The Thin Man's success: Star of Midnight (1935, with Ginger Rogers) and The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936, with Jean Arthur, his costar in Paramount's 1929 Philo Vance mystery, The Greene Murder Case Universal paired him with ex-wife Carole Lombard, whom he'd divorced in 1933, in the classic screwball comedy My Man Godfrey (1936), which saw Powell in one of his most endearing roles (and netted him an Oscar nomination), as the educated tramp who becomes butler to a madcap Park Avenue family.
Back at MGM, Powell starred in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The Emperor's Candlesticks and Double Wedding (all 1937, the last-named with Loy) before tragedy struck: Harlow's sudden death sent him into an emotional tailspin. His depression and a serious health problem kept him off the screen for more than a year. MGM reintroduced him to the public in Another Thin Man (1939) and he made his next three films with Loy as well: I Love You Again (1940), Shadow of the Thin Man and Love Crazy (both 1941). Powell's subsequent starring vehicles, even the Thin Man sequels, weren't terribly good, and after completing a run of pictures that included Crossroads (1942), The Heavenly Body, The Thin Man Goes Home (both 1944), Ziegfeld Follies (1946, in a cameo as the great showman), The Hoodlum Saint (also 1946), and Song of the Thin Man (1947), he left Metro to freelance.
An aging Powell realized he couldn't continue to play cocktail-swizzling urbanites forever, and undertook a wider variety of roles, including the eccentric, redheaded paterfamilias in the smash hit Life With Father (1947, snaring his third Best Actor Oscar nomination), a rakish politico in The Senator Was Indiscreet (also 1947), and a befuddled fisherman in Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948). Following Dancing in the Dark and Take One False Step (both 1949), he went back to MGM for a cameo in the all-star It's a Big Country (1951), then played Elizabeth Taylor's father in The Girl Who Had Everything (1953). That same year he provided able support to Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire His last role was that of the worldly wise doctor in Mister Roberts (1955), a good part (and a good film) to round out a career.
Powell retired to Palm Springs, perfectly content to while away his remaining years with his young wife "Mousie," former MGM starlet Diana Lewis, whom he'd married in 1940. He was frequently offered "comeback" roles but declined them all (although, according to some reports, a few sorely tempted him).
Personal Quotes:
"I do not hold that because the author did a bad job of writing the player need trump it with the same kind of acting. When I go into a picture I have only one character to look after. If the author didn't do him justice, I try to add whatever the creator of the part overlooked."
"I have never gone into a picture without first studying my characterization from all angles. I make a study of the fellow's life and try to learn everything about him, including the conditions under which he came into this world, his parentage, his environment, his social status, and the things in which he is interested. Then I attempt to get his mental attitude as much as possible."
Later,
Kenaz
Powell developed and polished his smooth manner on the Broadway stage during the teens, and he was already a veteran by the time he first appeared onscreen, in John Barrymore's 1922 version of Sherlock Holmes (not as Dr. Watson, as some sources report, but as a minor character). For the remainder of the silent era, he distinguished himself by playing heavies, some charming and sophisticated, others snarling and brutish. He appeared in When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922), The Bright Shawl (1923), Romola (1924), Too Many Kisses (1925), Beau Geste (1926, as the untrustworthy Boldini), The Great Gatsby (also 1926, as George Wilson), Nevada (1927, playing a Western heavy in this Zane Grey story starring Gary Cooper), and Senorita (also 1927), before being assigned the plum role of the cruel movie director who torments Emil Jannings in The Last Command (1928). (Although the picture boosted Powell's stock with Paramount, he refused to renew his contract unless studio brass promised him he'd never again have to work with its director, Josef von Sternberg.)
Powell toiled in a few more silentsincluding the 1929 version of The Four Feathers-before making his talkie debut in Interference But it was his characterization of gentleman detective Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929, started as a silent but finished as a talkie) that finally elevated Powell to stardom. He reprised the role in The Greene Murder Case (also 1929), The Benson Murder Case in a short comedy skit for Paramount on Parade (both 1930), and, under his later contract to Warner Bros., in the best of the bunch, The Kennel Murder Case (1933).
After starring in a string of mediocre movies, including one, Ladies' Man (1931), which paired him with his thenwife, Carole Lombard, Powell left Paramount for Warner Bros., which immediately put him into better pictures, all in 1932: High Pressure and Lawyer Man were crackling melodramas with elements of comedy, in the best Warner Bros. style; Jewel Robbery was a Lubitsch-like romantic comedy that showed him and Kay Francis at their best; and One Way Passage reunited Powell and Francis for a classic shipboard romance about a captured killer and a woman who's dying. By the time Powell left Warners in 1934 he was a top box-office draw.
At that time a movie actor couldn't do much better than MGM, the studio with "more stars than there are in the heavens." Powell began his 13-year tenure there with Manhattan Melodrama (1934), which pitted him, a crusading district attorney, against boyhood pal Clark Gable, now a vicious gangster. Also featured in the successful film was Myrna Loy, with whom Powell was teamed later that year for what was to be a low-budget mystery, an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man directed by W. S. Van Dyke. Powell and Loy were born to play the witty, lighthearted, cocktail-sipping sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, and audiences loved them in those roles. The performance earned Powell his first Oscar nomination.
Powell and Loy were reunited for the first time in Evelyn Prentice (1934). Reckless (1935) costarred Powell with platinum blond superstar Jean Harlow, to whom he was engaged at the time of her tragic death in 1937. In 1936 Powell and Loy made the first of five sequels, After the Thin Man then costarred in The Great Ziegfeld in which she played Billie Burke to his Flo Ziegfeld, and Libeled Lady which also featured Harlow and Spencer Tracy. All three were big hits, with Ziegfeld winning the Best Picture Academy Award.
During this period Powell, at the peak of his popularity, was loaned out several times. RKO starred him in two pretty good attempts to replicate The Thin Man's success: Star of Midnight (1935, with Ginger Rogers) and The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936, with Jean Arthur, his costar in Paramount's 1929 Philo Vance mystery, The Greene Murder Case Universal paired him with ex-wife Carole Lombard, whom he'd divorced in 1933, in the classic screwball comedy My Man Godfrey (1936), which saw Powell in one of his most endearing roles (and netted him an Oscar nomination), as the educated tramp who becomes butler to a madcap Park Avenue family.
Back at MGM, Powell starred in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The Emperor's Candlesticks and Double Wedding (all 1937, the last-named with Loy) before tragedy struck: Harlow's sudden death sent him into an emotional tailspin. His depression and a serious health problem kept him off the screen for more than a year. MGM reintroduced him to the public in Another Thin Man (1939) and he made his next three films with Loy as well: I Love You Again (1940), Shadow of the Thin Man and Love Crazy (both 1941). Powell's subsequent starring vehicles, even the Thin Man sequels, weren't terribly good, and after completing a run of pictures that included Crossroads (1942), The Heavenly Body, The Thin Man Goes Home (both 1944), Ziegfeld Follies (1946, in a cameo as the great showman), The Hoodlum Saint (also 1946), and Song of the Thin Man (1947), he left Metro to freelance.
An aging Powell realized he couldn't continue to play cocktail-swizzling urbanites forever, and undertook a wider variety of roles, including the eccentric, redheaded paterfamilias in the smash hit Life With Father (1947, snaring his third Best Actor Oscar nomination), a rakish politico in The Senator Was Indiscreet (also 1947), and a befuddled fisherman in Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948). Following Dancing in the Dark and Take One False Step (both 1949), he went back to MGM for a cameo in the all-star It's a Big Country (1951), then played Elizabeth Taylor's father in The Girl Who Had Everything (1953). That same year he provided able support to Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire His last role was that of the worldly wise doctor in Mister Roberts (1955), a good part (and a good film) to round out a career.
Powell retired to Palm Springs, perfectly content to while away his remaining years with his young wife "Mousie," former MGM starlet Diana Lewis, whom he'd married in 1940. He was frequently offered "comeback" roles but declined them all (although, according to some reports, a few sorely tempted him).
Personal Quotes:
"I do not hold that because the author did a bad job of writing the player need trump it with the same kind of acting. When I go into a picture I have only one character to look after. If the author didn't do him justice, I try to add whatever the creator of the part overlooked."
"I have never gone into a picture without first studying my characterization from all angles. I make a study of the fellow's life and try to learn everything about him, including the conditions under which he came into this world, his parentage, his environment, his social status, and the things in which he is interested. Then I attempt to get his mental attitude as much as possible."
Later,
Kenaz
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:Cary Grant
As a teenage runaway, Archibald Leach began his lengthy show-business career as an acrobat, juggler, and song-and-dance man, touring with small troupes and playing music halls all over England. In 1920, as one of the Bob Pender comedy troupe, he came to America on a two-year tour and decided to stay. He took several other jobs (including that of lifeguard) to supplement his modest solo performing career. After several years Leach returned to the U.K., where he achieved considerable success as an engaging leading man in lighthearted stage plays. He returned to the United States late in the decade, eventually starring on Broadway and embarking on a successful tour across the country. In 1932 he made his film debut as a jaunty sailor in a Paramount short subject, Singapore Sue
Upon reaching Hollywood in 1932 he was screen-tested at the behest of Paramount studio chief B. P. Schulberg, signed to a long-term contract, and rechristened Cary Grant. (The studio's first choice was Cary Lockwood.) He made his feature film debut in This Is the Night a charming, sophisticated comedy of the type that would make him a top star. The urbane, personable Grant appeared in a slew of 1932 Paramount pictures-among them Sinners in the Sun, Merrily We Go to Hell, Blonde Venus (opposite the studio's top female star, Marlene Dietrich), The Devil and the Deep, Hot Saturday and Madame Butterfly-before costarring with Mae West in She Done Him Wrong (1933), a ribald, wildly successful comedy in which West exhorted Grant to "come up some time an' see me."
Over the next few years Grant tackled a wide variety of starring roles in costume dramas, war films, adventure pictures, and topical comedies. He built, slowly and steadily, a reputation as one of Hollywood's most dependable leading men. His films during this period, most of them made for Paramount, included The Eagle and the Hawk, I'm No Angel (also opposite West), Alice in Wonderland (all 1933, in the last-named as the Mock Turtle),Thirty-Day Princess, Ladies Should Listen, Kiss and Make Up, Born to Be Bad (all 1934), Enter Madame, Wings in the Dark, The Last Outpost, Sylvia Scarlett (all 1935, on loan to RKO in the lastnamed, opposite Katharine Hepburn), Suzy (for MGM, paired with Jean Harlow), Big Brown Eyes, Wedding Present, The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (all 1936, the last-named a British-made comedy), The Toast of New York and When You're in Love (both 1937).
He hit his stride in a string of sophisticated screwball comedies-beginning with Topper (1937)-in which he evolved the debonair, witty, uninhibited screen persona that ultimately brought him superstardom. The next several years saw Grant at his peak, alternating classic comedies (such as 1937's The Awful Truth 1938's Holiday and Bringing Up Baby 1940's His Girl Friday, The Philadelphia Story and My Favorite Wife) with similarly well-remembered dramas (1939's In Name Only and 1941's Penny Serenade for which he was Oscar-nominated), adventure films (1939's Gunga Din and Only Angels Have Wings) and thrillers (1941's Suspicion the first of his many films for director Alfred Hitchcock).
He managed to balance the same kind of mix throughout the 1940s, in the witty social comedy-drama The Talk of the Town (1942), the charming star vehicle Mr. Lucky (1943), the energetic farce Arsenic and Old Lace (1944; made in 1941), the atypically moody drama None but the Lonely Heart (1944, a personal favorite of Grant's, with his characterization as a Cockney drifter earning another Oscar nomination), the wartime submarine drama Destination Tokyo (1944), the crackling romantic thriller Notorious (1946, again for Hitchcock), the musical biography Night and Day (1946, as Cole Porter), and such airy seemingly effortless comedies as Once Upon a Time (1944), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, The Bishop's Wife (both 1947, in the latter as an angel in a Brooks Brothers suit), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Every Girl Should Be Married (both 1948, the latter costarring then-wife Betsy Drake), and I Was a Male War Bride (1949).
The 1950s and 1960s offered much the same, as Grant continued to charm moviegoers with a suave screen persona apparently impervious to the ravages of age.Crisis (1950) cast him in an unusual political drama;People Will Talk (1951) offered an intellectual social comedy, while Monkey Business (1952) tried hard, perhaps too hard, to replicate the screwball comedies of the 1930s;To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959), Hitchcock films both, were successful (almost archetypal) star-director collaborations; and An Affair to Remember (1957) was an uneasy mix of classy comedy and hoary soapopera cliché-though extremely popular. His leading ladies in this period included Ginger Rogers, Deborah Kerr, Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Sophia Loren.
After Walk, Don't Run (1966), a middling remake of George Stevens' 1943 hitThe More the Merrier Grant retired from the screen. He may have reasoned, correctly, that the demise of the studio system and changing audience tastes signaled the dawn of an era in which his kind of movie was passé. He contented himself with forays into the business world, most effectively for the Faberge cosmetics company. In 1970 Grant, who never won an Oscar in competition, received a special Academy Award in recognition of his extraordinary career. His wives included actresses Virginia Cherrill, Betsy Drake, and Dyan Cannon (who bore him his only child, daughter Jennifer, now a budding actress), and heiress Barbara Hutton. Long reticent about interviews, and unwilling to write an autobiography, he surprised many in his final years by touring the country giving informal lectures about his career, and answering questions from his many fans. He died on the eve of one such appearance in Davenport, Iowa.
OTHER FILMS INCLUDE: 1952:Room for One More (again with Drake); 1953:Dream Wife 1957:The Pride and the Passion (a rare piece of miscasting in this period turkey); 1958:Indiscreet, Houseboat 1959:Operation Petticoat (costarring Tony Curtis, who then imitated Grant, hilariously, in his subsequentSome Like It Hot 1962:That Touch of Mink 1963:Charade (an elegantly witty comedymystery); 1964:Father Goose
Personal Quote:
"He is personality functioning." - Katharine Hepburn
"I have spent the greater part of my life fluctuating between Archie Leach and Cary Grant, unsure of each, suspecting each."
"Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant."
"The only really good thing about acting is that there's no heavy lifting."
"1970 Honorary Oscar acceptance speech: "You know that I may never look at this without remembering the quiet patience of directors who were so kind to me, who were kind enough to put up with me more than once, some of them even three or four times. I trust they and all the other directors, writers and producers and my leading women have forgiven me for what I didn't know. You know that I've never been a joiner or a member of any particular social set, but I've been privileged to be a part of Hollywood's most glorious era."
"Mostly, we have manufactured ladies -- with the exception of Ingrid(Bergman), Grace(Kelly), Deborah(Kerr) and Audrey(Hepburn)."
Trivia
Ian Fleming modeled the James Bond character partially with Grant in mind. Grant turned down the role.
Refused the part of Humbert in Lolita (1962).
Turned down roles opposite Audrey Hepburn in both Roman Holiday (1953) and Sabrina (1954), later he starred with her in "Charade". In Roman Holiday (1953), the offered role ended up going to Gregory Peck, and the role in Sabrina (1954) went to Humphrey Bogart.
He never said "Judy, Judy, Judy" in the movies, but he did say "Susan, Susan, Susan" in Bringing Up Baby (1938).
On American Film Institute's list of top 100 U.S. love stories, compiled in June 2002, Grant led all actors with six of his films on the list. His An Affair to Remember (1957) was ranked #5; followed by: #44 The Philadelphia Story (1940) #46 To Catch a Thief (1955) #51 Bringing Up Baby (1938) #77 The Awful Truth (1937) #86 Notorious (1946)
Grant, who was approaching 60 at the time he filmed the romantic thriller Charade (1963), felt he was too old to play the love interest for Audrey Hepburn, who was 25 years younger. He demanded that the script make clear that it was Audrey pursuing him...not vice versa. He also added a number of wry jokes denoting the difference in age.
Although he became a Paramount contract player early in his film career, when the contract was up, he made an unusual decision for the time: he decided to freelance. Because his films were so successful at the box office, he was able to work at any studio he chose for the majority of his career.
Thanks mainly to the strength and physical dexterity he gained as an acrobat when he was young, he did a majority of his own stunts during his film career (far more than people would think).
People were surprised by his retirement in 1966 and, despite the attempts of directors as important as Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, & even Stanley Kubrick to get him out of retirement and into their films, he never worked again.
The late Christopher Reeve said that he based his portrayal of Clark Kent in the Superman films on Grant in the early part of his career.
In His Girl Friday (1940), his character remarks, "The last man who messed with me was Archie Leach", a reference to his real name.
John Cleese's character in A Fish Called Wanda (1988) was named "Archie Leach" after Grant's real name.
Often spoke of his relationship with Sophia Loren as one of the most passionate romances in his life.
Was still in love with Loren when it came time for them to film "Houseboat" (1958). She went to director Melville Shavelson, in tears, complaining that Grant was chasing her again - she had told Grant she was in love with Ponti, but he didn't believe her.
Fell madly in love with Sophia Loren while filming The Pride and the Passion (1957), despite the fact that he was married to actress Betsy Drake. However, Loren was seriously involved with producer Carlo Ponti, and her passion fizzled when the film wrapped.
When Sophia Loren visited Los Angeles during the filming of "An Affair to Remember (1957)_ , Grant inundated her with dozens of phone calls and hundreds of flowers - even though she had called the affair off.
Later,
Kenaz
Upon reaching Hollywood in 1932 he was screen-tested at the behest of Paramount studio chief B. P. Schulberg, signed to a long-term contract, and rechristened Cary Grant. (The studio's first choice was Cary Lockwood.) He made his feature film debut in This Is the Night a charming, sophisticated comedy of the type that would make him a top star. The urbane, personable Grant appeared in a slew of 1932 Paramount pictures-among them Sinners in the Sun, Merrily We Go to Hell, Blonde Venus (opposite the studio's top female star, Marlene Dietrich), The Devil and the Deep, Hot Saturday and Madame Butterfly-before costarring with Mae West in She Done Him Wrong (1933), a ribald, wildly successful comedy in which West exhorted Grant to "come up some time an' see me."
Over the next few years Grant tackled a wide variety of starring roles in costume dramas, war films, adventure pictures, and topical comedies. He built, slowly and steadily, a reputation as one of Hollywood's most dependable leading men. His films during this period, most of them made for Paramount, included The Eagle and the Hawk, I'm No Angel (also opposite West), Alice in Wonderland (all 1933, in the last-named as the Mock Turtle),Thirty-Day Princess, Ladies Should Listen, Kiss and Make Up, Born to Be Bad (all 1934), Enter Madame, Wings in the Dark, The Last Outpost, Sylvia Scarlett (all 1935, on loan to RKO in the lastnamed, opposite Katharine Hepburn), Suzy (for MGM, paired with Jean Harlow), Big Brown Eyes, Wedding Present, The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (all 1936, the last-named a British-made comedy), The Toast of New York and When You're in Love (both 1937).
He hit his stride in a string of sophisticated screwball comedies-beginning with Topper (1937)-in which he evolved the debonair, witty, uninhibited screen persona that ultimately brought him superstardom. The next several years saw Grant at his peak, alternating classic comedies (such as 1937's The Awful Truth 1938's Holiday and Bringing Up Baby 1940's His Girl Friday, The Philadelphia Story and My Favorite Wife) with similarly well-remembered dramas (1939's In Name Only and 1941's Penny Serenade for which he was Oscar-nominated), adventure films (1939's Gunga Din and Only Angels Have Wings) and thrillers (1941's Suspicion the first of his many films for director Alfred Hitchcock).
He managed to balance the same kind of mix throughout the 1940s, in the witty social comedy-drama The Talk of the Town (1942), the charming star vehicle Mr. Lucky (1943), the energetic farce Arsenic and Old Lace (1944; made in 1941), the atypically moody drama None but the Lonely Heart (1944, a personal favorite of Grant's, with his characterization as a Cockney drifter earning another Oscar nomination), the wartime submarine drama Destination Tokyo (1944), the crackling romantic thriller Notorious (1946, again for Hitchcock), the musical biography Night and Day (1946, as Cole Porter), and such airy seemingly effortless comedies as Once Upon a Time (1944), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, The Bishop's Wife (both 1947, in the latter as an angel in a Brooks Brothers suit), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Every Girl Should Be Married (both 1948, the latter costarring then-wife Betsy Drake), and I Was a Male War Bride (1949).
The 1950s and 1960s offered much the same, as Grant continued to charm moviegoers with a suave screen persona apparently impervious to the ravages of age.Crisis (1950) cast him in an unusual political drama;People Will Talk (1951) offered an intellectual social comedy, while Monkey Business (1952) tried hard, perhaps too hard, to replicate the screwball comedies of the 1930s;To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959), Hitchcock films both, were successful (almost archetypal) star-director collaborations; and An Affair to Remember (1957) was an uneasy mix of classy comedy and hoary soapopera cliché-though extremely popular. His leading ladies in this period included Ginger Rogers, Deborah Kerr, Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Sophia Loren.
After Walk, Don't Run (1966), a middling remake of George Stevens' 1943 hitThe More the Merrier Grant retired from the screen. He may have reasoned, correctly, that the demise of the studio system and changing audience tastes signaled the dawn of an era in which his kind of movie was passé. He contented himself with forays into the business world, most effectively for the Faberge cosmetics company. In 1970 Grant, who never won an Oscar in competition, received a special Academy Award in recognition of his extraordinary career. His wives included actresses Virginia Cherrill, Betsy Drake, and Dyan Cannon (who bore him his only child, daughter Jennifer, now a budding actress), and heiress Barbara Hutton. Long reticent about interviews, and unwilling to write an autobiography, he surprised many in his final years by touring the country giving informal lectures about his career, and answering questions from his many fans. He died on the eve of one such appearance in Davenport, Iowa.
OTHER FILMS INCLUDE: 1952:Room for One More (again with Drake); 1953:Dream Wife 1957:The Pride and the Passion (a rare piece of miscasting in this period turkey); 1958:Indiscreet, Houseboat 1959:Operation Petticoat (costarring Tony Curtis, who then imitated Grant, hilariously, in his subsequentSome Like It Hot 1962:That Touch of Mink 1963:Charade (an elegantly witty comedymystery); 1964:Father Goose
Personal Quote:
"He is personality functioning." - Katharine Hepburn
"I have spent the greater part of my life fluctuating between Archie Leach and Cary Grant, unsure of each, suspecting each."
"Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant."
"The only really good thing about acting is that there's no heavy lifting."
"1970 Honorary Oscar acceptance speech: "You know that I may never look at this without remembering the quiet patience of directors who were so kind to me, who were kind enough to put up with me more than once, some of them even three or four times. I trust they and all the other directors, writers and producers and my leading women have forgiven me for what I didn't know. You know that I've never been a joiner or a member of any particular social set, but I've been privileged to be a part of Hollywood's most glorious era."
"Mostly, we have manufactured ladies -- with the exception of Ingrid(Bergman), Grace(Kelly), Deborah(Kerr) and Audrey(Hepburn)."
Trivia
Ian Fleming modeled the James Bond character partially with Grant in mind. Grant turned down the role.
Refused the part of Humbert in Lolita (1962).
Turned down roles opposite Audrey Hepburn in both Roman Holiday (1953) and Sabrina (1954), later he starred with her in "Charade". In Roman Holiday (1953), the offered role ended up going to Gregory Peck, and the role in Sabrina (1954) went to Humphrey Bogart.
He never said "Judy, Judy, Judy" in the movies, but he did say "Susan, Susan, Susan" in Bringing Up Baby (1938).
On American Film Institute's list of top 100 U.S. love stories, compiled in June 2002, Grant led all actors with six of his films on the list. His An Affair to Remember (1957) was ranked #5; followed by: #44 The Philadelphia Story (1940) #46 To Catch a Thief (1955) #51 Bringing Up Baby (1938) #77 The Awful Truth (1937) #86 Notorious (1946)
Grant, who was approaching 60 at the time he filmed the romantic thriller Charade (1963), felt he was too old to play the love interest for Audrey Hepburn, who was 25 years younger. He demanded that the script make clear that it was Audrey pursuing him...not vice versa. He also added a number of wry jokes denoting the difference in age.
Although he became a Paramount contract player early in his film career, when the contract was up, he made an unusual decision for the time: he decided to freelance. Because his films were so successful at the box office, he was able to work at any studio he chose for the majority of his career.
Thanks mainly to the strength and physical dexterity he gained as an acrobat when he was young, he did a majority of his own stunts during his film career (far more than people would think).
People were surprised by his retirement in 1966 and, despite the attempts of directors as important as Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder, & even Stanley Kubrick to get him out of retirement and into their films, he never worked again.
The late Christopher Reeve said that he based his portrayal of Clark Kent in the Superman films on Grant in the early part of his career.
In His Girl Friday (1940), his character remarks, "The last man who messed with me was Archie Leach", a reference to his real name.
John Cleese's character in A Fish Called Wanda (1988) was named "Archie Leach" after Grant's real name.
Often spoke of his relationship with Sophia Loren as one of the most passionate romances in his life.
Was still in love with Loren when it came time for them to film "Houseboat" (1958). She went to director Melville Shavelson, in tears, complaining that Grant was chasing her again - she had told Grant she was in love with Ponti, but he didn't believe her.
Fell madly in love with Sophia Loren while filming The Pride and the Passion (1957), despite the fact that he was married to actress Betsy Drake. However, Loren was seriously involved with producer Carlo Ponti, and her passion fizzled when the film wrapped.
When Sophia Loren visited Los Angeles during the filming of "An Affair to Remember (1957)_ , Grant inundated her with dozens of phone calls and hundreds of flowers - even though she had called the affair off.
Later,
Kenaz
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:Mae West
A veteran of burlesque, vaudeville, and Broadway, Mae West made her first movie when she was nearly 40, and became a sex symbol (for lack of a better term) at an age when other actresses were being considered for roles as mothers to aging adolescents. Less remembered is the fact that she wrote many of her own screen vehicles, making her one of the great comedy scenarists of her time. Her blond hair, hourglass figure, bedroom eyes, and silky-seductive voice made her a popular (if notorious) stage personality, and she attracted headlines with her 1926 play, "Sex." Police shut down the production for its alleged obscenity, but some detected the faint aroma of a publicity stunt. She wrote, directed, and starred in several other plays before signing with Paramount in 1932.
West stole her first film, Night After Night from leads George Raft and Constance Cummings, and uttered the first of many quotable lines when a hatcheck girl admired her jewels, saying, "Goodness, what lovely diamonds." Mae primped and replied, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." Paramount responded by giving her the star treament for her second picture, She Done Him Wrong (1933), based on her play "Diamond Lil." The film was credited with pulling Paramount out of bankruptcy, and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It was marked with the same insouciant flippancy that made Mae's stage shows so popular (typified by her saucy invitation to Cary Grant, "Come up some time an' see me"), although bluenoses noted the frequency and outrageousness of her blatantly sexual double entendres. I'm No Angel (1933), West's second starring vehicle, was equally popular, and was said to have fanned the flames of protest that led to adoption of the restrictive Motion Picture Production Code. In fact, though, her appeal (and her threat) was that she portrayed a woman who genuinely enjoyed sex and who could survive a "fate worse than death" without suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Protests from the Catholic Legion of Decency only increased her popularity.
In 1935 she was the highest-paid woman in America, but she was hampered in writing new stories and scripts by the Production Code. While films like Belle of the Nineties (1934), Goin' to Town (1935), Klondike Annie, Go West, Young Man (both 1936) and Every Day's a Holiday (1937) were still fun, there was no question they lacked some of the pizzazz-and rawness-of her two pre-Code starring movies; those remain her best. In 1940 she teamed with W. C. Fields, but that momentous match-up didn't yield the comic sparks that fans hoped for. My Little Chickadee (1940), which West cowrote, was only a mildly funny misfire. The Heat's On (1943) was also a dud, and West left the screen to return to nightclubs, where she was a smash.
A 24-carat character in real life, West still thought herself as a star (and sexpot) in the 1970s. She costarred in the dreadful Myra Breckinridge (1970), whose failure was not her fault, and the even grimmer Sextette (1978, which she cowrote). She remained a newsworthy personality to the very end. Her 1959 autobiography was titled "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It."
Personal Quotes:
"A hard man is good to find."
"Men are my life, diamonds are my career!"
"When women go wrong, men go right after them!"
"When caught between two evils I generally pick the one I've never tried before."
"When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."
"Marriage is a great institution. I'm not ready for an institution."
"It's not the man in your life that counts. It's the life in your man."
"Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"
"I believe in censorship. After all, I made a fortune out of it."
"I only like two kinds of men: domestic and foreign."
"Don't marry a man to reform him that's what reform schools are for."
"It's hard to be funny when you have to be clean."
"Good girls go to heaven; Bad girls go everywhere else".
Trivia
According to actor Tony Curtis, her famous walk originated while beginning her career as a stage actress. Special six-inch platforms were attached to her shoes to increase the height of her stage presence. Her walk literally was "one foot at a time."
During World War II, Navy and Army pilots and crewman in the Pacific, named their inflatable life vests after Mae West supposedly because of her well-endowed attributes. The term "Mae West" for a life-vest continues to this day.
Was banned from radio, after a guest appearance with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy loaded with flirtation and double-entendres.
At one point, her chauffeur was Jerry Orbach (who is best known for playing Detective Lennie Briscoe on all four "Law & Order" series and "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993)).
Later,
Kenaz
West stole her first film, Night After Night from leads George Raft and Constance Cummings, and uttered the first of many quotable lines when a hatcheck girl admired her jewels, saying, "Goodness, what lovely diamonds." Mae primped and replied, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." Paramount responded by giving her the star treament for her second picture, She Done Him Wrong (1933), based on her play "Diamond Lil." The film was credited with pulling Paramount out of bankruptcy, and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It was marked with the same insouciant flippancy that made Mae's stage shows so popular (typified by her saucy invitation to Cary Grant, "Come up some time an' see me"), although bluenoses noted the frequency and outrageousness of her blatantly sexual double entendres. I'm No Angel (1933), West's second starring vehicle, was equally popular, and was said to have fanned the flames of protest that led to adoption of the restrictive Motion Picture Production Code. In fact, though, her appeal (and her threat) was that she portrayed a woman who genuinely enjoyed sex and who could survive a "fate worse than death" without suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Protests from the Catholic Legion of Decency only increased her popularity.
In 1935 she was the highest-paid woman in America, but she was hampered in writing new stories and scripts by the Production Code. While films like Belle of the Nineties (1934), Goin' to Town (1935), Klondike Annie, Go West, Young Man (both 1936) and Every Day's a Holiday (1937) were still fun, there was no question they lacked some of the pizzazz-and rawness-of her two pre-Code starring movies; those remain her best. In 1940 she teamed with W. C. Fields, but that momentous match-up didn't yield the comic sparks that fans hoped for. My Little Chickadee (1940), which West cowrote, was only a mildly funny misfire. The Heat's On (1943) was also a dud, and West left the screen to return to nightclubs, where she was a smash.
A 24-carat character in real life, West still thought herself as a star (and sexpot) in the 1970s. She costarred in the dreadful Myra Breckinridge (1970), whose failure was not her fault, and the even grimmer Sextette (1978, which she cowrote). She remained a newsworthy personality to the very end. Her 1959 autobiography was titled "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It."
Personal Quotes:
"A hard man is good to find."
"Men are my life, diamonds are my career!"
"When women go wrong, men go right after them!"
"When caught between two evils I generally pick the one I've never tried before."
"When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."
"Marriage is a great institution. I'm not ready for an institution."
"It's not the man in your life that counts. It's the life in your man."
"Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?"
"I believe in censorship. After all, I made a fortune out of it."
"I only like two kinds of men: domestic and foreign."
"Don't marry a man to reform him that's what reform schools are for."
"It's hard to be funny when you have to be clean."
"Good girls go to heaven; Bad girls go everywhere else".
Trivia
According to actor Tony Curtis, her famous walk originated while beginning her career as a stage actress. Special six-inch platforms were attached to her shoes to increase the height of her stage presence. Her walk literally was "one foot at a time."
During World War II, Navy and Army pilots and crewman in the Pacific, named their inflatable life vests after Mae West supposedly because of her well-endowed attributes. The term "Mae West" for a life-vest continues to this day.
Was banned from radio, after a guest appearance with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy loaded with flirtation and double-entendres.
At one point, her chauffeur was Jerry Orbach (who is best known for playing Detective Lennie Briscoe on all four "Law & Order" series and "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993)).
Later,
Kenaz
Monday, October 17, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:Rudy Keeler
Her singing was adequate if not particularly lilting, her dancing was energetic if not particularly graceful, and her acting ... well, never mind. Suffice it to say that Ruby Keeler owed her Hollywood success, brief as it was, to being in the right place at the right time: at the Warner Bros. studio, when director Busby Berkeley was staging his most inventive and best-remembered musical extravaganzas. Keeler, a Canadian-born chorus girl who hoofed in Broadway shows for several years before marrying entertainer Al Jolson in 1928, made her screen debut at her husband's home studio. As Peggy Sawyer, the bashful dancer plucked from the chorus line to replace ailing star Bebe Daniels in the Broadway musical depicted in 42nd Street (1933), Keeler delivered an earnest, unskilled but somehow endearing performance and, like her screen character, worked her way into the hearts of her audiences.
Backed by solid production values, good scores, accomplished casts (including crooner Dick Powell, with whom she was most frequently teamed), and patient directors, Keeler clumped her way through some of the decade's most popular musicomedies:Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade (also 1933, in which she got to dance with movie tough-guy James Cagney), Dames, Flirtation Walk (both 1934), Go Into Your Dance (her only screen appearance with Jolson), Shipmates Forever (both 1935), Colleen (1936, her personal favorite among her films, and one of her best), and Ready, Willing and Able (1937, in which she danced on giant typewriter keys). When Jolson left Warners in 1937, he insisted Keeler come with him. Consequently, her career came to a screeching halt. Aside from a guest shot in Mother Carey's Chickens (1938) for RKO and a final starring role in Columbia's Sweetheart of the Campus (1941), she never appeared in pictures again. She divorced Jolson in 1940, then married a real-estate man and, essentially, retired. But the lure of the footlights pulled her back, first to guest shots on TV programs, then to Broadway, in a 1970 revival of "No, No, Nanette," directed by none other than Busby Berkeley, and fueled by the popularity (and newly defined "camp" status) of her old films. She made cameo appearances in They Shoot Horses, Don't They (1969, later cut from the film) and The Phynx (1970, which was never released).
Trivia
Although she had been married to Al Jolson's she forbade the use of her name in the film of Jolson's life, The Jolson Story (1946). Portrayed in that film by Evelyn Keyes, Keeler is referred to as "Julie Benson."
Ruby, who was Irish, and her 24-years-senior husband Al Jolson, who was Jewish, could not conceive a child, so they adopted a baby boy who was half-Irish and half-Jewish. After she divorced Jolson she had four children with her second husband. Her adopted son, Al Jolson Jr., was a contented member of her new family.
When 40-year-old Al Jolson, her future husband, first met her at Texas Guinan's El Fey Club in New York City one night in 1926, she was a 16-year-old dancer in the chorus line. He married her two years later, when she was 18.
According to her mother, Al Jolson gave Roby a dowry of $1 million when they were married.
Famous Broadway columnist Mark Hellinger, later to become a movie producer, accompanied ruby and Al Jolson on their honeymoon, to chronicle the event for the "NY Daily News".
Ruby began appearing as a singer and dancer in nightclubs when she was 13 years old, after dropping out of the sixth grade at Catholic school. She would work at two or three clubs a night, making a minimum of $150 a week. Her iceman father, Ralph, had costly medical problems, and she became the Keeler family breadwinner.
When she was a chorus girl in New York City, Ruby was looked after and protected by a gangster named Johnny Irish. An associate of speakeasy owner and bootlegger Owney Madden--who owned the world-famous Cotton Club in Harlem--and an ally of notorious gangster Dutch Schultz, Irish ran Schultz's nightspots for him. The older and married Irish was said not to have had any romantic interest in Keeler but watched over her because she was very young, somewhat naive and also Irish, like himself. When Al Jolson decided to marry Ruby, he went to Irish to tell him of his intentions. Irish warned Jolson that if he ever mistreated Ruby, he'd pay for the transgression with his life.
Later,
Kenaz
Backed by solid production values, good scores, accomplished casts (including crooner Dick Powell, with whom she was most frequently teamed), and patient directors, Keeler clumped her way through some of the decade's most popular musicomedies:Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade (also 1933, in which she got to dance with movie tough-guy James Cagney), Dames, Flirtation Walk (both 1934), Go Into Your Dance (her only screen appearance with Jolson), Shipmates Forever (both 1935), Colleen (1936, her personal favorite among her films, and one of her best), and Ready, Willing and Able (1937, in which she danced on giant typewriter keys). When Jolson left Warners in 1937, he insisted Keeler come with him. Consequently, her career came to a screeching halt. Aside from a guest shot in Mother Carey's Chickens (1938) for RKO and a final starring role in Columbia's Sweetheart of the Campus (1941), she never appeared in pictures again. She divorced Jolson in 1940, then married a real-estate man and, essentially, retired. But the lure of the footlights pulled her back, first to guest shots on TV programs, then to Broadway, in a 1970 revival of "No, No, Nanette," directed by none other than Busby Berkeley, and fueled by the popularity (and newly defined "camp" status) of her old films. She made cameo appearances in They Shoot Horses, Don't They (1969, later cut from the film) and The Phynx (1970, which was never released).
Trivia
Although she had been married to Al Jolson's she forbade the use of her name in the film of Jolson's life, The Jolson Story (1946). Portrayed in that film by Evelyn Keyes, Keeler is referred to as "Julie Benson."
Ruby, who was Irish, and her 24-years-senior husband Al Jolson, who was Jewish, could not conceive a child, so they adopted a baby boy who was half-Irish and half-Jewish. After she divorced Jolson she had four children with her second husband. Her adopted son, Al Jolson Jr., was a contented member of her new family.
When 40-year-old Al Jolson, her future husband, first met her at Texas Guinan's El Fey Club in New York City one night in 1926, she was a 16-year-old dancer in the chorus line. He married her two years later, when she was 18.
According to her mother, Al Jolson gave Roby a dowry of $1 million when they were married.
Famous Broadway columnist Mark Hellinger, later to become a movie producer, accompanied ruby and Al Jolson on their honeymoon, to chronicle the event for the "NY Daily News".
Ruby began appearing as a singer and dancer in nightclubs when she was 13 years old, after dropping out of the sixth grade at Catholic school. She would work at two or three clubs a night, making a minimum of $150 a week. Her iceman father, Ralph, had costly medical problems, and she became the Keeler family breadwinner.
When she was a chorus girl in New York City, Ruby was looked after and protected by a gangster named Johnny Irish. An associate of speakeasy owner and bootlegger Owney Madden--who owned the world-famous Cotton Club in Harlem--and an ally of notorious gangster Dutch Schultz, Irish ran Schultz's nightspots for him. The older and married Irish was said not to have had any romantic interest in Keeler but watched over her because she was very young, somewhat naive and also Irish, like himself. When Al Jolson decided to marry Ruby, he went to Irish to tell him of his intentions. Irish warned Jolson that if he ever mistreated Ruby, he'd pay for the transgression with his life.
Later,
Kenaz
Tarot Card Reading For The Week Of October 17-23, 2005
The Question:"Will this week be a successful one?"
Review of the ten card Celtic Spread.
The the deck is first spread out face down in the middle of the table and mixed up thoroughly. The cards are then gathered and played out one card at a time, face up as follows.
The Celtic Cross spread is one of the most common tarot spreads. There is a cross in the center, with a row of 4 cards along the side. This spread will provide a fairly in-depth look at a situation including past, present and external influences. Beginners may want to start with a spread with fewer cards.
Here is the reading.
Cover: General atmosphere
Two of Cups
A NEW PARTNERSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP ENTERS YOUR LIFE.
Crossing: Opposing forces
Ace of Pentacles
A NEW CAREER OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY WILL BRING A NEW PROSPEROUS BEGINNING FOR YOU, AND THIS WILL SOON COME TO YOUR LIFE.
Foundation: Past basis
Eight of Pentacles
YOU WILL BE LEARNING A LIFE LESSON OR IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS OR ABILITIES.
Behind You: Passing influences
Queen of Wands
YOU WILL BE SPENDING A GREAT DEAL OF TIME SOCIALIZING WITH OTHER PEOPLE AT THIS TIME, YOU MAY ALSO FIND YOURSELF AMONG PETS OR ANIMALS.
Crowining: Possible future
Temperance
YOUR PATIENCE AND DETERMINATION WILL BE TESTED BY AN UNEXPECTED EVENT THAT MAY CATCH YOU BY SURPRISE.
Before You: Soon to come
Queen of Swords
YOU WILL BE FEELING SAD AN HURT, AND THERE IS OR SOON WILL BE A SEPARATION OR LOSS IN YOUR LIFE.
Hopes: Goals or aspirations
Ten Of Swords
YOU WILL BE FEELING SAD AND DEPRESSED, AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE A LOSS IN YOUR LIFE THAT WILL SOLVE AN ISSUE OR END A CYCLE IN YOUR LIFE.
Opinions: What others think
Ace of Cups
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT ENTERS YOUR LIFE THIS COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT OTHER OR A PROJECT YOU LOVE.
Feelings: Fears
Five of Wands
OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WILL BE THE SOURCE OF ANXIETY OR PROBLEMS IN YOUR LIFE AT THIS TIME, YOU WILL FIND THAT PEOPLE AROUND YOU ARE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH, AND YOU AND THEM MAY NOT AGREE ON THINGS. YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO RESOLVE THE MINOR DISPUTES, BUT THE BIG THINGS YOU WILL NOT. THERE IS ALSO GOSSIP AROUND YOU, BEWARE WHOM YOU TALK TO.
Outcome: Resolution
Two of Wands
YOU MAY FEEL MANIPULATED OR CONTROLLED BY OTHERS NEAR YOU, THIS COULD BE A RELATIVE, LOVER OR CO-WORKER.
Quintessence:
The Devil
LOOK FOR YOUR REAL MOTIVATIONS, AND FREE YOURSELF FROM DEPENDENCIES SO YOU CAN MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS BASED ON A CLEAN HEART.
Later,
Kenaz
Review of the ten card Celtic Spread.
The the deck is first spread out face down in the middle of the table and mixed up thoroughly. The cards are then gathered and played out one card at a time, face up as follows.
The Celtic Cross spread is one of the most common tarot spreads. There is a cross in the center, with a row of 4 cards along the side. This spread will provide a fairly in-depth look at a situation including past, present and external influences. Beginners may want to start with a spread with fewer cards.
Here is the reading.
Cover: General atmosphere
Two of Cups
A NEW PARTNERSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP ENTERS YOUR LIFE.
Crossing: Opposing forces
Ace of Pentacles
A NEW CAREER OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY WILL BRING A NEW PROSPEROUS BEGINNING FOR YOU, AND THIS WILL SOON COME TO YOUR LIFE.
Foundation: Past basis
Eight of Pentacles
YOU WILL BE LEARNING A LIFE LESSON OR IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS OR ABILITIES.
Behind You: Passing influences
Queen of Wands
YOU WILL BE SPENDING A GREAT DEAL OF TIME SOCIALIZING WITH OTHER PEOPLE AT THIS TIME, YOU MAY ALSO FIND YOURSELF AMONG PETS OR ANIMALS.
Crowining: Possible future
Temperance
YOUR PATIENCE AND DETERMINATION WILL BE TESTED BY AN UNEXPECTED EVENT THAT MAY CATCH YOU BY SURPRISE.
Before You: Soon to come
Queen of Swords
YOU WILL BE FEELING SAD AN HURT, AND THERE IS OR SOON WILL BE A SEPARATION OR LOSS IN YOUR LIFE.
Hopes: Goals or aspirations
Ten Of Swords
YOU WILL BE FEELING SAD AND DEPRESSED, AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE A LOSS IN YOUR LIFE THAT WILL SOLVE AN ISSUE OR END A CYCLE IN YOUR LIFE.
Opinions: What others think
Ace of Cups
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT ENTERS YOUR LIFE THIS COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT OTHER OR A PROJECT YOU LOVE.
Feelings: Fears
Five of Wands
OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WILL BE THE SOURCE OF ANXIETY OR PROBLEMS IN YOUR LIFE AT THIS TIME, YOU WILL FIND THAT PEOPLE AROUND YOU ARE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH, AND YOU AND THEM MAY NOT AGREE ON THINGS. YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO RESOLVE THE MINOR DISPUTES, BUT THE BIG THINGS YOU WILL NOT. THERE IS ALSO GOSSIP AROUND YOU, BEWARE WHOM YOU TALK TO.
Outcome: Resolution
Two of Wands
YOU MAY FEEL MANIPULATED OR CONTROLLED BY OTHERS NEAR YOU, THIS COULD BE A RELATIVE, LOVER OR CO-WORKER.
Quintessence:
The Devil
LOOK FOR YOUR REAL MOTIVATIONS, AND FREE YOURSELF FROM DEPENDENCIES SO YOU CAN MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS BASED ON A CLEAN HEART.
Later,
Kenaz
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:Gene Raymond
This husky, blond actor, handsome almost to the point of being pretty, enjoyed his greatest popularity during the 1930s, when he was a dependable leading man and occasional supporting player; he also proved to have a pleasant singing voice. A child performer and Broadway veteran at the age of 12, Raymond broke into movies with a role in Personal Maid (1931); soon he was working steadily. Among his credits: Ladies of the Big House (1931), If I Had a Million (1932), Red Dust (also 1932, as Mary Astor's husband and Clark Gable's nemesis), and a notable trio of 1933 releases, Ex-Lady (as Bette Davis' husband), Zoo in Budapest (a whimsical, offbeat romance costarring Loretta Young), and Flying Down to Rio (a charming, escapist musical even better remembered for the initial teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers).
Raymond continued to freelance, starring in Sadie McKee (opposite Joan Crawford), Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (both 1934), Behold My Wife, The Woman in Red (both 1935), and a series of amiable grade-B musicals for RKO that teamed him with Ann Sothern, including Hooray for Love (1935), Love on a Bet (1936), There Goes My Girl and She's Got Everything (both 1937). Smilin' Through (1941) cast him opposite real-life wife Jeanette MacDonald, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (also 1941) cast him as "the other man" in this Alfred Hitchcock-directed comedy with Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery.
Raymond also starred in, produced, and directed Million Dollar Weekend (1948), a fair mystery that flopped at the box office. Widowed by MacDonald in 1965, Raymond remains active in Hollywood society.
OTHER FILMS INCLUDE: 1946: The Locket 1948: Assigned to Danger 1955: Hit the Deck 1957: Plunder Road 1964: The Best Man, I'd Rather Be Rich 1970: Gun Riders (as narrator).
Personal Quotes:
On Jeanette MacDonald and their marriage (1972): "We had 28 glorious years. Jeanette and I respected and loved each other, very deeply. We put one another before anyone or anything. I am blessed to have known her, loved her and been loved by her - absolutely, an incredible lady!"
"Gene, is the most wonderful man I've ever known. He's warm, sensitive, loving, funny and very handsome. Being Mrs. Gene Raymond, I admit I'm biased!" - Jeanette MacDonald (1947)
Gene Raymond and Jeanette MacDonald as they appeared in the
only film they made together, Smilin' Through.
Later,
Kenaz
Raymond continued to freelance, starring in Sadie McKee (opposite Joan Crawford), Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (both 1934), Behold My Wife, The Woman in Red (both 1935), and a series of amiable grade-B musicals for RKO that teamed him with Ann Sothern, including Hooray for Love (1935), Love on a Bet (1936), There Goes My Girl and She's Got Everything (both 1937). Smilin' Through (1941) cast him opposite real-life wife Jeanette MacDonald, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (also 1941) cast him as "the other man" in this Alfred Hitchcock-directed comedy with Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery.
Raymond also starred in, produced, and directed Million Dollar Weekend (1948), a fair mystery that flopped at the box office. Widowed by MacDonald in 1965, Raymond remains active in Hollywood society.
OTHER FILMS INCLUDE: 1946: The Locket 1948: Assigned to Danger 1955: Hit the Deck 1957: Plunder Road 1964: The Best Man, I'd Rather Be Rich 1970: Gun Riders (as narrator).
Personal Quotes:
On Jeanette MacDonald and their marriage (1972): "We had 28 glorious years. Jeanette and I respected and loved each other, very deeply. We put one another before anyone or anything. I am blessed to have known her, loved her and been loved by her - absolutely, an incredible lady!"
"Gene, is the most wonderful man I've ever known. He's warm, sensitive, loving, funny and very handsome. Being Mrs. Gene Raymond, I admit I'm biased!" - Jeanette MacDonald (1947)
Gene Raymond and Jeanette MacDonald as they appeared in the
only film they made together, Smilin' Through.
Later,
Kenaz
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Vintage Movie Reviews:Will Rogers
"An actor is a fella that just has a little more monkey in him." Thus spake one of the greatest of all American humorists, and while he always spoke selfdeprecatingly of his work on-screen, he was in fact "a natural," with more charisma-and honesty as a performerthan many a trained actor of his generation. No wonder he became a major box-office star. Born in the then-wild Oklahoma Territory (before it was a state!), Rogers got his show-biz start at the turn of the century, working as a trick roper in rodeos, circuses, wild-West shows, and, eventually, vaudeville and Broadway. By 1915 he was working in a Ziegfeld revue, and moved up to the legendary Follies the next year, where his pithy comments on man's foibles, delivered in a folksy drawl and punctuated by rope tricks, convulsed the elite New York audiences.
In 1918 Rogers made his film debut in a Samuel Goldwyn (then still Sam Goldfish) production, Laughing Bill Hyde shot in New Jersey. It was successful enough for Goldwyn to offer Rogers a contract; he starred in 13 features over the next three years, among them the delightful Jubilo (1919), Honest Hutch (1920), and the uproarious Shakespeare-inspired Doubling for Romeo (1921). Rogers' screen persona, an extension of his own personality, registered surprisingly well with moviegoers in spite of their inability to hear him. His unique brand of humor came through just the same. After the Goldwyn contract expired, he went out on his own, producing, writing, and starring in his own tworeelers, but the venture was catastrophic: only three shorts were actually produced, the last one was never released, and their failure put him deeply in debt.
Rogers signed with Hal Roach in 1923 and spent the next two years starring in what became some of his best known shorts, including a pair of broadly funny Hollywood spoofs, Uncensored Movies (1923) and Big Moments From Little Pictures (1924), as well as a guest appearance in an Our Gang comedy, Jubilo, Jr (also 1924). In 1927 he made a series of one-reel humorous travelogues for Pathé, but it took the coming of sound to give Rogers the screen showcase he deserved. In 1929 he inked a deal with Fox to star in talking pictures, as well as "help out" with the writing.
Rogers' first talkie, They Had to See Paris (1929), was an immediate hit; the star showed himself to be completely at ease before the microphone, unlike many other silent stars. His gentle, folksy humor was perfect for talking pictures, and his directors (and costars) learned to give him the freedom to make up his own dialogue even while the cameras were running. He proceeded in the same pleasant vein with such easygoing comedies as So This Is London (1930), A Connecticut Yankee (a Rogersian update of Mark Twain), Ambassador Bill (both 1931), Down to Earth (1932), State Fair, Doctor Bull (his first film for director John Ford), and Mr. Skitch (all 1933). Though the plots changed, Rogers did not; these were star vehicles in the truest sense, and audiences loved them. By 1934 he was the top boxoffice draw in the country, according to a "Motion Picture Herald" exhibitors poll. That year he starred in such hits as the bucolic David Harum and Ford's wonderful Judge Priest (perhaps his best film), as well as cowriting the story for Stand Up and Cheer (in which he did not appear). In 1935 Rogers really hit his stride in The County Chairman, Life Begins at Forty and Doubting Thomas a winning streak ended by his tragic death in an airplane crash. His last two films, Steamboat 'Round the Bend (directed by Ford) and In Old Kentucky were released posthumously that year.
His eagle-eyed observations about American life are still widely quoted. Actors from James Whitmore and Keith Carradine (on stage) to his son Will Rogers, Jr. (in 1952's The Story of Will Rogers), have tried to recapture his personality. And his writings, including a 1927 autobiography, "There's Not a Bathing Suit in Russia," are still read and enjoyed. His name also graces several state parks in Los Angeles, a turnpike in Oklahoma, and the well-known medical research institute in White Plains, New York. But Will Rogers is underappreciated as a movie star; fortunately, the films exist and await that happy rediscovery.
Personal Quotes:
"I never met a man I didn't like." (Later borrowed and immortalized by Mae West)
"There's two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither one works."
"Never miss a good chance to shut up".
"Broad-minded is just another way of saying a fellow is too lazy to form an opinion.
"Make crime pay. Become a Lawyer."
Trivia
Died in the Arctic crash of a plane piloted by the world-renowned, one-eyed pioneer aviator, Wiley Post (in which Post died as well).
Will Rogers's birthplace in the Indian Territory (present-day Okla- homa) is cited variously as Colagah, Colgah or Cologah. The correct name of Rogers's hometown is OOLOGAH, which is situated in the north- east corner of the state of Oklahoma, approximately 25 miles/40 kilo- meters north-northeast of the city of Tulsa.
In 1922, his weekly articles for the "New York Times" became so popular that they appeared in more than 500 U.S. newspapers daily. The articles dished out down-to-earth, biting criticism of politics, politicians, big business, and the imbalance of the wealthy and the poor. Total, Rogers wrote more than 2,800 daily articles up until his death. H.L. Mencken labeled him "the most dangerous man alive" because of the power his comments had on an adoring public.
A friend, and frequent critic, of several U.S. Presidents, Will Rogers once visited Warren Harding (1865 - 1923, President: 1921 - 23) and said, "'Morning, Mr. President! Would you like to hear the latest political jokes?" Harding replied, "You don't have to, Will. I appointed them."
"STEAMBOAT 'ROUND THE BEND (1935)"
Later,
Kenaz
In 1918 Rogers made his film debut in a Samuel Goldwyn (then still Sam Goldfish) production, Laughing Bill Hyde shot in New Jersey. It was successful enough for Goldwyn to offer Rogers a contract; he starred in 13 features over the next three years, among them the delightful Jubilo (1919), Honest Hutch (1920), and the uproarious Shakespeare-inspired Doubling for Romeo (1921). Rogers' screen persona, an extension of his own personality, registered surprisingly well with moviegoers in spite of their inability to hear him. His unique brand of humor came through just the same. After the Goldwyn contract expired, he went out on his own, producing, writing, and starring in his own tworeelers, but the venture was catastrophic: only three shorts were actually produced, the last one was never released, and their failure put him deeply in debt.
Rogers signed with Hal Roach in 1923 and spent the next two years starring in what became some of his best known shorts, including a pair of broadly funny Hollywood spoofs, Uncensored Movies (1923) and Big Moments From Little Pictures (1924), as well as a guest appearance in an Our Gang comedy, Jubilo, Jr (also 1924). In 1927 he made a series of one-reel humorous travelogues for Pathé, but it took the coming of sound to give Rogers the screen showcase he deserved. In 1929 he inked a deal with Fox to star in talking pictures, as well as "help out" with the writing.
Rogers' first talkie, They Had to See Paris (1929), was an immediate hit; the star showed himself to be completely at ease before the microphone, unlike many other silent stars. His gentle, folksy humor was perfect for talking pictures, and his directors (and costars) learned to give him the freedom to make up his own dialogue even while the cameras were running. He proceeded in the same pleasant vein with such easygoing comedies as So This Is London (1930), A Connecticut Yankee (a Rogersian update of Mark Twain), Ambassador Bill (both 1931), Down to Earth (1932), State Fair, Doctor Bull (his first film for director John Ford), and Mr. Skitch (all 1933). Though the plots changed, Rogers did not; these were star vehicles in the truest sense, and audiences loved them. By 1934 he was the top boxoffice draw in the country, according to a "Motion Picture Herald" exhibitors poll. That year he starred in such hits as the bucolic David Harum and Ford's wonderful Judge Priest (perhaps his best film), as well as cowriting the story for Stand Up and Cheer (in which he did not appear). In 1935 Rogers really hit his stride in The County Chairman, Life Begins at Forty and Doubting Thomas a winning streak ended by his tragic death in an airplane crash. His last two films, Steamboat 'Round the Bend (directed by Ford) and In Old Kentucky were released posthumously that year.
His eagle-eyed observations about American life are still widely quoted. Actors from James Whitmore and Keith Carradine (on stage) to his son Will Rogers, Jr. (in 1952's The Story of Will Rogers), have tried to recapture his personality. And his writings, including a 1927 autobiography, "There's Not a Bathing Suit in Russia," are still read and enjoyed. His name also graces several state parks in Los Angeles, a turnpike in Oklahoma, and the well-known medical research institute in White Plains, New York. But Will Rogers is underappreciated as a movie star; fortunately, the films exist and await that happy rediscovery.
Personal Quotes:
"I never met a man I didn't like." (Later borrowed and immortalized by Mae West)
"There's two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither one works."
"Never miss a good chance to shut up".
"Broad-minded is just another way of saying a fellow is too lazy to form an opinion.
"Make crime pay. Become a Lawyer."
Trivia
Died in the Arctic crash of a plane piloted by the world-renowned, one-eyed pioneer aviator, Wiley Post (in which Post died as well).
Will Rogers's birthplace in the Indian Territory (present-day Okla- homa) is cited variously as Colagah, Colgah or Cologah. The correct name of Rogers's hometown is OOLOGAH, which is situated in the north- east corner of the state of Oklahoma, approximately 25 miles/40 kilo- meters north-northeast of the city of Tulsa.
In 1922, his weekly articles for the "New York Times" became so popular that they appeared in more than 500 U.S. newspapers daily. The articles dished out down-to-earth, biting criticism of politics, politicians, big business, and the imbalance of the wealthy and the poor. Total, Rogers wrote more than 2,800 daily articles up until his death. H.L. Mencken labeled him "the most dangerous man alive" because of the power his comments had on an adoring public.
A friend, and frequent critic, of several U.S. Presidents, Will Rogers once visited Warren Harding (1865 - 1923, President: 1921 - 23) and said, "'Morning, Mr. President! Would you like to hear the latest political jokes?" Harding replied, "You don't have to, Will. I appointed them."
"STEAMBOAT 'ROUND THE BEND (1935)"
Later,
Kenaz
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