Terminology
If there’s a term you’d like added to the glossary that you think we’ve forgotten, post a comment at the bottom of this page and we’ll consider it. Please only post comments related to terminology. Thanks!
1: your start mark (“go to your 1″ or “on your 1″); also known as first position
10-1 or 10-100: a code referring to a quick bathroom break (“I’m 10-1″); in theory, 10-2 or 10-200 means a longer bathroom break but you rarely hear it or say it (except maybe jokingly)
abby: the second to last shot of the day, named after assistant director Abby Singer
AD: an assistant director, of which there are several: the assistant director, the second assistant director (“2nd AD“), the second second assistant director (“2nd 2nd“)
background PA: a production assistant responsible for the background actors; this is the production assistant with whom you usually have the most contact so if you need to step away, you would typically tell the background PA
banana: a verb meaning to travel in an arc (“banana over to the table”)
callsheet: a dense sheet of information about the shooting day, usually affixed to the front of the day’s sides; of note to the stand-in, it details the shooting schedule, your character number, as well as shooting location and oftentimes the advance schedule
camera-left or camera-right: if the camera were a person and the lens was the face, these would be the respective sides of the camera’s body (“look camera-left” or “cross camera-right”)
clock or counterclock: means “turn your body in the direction (or opposite direction) of a clock’s hands”
color cover: costuming provided to you by wardrobe to wear that typically matches the color and/or style of costuming worn for that scene by the principal actor; typically you give your voucher to wardrobe in order to get your color cover
DP: short for “director of photography,” an important person to listen to as the lights and camera are being set up
first team: the principal actor(s) involved in a scene; see also second team
half-speed: means “do your blocking at about half the speed of the actual speed,” usually so that the camera department can coordinate a shot better and safely
mark: where you stand in a particular shot, usually denoted by tape or some other landmark
martini: the last shot of the day; sometimes called the martini sequence when it is unclear if the last shot is actually going to be the last shot
PA: a production assistant; you mostly interact with the background PA or the 2nd 2nd AD when you have a question or concern
second team: the stand-in(s) for the principal actor(s) involved in a scene; see also first team
sides: miniaturized pages from the script for the scenes being shot on the day
stand down: a command meaning that you don’t need to stand in right now
voucher: your timesheet, usually traded in to the wardrobe department while you have color cover from them
wrap: the official term for your being dismissed for the day
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Aug 17th 2011 • 19:08
by Michael Tobin
This is awesome. Love it. Always fascinated by film and radio. On the sets of the movie, G.I. Jane and the 1997 Subaru commercials I was extra in during college, we heard the term, “hurry up and wait”. I still have the page my Drama Professor/Casting Agent handed out. But the above term has been something I’ve used ever since. I would love to be a Stand-in for a living. Kind of like a baby on a bouncing chair is guaranteed hours of laughs and fun, I would be in heaven working on a set. Beings I live in Carlsbad, CA and raised in San Diego, I finally made a point to visit Hollywood and was part of studeo audience of Fran Drescher’s pilot, “Fran Drescher Tawk Show” end of last year. I attended 3 times was extremely interesting and recommend anybody to try it.
Feb 16th 2012 • 14:02
by Lynn Pelletier
Getting ready for my first Stand In. This is THE BEST information I have ever seen. Done some extra work and while I am not really wanting an acting career, the energy and working fun on sets and natural settings are amazing! Thank You.