Label. A record company.
Larynx. The human voice box containing the vocal chords.
Laugh Track. The laughter of a live audience of a situation comedy or other television show that actors are performing in front of, that is recorded to be played back when the show is aired.
Laundry List. A long series of copy points in a script. The object for the talent is to read the points with varying emphasis so they don’t sound like a list.
Lead Role. Considered a starring role in a production.
Leader. Conductor or person in charge of the band.
Lead Sheet. A musical notation of a song’s melody along with the chord symbols, words and other pertinent information.
Leader Tape. Reel-to-Reel tape which contains songs separated by white tape for easy access.
License. As a noun, it means a legal permit; as a verb, it is to authorize by legal permit.
Lick. A brief, improvised musical interpolation.
Line Producer. Concerned with the day-to-day details of finishing a project or just keeping the project moving forward smoothly and on schedule.
Lithography. A printing process as opposed to a photographic process used to inexpensively reproduce a large quantity of headshots.
Local. A commercial airing in only one city, generally close to where it is cast.
Long-form TV. Movies of the Week (MOW) or miniseries.
Looping. The art of matching lip movements and vitality of action in a scene. Dialogue that is added in post-production on a sound stage. Groups of people who work together to provide additional dialogue for a scene.
LP. Short name for a long-playing record spinning at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute (rpm).
Lyrics. The words to a song.
Lyric Sheet. A (typed) copy of the lyrics to a song.
Lyricist. The writer of the words to a song.
Magic Hour. The time of day when the sun casts a light which DPs have referred to as magic; a choice, for a brief period of time, during which filmmakers have to shoot.
Manager. One who guides an artist in the development of his/her career. Same as artist or personal manager.
Mannerisms. Gestures, facial expressions, and vocal tricks that a particular actor uses again and again in different roles.
Mark. Exact locations of an actor’s feet on the floor during sequences of a shot.
Market. Selling place; medium where only one type of record is played (i.e., pop, R&B, E&W, Rap, etc.)
Master. The original recording. The tape from which dubs are made. Also, a finished recording of the song from which records are pressed and distributed to radio stations and record stores.
Meal Penalty. Additional monies paid if a working cast or crew member has not been fed after the six hours allotted by union contracts.
Melpomeme. The muse of tragedy, one of the nine muses of Mount Parnassus, believed by the Greeks to inspire those working in the arts or sciences.
Method Acting. An internalized form of acting that uses experiences from an actor’s personal life to help produce onstage emotion.
Mechanical Rights Organization. Collection agency for copyright owners of money earned from the mechanical reproduction of their songs.
Mechanical Royalties. Moneys earned for use of a copyright in mechanical reproductions, most notably records and tapes.
Mike. Attaching a wireless transmitter to an actor’s body or clothes to record dialogue.
Mimesis. The Greek word meaning, "imitation," the term is used in criticism when discussing Aristotle’s theory of imitation, or the creative process. Put another way it is not merely copying behavior but representing the truth about life.
Mimicry. An actor’s ability to sound and/or look like someone else, usually a famous person.
Miming. Acting out.
Mix. The final audio product combining all the elements into one composite soundtrack. "Mix" also applies to the act of creating the mix. This is sometimes referred to as the "mixdown."
Model release. A contract the model signs which gives the client permission to use their photograph.
Model Zed Card. A series of photographs, usually in color, printed on a two- or four-sided card used for securing modeling work.
Modulate. To change from one key to another in a song.
Monologue. A speech used by an actor to demonstrate his or her ability at an audition.
MOR. "Middle of the Road"; songs that may be classified as easy listening.
MOS. Without sound, attributed to a German director who pronounced it, "Mit out sound."
Motif. The shortest significant melody of a song or theme.
Mouth Noise. Also known as "clicks and pops." A dry mouth produces much more mouth noise than a damp one. Cigarette smoking also contributes to a dry mouth. The less mouth noise you have, the less editing has to be done later.
Moviola. A projection machine that reduces film to a small viewing screen.
Music Publisher. The individual or company who:
- Screen songs and gets them commercially recorded.
- Exploits the copyrights.
- Protects the copyrights.
- Collects income from performance, mechanical synchronization and printing rights both in the United States and in foreign countries.
Must Join. A situation in which an actor has used up the 30-day grace period to join a union and upon hiring for the next job must join that union as mandated by the Taft-Hartley law.
National. A commercial airing everywhere in the United States.
Neutral Demo. A demo that doesn’t sound like it’s for one particular artist, but best represents the song whereby it can be recorded by anybody.
Neoclassicism. Drama imitative of Greek and Roman classical models.
Night Shot. A scene specified in the script to be filmed when it is dark out.
Non-Linear Editing. Putting scenes together on a computer using film editing software capable of moving them around, and/or out of order, for ease in building a demo tape, or a scene in a movie or commercial.
Notes. Instructions, usually regarding changes in an actor’s blocking or performance, given after a rehearsal by the director, musical director, choreographer or stage manager.
Off-book. When an actor knows his or her lines and no longer needs to carry the script.
Off-Camera. A part for which you supply your voice to a TV spot or video presentation.
Off-Card. A union actor working on a non-union project is known to be working ‘off-card.’
Offstage. The area immediately behind or to the sides of the stage area; also used more generally to talk about an actor’s everyday life.
Omnies. In unison, sounds or exclamations extras make as a group.
On-Camera. A part in a TV spot or video production where you actually appear on screen. It pays more than off-camera voice-over, but often requires more work, as well as applying make-up.
One-Stop. Wholesale record dealer that sells the records of several manufacturers to juke box operators and record sores.
On Hold. A situation that occurs when an actor is contracted to be available for the next day’s shoot but will not have to report to the set until called.
On Location. Place other than a studio lot where filming is done.
On-or-About. A date which implies three different days, giving production twenty-four hours before and after the on-or-about date to start an actor.
Open Audition. Audition open to the public.
Open Casting Calls. Auditions open to anyone.
Option. Acquiring the rights to a story, such as a current events, true-life story, that guarantees that no one else can work with the party who sold the story. Options typically last for a year or less.
Out Takes. Parts of an original filming or taping that will not be used in editing the finished product.
Overdub. The addition of instruments or voices to pre-existing tracks.
This list was obtained from The Actor’s Checklist with reproduction permission granted from Cool Fire Technology LLC.
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