If you’ve ever spent time behind the camera, you may have heard the terms “above the line” and “below the line” thrown around. Above the line or “ATL” denotes the roles on a film crew which provide guidance or leadership on the creative side. Likewise, below the line represents the more technical roles. Why divide above and below the line? The term itself comes directly from budgeting. Production budget sheets are divided into two sections by …
What exactly is an entertainment lawyer and… do you need one? Double-tap if you’ve ever looked over a deal memo or contract, only to think to yourself: 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯? Good thought. Complex answer. An entertainment lawyer is — just that. A lawyer who specializes in deals pertaining to the entertainment industry. They are negotiating, detail-minded, fine-print-pros. But first, let’s not forget: your agent is perfectly …
Double-tap if you’ve got an ASP series regular on your actor to-do list ✔️ An all shows produced series regular (otherwise known as ASP) means an actor will get paid their episodic fee for each episode in the season, regardless of whether they appear in it or not. Having a deal be ASP has great financial benefits but there are other obligations to consider. Many ASP deals also include exclusivity. Most series regulars cannot be …
Today’s #terminologytuesday is more of a general explanation in terms of consecutive employment and hold day pay. A popular question that is asked is “do we get paid for that?” That question applies for many things, of course, but today we’re talking about them 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴. Glorious, semi gift-giving hold days. The days you can lie around in your Tiger King sweats and get paid a day rate for it. …
If you’re up for something where they could put an “option” on you OR you’re testing for a pilot which has a “test option agreement…” 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗦! You’re killing the game. An option grants the studio (you guessed it) the “option” to employ you. These agreements typically cover the pilot and up to seven seasons of the series. A few highlighted points that will be pre-negotiated in a test option agreement are: 1. …
What’s the difference between a “first refusal”, “on avail”, pinned”, and being “held”? 🤔 Let’s sort this out—there’s no real difference between any of these other than semantics. Technically speaking, CDs can’t “hold” actors (per SAG rules), but they can use different terms like “pinning” you or putting you “on avail” to signify that you are either “the choice” or one of a short list and that an offer may be coming. When the word …
Congrats! Getting a run-of-picture deal means you’ve booked a lead or a major supporting role and production needs you from start to finish. This means they’re going to pay you one lump sum for the entire shoot. This also means they expect you to be completely available for the “run of picture”—taking away your ability to accept other jobs during the shooting dates of the movie. Per union rules, a run-of-picture deal means you’ll be hired …
Double-tap if this direction gives you heart palpitations. (and yes, today we’re doing #terminologywednesday) It shouldn’t. Truly. Why do we sometimes give direction as minimal as “try it again” or “do something different”? It could be for a couple of reasons: 👉 We liked what you did and don’t have any specific notes but want to see what else you come up with. 👉 We thought you have a lot of potential but saw …
Terminology… Wednesday? Let’s talk stunt casting. If by stunt casting, you think we’re talking about stunt performers, you might want to read on…. Stunt casting is a term we use that refers to the use of a publicity stunt to fill a role in TV, film or theatre. Stunt casting can range from a celebrity or even a well known non-actor cameo appearance to the use of an actor’s real-life relatives to play the …
What’s so different about on-set life for daytime vs. prime time? IYKYK (if you know, you know) If you don’t, read along… What makes daytime (more specifically, soaps) so much different from prime time TV is primarily the rate at which they need to shoot. Think about it. How often (typically) does a new TV episode air? Every week. How often (typically) does a new SOAP air? 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮. 𝘿𝙖𝙮. …