Screen & Broadcasting

What Is a Shooting Script?

I grew up in Chicago in the shadowy comfort of backstage corners, where clipboards ruled and paper felt oddly powerful. Years later on sets and in production offices, that same truth still holds: the document that turns a story into a shootable plan is not the glossy dream of a first draft. It is...

What Is a Spec Script?

The first time I heard the phrase “spec script,” I was wedged into a sticky theater seat in Chicago listening to two aspiring writers talk shop during intermission. One of them said, like it was a magic spell, “I’m writing it on spec.” Even then, I clocked what that little phrase was really doing:...

What Do Script Revision Colors Mean?

I learned the revision-color system the same way a lot of us do: not from a textbook, but from a stack of pages that suddenly looked like a pastry box. A director I was observing flipped to a scene, frowned, then swapped in a single blue sheet with the calm certainty of someone who has done this a...

Pickup Shots vs Reshoots: What’s the Difference?

There’s a moment in almost every editing room where a movie quietly asks for one more thing. Not a new ending. Not a whole new direction. Just one clean insert of the letter being opened, or a reaction shot that makes a joke land, or a line that clarifies why the hero suddenly trusts the villain....

What Is a Showrunner?

When people talk about “the creator” of a TV show, they are often picturing the person who dreamed up the premise. When industry folks talk about who’s running the show, they mean the showrunner . I grew up in Chicago around rehearsal rooms and scene shops, where the boss was obvious. Someone had...

What Is a Writers' Room?

The first time I sat in on a television writers' room, I was struck by how unglamorous it looked and how electric it felt. No spotlight, no red carpet, just a long table, a wall of note cards, a pile of half-finished coffees, and a group of people trying to make an audience laugh, gasp, or ugly cry...

What a 2nd Assistant Director Does

I have sat behind enough video village tents (the cluster of monitors and chairs where producers and department heads watch playback) and lingered by enough “Hold” signs to know this truth: if a set is running like a well-timed piece of choreography, there is almost always a 2nd assistant director...

What Is a Script Supervisor?

I grew up hovering at the edge of creative chaos, backstage in Chicago theaters where a quick-change wig could decide whether a scene landed or collapsed. Film and TV sets have their own version of that quiet hero, and you rarely see them in the behind-the-scenes selfies. The script supervisor is...

What Is a Stunt Performer in Film and TV?

I grew up in Chicago around set builders and musicians, which meant I learned early that the most thrilling moments in a show are usually a team effort. Film and TV stunts are the perfect example. When an actor hits the pavement after a car-to-pedestrian “clip” gag, tumbles down a staircase, or...

What Is a Local Hire in Film and TV?

I have watched more than one talented, perfectly qualified person get tripped up by two tiny words on a casting notice or crew call: local hire . It sounds friendly, almost neighborly. In practice, it is a very specific classification that tells you what production expects you to cover yourself,...

What Is a Loop Group in Film and TV?

I grew up backstage in Chicago, where “background” was never actually background. You could feel the whole show breathing: the rustle of costumes in the wings, the low murmur in the house, the orchestra tuning like an engine turning over. Film and TV have their own version of that living...

What Is a Background Coordinator?

The first time I watched a crowd scene come to life, it felt like stagecraft with a film camera watching. Dozens of people, each with a tiny purpose, all moving like they belong. And while the director and stars get the headlines, there is almost always one person quietly keeping the background...

What Is an Intimacy Coordinator?

I grew up backstage in Chicago, where you learn early that “magic” is usually a checklist, a headset, and a lot of careful problem-solving. Over the last decade, as film sets and rehearsal rooms have evolved, one of the most meaningful additions to many creative teams has been the intimacy...

What Is Per Diem on a Film or TV Job?

On set, money talk can get strangely poetic. People will say things like “We’re on a box,” “We’re golden,” or “Don’t worry, per diem’s coming,” as if a small ritual offering is about to appear and smooth over the fact that you have been living on gas-station almonds since call time. So, what is per...

What Is a Special-Ability Extra?

I grew up in Chicago spending a lot of time backstage, where “background” never meant “unimportant.” Someone had to move the set pieces safely, hit the light cues cleanly, and make the world onstage feel lived-in. Film and TV have their own version of that quiet expertise: the special-ability...

What Is Base Camp on a Film or TV Set?

The first time I heard someone say, “Meet at base camp,” I pictured a rugged expedition. In reality, base camp is less Everest and more of a moving village: a cluster of trucks, tents, trailers, and people doing the unglamorous, essential work that lets the glamorous work happen on camera. If you...

What to Do If Your Background Actor Paycheck Never Arrives

The first time an extra paycheck goes missing, it feels oddly personal. You showed up before dawn, held your coffee like a lifeline, hit your marks, stayed quiet when the AD needed silence, and now the one part of the job that should be boring and automatic is suddenly a mystery. If you are past...

What Is Background Holding on a Film Set?

The first time someone on a walkie says, “Background is in holding,” it can sound oddly formal, like you have been placed in cinematic time out. In reality, background holding is one of the most normal, necessary pieces of a working set. It is the designated waiting area where extras stay when they...

What Is Principal Photography?

The phrase principal photography gets tossed around so casually in entertainment news that it can sound like a glamorous mystery. In practice, it’s straightforward: the main, scheduled period when a film or TV project shoots the bulk of its planned scenes with the primary cast and crew. It is also...

Do Background Actors Get Hair and Makeup?

I grew up around backstage rituals: musicians warming reeds, dressers steaming hems, and somebody always hunting for a bobby pin five minutes before curtain. Film and TV sets have their own version of that scramble. The twist for background actors is that hair and makeup can range from “please sit...