Hollywood Vocabulary

(and others)

[The following is excerpted from an article in the May 4, 1988 issue of
VARIETY.  When you've finished reading it, you'll know what is meant by
"DOGS, a chopsocky pic from Down Under, bowed at 40 locations last Friday.
Helmed by Joe Nobody, it will probably have some quick B.O., but shows no
signs of having legs."  Then again, maybe you won't care.  -ecl]

B & W: black and white, as opposed to color
B.O.: boxoffice.  Reference is not to the cubicle where the theater employee
      sits and sells you your ticket, but to the cash taken from you.
      Synonymous with "gross."
Biopic: a biographical picture, or arther a picture based on someone's
        biography
Biz: business
Blockbuster: huge success
Bomb: in the U.S., a total failure; in the U.K., a rousing success
Bow: to open, to debut, to premiere
Buck: U.S. dollar
Chopsocky: martial arts film
Coin: money
Distrib: distributor or distributing
Docu: documentary film
Down Under: Australia
Ducat: ticket
Dupe: duplicate or duplication
Feature: filmed entertainment at least 60 minutes in length for theatrical
         playoff in some territories
Femme: woman (often used as an adjective)
Fest: festival
G: "grand" ($1000)
G.M.: General Manager
Hardtop: regular indoor theater
Helmer: director
Hoofer: dancer
Hype: overzealous praise
Indie: independent
Ink: to sign, as a contract
Inning: a period of time (also "frame")
Italo: Italian
Kickoff: start
Legit: legitimate theater, live stage production
Legs: commercial endurance, particularly at the boxoffice
Lens: to photograph, to film
Location: a film theater as well as a shooting location
Majors: the major Hollywood film producer/distributors (MGM/UA, 20th Century
        Fox, Columbia, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and Disney
        [Buena Vista])
Megabucks: lots of money
Mini-Majors: Orion, Tri-Star, and Embassy
Neg: negative of a film
Nut: operating expenses to be recovered, often deductible in an exhibitor's
     contract with distributors
Oater: a Western film
Ozoner: drive-in theater
Pen: to write (as a script)
Pickups: films made by one company that have been acquired by a second company
Pics, pix: motion pictures
Pipeline: schedule of screen projects in production
Praiser: publicist
Preem: to premiere
Prez, prexy: president of a company, etc.
Retro: retrospective
Russo: Russian (actually applied to any part of the USSR, not just Russia)
Sans: without
Sci-fi: science fiction
Script: screenplay (also used as a verb)
Sesh: session
Sidebar: secondary event
Sitcom: situation comedy
Situation: location
Sked: schedule
Slate: schedule
Slot: position
SRO: standing room only
Starrer: film featuring a star (e.g., a "John Wayne starrer")
Telepic: feature-length film funded by a network for first exposure on
         television
Thesp: thespian (actor or actress)
Topline: to have top billing
Turnaround: state of a project when the original sponsor passes on renewal
Twofers: two for the price of one
Unspool: to project a film
Venue: theater
Wind: to terminate, to complete
Wrap: to terminate, to complete