Arrow/Jack - I used to work part-time at KCBS FM as a promotions assistant. As Arrow, we were a classic rock station for over 10 years. But, ultimately, Arrow couldn't hang in the ratings so they changed formats and now they play rock and pop hits from the 70s to the present. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what Jack is because it's structured to defy genre--they still play a lot of classic rock but there's also a heavy rotation of 80s hits as well as a little 90s and once in awhile something current. Despite the unconventional nature of it all (or maybe because of it), Jack has been extremely popular in cities where similar formulas have already debuted. After the format switch, Jack quickly moved to number one in its demo in L.A. As a promotions assistant, I basically worked on the street team, although sometimes I worked in the office as well.

Fight Club - This is what we call my Bible study. Not because we fight a lot, but because it's so underground...and possibly subversive. (It's co-ed! Gasp!) Plus, those of us who have actually seen the movie are all big fans.

NEXT - I log tapes for this MTV reality dating show. This means I watch the raw footage from the field and enter a summary of what's on each tape and where so producers can plan out a rough cut of the episode and editors can find the footage they need quickly.

imdb - The Internet Movie Database. Anytime I'm talking about celebrities, movies, or TV shows, I'll usually link to this site's entry for said celebrity, movie, or TV show, especially if it's obscure. Or, if I'm feeling lazy, I'll tell you to go there and look it up yourself. Simply because the site is so comprehensive and it looks like it's going to be around for awhile. So, if you're reading old journal entries in 2008, you shouldn't have to worry about broken links.

Vault - Ascent Media, by way of Preferred Media. I was hired--along with six other people--by Preferred Media to be farmed out to Ascent Media for a short-term inventory verification project. Until the project was cancelled, we were checking Ascent's entire inventory of videotape and film elements to make sure they've been logged properly in the computer database.

AD - Assistant Director. The AD usually works on the smaller details (like directing extras) so the director can focus on working with the principal actors.

beat - This is one of the most abstract measurements ever devised. In screenwriting, a beat is supposed to be an important plot point. What qualifies as important seems to differ depending on whom you ask. Sometimes, a script will use the term the same way it's used on a set. On a set, it's a seemingly arbitrary unit of time, often equivalent to a second. As an extra, you may hear the AD say, "Wait about five beats after they call 'action' before you [make your cross]."

call - Usually used in relation to time (and often even followed by the word "time"), this is when an actor or crew member is due to be on set, as in, "They changed my call time from 7:00 to 8:00 because crew call wasn't until 8:30." Sometimes, it can just refer to being booked to work on a production in general, as in "I've got a three-day call working on Spielberg's new movie."

check it [the gate(s)] - This is called when the director is satisfied that he got what he wanted for a particular set-up. What they're actually checking is whether there are any dust particles or scratches on the lens(es). I heard they call them "gates" because the thing that houses the lens on a film camera opens like a gate. If the gates are good, they can move on to the next shot.

cover(age) - An appropriate term since you want to have all of your bases "covered" so you don't hit a brick wall when you're editing the film and notice mistakes but the sets are already torn down and Gwenyth is tied up on the other coast doing Scorscese's next picture. Getting lots of coverage means getting many takes from many angles so you have lots of options in the editing bay and hopefully at least one of them works. Typical coverage may include a shot of the whole set where your two main stars are doing their thing, a closer shot where just the two of them fill the frame together, close-ups of both of them, then any or all of those same shots from the opposite angle or from an adjacent angle. Getting lots of coverage is the most time cosuming part of the whole process because it involves lots of set-ups and lots of takes.

cross - One of the most typical actions assigned to an extra is the cross. As the name implies, it involves moving across the set, either behind or in front of the main action. While the basic cross is a full frame cross (moving into frame, crossing the frame, and moving out the other side), there are subtle variations that involve starting already in the frame and "peeling off" on a certain cue or entering the frame and "landing" at a certain spot.

day player - Someone, like a PA or a cameraman, who isn't a regular part of the crew but fills in on different productions, usually on a day-to-day basis, in a "floater" capacity. The term is also used in reference to actors but I'm still trying to figure out if they mean guest stars and recurring characters.

frame - Just like a picture frame contains within it that 5x7 glossy of Grandma, a frame in film terms contains within it all the things on set that the camera can actually see. Being "in the frame" is synonymous with being "on camera" or being "in the shot." Of the elements present during production, what you actually end up seeing on your TV or movie screen (actors playing their roles on set) is "in frame" and what you don't see (the sound guy holding a boom microphone inches above Tom Cruise's head) is "out of frame." Often times, things are implied to exist "out of frame" that may not actually be there, such as a ceiling to a room. (Very few sets have ceilings. Most instead have catwalks and rigs for setting up lights and stuff like that. Since most rooms in the real world have ceilings, it doesn't take much of a leap of faith for the viewer to take for granted that they're there.)

land - When an actor stops at a particular spot on the set as part of their action, it's called landing. For instance, working on "American Dreams," I did a number of crosses on the bar set where I would move across the frame and land at the pool table or the cigarette machine or the jukebox and then just hang out there, maybe "peeling off" to do another cross on a given cue.

PA - Production Assistant. These are the grunts of the film crew. Duties may include checking in and keeping track of extras as well as rounding stuff up. (like coffee!)

peel (off) - To move from a spot on the set to make a cross, often on a given cue. An AD may say, "Hang out here five beats then peel off toward the door."

principal (actors) - I'm still trying to figure out if this refers to any actor that has lines or just stars. If I use it, I'm probably refering to the former.

print - Of all the film that's shot and developed, generally only the good takes are to be turned into prints. The print is the positive filmstrip that is sent to a distributor or theater for projection.

set-up - A set-up is a positioning of the crew on the set to cover a shot a particular way. It primarily involves placing the camera and the lights but may also involve adjustments to the set (like removing a wall) to ensure the best posible position.

shoot - To film something, as in, "They shoot 'The West Wing' at Warner Brothers." As a noun, a shoot is the actual event of filming something, as in, "They did a commercial shoot down in San Pedro over the weekend."

shot - Past tense of "shoot." As a noun it has two meanings: 1) what the camera sees, as in, "That grip stand is in the shot." 2) a particular set-up that is being or has been shot, as in, "We'll get the reverse shot after lunch."

take(s) - Takes are like multiple passes at filming any given shot. More often than not, the cast and crew doesn't get it perfect on the first try. Nor do they expect to. For any given set-up, the plan is to do at least a few takes. Even if they nail a shot flawlessly on the first take, they'll usually do a safety take (just in case a PA was visible in the shot and it went unnoticed because everyone was focusing on the actors' performances - it happened in Terminator 3 and no one caught it). Or maybe they'll decide to do the shot a different way for more editing options. After a particularly good performance by the actors, you may hear a director say, "I really liked that take. Let's print it."

(union) voucher - Your pay voucher is like your time sheet. You get one each day you work, even if you're working a multiple-day call. Extras that are members of the Screen Actors Guild get paid a higher rate than extras that aren't in the union. More than twice as much, in fact. So they usually get separate vouchers indicating the higher pay rate. These are the elusive union vouchers that non-union extras are always trying to get their hands on. The reason is simple: In order to join SAG, you have to have three of these vouchers. Even if you don't intend to join SAG, who could turn down double the pay, even if it's only for one day? SAG vouchers are hard to come by, though. Most productions, for obvious financial reasons, won't use any more union members on set than they're required to. To ensure that they meet these requirements, casting directors book exactly the number of union extras they need so there usually aren't any union vouchers left over. Should they miscount or one of the union extras cancels out at the last minute, the production would have to upgrade a non-union extra to a union voucher for the day to meet their quota. That's the most common way I've heard of to get one, but I think there are others...

wipe - A wipe is a film transition in which something (maybe even an imaginary or invisible line) moves across the frame, replacing one shot with another as it goes. This technique isn't used much in modern movies but it's a prominent effect in the Star Wars films. Sometimes a wipe will make use of an element present on set that's already crossing the frame to lead the effect, like a bus passing in front of the camera and then leaving the frame only to reveal we're now in a different place. There is a cross where an actor passes in front of the camera in the extreme foreground but doesn't reveal a different scene. This is also called a wipe and probably derives its name from the transition (or maybe vice versa).