Words and Phrases Every Actor Should Know

An actor's job stretches far beyond that of their on-camera work. A successful, working actor should be familiar with how to promote themselves, create industry relationships, and especially -- know the lingo! Many times, a new actor will be asked to "slate" at an audition or be told they are too "green", but will be completely unfamiliar with the entertainment dialect. To avoid some potentially embarrassing situations, here are some of the most common phrases an actor will hear or read when working professionally:

Slate: Usually applying to on-camera auditions, a slate -- or "slating" -- is when an actor is centered at a certain point in the auditioning room and delivers their name, and any other requested information, to the camera. This process is done for two reasons: One, so that the casting director can remember who you are. Two, so that it gives you a brief moment to show a bit of your personality before stepping into character. This is particularly important for commercial auditions, so remember to be engaging and endearing.

Breakdown: Breakdowns are the daily list of casting calls made by casting directors that are sent out to agents and electronic services each day. These breakdowns will have the audition date and time, the shoot date, audition wardrobe, the rate/pay, the usage (how long it will run for), conflicts, and possibly what will be required at the audition.

Sides: This is just another fancy name for "script". Many times, on an electronic breakdown, it will say "sides provided at audition" or "sides available online." Sides will generally be one to five pages in length and will either be a monologue or dialogue. Another common synonym for "script" is "copy".

Cold Read: At an audition, usually for television and commercials, an actor will be required to read lines off of a script that they have never seen before. This is called a cold read. There are many techniques to cold reading and are an important part of making yourself memorable at an audition. Most actors will have anywhere from five to ten minutes to go over the sides and then it's time to audition.

Cheating in/Cheating out: Cheating the camera is a technique used for certain types of auditions. At a commercial audition, an actor should cheat out the camera -- meaning to face the camera. You never want to turn your body away from it. In a television or film audition, an actor should be focused on the other actor and should cheat in to the camera. Cheating in means that it is appropriate to show your profile, as long as you are more focused on the other actor.

Green: One of the most painful words for an actor to hear is being called "green". An actor who is "green" is one who usually has a great deal of potential, but has not molded or sharpened their skills enough to be on top of their game. An actor of any age can be green, but that level of "greeness" is truly up to the casting director's interpretation.

While there are significant amounts of vocabulary involved in the industry, these are by far the most common phrases and will be heard virtually every day out in the professional world. Continue to be aware and absorb all of the information that you can find and you will see that success comes much quicker.