block booking n.— «As Ladd explained in Blockbuster, Star Wars got into the theaters because of a now illegal practice called “block booking,” which involved studios essentially holding a big movie hostage in exchange for...
goldfishing n.— «The day I am in the studio, the report on the opposition’s activities features just one politician talking in an interview. But you don’t hear his words. He is, in TV parlance, goldfishing: you can see his lips move but...
bake-off n.— «Studios frequently stage “bake-offs,” calling in up to 10 writers for a single rewrite job. Each writer offers his or her take on the property, meaning extensive fleshing out of the material—for free...
producer’s pass n.— «There is now an unwritten rule that writers will provide free rewrites and polishes on their own material, particularly what is known as a “producer’s pass.” That flies in the face of the WGA’s 2004 basic...
surf-pod n.— «Chintzy hotels are being turned into trendy apart-hotels—flats with hotel services—while tired guest houses are being converted into studio flats, or surf-pods, as the developers call them.» —“Building bonanza for...
rat hole n.— «The intervening space between tire and wheel well is sometimes called the dead cat hole, according to Peter Davis, director of interior design for global compact utility vehicles at G.M. More colorful and less formal terms...