“All right, people, gimme me two T’s with the Jack Lord and make sure the B.G. is visible as you pan. And maybe we’ll make that a one-er, so just banana left.”

What’s that you say?

The working language of the movie set and production office is as arcane as any argot, but a heck of a lot more colorful. And while Charlestonians are well accustomed to the presence of the film industry here, even the most ardent follower could use a primer for film jargon, on and off the set.

Don’t know your “legs” from a “D-Girl,” your “whammy” from a ”golden retriever”?

No problem. We’ve got you covered. No longer can those in the business baffle the uninitiated by speaking in a secret lingo. Armed with the proper crib, you can waltz onto a movie set with the confidence of a Scorsese — or dazzle fellow guests at an Oscar party. 

Pretentious? Nah, it’s all in fun.

Yes, you too can talk like an auteur. We crack the code, and provide a short, deciphered lexicon of terms (scroll to find it) with the help of Movie Speak: How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set by veteran Hollywood producer-director Tony Bill. 

Deploying tart and tasty film expressions isn’t just limited to parties with an Academy Awards theme. It’s equally adaptable to coffee houses, wine bars and cocktail chatter. Knowing these terms can serve as a linguistic shortcut for those just entering the business.

But mainly, it’s party fare. And it’s not too late to plan your own Oscar bash. It’s much more fun, if more work, to give a party than to wait to be invited to one. 

Take it from Cara White, a long-time film and TV professional whose Mount Pleasant party is legendary among friends fortunate enough to attend.

Throwing a fabulous party

“When I lived in New York City, everyone went to an Oscars party,” said White, a partner in the publicity firm CaraMar, Inc. “So when we moved here I kept up the tradition and have been hosting one for many years. Who doesn’t love a reason to get dressed up and drink something bubbly from a pretty flute or coupe?”

White and her husband Martin Bluford, another industry veteran, enliven their fête by downloading printable ballots (free from abc.com and other websites), passing them out to guests when they arrive and making sure they mark their choices before the awards start. 

“If you can manage it, set up more than one TV so you have a quiet room for movie purists to hear every word and another space for those more interested in socializing than watching the awards,” White added. “As for food, try to incorporate dishes that reference the nominated movies into your menu. Last year, everything bagels were perfect for Everything Everywhere All at Once. As for this year? I’m serving a Barbenheimer cake.”

What’s up for awards?

Current betting odds favor: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as Best Picture, and Nolan as Best Director, with Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) edging Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) as Best Actor, Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) winning over Emma Stone (Poor Things) as Best Actress and Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) taking home the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards.

But we’ll find out together on March 10. 

Now back to our guide — To stay up to date means keeping abreast of new coinages. Slang is the most elastic form of language, constantly being added to and reinvented. Of course, some slang words and phrases used in today’s print, TV and online film coverage are repeated so often they have worked their way into the popular parlance. Few movie buffs aren’t familiar with “spec,” “green light,” “buzz,” “crossover hit,” or Alfred Hitchcock’s notorious fabled “MacGuffin.”

What, you don’t know what a MacGuffin is? It’s the mysterious object in a movie that sets an entire chain of events in motion, though it’s rarely what the film is about. 

And knowing the slang is your MacGuffin for an Oscar party at least as entertaining as the telecast.

So … “That’s a cowboy with a French reverse. And deploy the meat axe. Run ‘n’ gun it, folks, or there’ll be another meal penalty.”

Got it?

Bill Thompson is the author of Lightwaves: A Film Critic’s Odyssey.

How to “talk like an auteur”

Terms from the set…

Banana: When an actor is requested to walk, run or otherwise move along a curved path.

B.G.: Background.

Buff ‘n’ Puff: To send an actor or actress back to hair and makeup.

Clock: To rotate an object on set, such as a lamp, chair, or other prop.

Cowboy: A shot framed from the holstered gun level, as in a Western.

Doing a Groucho: When an actor stands up but starts walking in a stooped position, making the adjustment easier on the camera operator.  

French reverse: Shooting the opposite side of the set, by just rearranging the furniture, etc.

Grip: A rigger entrusted with putting a camera where the director wants it. 

Jack Lord: A 50mm lens.

Meal penalty: A fine the production company pays to cast and crew for failing to break for lunch in a timely manner.

Meat axe: A piece of blackboard attached to the end of a pole and used to create small shadows or shade the camera lens.

One-er: A scene filmed in one continuous shot.

Run ‘n’ Gun: To shoot very quickly.

Snowshoes: When someone trips over a wire or disturbs a light, they may get the wrathful order to “Take off your snowshoes!”

Two Ts: A shot framed from the chest up.

… And a few from the production office

Beats: The emotional peak in romances or the moments of fever pitch in action movies.

Golden retriever: This is the studio or production company executive whose sole job it is to schmooze the hottest agents, actors, directors, and writers in town.

Loop: Dialogue replacement in post-production. Not the same thing as dubbed.

Pay or Play: The contracts signed by actors and directors guaranteeing they get paid whether or not a film makes it to the screen. 

Sportslist: Same as “A” list” – the current roster of who’s who in the Hollywood hierarchy. Usually applied to top-drawer actors. 

Turnaround: When a studio abandons a project and returns it to its creators.

Whammy: It’s what some producers think must occur at least every 10 to 15 minutes in an action movie – car chases, gunplay, plane crashes, or a steamy “love” scene.

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