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Wordy Wednesdays #2: Terms in Contracts

Welcome to another Wordy Wednesday! This week, we’re clarifying and defining words that are often found in contracts (dun dun dun!).

Here are 3 key terms that are supremely important to understand, especially if they come up in your next release!

  1. USAGE
    Why is usage in capital letters you ask? Well, it’s because the statement of usage is one of the most important parts of the project! The usage is how the client will be using your likeness and where they will be using it. For example, if the usage is for [2 years, web-only, non-broadcast] then it means that the client will use your advertisement for 2 years and will only use it online.
  2. “In Perpetuity”
    Legalese for forever. When a model or actor gets paid, the client is buying the right to their likeness for a certain length of time (ex: a 3-year contract). If the client wants the rights to your likeness in, let’s say, a print ad “in perpetuity“, it means that they are buying it to use forever. Pro tip: Pay attention to the conflicts that signing an “in perpetuity” contract might hold. If you aren’t sure, ask your agent!
  3. Exclusivity
    Basically, this means that your likeness belongs exclusively to the client for the given length of time in your contract. Another competitor cannot even consider using your likeness during that time.

Your contract is a key part of the job that you should read very carefully. Make sure you go over the details with your agent, and clarify any questions you may have. Agents are meant to protect the working actor/model!

That’s it for this week’s Wordy Wednesday! We’ll be back next week for a new Wordy Wednesday!

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Wordy Wednesdays #1: This, That, and the Other Thing (All Mean the Same Thing)

Two more days until Friday, guys. You can do it!! In the mean time…

Welcome to Wordy Wednesdays, our brand-new series on the industry-specific terms you’ll hear while working as an actor or model. A lot of key terms that agents, casting directors, and other actors use can be repetitive or used interchangeably with other words, so we’re here to clear the air and make sure you always know what they mean when they say…

  • go-see/casting
    A go-see, as in to go see someone, is when the model goes to be seen by the casting director in-person to see if they meet the requirements for the shoot. Casting means the same thing (so if you’re going to the casting at a studio, and your friend is headed to the go-see at the same studio, you’re going to run into each other!)
  • request
    A request is when the casting agency reaches out to a talent agency and requests to see a specific model.
  • audition/callback
    The audition is your try-out for the role in any part of the industry. It’s you showing off what you can do, and what the casting directors require for the role! A callback is the next step: casting directors narrow the field of actors they want for a given part and invite them back to audition again.
  • script/copy/sides
    The words! That’s it. It’s just the words. In commercials, we use copy most often. People in TV/film usually say script (for all of the words), while legit/theater people usually say sides (as in a scene of words that fits on one side of paper).

These are just a few of the many key phrases that industry insiders use to describe the same things! These terms are just the beginning: we’ll be covering lots of keywords in the coming weeks to help you effectively communicate with others in the modeling and acting industries. Stay tuned for next week’s Wordy Wednesday: key terms to know about usage and contracts!

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