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American Cinema Editors

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Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors ( ACE ) is an honorary society of film editors who are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal letters "ACE". The organization's "Eddie Awards" are routinely covered in trade magazines such as The Hollywood Reporter and Variety . The society is not an industry union , such as the I.A.T.S.E. (specifically the Motion Picture Editors Guild or MPEG), to which an editor might also belong. The current president of ACE is Kevin Tent , who was elected in 2020.

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52-532: Eligibility for active membership is based on the following: Members use the postnominal "ACE" as part of their signatures, as well as on motion picture credits . Until 2014, the acronym was separated by dots "A.C.E.", but this was dropped in order to conform with the more modern format used by other industry organizations, such as the American Society of Cinematographers . The society publishes its current membership on its website. As of March 2024,

104-399: A casting director or "CD" is in charge of most of the daily work involved in this process during pre-production . A casting director is often assisted by a casting associate; productions with large numbers of extras may have their own extras casting director as well. However, in all aspects of a film or television production's budget, they are all a part of the above-the-line , answering to

156-499: A character for a production, is called a cast list , which is incorporated into a production company 's daily call sheet , and reflected in the projects title sequence especially with film and television. A common practice of many casting directors and casting associates in the United States have been casting director workshops. The types of workshop practices vary, but typically aspiring actors pay to perform in front of

208-590: A casting director is on this panel as well. In the early stages of this process performers often may present, or are presented with prepared audition pieces such as monologues , songs , choreography, scripts or sides. These audition pieces are usually videotaped, typically in the form of screen tests and then attached with resumes, as well as head shots or viewed online via websites such as IMDb , then shared with film producers, film directors or studio executives . Later stages may involve groups of actors—both union ( SAG-AFTRA ) and non-union, depending on

260-500: A casting professional who provides feedback on the performance. Actors and industry professionals against workshops argue that casting directors are paid to find talent, not have talent pay to be seen by them. Supporters of the workshops argue that the workshops have classroom like settings and are a good source of feedback and networking. Because of their mixed reception, casting director workshops have not been met without controversy. Former Criminal Minds casting director Scott David

312-503: A certain type of actor , dancer , singer , or extra to land the role of a character in a script, screenplay , or teleplay . This process may be used for a motion picture , television program , documentary film , music video , play , or advertisement , intended for an audience . Actors are selected to play various types of roles. A main cast comprises several actors whose appearances are significant in film, theatre, or television. Their roles are often called starring roles. Within

364-586: A full-fledged Casting Director. Equity in representation has been of much discussion in Hollywood for many years. Productions do not always have a certain race or gender in mind for their starring role, but reports show disproportionate underrepresentation for women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ actors in most media. UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report and the Geena Davis Institute publish frequent and extensive research on

416-435: A main cast, there is often a male or female lead who plays the largest role, that of the protagonist in a production. When there is no singular lead, the main roles are referred to collectively as an ensemble cast , which comprises several principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal screen time. A supporting actor is one with a role that is important to a play or film, but less so than that of

468-414: A movie but the official shoot dates and details are not yet known, a Letter of Intent or "LOI" is drafted, to indicate, if and when the project is "green lit" or begins active production, the actor is already hired to portray that particular role. After the attachment phase is complete (which depends on many factors, including financial backers, studio heads, availability of other above-the-line personnel),

520-448: A project for their intent to be cast in a role. The well-known actor or actress often negotiates producer credit as well as very lucrative monetary compensation. For some major productions, the process of selecting actors for sometimes hundreds of speaking parts and roles often requires specialized staff. While the last word remains with the people in charge such as the director, producer, artistic departments and overall production team,

572-425: A series of auditions before a casting panel, composed of individuals within a theatrical production such as theatrical producer , and theater director . However, within a given television production a casting panel can consist of a television producer , or within film production a casting panel could contain a film producer , film director or choreographer . Usually, in nearly all areas of show business ,

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624-518: A show or movie after the production logos and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text. Some opening credits are built around animation or production numbers of some sort (such as the James Bond films). Opening credits mention the major actors; the lead actor is prominent, and the supporting actors follow. Others that are listed are guest stars, producers and director, as opposed to closing credits , which list

676-401: Is called a "pass." If they accept the offer, the talent representative engages the casting director and a deal memo is sent from casting to the representative. It is at this time when negotiations between agency and production happen to finalize any deal points before the entertainment lawyers step in and draw up the attachment contracts. If this process happens very early on in the development of

728-428: Is called an "offer". The offer, usually contains a letter to the actor's representative explaining the role in question, a copy of the script, why the actor has been selected, the length of time commitment, the approximate start date of filming, the filming location, and the proposed salary offering. If the actor does not respond to the material or for whatever reason cannot accept the job, they respond to casting with what

780-496: Is the source of the dailies used at most film schools today, primarily for editing exercises. One scene that many film students must edit is from "Buffalo Man," a 1958 episode of the TV series Gunsmoke . The educational film with this footage is called Film Editing: Interpretation and Value , and is available only to instructors of film editing classes, though it can be found online as well. The film includes three different edits of

832-593: The BAFTA Award for Best Casting . The highest honor a casting director can receive in the United States is the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting. As of 2024, Junie Lowry-Johnson has won the most casting Emmys as an individual, all in the drama category . She has six awards for her work on NYPD Blue , Six Feet Under , True Blood and Homeland . The only shows to win casting Emmys three times were 30 Rock and Veep , both in

884-503: The Gunsmoke scene, as well as the scene's original dailies. Another film, "Basic Principles of Film Editing", was produced by Leon Barsha . Using clips from the movie, Baby Face Nelson , the film demonstrates how the use of various angles would enhance the film's story. Motion picture credits Two types of credits are traditionally used in films , television programs , and video games , all of which provide attribution to

936-588: The comedy category . In 2017, at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards , the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences introduced the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program . The Casting Society of America members award their peers with the Artios Award , typically held mid-January annually with ceremonies in New York, Los Angeles, and (beginning in 2018) London. Artios comes from

988-523: The Greek word meaning "perfectly fitted". The Artios Awards recognize excellence in casting for all genres of casting except commercials. At their incarnation in 1985, they were held in November but were moved in the 2013–2014 season to align with the rest of the film and television industry's awards season. The Artios is awarded to those CSA members who receive primary screen (or program) credit for casting on

1040-425: The actor who is currently auditioning. A good reader is someone who has acting skills, but who has no interest in booking a role through that casting director's office at that time. For their audition sessions, casting offices will either bring in trusted actors as readers or will have one of the casting staff read with the actors. A reader will know how to give and take and play with other actors without ever outshining

1092-403: The amount and order in which film credits information is presented in advertising and on the film itself. Information given in billing usually consists of the actors appearing in the movie, the directors , producers , the companies producing and distributing the movie (by name and/or logo), and artistic and technical crew. The title of the movie is also considered to be part of the billing. In

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1144-479: The auditioning actors. Interns: Interns are more common to commercial casting offices, which host as many as a dozen different casting directors holding different auditions per day. While some commercial casting offices hold permanent casting space, many rent out studios on a project to project basis. A key intern will work with many busy casting directors sorting mail, copying sides and transcribing them onto "cue cards" or large boards to be read off of as prompts in

1196-619: The board of directors consists of: Officers Board of directors Associate Board Beginning on March 14, 1951, the ACE held an annual dinner to honor the film editing Academy Award nominees - and the award was dubbed the Academy Nominees Awards Dinner for its first eleven years. When the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) created a film editing category, the ACE invited them to

1248-757: The casting room making sure the recording software is running smoothly so the Casting Director can focus on each actor's performance. Casting Associates: Associate is the second chain of command in a casting office. After a casting associate has worked for two years in the field of casting, they can apply for membership in Casting Society of America . Typically, they work under a Casting Director running pre-read sessions, prepping deal memos, cutting audition sides, and making calls to talent agents. Many associates begin to take on smaller scale projects so they can amass enough credits to move up in rank to

1300-500: The casting room, help actors sign in, and keep the flow of actors going in and out of the casting room as smooth as possible. Casting Assistants: This is the entry-level position in the field of casting, but they act as much more than a typical office assistant. They cover the office phones, handle copying and filing, and set up audition (aka "session") equipment like lights, the camera, sound equipment, etc. They often assist in relaying audition appointments, checking actor avails, or in

1352-440: The category. The list below shows the categories under their current names respectively. Since 1951, the ACE has published the quarterly magazine CinemaEditor . It began as an in-house publication, but grew to 5,000 subscribers in 1963. In the early 1990s the magazine collapsed into a four-page newsletter. In 1994, Jack Tucker was appointed as editor and transformed the publication into today's magazine. Walter Fernandez Jr. leads

1404-506: The dinner as well. The first dinner was hosted by filmmaker George Murphy while Frank Capra handed the awards. The first dinner also included over two hundred guests - including film editors, stars, and producers. Since the 12th American Cinema Editors Awards in 1962, the ACE began giving its own awards and renamed the event to American Cinema Editors Awards Dinner . In addition to handing out awards to film editors, they also began handing awards to television editors. The "Eddies" name and

1456-446: The director as part of his or her staff. Most films use either a casting agency or a casting director to find actors to match the roles in the film, apart from the lead actors, who are often chosen by directors and producers. The job of a casting director is to know a lot about a lot of actors, so that they can advise and present to the director the best of the available talent. Casting directors are highly influential and are usually on

1508-427: The director. During this time known as the "attachment phase" of a film, the casting director's job is to send out copies of the current script to agents for what is known as "coverage", a one-page summary of the script with a brief set of character descriptions. At this time, if a talent agency agrees to give coverage to a film, they will submit a list of ideas to the casting directors of actors available, capable, and in

1560-457: The early stages of casting and extras casting, the process may be decentralized geographically, often in conjunction with actual shooting planned in different locations. Another reason may be tapping into each home market in the case of an international co-production . However, for the top roles, the choice of one or more actors, whose presence is of enormous commercial importance, may rather follow strictly personal channels, e.g. direct contact with

1612-449: The end of films (with the exception of Universal Pictures ). Credits for motion pictures often include the name of any locales (i.e., cities, states, and countries if outside of the US) used to film scenes, as well as any organizations not related to the production (e.g., schools, government entities, military bases, etc.) that played a role in the filming. Billing is a film term denoting

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1664-402: The entire production crew. Closing credits , in a television program, motion picture, or video game, come at the end of a show and list all the cast and crew involved in the production. Almost all television and film productions, however, omit the names of orchestra members from the closing credits, instead citing the name of the orchestra and sometimes not even that. Also most often omitted are

1716-503: The following: The casting director remains as a liaison between director, actors and their agents/managers and the studio/network to get the characters in the script cast. Some casting directors build an impressive career working on numerous Hollywood productions, such as Marion Dougherty , Mary Jo Slater , Mary Selway , Lynn Stalmaster , April Webster , Robert J. Ulrich , Tammara Billik , Marci Liroff , Avy Kaufman , Mindy Marin , Robi Reed , and Allison Jones . At least in

1768-509: The general public at large, sometimes referred to as a " cattle call " (a U.S. term ), or open audition, in which hundreds or even thousands of performers compete for a number of roles. Casting character breakdowns, not to be confused with script breakdowns , are often provided by production agents who submit their clients to casting, which provides a brief summary of character (age, gender, race or ethnicity, situations they may be involved in). These agents and managers are positioned all over

1820-534: The layout of film posters and other advertising copy, the billing is usually placed at the bottom of the poster in what is known as the billing block . In the United States , screenwriting credit for motion pictures and television programs under its jurisdiction is determined by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The Guild is the final arbiter of who receives credit for writing the screenplay,

1872-492: The leading actors. A supporting role is more important than a bit part , which involves direct interaction with the principal actors but no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a "five-or-less" or " under-five " in the United States, or "under-sixes" in British television . When a well-known actor or other celebrity appears in a bit part, it is sometimes called a cameo appearance . The casting process involves

1924-492: The magazine's team, with publications committee chair Edgar Burcksen . The American Cinema Editors also holds an annual student competition, awarding one student editor for editing a set of video dailies for a dramatic scene. Three finalists are guests at the annual ACE Eddie Awards in February. Applications are accepted through October and cost US$ 125. The competition is limited to the first 100 students only. The ACE Store

1976-507: The names of translators involved in subtitling, as well as any technicians involved in the process, even in productions that are made with a view to the international market and therefore premiere with subtitles. Closing credits are usually shown on the screen in small characters, which either flip very quickly from page to page or scroll from bottom to top of the screen. Credits which scroll either left to right or up and down are also known as staff rolls , which comes from pre-digital days when

2028-402: The names were literally on a roll of paper and would pass in front of the camera. Standard film credits move from bottom to top and are often called "credit crawls." Industry traditions, guild rules, and union rules generally dictate the order and placement of specific names and job titles. Increasingly, post-credits scenes are being added to the end of films. Still, short or full logos appear at

2080-455: The original story, or creating the original characters, a privilege it has possessed since 1941 . If a production company is a signatory to the Guild's Basic Agreement, it must comply with the Guild's rules. Casting (performing arts) In the performing arts industry such as theatre , film , or television , casting , or a casting call , is a pre-production process for selecting

2132-404: The physical auditions begin for all of the remaining roles. During this time, depending on the budget of the film, they could have what is called "pre-reads" where the actor auditions only for a casting director (or associate) to see if they are right for the material. After pre-reads would be a "callback" or "director/producer session". During this time the actor comes in and auditions (usually with

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2184-552: The portrayal of diverse populations. The national Canadian Screen Awards has presented an annual award for Best Casting in a Television Series since 2006. A new award for Best Casting in a Film is slated to be introduced in 2021. The Prix Iris , the regional Canadian film awards for Quebec , introduced the Prix Iris for Best Casting in 2017. In 2020, the British Academy Film Awards introduced

2236-434: The price range of the film. Casting directors also create their own idea lists and can "check avails" or call the actor representation to see if they are available and interested in taking on potential projects. If an idea that is generated from a casting director and a subsequent avail check or from an agent's recommendation is "approved" by the director, producers, and financiers (or studio), the casting director sends out what

2288-406: The producer selects one or more actors, the casting professionals negotiate contracts and fees. Casting professionals have to get to know many performers and assess their level of skill, and use a selection process to cut a large number down to a small group to bring to the producer for consideration. They may also represent actors, but not necessarily. The role of the casting director may include

2340-532: The project because the director trusts their judgement; they are also the ones who decide who the director does see. Casting companies are independent organizations which liaise between performers and directors or producers. They need to have detailed knowledge of actors on their books, as they are responsible for putting forward suitable candidates to match specific roles described by producers and directors. The company draws up lists, and interviews are conducted, after which selected candidates attend an audition. If

2392-487: The same material) and performs for the casting director, the film director, and anyone else who has decision-making power. In television, this phase is referred to as a "screen test" and network executives would also be in attendance. Once actors are selected from the pool of available actors, the same booking process that happens in the attachment phase takes place for any actor; extras casting has its own separate process. The resulting list of actors who were selected to play

2444-419: The size and scope of the production—attempting to read material from the work under consideration, paired off in various combinations of two, three or more. With each of the actor's overall motivational choices evaluated, the casting panel considers both the individual actor, and the "chemistry" created from either one of the combinations set forth within the read-through . Casting calls may go out into

2496-411: The staff involved in their productions. While opening credits will usually display only the major positions in a production's cast and crew (such as creators, producers , and lead actors ), closing credits will typically acknowledge all staff members that were involved in the production. Opening credits , in a television program , motion picture , or video game , are shown at the beginning of

2548-489: The statuette were introduced at the 15th American Cinema Editors Awards in 1965. The awards and nominations are typically covered in entertainment industry newspapers and journals such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter . As of 2024, the ACE presents 16 categories for film and television alongside special ones, these have gone through several name changes to make distinctions between genre, running time and commercial/non-commercial television productions depending on

2600-479: The winning project. Location casting directors, casting executives and department heads who are CSA members and who receive credit on winning projects also receive an Artios Award. CSA Associates on those projects are recognized in the press and with a certificate. The significant organization of professional screen, television, reality, and theater casting in the US is the Casting Society of America (CSA), but membership

2652-447: The world, and subscribe to this service that literally has an entire suite of services for just about every aspect of the breakdown, for a monthly service subscription fee. An actor may go through several casting calls before receiving a part, and even though well-known actors or actresses often still go through this very necessary process, some are privileged enough to have well-known writers, screenwriters , directors or producers pitch

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2704-732: Was fired after The Hollywood Reporter published a story about his casting director workshops. In February 2017, five casting director workshops were charged with criminal charges for charging actors to audition for projects. In January 2018, Lindsay Chag, the casting director of films like Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Dracula: Dead and Loving It , was convicted guilty of violating the Talent Scam Prevention Act for her role in casting director workshops. Readers: This person reads all other character's lines opposite

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