Contract Negotiation
Contract Negotiation is the process of agreeing on employment terms between a performer and a hiring party — requiring knowledge of industry standards and, for child performers, review by an entertainment attorney.
Contract Role
A Contract Role is a formal television acting engagement specifying a guaranteed minimum episode commitment — most common in daytime soap operas and providing performers with financial stability and continuity.
Expendables
Expendables are production supplies consumed during filming and not reusable — tracked as a separate budget line item covering gels, tape, batteries, and similar materials across all departments.
Exploitation Film
An Exploitation Film is a low-budget production capitalizing on sensational content or trending subjects — a genre tradition from the 1950s-70s that has been reassessed as culturally significant despite its originally pejorative designation.
First Refusal
First Refusal is a contractual right giving a production the first opportunity to match any competing offer before a performer can accept work elsewhere.
Fringes
Fringes are employer-side benefit contributions — health, retirement, and pension payments — required under union agreements on top of performer wages, calculated as a percentage of covered earnings.
If Come Deal
An If Come Deal is an informal development attachment where a performer agrees to be available if a project is greenlit — with no guaranteed payment unless and until production moves forward.
Literary Option
A Literary Option gives a producer exclusive rights to develop a written property into a film or TV production for a defined period — paying a portion of the purchase price upfront with the full amount due only if exercised.
Offer Only
Offer Only is a casting designation indicating a role will be filled by direct offer to a pre-selected performer rather than through competitive audition — most common for established names on major productions.
Rider
A Rider is a contract addendum specifying additional requirements beyond the standard agreement — covering dressing room conditions, travel standards, dietary needs, and other working condition provisions.