Customer Reviews

The Skinny About Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads and Other Media Lingo: The Language of the Media

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Great reference book written in an entertaining manner. All the jargon I wanted to know in the media fields.
I question a few of the entries (the few I knew something about !).
The "Telestrator" was not invented by John Madden, and
ironically (if you read the introduction to the entry)I believe "clap track" should be "clap trap".
In the Introduction, the author solicits corrections, but only provides a snail mail address ! "Old School"

Who would ever guess it would be so much fun to weave one's way through the mysterious words that appear on mastheads and screen credits? Richard Weiner has provided us with delightful stepping stones into the glamour of movie sets and editorial rooms. He's a best boy, and then some!

Ever wondered about the meaning of terms listed at the end of a movie? (It's called a "crawl".) Here's a book that, for the first time, explains it all. I found it indispensable for understanding the various terms involved not only in tv, but media in general. Weiner has provided an easy-to-read, interesting compilation of these terms, written in an engaging personal style. More than a straight-laced dictionary, it gives you insight into newspapers (see the entry of the Los Angeles Times), public relations (see marcom), politics (see Beltway), tv and motion pictures (see Lucille Ball), football (see John Madden), comics (see Borscht Belt) and thousands more. All in all, a fascinating look into the insider's world of communications. I can not recommend it more highly.

Teachers, writers, midtown bartenders, and anyone else who needs a crash course in today's media terminology should pick up Richard Weiner's new book, The Skinny about Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads, and other Media Lingo. It's a great desk reference and a good gift for media junkies, theatre and film buffs and crossword types. The author has a wit as quick as Google and a nice prose style. I was informed and delighted by this book.