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Hairstylist
AKA: Hairstyles, Hair stylist, Hairdresser, Hair dresser, Hair Styles
Person responsible for maintaining actors’ hairstyles during filming.
Hardtop
Slang for a normal indoor theatre. See also ozoner.
Hays Production Code
AKA: Hays Code, Hays Production Office, Hays Office
In the 1920s, the American public became alarmed at the increasingly frequent portrayal of violence, sex, and lawlessness on movie screens. Wishing to avoid government regulation, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America created their own regulatory body and appointed Postmaster General Will H. Hays as head. His influence became so great that this body became known as the “Hays Office”. The Hays Production Code for Motion Pictures was introduced in 1934, and by today’s standards was extremely strict. It was mainly concerned with violence and sex, but had references to crime in general. After WWII, the growing popularity of television provided the public with more viewing choice. The Hays Office came under increasing fire for restricting the creativity of filmmakers, as it had defined specific requirements for depicting certain events. For example, under the Hays Code a filmmaker could not present revenge in modern times as being justified, nor could they depict details of how crimes were committed, or show a criminal profiting from crime. Following the Supreme Court’s Miracle decision in the 1950s, films were recognized as protected under the First Amendment, and as such the Hays Office’s demands were not legally enforceable. Films such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Blowupinspired MPAA president Jack Valenti to abolish the Hays Code as his first step in overhauling the certificates system in 1967. See also blacklisting.
High Concept
Describes a film that includes and/or exploits certain elements (e.g. fast action, big-name stars) in order to attract a large audience.
HOD
An abbreviation for “Head of Department”. Sometimes known in US as coordinators.
Hold
A word used on a continuity report to indicate that a particular take should be kept, but not developed. See also print.
Homage
A respectful imitation of the work of another director, as a way of paying tribute to another director or movie.
Honeywagon
Usually a trailer, or truck and trailer combination outfitted for and used as the dressing room for actors when on location shoots away from permanent soundstages.
Host wraps
The short segments of TV show where the host of the program talks or discusses topics; common in reality TV, where a host summarizes what has happened before the show returns to the action.
Hot Set
A set where set dressers and prop persons have finalized placing funiture and props for filming a scene and on which a scene is in the process of being shot; labeled thus to indicate that it should not be changed or disturbed.
Hype
Overzealous praise or advertising.