Origins of the named shots. (Abbey, Marsha, Martini, etc.) and other set lingo.

[Joe Lotuaco]

Just out of curiosity, how did the named shots come about? I know they refer to the the third to last, second to last, and last shots, but how did shots get the names Abbey, Marsha, and Martini? Do the only refer to the last setups of the day or the last takes of the last setup? Of the few sets I've been on, these were called out differently, one short production only named the shots on the very last day of shooting, but on a feature, they would call them out at the end of everyday. I was always busy doing the usual PA stuff so I could never keep track of whether they were called on the last takes or the last setups. I do remember hearing "Martini is up" was the biggest relief at the end of the day.

 

Also, in the interest of conversation, if anyone knows any interesting stories about how terms came about, it might be interesting to learn about them. Like why are shots without sound referred to as "M.O.S."? I heard it started from a sound guy years ago that couldn't pronounce "without" because of his accent and would say "mitout sound". Is that true?

[David Mullen ASC]

There are too many legends about what MOS means -- "minus optical sound", "mit out sound", etc.

 

Abbey Singer is an AD (in NYC I believe) who was infamous for calling out the martini shot only to then have to tell the crew there was one more shot still to do after that.

 

So the shot before the last shot (the martini) is called the Abbey Singer. Funny thing is that an AD I know had to answer to a committee on the DGA for working on a non-union film that I shot, and Abbey Singer was on the committee.

 

I assume the martini shot got its name because it meant everyone could go out drinking after it was complete. By coincidence, one day on a feature, the last set-up I did was an insert of a martini, so it really was a martini shot for once.

Edited November 29, 2005 by David Mullen

[Brad Grimmett]

Never heard Marsha before. What does it refer to?

[Mike Williamson]

I'd heard that Abbey Singer accidentally wrapped a thousand extras on what he thought was the martini shot, only to find out that they had one more to go. Not sure whether the legend says anything about whether he tried to call them back or not. I haven't heard of the "Marsha" before.

 

The Martini is the last shot, not the last take. How would you know ahead of time which take would be the last?

 

As David points out, there are number of theories on "MOS", though I prefer to believe that it was in fact an old Hollywood German director screaming "we make thees one MIT OUT SOUND!!!" I tend not to believe the more technical versions like "minus optical sound" because the phrase feels to me like it came from the world of the set, not the editing room. I doubt it would be as prevalent on set if it hadn't started there at some point.

[Kevin Zanit]

Martini - The next shot will be coming out of a glass.

[Ellen D. McCarn]

What I've heard for the origin of the "Marsha" is that it refers to the episode of the Brady Bunch when Jan said, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha". 3 Marshas = 3 more shots.

[Brad Grimmett]

Boy, that Marsha one is really stretching it. It's hard enough to know when the Abbey is actually the Abbey. Calling the Marsha must be next to impossible......and honestly, it sounds like some kind of silly film school thing to me. Almost ten years in the business and I've never heard it.

[Kevin Zanit]

Yeh, I've never heard of the Marsha either.

[Joe Lotuaco]

very very interesting...

On an independent low budg feature I recently worked on the 1st AD would sometimes call out "Marsha's up!", but no one would really take it seriously because the day could be on it's last three shots, but that didn't mean that anyone would be going home anytime soon. It was always called out before an Abbey. What was intended purpose of calling out and naming the final shots?

[David Mullen ASC]

What was intended purpose of calling out and naming the final shots?

 

To cheer the crew up and get them to stop complaining. Also it may stop any advance work being done for scenes or shots that were scheduled for later in the day, but are now cancelled or pushed to the next day.

[Wendell_Greene]

Boy, that Marsha one is really stretching it. ....and honestly, it sounds like some kind of silly film school thing to me.

 

It is. A film school professor gave his students a written, multiple choice test about name of the last shot of the day. Among the choices he listed were,

 

1) the martini

 

2) the Abbey Singer

 

3) the Marsha

 

Of course, as we all know, there is no such thing as a "Marsha" , and the professor admitted he made it up.

 

But over time it took hold and one of the students made the connection between this name and that of the character Marsha Brady in the show and movie "The Brady Bunch" and students started using it to refer to the 3rd to last shot of the day on seemingly never ending student film productions, the AD yelling it out three times in the same exasperated way as did the character's sisters when ever she was taking too long in the bathroom, "Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!"

 

Now...let us never speak of this again. :rolleyes:

Edited November 29, 2005 by Wendell_Greene

[Laurent Andrieux]

To cheer the crew up and get them to stop complaining. Also it may stop any advance work being done for scenes or shots that were scheduled for later in the day, but are now cancelled or pushed to the next day.

 

Yes, and also to prepare people to wrap !

[Chris Keth]

Yes, and also to prepare people to wrap !

 

 

Martini seems covered. I was told that the Abbey Singer came from an AD of that name who had a habit of repeatedly calling out "One more shot."

 

 

I've heard that MOS comes from "minus optical strip."

[Fulgencio Martinez]

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

IT´S HIM

http://www.dga.org/news/v26_6/feat_abbysinger.php3

[Rod Otaviano]

The Martini is the last shot, not the last take. How would you know ahead of time which take would be the last?

 

I wonder how Tom Cruise felt after Kubrick called the martini shot in Eyes Wide Shut ...

 

Relieved or "Ah whatever ... 100 more takes to go ..."

 

:lol:

[Mitch Gross]

A couple of terms that have become popular in the NY indie scene:

 

- "A Cameron." That's when the exposure calls for the lens to be set to T2. This goes along with the "Fellini," which is an T8-11 split (an "8 1/2") and a Polanski T11-16 split (a reference to his statuatory rape conviction of a 13 year-old).

 

- "The Hammer." (pronounced "hamma") This is after a certain Asian DP nicknamed Hammer who loved the 50mm lens for almost every shot of a feature that a certain crew I know worked on. Now with these guys (and a spreading crowd), the 50mm is always referred to as "The Hamma," the 25mm a "half Hamma," a 100mm a "double Hamma" and so on.

 

- "The Branch." This is for a shot that we are being forced to shoot because the director really wants it but none of the crew likes the way it looks. The is ugly--as if it fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. I personally transitioned this one into use to describe a shot because previously it was being used to describe certain female crew members and I thought this would be far less cruel.

[Elhanan Matos]

A couple of terms that have become popular in the NY indie scene:

 

- "A Cameron." That's when the exposure calls for the lens to be set to T2. This goes along with the "Fellini," which is an T8-11 split (an "8 1/2") and a Polanski T11-16 split (a reference to his statuatory rape conviction of a 13 year-old).

 

 

You left out Sharon Stone.

[Mitch Gross]

You left out Sharon Stone.

 

 

Ah yes.

 

Wide open.

[Brad Grimmett]

You left out Sharon Stone.

I'm assuming this means "WFO"? If so, I like it.

[Mitch Gross]

They do get ruder from here. I know that some of you out there know the extensions to setting the aperture a HAIR open from a given stop.

[Mark Allen]

Yeh, I've never heard of the Marsha either.

 

I will confirm the use of "marsha" on a set for the same explanation as previously stated which launched into a variety of celebrity related renamings including many named here plus a gary coleman etc.

 

Things like this I find interesting because it's the process of building a culture - forming a nomenclature which can't be found in books; therefore, reserved for those "out in the field." The movie Saving Private Ryan was entirely structured around this idea where the learning of an acronym was the growth process for the writer/translater who goes along with experienced platoon.

 

Nope, don't think I can overintellectualize this much more than that tonight.

[Brad Grimmett]

I will confirm the use of "marsha" on a set for the same explanation as previously stated which launched into a variety of celebrity related renamings including many named here plus a gary coleman etc.

The Gary Coleman is a good one. I like RunDMC and Mickey Rooney too.

[rik carter]

I've noticed in the last year or so using "Marhsa" has become kind of a snickering joke. I asked a UPM what everyone was snickering about and she said it's because the first used "Marsha" on a set filled with pros, clearly showing him as a film student.

 

So that term does seem to have come from film schools and not so much from pro sets.

[Red Tide]

We've often used "Marsha X3" on the third to last shot. Reading the folklore is amazing. Someone should do a doc on the origins of the lingo.

[Phil Rhodes]

Night of the living thread!

 

The second to last shot is "the second to last shot."

 

No, it's a clothespeg.

 

Jesus.

 

P