This article is adapted from Television, Film, and Digital Media Programs

If you heard that a star was attached to a semibiopic docudrama but was worried about the fictional elements because she'd only seen the beat sheet (not the script), would you be nonplussed? The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and The Princeton Review decode some key industry jargon in this cheat sheet. You'll find a sampling of the glossary terms in the new Television, Film, and Digital Media Programs: 556 Outstanding Programs at Top Colleges and Universities across the Nation.

"Attached": Denotes that the interest and/or commitment of an actor to a project has been secured for the purpose of attracting the interest of a network; can also apply to a director or writer of high caliber prior to taking the film/TV project to a studio or network buyer (can also currently extend to special effects).

Beat sheet: An abbreviated outline of a story, or blueprint for a script, with brief descriptions of each scene, usually broken down into acts.

Biopic: Variety-coined term; biographical film or original television movie.

Blind commitment: A deal made by a network or studio with a producer, a writer, or an actor to develop new projects following the success of a current project. This is done primarily to reward a successful producer, writer, or performer, or to maintain exclusivity on his or her talent to ensure the future success of the network or studio.

Cast-contingent: Occurs when a buyer makes a commitment to finance and produce a project based on specific casting (see "attached" above), or when a pilot for a series is picked up for production, "cast-contingent" upon the actor, subject to approval of the network and producer.

Chopsocky: Variety-coined term; a martial arts film form perfected by Hong Kong stars and directors such as Jackie Chan and Wang Kar Wei.

Demographics ("Demos"): Data on the television viewing audience that are collected and broken down by categories including age and gender, and then converted into numbers representing ratings and households, total audience, and audience share.

Docudrama: A film or television dramatization based on fact that combines documentary and fiction elements. Different designations such as "a true story," "based on," or "inspired by" denote the extent to which the program is based on fact.

Dramedy: A genre crossing drama and comedy that originated in the mid- to late 1980s with shows such as ABC's Moonlighting and The Wonder Years. ABC's Boston Legal is a dramedy set in the legal world.

First look deal: In motion pictures or television, occurs when a studio (or network) strikes a deal with a producer, director, writer, or talent who may have some status and track record. In exchange for certain perks, such as an office and overhead, the studio gets a "first look" at any new projects developed (prior to any showing of those projects elsewhere).

Hammock: A programming strategy in which a new or struggling show is placed between two currently popular shows on the schedule.

Jump the shark: Phrase coined in 1997, according to jumptheshark.com, to describe a defining moment at which a favorite television show has reached its peak, and can only subsequently decline; also describes the moment of decline for any pop culture reference. The phrase, used during the late 1980s (according to the Web site), refers to the actual moment in the ABC series Happy Days when the character Fonzie went water skiing and literally "jumped the shark."

On the bubble: Series or programs that have adequate ratings but are not consistent winners in their time slots and, as a result, have uncertain futures. Determining factors include the demographics to which they appeal and the advertiser interest in the show. For example, Fox's critically acclaimed comedy Arrested Development was on the bubble since its first airing.

Tent pole: In television programming strategy, the most popular show airing on a given evening. Examples include ER, which has been the tent pole of NBC's Thursday night for years, and Everybody Loves Raymond, which was the tent pole for CBS on Monday night. Networks will often schedule a new show either preceding or following a tent pole show to help establish the show with the audience.

Vertical integration: Process of one media company acquiring another media company elsewhere in the production process in order to produce and distribute content and product. Following the elimination of the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules (Fin-Syn Rules) in 1995, many large media corporations came together to form conglomerates, such as Walt Disney Studios buying Capital Cities/ABC, Viacom buying CBS, and General Electric acquiring NBC. In many of these cases the corporate parent has eliminated entire divisions or existing portions of companies, slashing staffs and costs in the process.