Over the years I’ve read a number of directories of filmmaking terminology, but the most comprehensive and useful I’ve ever come across is A to Z Guide to Film Terms by Tim Moshansky (First Wave Publishing).

The entries are highly informative, many going beyond a basic explanation to include the derivation, as with the following definition for “gaffer”:

“The person in charge of all electrical and lighting requirements on set. This name comes from the early days of theatre in Britain, when all of the lighting was provided by candles. The lighting person would use a long stick called a gaff to light all the candles, and was therefore called a “gaffer.” His son, whom he would teach the trade, was called the “best boy.”

For more info, go to: www.filmterms.com

In The Madoff Affair, PBS Home Video examines Bernard Madoff, one of the most shocking financial criminals of our time.

In the early 1990s, Bernard Madoff tapped money from Jewish businessmen at exclusive country clubs with the promise of steady guaranteed returns on their investments. He then set his sights on Europe and Latin America, brokering deals with powerful hedge fund managers and feeder funds from Buenos Aires to Geneva. Billions of dollars were channeled to Madoff’s investment firm, and his feeders became fabulously wealthy. The competition wondered how the man could produce such steady returns in good times and bad. There were allegations that Madoff was “front-running” or operating a Ponzi scheme, which the SEC investigated several times over the last two decades. But Madoff remained untouched until December 11, 2008, when he admitted it was all “one big lie.”

The Madoff Affair will air on PBS on July 21 and the DVD can be ordered from www.shopPBS.org

Mike De Luca knows a thing or two about screenwriting. While head of production at New Line, he developed such hits as The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Boogie Nights, Se7en, Wag the Dog, Magnolia and The Wedding Singer. As an independent producer he has two films out this year – 21 and the upcoming The Love Guru starring Mike Myers.

Jay A. Fernandez has been an entertainment journalist since 1996. Most recently he wrote the highly regarded “Scriptland” column for the Los Angeles Times before being hired away by The Hollywood Reporter.

Both De Luca and Fernandez host “The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters” – a DVD series featuring 27 of today’s most successful screenwriters. In these 70 to 90-minute interviews, top writers share their personal experience and insight into both the process of screenwriting and of navigating one’s way through the film industry. The combination of screenwriters of this caliber being interviewed by hosts this knowledgeable makes for a must-see mentoring experience for all aspiring writers.

The series was created by Aleks Horvat, who also created the Hollywood Creative Directory and owns theOffice (a popular creative workspace for writers in Santa Monica), along with his partner, personal manager Larry Shuman.

For more info, go to: www.thedialogueseries.com