Dictionary of Old and Obsolete Occupations - A

Dictionary of Old and Obsolete Occupations - A The occupations found recorded in documents from prior centuries often appear unusual or foreign when compared to the occupations of today. The following occupations beginning with A are generally now considered old or obsolete, although some of these occupational terms are still in use today. Acater  - ships chandler, one who supplies food provisions to a ship Accipitrary  - falconer Accomptant  - accountant Accoucheur  - one who assists women in childbirth; midwife Accoutre / Accoutrement maker - one who outfitted or supplied military clothing or equipment Ackerman, Acreman  - ploughman, ox herder Actuary  - accountant Aeronaut - balloonist or trapeze artist Affeeror  - official in the manorial courts responsible for assessing the monetary penalty and collecting taxes and dues, assessor Alblastere - old Scottish term for a crossbow man Albergatore - innkeeper (Italian) Alchemist  - medieval chemist who claimed to be able to turn metal into gold Alderman - an elected member of a municipal council; a noble serving the king as chief officer of a district Ale conner  - official who tested the quality and measure of ale served in public houses Ale-draper, Ale draper  - a tapster or seller of ale Ale-tunner, Ale tunner  - one who worked with or was employed to fill tuns, great hogshead barrels or casks used to store ale in medieval times All spice  - grocer Ale-wife, Alewife  - landlady of an alehouse, or ale stand Almoner  - one who distributes alms, provides for the needy; in Britain may also refer to a hospital social worker Amanuensis  - stenographer, one who takes dictation Ambler - one who worked in a stable to help break in horses Amen man  - parish clerk Anchor smith - one who made anchors Ankle beater  - young person who helped drive cattle to market Annatto maker - one who made annatto dye for paint and printing trades, derived from the seeds of the achiote tree Annealer - one who processed metal or glass by heating it in a furnace and then slowly cooling it via chemicals or other means Antigropelos maker - one who made waterproof leg coverings meant to protect trousers from splashing and dirt Apiarian  - beekeeper Apiculteur  - beekeeper (French) Apparitor  - official who summoned witnesses for the ecclesiastical courts Apothecary  - One that prepares and sells drugs and medicines, a pharmacist Aquarius - waterman Aratore - plowman Arbalist - a crossbow man Arbiter - a person who judged disputes Archiator  - doctor, physician Archil maker - one who made a reddish-purple dye called archil for use in dying textiles; the dye was made by bruising lichens and then moistening it with urine or spirits mixed with lime Argenter - silver plater Arkwright -  A skilled craftsman who produced wooden chests or coffers (arks) Armiger  - squire who carried the armor of a knight Armourer -  one who made suits of armor, or plates of armor for ships Arpenteur  - land surveyor (French) Arrimeur  - stevedore, one who is employed in the loading and unloading of ships (French) Artificer  - a skilled craftsman or artisan; an enlisted military man responsible for upkeep of weapons and small arms; or an inventor Ashman - one who collected ashes and garbage   Aubergiste  - innkeeper (French) Augermaker -  one who made augers for boring holes in wood Aurifaber  - a goldsmith, or one who works with gold Avenator - merchant of hay and forage Avvocato - lawyer or soliciter Axel tree turner -  one who made axles for coaches and wagons

Writing Tips The Elements of a Screenplay

Writing Tips The Elements of a Screenplay Writing Tips: The Elements of a Screenplay A â€Å"screenplay† is typically a script for a movie or television show. And if you see a screenplay on paper, you’ll notice it has a specific â€Å"look† and structure. This is partly due to the formatting, but it is also because all scripts contain certain things. Key elements include: Scene headings Descriptions of the action Character names Dialogue Parentheticals and extensions Transitions and shots We’ll now look at each of these screenplay elements in detail. 1. Scene Headings Each scene in your script should begin with a scene heading written in all caps. Usually, these provide information on whether the scene takes place inside (INT.) or outside (EXT.), the specific location, and what time of day or night it is. This is also known as a â€Å"slug line.† For example: INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT. EXT. CAPITOL BUILDING – SUNSET. The first scene heading above tells us that the scene takes place inside a bedroom at night. The second, meanwhile, is for a scene that takes place outside the Capitol Building at sunset. 2. Action The â€Å"action† in a script is where you describe the setting and what happens in each scene. As such, this will cover most of the text in your script other than the dialogue. However, action descriptions should only mention things that can be seen or heard (not what characters are thinking or feeling). Action lines in a screenplay.(Image: Entheta/wikipedia) A good rule here is to use the present tense and active voice whenever possible. This will ensure the action feels urgent on the page. You should also keep descriptions of action brief (ideally, no more than 3-5 lines per paragraph) so that your screenplay does not become too long. 3. Characters The first time you name someone in the action of your screenplay, you should write their name in all caps to show that you’re introducing a new character. This might be an actual name (e.g., SHIRLEY or MAJID) or a role description (e.g., PRISON GUARD or ANGRY DRIVER). We also use character names to show who is speaking in the dialogue. In this case, the name is usually written in all caps and indented roughly 2† (or 5cm) from the left margin on the page. The dialogue itself is then given on the next line, continuing until the character stops speaking. Finally, you may see some scripts with a list of characters at the beginning. This is especially common in stage plays, but not generally something you would include in a screenplay. 4. Dialogue The dialogue in a script is what the characters will say on screen, but it also includes voiceovers or voices coming from off screen (see the bit on extensions below for how this works). Typically, you should indent each line of dialogue 1† (2.5 cm) from the left margin and end 1.5† (3.75cm) from the right margin. This will ensure it appears in roughly the center of the page. 5. Parenthetical and Extensions Parentheticals and extensions provide extra information about what is happening in a screenplay: A parenthetical tells us how a character says something or what they are doing while they speak. These appear on the line between the character name and the dialogue itself. An extension is a note given in brackets after a character’s name stating how the audience will hear something. The most common are O.S. (offscreen) and V.O. (voiceover). These are usually given immediately after the character’s name when introducing dialogue. You should therefore add these to your screenplay as and when required. 6. Transitions and Shots Finally, we have transitions and shots. These notes provide extra information, much like parentheticals and extensions. However, transition and shot notes are specific to shooting and editing. A typical â€Å"transition† note, for example, might say CUT TO: or FADE TO: to show how two scenes should be edited together in the final version. A â€Å"shot† note, meanwhile, would tell us what kind of shot to use when filming a scene (e.g., CLOSE UP or REVERSE ANGLE). Generally, these are only included in a shooting script (i.e., a script that is already being produced). As such, you can leave these notes out if you are writing a spec script (i.e., a script you will pitch to producers).