The Spotlight (directory)
Encyclopedia
The Spotlight is a UK directory of actor
s and actresses. It was established in 1927.
It originally existed as a printed directory, but now also exists as an online interactive directory.
Typically, each actor and actress will be represented by a black and white portrait
photograph
and details of their agents' (name, address, and other contact details). Some actors may also include specific skills (such as singing, musical ability, or languages spoken) or physical characteristics (for example their height, or their hair or eye colouring).
The service also lists behind-the-scenes personnel such as directors and choreographers. According to The Spotlights website, it currently lists over 30,000 people.
The Spotlight is primarily intended for use by professionals in the film, TV, stage and radio professions, and this is reflected in the cost of the service (the printed directory of actors for the year 2006 - 2007 costs £75:00 for a 5-volume work). The full interactive online service is only available to industry professionals.
However, many larger libraries
hold copies of the printed directory, enabling members of the public to freely access information. The website also includes a basic search facility on its front page to enable visitors to look up an actors' agents' name and address. Because of this, The Spotlight is a useful tool for those wishing to send fan mail
to actors, and for those wishing to contact actors to appear at conventions
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s and actresses. It was established in 1927.
It originally existed as a printed directory, but now also exists as an online interactive directory.
Typically, each actor and actress will be represented by a black and white portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
and details of their agents' (name, address, and other contact details). Some actors may also include specific skills (such as singing, musical ability, or languages spoken) or physical characteristics (for example their height, or their hair or eye colouring).
The service also lists behind-the-scenes personnel such as directors and choreographers. According to The Spotlights website, it currently lists over 30,000 people.
The Spotlight is primarily intended for use by professionals in the film, TV, stage and radio professions, and this is reflected in the cost of the service (the printed directory of actors for the year 2006 - 2007 costs £75:00 for a 5-volume work). The full interactive online service is only available to industry professionals.
However, many larger libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
hold copies of the printed directory, enabling members of the public to freely access information. The website also includes a basic search facility on its front page to enable visitors to look up an actors' agents' name and address. Because of this, The Spotlight is a useful tool for those wishing to send fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
to actors, and for those wishing to contact actors to appear at conventions
Fan convention
A fan convention, or con , is an event in which fans of a particular film, television series, comic book, actor, or an entire genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga, gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and...
.