(a) For purposes of this Article, the definitions in Article 3, section 5520 shall apply except as otherwise provided in this section and as provided in sections 17053.98(k) and 23698(k) of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(b) “Applicant” means any person, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company (LLC) or other entity that is:

(c) A “soundstage,” as included in the definition of “certified studio construction project” in sections 17053.98(k)(2)(A) and 23698(k)(2)(A) of the Revenue and Taxation Code, means a building that is purpose-built, renovated, or converted for film, television and/or media production in California and has a minimum of 10,000 square feet of floor space, incorporates a permanent grid, as defined in subdivision (i), and is column-free, as defined in subdivision (e), with a clear height of at least 20 feet under the permanent grid. Ancillary buildings purpose-built, renovated, or converted including, but not limited to, accompanying production office space, mill space, workshops, and property or wardrobe storage, will be deemed part of the soundstage as long as at least one soundstage, as defined above, is also built, renovated, or converted, the space is production-related, and the ancillary buildings are on contiguous property to the soundstage.

(d) “Certified soundstage” means a soundstage that has been certified by the California Film Commission (CFC) as having met the conditions specified in section 5532 as part of a certified studio construction project and meets the conditions in section 5538, as applicable.

(e) “Column-free” means an open space entirely free of columns if used for a traditional soundstage, or an open space free of columns to such a degree that a stationary LED volume large enough for feature film and television production fits in the part of the space that does not contain columns, if used for an LED volume soundstage.

(f) “Documentary” means a film or television project dealing with factual events, that are photographed in actual occurrence or depicted through techniques including, but not limited to partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, or stop-motion.

(g) “Limited series” shall be understood to have the same meaning as “miniseries,” as defined in section 5520(o) of this chapter, and the terms may be used interchangeably for purposes of the California Soundstage Filming Tax Credit Program.

(h) “Non-proprietary document format” means a document format which the CFC can access and open without specialized software requiring purchase, without subscriptions, or other access keys.

(i) “Permanent grid” means a grid which is installed and functional for long-term, non-temporary use in soundstage production and shall include a smart grid which is adaptable to the circumstances of production.

(j) “Reality television program” means a program depicting real events and non-actors through actual footage which presents persons in purportedly unscripted or partially scripted situations.

(k) “Scripted series” means a fictional episodic television series based upon scripted materials.

(l) “Stage shooting day” or “stage filming day” means a principal photography day, as defined in section 5520(u) of this chapter, during which an applicant utilizes its certified studio construction project soundstage(s), or other soundstage(s) for six hours or more.

(m) “Television series that relocated to California” has the same definition as in sections 17053.98(b)(25) and 23698(b)(25) of the Revenue and Taxation Code; also known as a Relocating TV series.