Vocabulary about the film industry

Vocabulary about the film industry

by Miss Lin

​A. Categories of films

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​Action film

- ​a film with fast-moving plots, usually containing scenes of violence (such as fighting, physical feats, car chases, explosions, etc)

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* sub-genres:

​martial arts films, superhero films

​Comedy

​- funny movies that make the audience laugh

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​Romance

​- love stories that focus on the romantic involvement of the main characters and the development of their relationship

​Thriller

​- the movies that give viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, and anxiety

​Horror

​- movies that aim to scare the viewer and if possible, make them scream

​Science fiction

- ​(also known as Sci-Fi) These fictional stories, based on science, talk about the future or other worlds, which often include spaceships, aliens, and advanced technology we don’t currently have.

​Western

​​- The stories mainly focus on the American West (also known as the Wild West) during the 19th century. They feature cowboys, horse riding and gunfights.

​​Animation / Animated film

​​- Instead of real actors on the screen, drawn images (nowadays computer generated ones) are used to tell the story.

​Drama

​- The stories are more serious in tone. They draw viewers' attention to the emotions of realistic characters and the conflicts they have.

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​* some specified topics of the stories:

police, crime, family problems,

teen issues, history, ...

​Documentary

​- non-fiction films that present facts and the reality of the world, for the purposes of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record

​!!!

Many movies can be a mixture of different types of genres.

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For example:

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​Action-comedy

​Romantic comedy

​Docudrama (documentary drama)

​...

B. Useful technical terms​

​producer

​- a person who is primarily in charge of finding a script and then turning it into a movie on time and on budget (the business components of filmmaking)

​director

​- a person who has complete artistic control of a film project (the creative aspects of the film production)

​screenwriter

​- a person who writes scripts for a film

​cast

​- all actors in a film

​box office

​- the place where the tickets are sold in a theater

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​or

​

​- refers to the commercial success of a film in terms of the number of people who go to watch it or the amount of money it makes

soundtrack​

​- the recorded music in a film

​sound effects

​- the sound produced to make a specific storytelling or creative point in a film without the use of dialogue or music

​script

​- the written form of a film

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Multiple Choice

1. I am very disappointed with the ______ movie. The jokes were so ______ that I finally fell asleep.

• A. science fiction, exciting

• B. action, funny

• C. horror, boring

• D. comedy, dull

Multiple Choice

We don't let our young son watch ______ movies because there is a lot of fighting in them. 

• A. action

• B. romance

• C. drama

• D. documentary

Multiple Choice

2. The ___________ in the movie was incredibly great. The monsters looked extremely real.

• A. sound effects

• B. special effects

• C. soundtrack

• D. script

Multiple Choice

3. The film _______ has managed to sell his movie to 13 countries overseas, so the movie will be aired in the coming weeks worldwide.

• A. screenwriter

• B. director

• C. actor

• D. producer

Open Ended

Hey guys! One last question for you:

Which type of movie do you prefer?

(the answer can be more than one)

​Thank you!