Vocabulary Related to Films

Vocabulary Related to Films

Hello English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. We will go through the vocabulary related to films.

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Types of films

First, let’s look at different kinds of films:

Action – a film with a lot of action and exciting things going on (for example, “Mad Max”, “Die Hard”, James Bond films, etc.)

Adventure – it is usually about people who leave their homes and go to the unknown to travel quests (for example, Jurassic Park”, “Into the Wild”, “Avatar”, etc.)

Animation – a film made from drawings or computer graphics, like Disney’s films (for example, “Zootopia”, “The Lion King”, “Shrek”, etc.)

Comedy – an entertaining funny film (for example, “A Fish Called Wanda”, “Mr. Bean”, etc.)

Crime – a film whose main theme is crime and criminals (for example, “Goodfellas”, “Heat”, “Godfather”, etc.)

Documentary – a film which documents facts about the real world (for example, “Fahrenheit 9/11”, “Super Size Me”, “Food, Inc.”, etc.)

Horror – a terrifying film which includes violence both psychological and physical (for example, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, The Shining”, “Psycho”, etc.) 

Musical – a film featuring music and dance (for example, “La La Land”, “Singing in the Rain”, “Mamma Mia”, etc.)

Romance – a film revolving around a love story between two people (for example, “Pride and Prejudice”, “Titanic”, “Pretty Woman”, etc.)

Science fiction – a film dealing with an imaginary world (for example, “A Space Odyssey”, “Star Wars”, “The Matrix’, etc.)

Thriller – a film which gives the audience feelings of excitement, anxiety and surprise (for example, “Black Swan”, “American Psycho”, “Vertigo”, etc.)

War – a film dealing with history and war. (for example, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Apocalypse Now”, “The Deer Hunter”, etc.)

Vocabulary and collocations related to films

Here is some useful vocabulary and collocations related to films you need to know:

Cast – all the actors in the film.

Mary is auditioning for the member of the cast of a new film.

Audience – a group of spectators watching a film usually in a cinema.

There wasn’t much audience in the cinema when the movie started.

Soundtrack – the music and sounds used in a film.

Look, I’ve bought the soundtrack of “The Bodyguard”. 

Subtitles – captions at the bottom of the screen that translate the dialogue.

We are watching an Italian movie with English subtitles.

To be dubbed – to change the speech in a film into another language.

I prefer watching an original version of the film to a dubbed one because I love to hear the actors’ true voices.

Plot – the story of the film.

I was watching a war movie with a very interesting plot last night. 

Sequel – a film that continues the story of a previous film.

There is a sequel to this movie. Do you want to watch it?

Vocabulary Related to Films

To be based on – to use a story from a novel or a script for developing a film on it.

Did you know that the film “The Irishman” is based on a true story?

To be set – to be situated in a particular place and time.

The plot of the film is set in Scotland in 1879.

To see/watch a film

We watched /saw a great film at the cinema last night.

Review – a newspaper article which tells the opinion about the film.

Shall watch this film? It had some excellent reviews.

Trailer – extract from a film made for commercial purposes.

 I saw the trailer for the latest Greta Gerwig film. It seems interesting.

Script or screenplay – the words of the film. 

The film “Green Book” was awarded for the best screenplay.

Star/leading actor – an actor who plays a main role in the film. 

Johnny Depp has starred in many films.

Vocabulary Related to Films

Supporting actor – an actor or actress who supports the leading actors. They are also known as side characters.

Joe Pesci has been awarded as a supporting actor many times.

Extra – a person hired to play a small part in a film, usually as a member of a crowd.

They employed thousands of extras for “The Lord of the Rings”.

Film director – a person who controls the filmmaking and supervises the film crew.

Alfred Hitchcock was a famous horror movie director.

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