/fɪlm/ noun
moving pictures shown at a cinema or on television
ADJECTIVES/NOUNS + film
an action/adventure/war film
Boys like action films.
a horror film (=a frightening film about ghosts, murders etc)
The old house looked like something out of a horror film.
a science fiction film
My favourite science fiction film was ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
a documentary film (=about real people and events, not a story)
We watched a documentary film about China.
a wildlife/nature film
I’ve seen lions in wildlife films.
a cowboy film
John Wayne was best-known for his roles in cowboy films.
a gangster film
He directed a series of gangster films set in New York.
a cartoon film/animated film
Disney started making cartoon films in the early 1920s.
a classic film (=an old film that is very good)
Bogart and Bergman starred in the classic film ‘Casablanca’.
a cult film (=one that a small group of people like very much and watch often)
‘The Blues Brothers’ was a cult film when I was at college.
a hit film (=a successful film)
The book was turned into a hit film.
a big-budget/low-budget film (=that costs a lot/a little to make)
Big-budget Hollywood films can cost over $200 million.
a mainstream film (=the usual kind of popular film)
Mainstream films avoided the subject of gay relationships.
an independent film (=a film made by a small film company)
Young directors began making small independent films.
an arthouse film (=made by a small company for artistic reasons, not to earn lots of money)
It’s a small cinema which shows mainly art-house films.
a feature film (=a full-length film shown in the cinema)
He has appeared in short films, but this is his first full-length feature film.
a short film
Before the main film, they showed a short film about a bank robbery.
a black-and-white film
I love those old black-and-white films.
a silent film (=made in the time before films had sound)
He started his career in silent films.
a foreign-language film (=a film in a language that is not the audience’s native
language)
Foreign-language films seldom do well at the box office.
VERBS + film
watch a film
He stayed in and watched a film on TV.
see a film
We saw a good film last night at the cinema.
appear in/be in a film
She once appeared in a film with Al Pacino.
star in a film (=be one of the main characters)
Robert Mitchum starred in a film called ‘River of No Return’ with Marilyn Monroe.
make/shoot a film
She is making a film for Australian TV.
direct/produce a film
The film was directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
show/screen a film
The film is being shown in cinemas all across the country.
distribute a film (=make it available for people to see at cinemas, on the internet etc)
Warner Bros became the first major studio to distribute its films over the internet.
edit a film
The film was edited using the latest digital technology.
film + VERBS
a film stars sb
The film starred Brad Pitt.
a film comes out/ is released (=it starts to be available for people to see)
The film is due to come out in May.
a film is showing/is on somewhere (=it is being shown at a cinema)
The film is on at the Odeon cinema.
a film is set somewhere (=it takes place in a place or at a time)
The film is set in Paris in the 1950s.
sth is made/turned into a film
The story was made into a highly successful film.
film + NOUNS
a film actor/star
She dreamed of being a film star.
a film director
This year’s festival includes a tribute to the French film director Bertrand Tavernier.
a film producer (=someone who controls the preparation of a film)
British film producer Alexander Korda decided to make a movie about Vienna.
a film crew/unit (=a group of people working together to make a film)
The film crew are making a documentary about village life.
the film industry
Scorsese is a highly respected figure in the film industry.
a film company (=a company that produces films)
Many film companies are based in Hollywood.
a film studio (=a company that makes films, or a building where films are made)
The scenes were all shot in a film studio.
a film maker
He is one of several exciting young film makers.
film music
In ‘La Strada’, Nino Rota demonstrates the poetic power of film music.
a film camera
The company produces digital film cameras.
a film premiere (=the first showing of a film)
Film premieres tend to be glamorous occasions.
a film critic
The review was written by the Daily Telegraph’s film critic.
a film buff (=someone who is interested in films and knows a lot about them)
Film buffs will enjoy reading ‘The 100 Best Movies of All Time’.
film school
He graduated from film school in 1998.
film studies
She’s studying for a diploma in film studies.
film footage (=film that shows something happening)
The new showed film footage of the soldiers killing protesters.
a film clip (=a very short piece of film)
They watched the film clip again and again.
PREPOSITIONS
a film about sb/sth
He wanted to make a film about a boxer.
Film is used especially in British English. In American English, people usually say movie.
THESAURUS:
motion picture formal also picture a film – used especially by people who make films or by critics:
The book was made into a major Hollywood motion picture.
Tell us about your latest picture.
blockbuster informal a very successful film:
We watched Steven Spielberg’s latest Hollywood blockbuster.
flick informal: a film – a very informal use:
He has appeared in a couple of action flicks.
documentary: a film that gives detailed information and facts about a particular subject:
There was a documentary on the rainforest.
comedy: a film intended to make people laugh:
Monroe appeared in several comedies.
romantic comedy also romcom BrE informal: a film about two people who are in love, which is intended to make the people who watch it feel happy:
‘Notting Hill’ is a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
thriller: an exciting film, especially about murder or serious crimes:
‘The Birds’ is a classic Hitchcock thriller.
film noir: a film that shows strong feelings of fear or evil and whose characters are often immoral, or these films in general:
‘The Big Sleep’ is a classic Hollywood film noir.
action film/movie: a film that has lots of fighting, explosions etc:
The film is an action movie which ends in a big car chase through the streets of Chicago.
horror film/movie: a frightening film about ghosts, murders etc:
I don't like watching horror movies - they scare me and give me bad dreams.
western: a film with cowboys in it:
John Wayne is famous for making westerns.
cartoon: a film with characters that are drawn or made using a computer:
One of his first cartoons was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.
anime /ˈænɪmeɪ, -mə/: a type of Japanese animated film, which often has a science fiction story:
Miyazaki’s anime film ‘Spirited Away’ became an international success.
an anime character
CGI: the use of computers to create characters and images in a film. CGI is short for ‘computer generated imagery’:
The film uses CGI to make it look as if the people are flying through the air.
Disney’s latest CGI movie
short: a short film, usually shown before a longer movie in the cinema:
an animated short
trailer: a series of short scenes from a film or programme, shown in order to advertise it in a cinema, on television etc:
There was a trailer for the next 'James Bond' movie.
We had to sit through all the trailers before we could watch the film.
THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE FILM
actor: a man or woman who acts in a film:
a previously unknown actor
Brando was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.
actress: a woman who acts in a film. Women who appear in films or plays usually prefer to be
called actors:
She was the actress who played Scarlet O’Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’.
star: a famous actor or actress:
He looked liked a movie star.
a hotel which was used by the stars
You also use star about the most important character in a film:
The dog is the real star of the movie.
director: the person who tells the actors and actresses in a film what to do:
The director of the film is Quentin Tarantino.
producer: the person who makes the arrangements for a film to be made and controls the budget:
The producers said there was no more money.
film/movie crew: the people operating the camera, lights etc who help the director make a film:
The film crew started setting up their equipment in the city's main square.