Film Lingo

1. Film Lingo

2. a low-budget production, originally screened to support a more important film in a double feature.

3. “B” movie

4. a martial arts film

5. chop socky

6. a French word that literally means “true cinema”; a method or style of documentary movie-making with long takes, no narration, and impromptu interview techniques, a hand-held camera, and little or no editing of the finished product

7. cinema verite

8. a film characterized by scenes of great tension, danger, adventure, suspense, or high drama, often climaxing at the end of a film, where the fate of the protagonist is left unresolved, increasing interest for a sequel

9. cliffhanger

10. a French phrase literally meaning “black film”; a genre of mostly black-and-white films with a somber, downbeat tone. The plot often takes place in the crime underworld with private detectives and femmes fatale. Low-key lighting features night scenes. Camera angles are often canted or high.

11. film noir

12. a blockbuster production with a predictable, overused scheme or plot

13. formula

14. a western film

15. horse opera

16. Small, low-budget companies producing and distributing films made outside of the major Hollywood studio system, often with groundbreaking subject matter. Commercial success is not often the goal.

17. independent or “indie” film

18. a movie that is released with little publicity, often directed by and starring relatively unknown people, that by positive word-of-mouth eventually becomes popular or financially successful beyond expectations

19. sleeper

20. a graphic horror film which depicts physical violence and bloody gore

21. slasher or splatter film

22. a science fiction film

23. space opera

24. a gladiator, Biblical, or Greco-Roman mythology film

25. sword and sandal

26. a film that flops at the box office

27. turkey

28. a term of contempt for movie stars who lose popularity, typically making their subsequent films financial disasters

29. box-office poison

30. a brief walk-through role created specifically to feature a surprising, high-profile personality

31. cameo role

32. a popular actor appearing in a role unlike his traditional ones, producing either a refreshing or disastrous result

33. cast against type

34. a term that implies the trade of sexual favors to a director or producer to obtain a film role

35. casting couch

36. self-indulgent hamming or overacting by a famous star

37. chew up the scenery

38. an Irish term which denotes hype publicity regardless of the film’s actual merit

39. ballyhoo

40. a small black and white board or slate with a hinged stick on top that displays identifying information for each shot in a movie and is filmed at the beginning of a take

41. clapboard or slate

42. titles at the beginning or end of a film that list the creative talents concerned with production

43. credits

44. an error that remains in the theatrical release of the film, not be confused with removed “outtakes,” which often appear on “bloopers” features

45. gaffe

46. the “go ahead” for a film to be made

47. greenlight

48. Alfred Hitchcock’s term for an item, object, goal, event, or piece of knowledge that drives the logic or action of the plot

49. MacGuffin

50. an Italian term for pushy photographers who stalk celebrities in their private lives