Eduqas GCSE Film Studies key terms

The visual and aural qualities of a film, created through the artistic combination of cinematography, mise-en-scène, editing and sound.

The artistic qualities of a film: how elements of film form combine to create its look, mood and style.

The capacity to make choices and act on them, even when circumstances restrict the available options.

The way a film directs spectators’ attention towards a character and their experiences.

A story whose characters and events can also represent wider ideas or conflicts beyond its literal plot.

A label for a man presented as dominant within a group. Beasley uses it to interpret Fletcher’s authority and Andrew’s desire for his approval.

Background sound that establishes an environment, such as insects and birds in a forest.

The presence of more than one plausible meaning or explanation without a conclusive choice between them.

An element that belongs to a different historical period from the one being depicted.

An explanation of how particular film choices create meaning or shape spectators’ responses, supported by precise evidence.

A character or force that opposes the protagonist.

The assessment objective rewarding knowledge and understanding of elements of film.

The assessment objective rewarding the application of knowledge and understanding, including analysis of films.

South Africa’s system of institutionalised racial segregation and white minority rule, which denied the Black majority equal rights and ended in the early 1990s.

Pre-existing recorded material, such as historical news reports, incorporated into a later film.

The relationship between an image’s width and height, expressed as a ratio such as $1.37:1$.

A system of government in which power is concentrated in one ruler.

A musical whose story centres on performers and the process of putting on a show or making entertainment.

A suburb of a French city. In Girlhood, suburban housing estates form the setting for Marieme’s experiences; the term does not mean that every French suburb is poor or dangerous.

A contrast between opposing ideas or groups that helps organise a narrative’s conflicts and meanings.

Humour that treats disturbing or painful subjects, such as violence and death, in a comic way.

A political movement challenging racism and violence against Black people, which emerged through the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag in July 2013.

A film that achieves very large commercial success, often associated with broad audience appeal and spectacular entertainment.

The arrangement and movement of performers within a scene, including their positions relative to each other and the setting.

A low-budget film. The term originally described the inexpensive supporting film in a cinema double feature and later remained in use for low-budget genre films.

The Hindi-language commercial film industry associated with Mumbai, whose traditions include popular stars, romance, music and dance.

The person who earns the money or obtains the resources needed to support a household.