Film Studies key terms

Pressure to follow a group's accepted behaviour, beliefs or values rather than express individual differences.

An associated or suggested meaning arising from an image or sound in its context.

A way of life that places considerable importance on buying and owning goods.

A focus on buying and possessing goods, often treating possessions as signs of success or status.

The circumstances surrounding a film’s production or setting that help explain its meanings.

A system of joining shots so that space, time and action appear coherent and the sequence flows smoothly.

A familiar feature of a genre that helps audiences recognise it and develop expectations.

Clothing and accessories worn by a performer to communicate aspects of a character, such as identity, status or historical period.

Editing that alternates between actions in separate places, often suggesting that they occur at the same time.

Raising money for a project through contributions from many people, commonly using an online platform.

Ways of living, beliefs and values which influence a film and are reflected in it.

A person’s sense of belonging shaped by cultural experiences, language, traditions, values and relationships; it need not correspond neatly to nationality.

An immediate transition from one shot to another, with no gradual blending or darkening.

The use of computer systems and networks to carry out attacks intended to create fear or achieve political aims.

A period of ten years, such as the 1920s, which runs from 1920 to 1929.

Focus that keeps objects at different distances from the camera sharp, allowing attention to move across the image.

An editing pattern that shows and holds a character’s reaction before revealing what they are looking at.

The literal content of an image or sound: what is directly shown or heard.

Sound belonging to the world of the story, such as characters’ conversation or music playing in their car.

A character speaking directly to the audience, rather than only to other characters within the story.

An event or threat that disturbs an established situation and creates the central narrative problem.

An edit in which one image gradually disappears while another appears, briefly overlapping the two.

The process of supplying and arranging the release of films to cinemas or other outlets.

The unfolding of the outcome after the climax, resolving the narrative’s main conflicts.

A wheeled platform supporting a camera, used to create camera movement.

A shot in which the camera physically moves towards, away from or alongside its subject.

A technique combining camera movement with a change in zoom, altering the apparent relationship between the subject and background.