Film Vocabulary Update

Film Vocabulary
We love watching films (= movies in American English) – either on TV, on DVD, downloaded
onto our PCs or at the cinema. The film vocabulary on this page helps you talk about types
of film, the actors – and how to give your opinion about the film.
General film vocabulary

What sort of films do you enjoy? You’ve got a lot of genres to choose from: westerns (set in
the American Wild West) or spaghetti westerns (those filmed in Italy) to action films (fights,
car chases etc), adventure, animated (cartoons), or horror (lots of blood or ghostly visits).
Perhaps you prefer comedy (or “romcom” – romantic comedy) or dramas. Sometimes these
are epics (long, historical dramas) and sometimes these are adaptations (adapted either
from a previous film, or from a book or play). What about thrillers (or suspense), or musicals
(with song and dance) and science fiction (set in a futuristic world)? Or maybe you prefer
the old black and white films, or the classics.
Actors
In a celebrity-obsessed world, actors are as famous as politicians (maybe even more so!) We
like to see our favourite actors playing a character – even a minor character – in films,
whether these are in lead roles (=main roles), or supporting roles (not main roles). Every
year, the Oscars gives awards to lead actors and supporting actors, but never to
the extras (the actors who play people in a crowd, often without a speaking part.) We like
reading the film credits, firstly to see who’s in the cast (everyone who acted in the film) and
if there’s a special appearance by a famous actor who’s only in the film for a couple of
minutes.
More film vocabulary
Then we like to see who the director or producer is, the screenwriter who wrote
the screenplay (the script that the actors speak) and who composed the soundtrack (the
music background in the film). We’ll read film reviews to find out more about the plot (or
storyline) and how good the lighting, cinematography (art of shooting the film)
or costumes are. We might even watch a trailer (short extract from the film) to see
the special effects.
Describing a film
If you’ve just seen a great film, you might want to tell your friends about it. Here are some
tips for doing that.
First of all, see our advice for telling a good story in English. Make sure you know how to
sequence your story, and use linking words to help others understand you.
Telling a story about a film
Here are some ways you can tell the story (plot) of a film you’ve seen.
It’s set in…(New York / in the 1950’s).

The film’s shot on location in Arizona.
The main characters are … and they’re played by…
It’s a mystery / thriller / love-story.
You can tell the story of the film in the present simple tense.
Well, the main character decides to… (rob a bank)

But when he drives there…
Giving your opinion

I thought the film was great / OK / fantastic…
The actors / costumes / screenplay are/is …
The special effects are fantastic / terrible
The best scene / the worst scene is when…
The plot is believable / seems a bit unlikely
Not telling all

You don’t want to spoil the film for your friends, so you can say something like:
“I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’m not going to tell you what happens in the end.”
“You’ll have to go and see it for yourself.”
“I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you.”
Useful adjectives
All these are useful words and phrases to spice up your description:
true-to-life (a real story)

the real story of
remarkable (unusual, good)
masterpiece (the best work someone has done)
oscar-winning
Film Vocabulary Quiz
Level: Elementary and above
1. There are some great actors in the __
cast
shoots
screenplay
2. The actor who won the Oscar has __ many similar roles before.
acted
been
played
3. He won an Oscar for the __
music
soundplay
soundtrack
4. He won a __ actor Oscar.
extra
main
supporting
5. The __ is very famous.
director
editor
register
6. I love watching all the old Hollywood __
big screens
classics
studios
7. The film was produced by one of the big Hollywood __
companies
firms
studios
8. His new film is __ in California.
located
placed
set
9. It was filmed __ location in Hawaii.
in
on
by
10. The film includes some spectacular __ effects.
light
special
sound
11. I saw a great __ for his new film. I'm definitely going to see it when it comes out.
preview
prequel
trailer
12. There are some violent __ in his new film.
roles
scenes
stage effects
13. As it's a thriller, the __ has lots of twists and turns.
acting
character
plot
14. The film tells the __ of a young man during the war.
account
life
story
15. It's a __ -to-life story.
real
similar
true
16. His new film is __ of a Jane Austen novel.
an adaptation
a film version
a reprise
17. Her new film has got some great __
previews
sequels
reviews
18. The film __ loved the film.
critics
experts
previewers
19. They particularly praised the __ of the main actor.
acting
performance
role
20. Her new film is __ for an Oscar.
named
suggested
up

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Film Vocabulary

General film vocabulary

It’s set in…(New York / in the 1950’s).

Well, the main character decides to… (rob a bank)

Giving your opinion

Not telling all

true-to-life (a real story)

Level: Elementary and above

1. There are some great actors in the __

3. He won an Oscar for the __

4. He won a __ actor Oscar.

5. The __ is very famous.

6. I love watching all the old Hollywood __

7. The film was produced by one of the big Hollywood __

8. His new film is __ in California.

9. It was filmed __ location in Hawaii.

10. The film includes some spectacular __ effects.

12. There are some violent __ in his new film.

13. As it's a thriller, the __ has lots of twists and turns.

15. It's a __ -to-life story.

16. His new film is __ of a Jane Austen novel.

17. Her new film has got some great __

18. The film __ loved the film.

19. They particularly praised the __ of the main actor.

20. Her new film is __ for an Oscar.

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