List of basic film topics

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For a more comprehensive list, see the List of film topics.

Film can refer to motion pictures as individual projects and to the field in general. The name came from the fact that photographic film (also called filmstock) has historically been the primary medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist — motion pictures (or just pictures or "picture"), the silver screen, photoplays, the cinema, picture shows, flicks — and commonly movies. Basic topics in film include:

Contents 1 Nature of film 2 Cinematic genres 2.1 By setting 2.2 By mood 2.3 By format 2.4 By age 3 Cinema by region 4 History of film 4.1 Major film studios 5 Basic film concepts 6 Notable people from the film industry 6.1 Film theorists 6.2 Famous film producers 6.3 Famous directors 6.4 Famous actors 7 Film lists 7.1 Film genres and plots 7.2 Awards and festivals 7.3 Cast and crew 7.4 Film companies 7.5 Film details 7.6 Film success 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Nature of film

Main article: Film

[edit] Cinematic genres

Main article: Cinematic genre

[edit] By setting

• Crime - places its character within realm of criminal activity
• Film noir - portrays its principal characters in a nihilistic and existentialist realm or manner
• Historical - taking place in the past
• Science fiction - placement of characters in an alternative reality, typically in the future or in space
• Sports - sporting events and locations pertaining to a given sport
• War - battlefields and locations pertaining to a time of war
• Westerns - colonial period to modern era of the western United States

[edit] By mood

• Action - generally involves a moral interplay between "good" and "bad" played out through violence or physical force
• Adventure - involving danger, risk, and/or chance, often with a high degree of fantasy.
• Comedy - intended to provoke laughter
• Drama - mainly focuses on character development
• Fantasy - speculative fiction outside reality (i.e. myth, legend)
• Horror - intended to provoke fear in audience
• Mystery - the progression from the unknown to the known by discovering and solving a series of clues
• Romance - dwelling on the elements of romantic love
• Thrillers - intended to provoke excitement and/or nervous tension into audience

[edit] By format

• Animation - illusion of motion by consecutive display of static images which have been created by hand or on a computer
• Biographical - a biopic is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person, with varying degrees of basis in fact
• Documentary - a factual following of an event or person to gain an understanding of a particular point or issue
• Experimental (avant-garde) - created to test audience reaction or to expand the boundaries of film production/story exposition then generally at play
• Musical - a film interspersed with singing by all or some of the characters
• Short - may strive to contain many of the elements of a "full-length" feature, in a shorter time-frame

[edit] By age

• Children's film - films for young children - as opposed to a family film, no special effort is made to make the film attractive for other audiences.
• Family - intended to be attractive for people of all ages and suitable for viewing by a young audience. Examples of this are Disney films.
• Adult film - intended to be viewed only by an adult audience, content may include violence, disturbing themes, obscene language, or explicit sexual behaviour. Adult film may also be used as a synonym for pornographic film.

[edit] Cinema by region

[edit] History of film

Main article: History of film

• Camera obscura
• Intertitle
• Magic lantern
• Motion Picture Patents Company
• Phantasmagoria (show)
• Silent film
• Thomas Edison
• Zoetrope

[edit] Major film studios

Main article: Major film studios

• 20th Century Fox
• Buena Vista/Walt Disney Pictures
• Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group (a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment)
• Lions Gate Films
• New Line Cinema (a subsidiary of Time Warner)
• Paramount Pictures (a subsidiary of Viacom)
• Universal Studios (a subsidiary of NBC Universal)
• Warner Bros. (another subsidiary of Time Warner)
• The Weinstein Company
• MGM/UA Entertainment Co. (another subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment)

[edit] Basic film concepts

Main article: Film theory

• Academy awards
• Actor
• American Film Institute
• Film director
• Film studio
• Movie projector
• Photography
• Set construction
• Sound stage

[edit] Notable people from the film industry

[edit] Film theorists

[edit] Famous film producers

• George Lucas

[edit] Famous directors

• Woody Allen
• Steven Spielberg
• Billy Wilder

[edit] Famous actors

• Humphrey Bogart
• James Cagney
• Bette Davis
• Alec Guinness
• Audrey Hepburn
• Katharine Hepburn
• Jack Lemon
• Walter Matthau
• Edward G. Robinson
• Arnold Schwarzenegger

[edit] Film lists

Main article: List of film topics

• List of films by title: #, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J-K, L, M, N-O, P, Q-R, S, T, U-V-W, & X-Y-Z
• List of 'years in film'

[edit] Film genres and plots

• List of alien films
• List of character-based movie franchises
• List of cinematic genres
• List of comedy films
• List of comedy-drama films
• List of drama films
• List of disaster films
• List of fantasy films
• List of films noir
• List of gay-related movies
• List of horror films
• List of Mafia movies
• List of punk movies
• List of racism-related movies
• List of science fiction films
• List of war films

[edit] Awards and festivals

• List of movie awards
• List of film festivals
• List of Academy Awards ceremonies
• List of Golden Globe Awards ceremonies

[edit] Cast and crew

• List of actors
• List of actresses
• List of directors
• List of show business families
• List of soundtrack composers

[edit] Film companies

• List of Hollywood agencies and management companies
• List of film production companies
• List of Motion Picture Production Companies
• List of Motion Picture Production Units
• List of Motion Picture Production Studios
• List of Motion Picture Distributors

[edit] Film details

• List of film formats

[edit] Film success

• Films that have been considered the greatest ever
• List of highest-grossing films
• List of movies that were financial failures
• List of movies that have won eight or more Academy Awards
• Films considered the worst ever

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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• All Movie Guide - Information on films: actors, directors, biographies, reviews, cast and production credits, box office sales, and other movie data.
• Film Site - Reviews of classic films
• The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) - Information on current and historical films and cast listings.
• Movies at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)