Film and video terminology

A remake is a film or television series that is based on an earlier work and tells the same story.

A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound.

A B movie is a low-budget commercial movie that is not an arthouse film.

A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following.

A container or wrapper format is a metafile format whose specification describes how different elements of data and metadata coexist in a computer file.

Direct-to-video or straight-to-video (also known as direct-to-VHS, direct-to-DVD, direct-to-Blu-ray, direct-to-digital, etc.) refers to the release of a film to the public immediately on home video formats rather than a theatrical release or television broadcast.

A soundtrack, also written sound track, can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound.

The film noir genre generally refers to mystery and crime drama films produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s.

A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work.

In filmmaking and video production, a shot is a series of frames, that runs for an uninterrupted period of time.

A car chase is the vehicular hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcers.

In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or maguffin) is a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist pursues, often with little or no narrative explanation.

A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes.

A feature film is a film (also called a movie, motion picture or just film) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole film to fill a program.

Home video is pre-recorded media that is either sold, rented or streamed for home entertainment.

A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film.

Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works.

A composite film is a feature film whose screenplay is composed of two or more distinct stories.

An ensemble cast or main cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production.

In cinematography, full frame refers to the use of the full film gate at maximum width and height for 35 mm film cameras.

Reverse chronology is a method of story-telling whereby the plot is revealed in reverse order.

Screenwriting, also called scriptwriting, is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games.

In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work.

The killing off of a character is a device in fiction, whereby a character dies, but the story continues.

In film and television production, B-roll (B roll, or Broll) is supplemental or alternative footage intercut with the main shot.

Test film are rolls or loops or slides of photographic film used for testing the quality of equipment.

A low-budget film is a motion picture shot with little or no funding from a major film studio or private investor.

Ciné film (sometimes Cine, no acute accent) is the term commonly used in the UK to refer to the 9.

Experimental film, experimental cinema or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms and alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working.

In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.