Film & Cinema Vocabulary Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on film genres, crew roles, technical terms, and cinema industry language. B1 level. Great for ESL learners and anyone who loves films.
Keep building your film and cinema vocabulary.
Film & Cinema — FAQ
The director is the creative leader of a film — they make decisions about how scenes are shot, how actors perform, and the overall visual and emotional style. The producer is responsible for the business and logistical side: securing funding, managing the budget, and overseeing the production schedule. The director controls the creative process while the producer ensures everything runs on time and within budget.
'Box office' originally referred to the ticket booth at a cinema. Today it means the total amount of money a film earns from ticket sales. A 'box office hit' is a very commercially successful film. A 'box office flop' is one that earned much less than expected and lost money.
The main film genres include: action (fast-paced scenes with stunts and fights), comedy (designed to make audiences laugh), drama (serious character-driven stories), thriller (creates tension and suspense), horror (designed to frighten), romance (focuses on a love story), science fiction or sci-fi (set in the future or involving technology and space), fantasy (involves magical or supernatural elements), documentary (non-fiction, real events), and animation (drawn or computer-generated characters).
A screenplay (also called a script) is the written document containing all the dialogue, scene descriptions, and action for a film. It is written by a screenwriter and serves as the blueprint for the entire production. It differs from a novel because it focuses on what can be seen and heard on screen, using a specific format with scene headings (INT./EXT.), action lines, and character names above their dialogue.
A sequel is a film that continues the story of a previous film, set after the events of the original. A prequel is a film set before the events of a previously released film, showing the backstory or earlier history of the characters. A remake is a new version of an existing film, retelling the same story with different actors and usually updated production values.
A close-up (CU) frames a subject very tightly — usually a person's face or a specific detail — to show emotion or emphasise something important. A wide shot (or long shot) shows the subject from a distance, revealing the surrounding environment and establishing the setting. Directors choose different shots deliberately: close-ups create intimacy or tension, while wide shots provide context and scale.
Subtitles are written text displayed at the bottom of the screen that translate or transcribe a film's dialogue. Dubbing is when the original audio is replaced entirely with a new recording in a different language. Subtitles preserve the original performances; dubbing replaces them. Both are used to make films accessible to international audiences.
A cameo is a brief, often uncredited appearance by a well-known person — usually a celebrity, director, or famous actor — in a film or TV show. Famous examples include Alfred Hitchcock appearing briefly in many of his own films, and Stan Lee's regular cameos in Marvel films. A cameo creates a moment of recognition for audiences who spot the familiar face.
Special effects (SFX) are physical, practical effects created on set during filming — for example, explosions, rain machines, or prosthetic make-up. Visual effects (VFX) are effects added digitally after filming using computers, such as CGI, digital backgrounds (green screen), or animated creatures. Modern blockbusters use both: practical SFX for atmosphere and VFX for anything impossible to film in reality.
Film ratings advise audiences about suitability for different age groups. In the USA, 'R-rated' means Restricted — under-17s require an accompanying adult. Common US ratings: G (all ages), PG (Parental Guidance suggested), PG-13 (parents strongly cautioned for under-13s), R (Restricted), and NC-17 (no one 17 and under admitted). In the UK, the BBFC uses: U (Universal), PG, 12A, 15, and 18.