Talking about movies – B2 English Vocabulary

Talking about movies

In this Pre-advanced Vocabulary Lesson about Movies, you will learn essential terms for discussing films, including genres, production, and common film-related adjectives. The pictures, descriptions, and examples below will help you understand and remember the terms.

Verbs

1 When a film is released, it is made available in cinemas for people to watch.

• The film is due to be released early next year.

2 When a film comes out, it also means that it becomes available for the public to see.

• I can’t wait to see that new horror movie that’s just come out.

3 When a film grosses a certain amount of money, it earns that amount from ticket sales at cinemas before deducting expenses.

• The film has grossed over 200 million dollars since it was released.

4 When a scene is shot, it is filmed to be included in the movie.

• Most of the scenes were shot in the middle of the city.

5 When a film is produced, it is created, organized, and filmed.

• That company has produced a lot of great films.

6 When a film is dubbed, the original voices are replaced with another language.

• As it was a Japanese film, all the dialogue was dubbed.

7 When a film features someone, it includes that person as an actor.

• The film features two of our country’s most famous actors.

8 When an actor portrays someone, they act as a specific character.

• The actor portrayed the younger version of the leading character.

Adjectives

1 When a film is overrated, it gets more praise than it deserves.

• Although the special effects were great, I think the film was definitely overrated.

2 When a film is underrated, it does not get enough recognition.

• Many low-budget films are often underrated.

3 If a film is gripping, it is so exciting that viewers can’t wait to see what happens next.

• The film was so gripping that I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

4 If a film is fast-paced, things happen quickly and in an exciting way.

• When films are as fast-paced as this one, you don’t have time to get bored.

5 If a film is slow-moving, it is unexciting as events happen slowly.

• It was a long and slow-moving film; I’m not surprised the kids got bored.

6 If a film is cheesy, it is predictable and of poor quality.

• The film was really cheesy; I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

7 If a film is uplifting, it makes the audience feel happy or inspired.

• Uplifting films like this always put me in a good mood.

8 If a film is hilarious, it is extremely funny and makes people laugh a lot.

• Some parts of the film were so hilarious that we just couldn’t stop laughing.

Nouns

1 A prequel is a film that shows events that happened before an existing movie.

• You might find the film hard to follow if you haven’t seen the prequel.

2 A sequel is a film that continues the story of a previous movie.

• The sequel was just as enjoyable as the first film.

3 A remake is a new version of an old film.

• A remake of the 1950s film is due to be released next year.

4 A spoof is a funny version of one or more well-known movies.

• The film is a spoof of famous action films, exaggerating every scene for comedic effect.

5 A premiere is the first showing of a new film.

• We were fortunate to get tickets to the premiere of the film.

6 A trailer is a short preview of a movie that is soon to be released.

• Although I haven’t seen the film yet, I’ve seen the trailers.

7 Credits are the names of people who worked on the film, shown at the beginning or end.

• The names of the cast and crew were listed in the credits.

8 A soundtrack is the music that accompanies a film.

• The soundtrack consisted of many songs that were popular in the 1980s.

9 A script is the written dialogue and instructions for a movie.

• After reading through the script, the actor decided not to accept the role.

10 Subtitles are translated or written dialogue displayed on the screen.

• I found the film easier to follow once I switched on the subtitles.

11 Special effects are artificial visuals or sounds used to create illusions in a movie.

• Although the acting wasn’t great, the special effects were amazing.

12 The cast are the actors who appear in a film.

• The cast consisted of a number of well-known actors.

13 The leading part is the role of a film’s main character.

• A popular British actor played the leading part.

14 The supporting cast are the actors who do not play the main parts in a movie.

• The names of the supporting cast were listed in the credits.

15 A cameo is a small role in a film that is played by a celebrity.

• The famous director made a cameo appearance in the film.

16 Props are the objects that are used by the actors in a film.

• The set designers provided most of the props for each scene.

After completing the exercises in this lesson on Movies, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flascards to revise and help you memorize the terms.