Film: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in formal contexts, including discussions about the craft of filmmaking, film festivals, or academic settings.

• The film was awarded the Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival.
• She is studying film at the university.

General and most widely used term suitable for casual conversation. It can be used in nearly any context where one talks about films in general.

• Let's go see a movie this weekend.
• That was the best movie I've seen all year.

Very formal term, often used in legal, official, or historical contexts; less commonly used in everyday conversation.

• The legislation affects the motion picture industry.
• The museum's exhibit includes early motion picture cameras.

Informal and colloquial term often used in casual conversations or when referring to light-hearted or entertaining movies. Sometimes carries a slightly dismissive or trivializing tone.

• Want to catch a flick tonight?
• That new action flick was pretty fun to watch.

Use this word when you want to talk about making a movie or a video, especially when it involves more professional equipment and a larger production scale.

• The director decided to film the movie in black and white.
• They will film the new episode in New York City.

Use this word when talking about making an audio or video recording, particularly when focusing on documenting or archiving an event or sound.

• He used a smartphone to record the lecture for his classmates.
• The band went to the studio to record their new album.

This word is commonly used in the context of taking photos or making videos, often informally. It is associated with the action of using a camera.

• They decided to shoot some scenes in the park.
• We're going to shoot the promotional video this weekend.

This word is used when you want to talk about taking a photo or recording a moment, often with an emphasis on preserving the emotion or essence of that moment.

• She managed to capture the sunset perfectly in her photo.
• The journalist tried to capture the chaos of the protest on camera.