English vocabulary for describing films/movies part 1 exercise

Films/movies are popular all over the world. As a consequence, they are a very common topic of conversation. So it's important to know how to describe how, where, when a film was made, who the actors in a film are and what the story of the film is. In English, there is specific vocabulary which is used to do this.

In this first of two online exercises on films/movies, you'll start to learn English vocabulary for describing films or movies. The focus here is on the vocabulary for talking about the different parts and roles in a film and other film related vocabulary. Most of this vocabulary can also be used for describing TV programmes or theatre plays.

After you have done this online exercise, go to the second part of this online exercise to learn more essential vocabulary used to talk about films/movies in English.

Exercise: Describing a film

In the following text, Simon and Rebecca are talking about and giving their opinions about the film 'Saving Private Ryan'.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Rebecca:'One of my favourite films is Saving Private Ryan. I know it's a war film, but I love it.'

Simon:'It's a classic. It's got a brilliant cast, there are so many excellent actors in it like Matt Damon, Vin Diesel etc... And of course, there is Tom Hanks as the main character Captain Miller. It's one of his best films.'

Rebecca:'Plus there are some very good cameo roles. The famous actor Ted Dansen is in the film for about 3 minutes. It's a shame that he wasn't in the film for longer. Also, do you know that although the film is set in France during the D-Day invasion, it was actually filmed in the south of England?'

Simon:'Yeah, I read it somewhere. I think it was one of the best films directed by Steven Spielberg. I love the opening scene when they are landing on the beach on D-Day. That scene has some of the best twenty minutes of action in the whole history of cinema for me. The special effects are excellent, with the explosions and the people being blown up. It looks so real.'

Quiz:

Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text (which you can also find in the grey box below). Answer each question with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use one word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text. Click on the "Check Answers" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the question which you can press/click on. In the first icon, , you can find extra information about the word/phrase (e.g. when, where and how to use etc...). In the second, , is where you can listen to the word/phrase.

Words/phrases to use in the quiz

1. The most important role/character in a film, is called the

Main character:
(noun) The 'main character' is the person who the film is both about and who has the most dialogue/lines. This is used for films, TV programmes or plays. For example, in the film 'Malcolm X' by Spike Lee, Denzil Washington plays the main character Malcolm X. It can also be used in the plural 'main characters', which means the most important roles in a film. In Spanish: "papel principal".

Main character:

2. A verb that says where the story of a film is located/based, is

Set:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to set'. This not only means where a film, TV programme or play is located in the story, but also when it takes place, e.g. 'the film is set in the 1920's in Chicago'. This verb is generally used in the present passive simple, i.e. 'is set'. In Spanish: "está ambientada".

Set:

3. An individual part of a film, is often called a

Scene:
(noun) This means a part of a film, TV programme or play which is set in one location for a number of minutes. For example, in the film 'Casablanca', the most famous scene is where Humphrey Bogart is at the airport with Ingrid Bergman. In Spanish: "escena".

Scene:

4. A verb that says who the main person who made a film is, is

Directed:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to direct'. It means the main person who is responsible for creating and filming a film or TV programme. The noun is 'director'. Although there are other people involved in the production of a film (like the producer), the 'director' is the most important. When describing a film, it is common to use the verb in the passive and for it to be followed by the preposition 'by' and the name of the director, e.g. 'psycho was directed by Alfred Hitchcock'. In Spanish: "dirigir".

Directed:

5. A noun that means all the actors in a film, is

Cast:
(noun) 'Cast' is the collective noun used to refer to all the actors that are involved in a film, TV programme or play. The people who make a film (who do the filming, editing, production etc...) but don't act, are called the 'crew'. In Spanish: "reparto".

Cast:

6. A verb that is used to say where a film was actually made, is

Filmed:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to film'. This means the place(s) where a film or TV programme was recorded or made. Often a film or TV programme is filmed in a different place or even county to where the story is set. For example, the TV comedy series Seinfeld was set in New York, but it was actually filmed in Los Angeles . It is normally used in the passive (is/was set) and followed by the preposition 'in'. In Spanish: "rodar".

Filmed:

7. Computer generated images in a film, is a type of

Special effects:
(noun) 'Special effects' are the unreal or artificial images or sounds that are used in films and TV programmes to convince the audience that something is really happening when it actually isn't. 'Special effects' are used to show somebody fly in the air or space like superman, or a walking dinosaur. Nowadays, a lot of special effects are done by computers, but they are still also done by other methods. In Spanish: "efectos especiales".

Special effects:

8. When famous actors/actresses are in a film for a very short time, they are called

Cameo roles:
(noun) This is when a well-known or famous actor or actress appears/acts in a film for a few minutes. For example, the very famous actor George Clooney had a 'cameo role' in the film 'The Thin Red Line'. Famous actors doing 'cameo roles' are common in the films of certain directors. In Spanish: "papel de estrella invitada".

Cameo roles:

Now go to the second part of this online exercise to learn more essential vocabulary used to talk about films/movies in English.

To learn more vocabulary on movies/films, do the exercise on 'movie genres type/name vocabulary'.

Click to see more social English vocabulary exercises

Practice

Now that you understand the new describing films and movies vocabulary, practise it by creating your own sentences in English with the new words/phrases.

This is me, Chris Clayton, the owner and main writer for Blair English. I'm also a part-time English teacher in sunny Spain. I have a love of history and the web. I hope you find the website useful.