The document defines various filmmaking terms including:
- Above the line and below the line refer to budgets for major creative talent versus technical aspects.
- Ad lib refers to improvised or unscripted dialogue.
- The Alan Smithee pseudonym is used by directors who want to disassociate themselves from a film.
- Buddy films feature two mismatched leads, often cops or partners, who are forced to work together.
The document defines various filmmaking terms including:
- Above the line and below the line refer to budgets for major creative talent versus technical aspects.
- Ad lib refers to improvised or unscripted dialogue.
- The Alan Smithee pseudonym is used by directors who want to disassociate themselves from a film.
- Buddy films feature two mismatched leads, often cops or partners, who are forced to work together.
The document defines various filmmaking terms including:
- Above the line and below the line refer to budgets for major creative talent versus technical aspects.
- Ad lib refers to improvised or unscripted dialogue.
- The Alan Smithee pseudonym is used by directors who want to disassociate themselves from a film.
- Buddy films feature two mismatched leads, often cops or partners, who are forced to work together.
Cinematic Term Definition and Explanation Example (if applicable)
usually refers to that part of a film's budget that above the line covers the costs associated with major creative (also, below the line) talent: the stars, the director, the producer(s) and the writer(s), although films with expensive special effects (and few stars) have more 'above the line' budget costs for technical aspects; the term's opposite is below the line a line of dialogue improvised by an actor during ad lib a performance; can be either unscripted or deliberate; improvisation consists of ad-libbed dialogue (and action) that is invented or created by the performer the pseudonym used by directors who refuse to Examples: Death of a Alan Smithee film put their name on a film and want to Gunfighter (1969), Let's disassociate themselves, usually when they Get Harry (1986), The believe their control or vision has been co-opted Shrimp on the Barbie by the studio (i.e., the film could have been (1990), and the last film recut, mutilated and altered against their with the ironic alias: An wishes); aka Alan Smithee Jr., Allan Smithee, or Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Allen Smithee Hollywood, Burn (1997). contractual agreement in which a percentage of ancillary rights the profits are received and derived from the sale of action figures, posters, CDs, books, T- shirts, etc. occurs when a character in a film breaks the aside 'fourth wall' and directly addresses the audience with a comment. refers to the events that directly happened prior back story to the beginning of the story, or lead to the story; composed of information that helps fill out the skeletal story of a screenplay or a character's background, often to help actors (or the audience) understand motivation. the placement or display of names of actors, billing directors, and producers for a movie in publicity materials, opening (or closing) film credits, and on theatre marquees. A person's status is indicated by the size, relative position, and placement of their name. Generally, higher positions closer to the top with larger and more prominent letters designate higher importance and greater box-office draw, and precede people of lesser importance; the most prominent actor that appears first is said to have top billing, followed by second billing, and so forth. a small acting role (usually only one scene, such bit part as a waiter) with very few lines or acting; (or bit player) contrast to a cameo, extra, orwalk-on role.
biz in shorthand, refers to the "business", or "show
business". refers to late 40s and early 50s McCarthyism The Hollywood Ten were a blacklisting and the HUAC's (House UnAmerican Activities group of playwrights and (and blacklist*) Committee) formal and informal discrimination moviemakers who refused and 'blacklisting' (effectively banning from to answer questions employment) of various actors, artists and claiming their First filmmakers based upon their personal, political, Amendment rights, and social, or religious beliefs (i.e., "Communist were charged with sympathizers"); the blacklist was a roster of contempt - they included illegal artists who were not to be hired during Herbert Biberman, Lester the years 1947- 1951. Cole, Albert Maltz, Adrian Scott, Samuel Ornitz, *Also, a short list of the best screenplays that Dalton Trumbo, Edward are available for option. Dmytryk, Ring Lardner Jr., See: https://blcklst.com/ John Howard Lawson, and Alvah Bessie; also informally blacklisted recently were Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgra a combination of the terms "black" and Examples: Sweet blaxploitation "exploitation"; refers mainly to sensational, low- Sweetback's Badasssss budget films in the 1970's featuring mostly Song (1971), Superfly African American casts (and directors), that (1972), and Ralph Bakshi's broke the mold of black characterization in animated Coonskin (1975); feature films; usually emphasized fads of the a documentary titled time in hairstyles, music and costuming, and Baadasssss Cinema (2003) also brutality, sleazy sex, street-life, racist and from the Independent Film militant attitudes, etc Channel by filmmaker Isaac Julien examined the early 70s and the phenomenon of blaxploitation films an actual error or mistake (misplaced action, or Examples: in Jurassic Park blooper mis-spoken dialogue by a performer), usually (1993), the name of a embarrassing or humorous, made by a common dinosaur performer during filming; also known as a goof, (Stegosaurus) was spelled flawor flub; also continuity incorrectly; in the cafeteria scene at Mt. Rushmore in North by Northwest (1959), a boy extra in the cafeteria of Mt. Rushmore plugs his ears before a gun goes off; or in The Invisible Man (1933) when Claude Rains strips to avoid police, he leaves visible shoe prints in the snow; probably the most frequent flub in films is the appearance of the boom mike refers to purging/removing anything considered bowdlerize(d) disturbing, vulgar, or adult in content in order to make it sanitized for mass market consumption and appropriate for children; originally a literary term derived from the name of Englishman Thomas Bowdler who published a 'censored' Family Shakespeare version in the early 1800s. a subgenre of film (comedies, westerns, dramas, Examples: The Defiant buddy film action films, road films, etc.) in which two Ones (1958), Butch Cassidy mismatched persons (usually males) are forced and the Sundance Kid to work together, often a pair of police cops; (1969), Midnight Cowboy situations are often contrived to present the (1969), 48 HRs pair with challenges or strains that both (1984),Lethal Weapon strengthen their bond and weaken it; buddy (1987), Midnight Run films are often action/comedy films with witty (1988) (pictured), Thelma dialogue between the two characters and & Louise (1991), sometimes the inclusion of a love triangle; has Unforgiven (1992), been extended to include female buddies; Wayne's World (1992), compare to fish-out-of-water tale Dumb and Dumber (1994), Leon (or The Professional) (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Men in Black (1997) usually refers to the pre-film segment of pre- Examples: MGM's lion, bumper made film that contains studio trademark and Universal's spinning globe, logo or title identification; also refers to a period DreamWorks' cloudy scene of positive financial growth (i.e., it was a with boy fishing, etc. 'bumper year' for films) slang for the sense of excitement, expectancy, buzz and hype that surrounds a film, an actor, or a director a soundtrack of natural, atmospheric, on- buzz track location background noise that is added to the re-recorded (or looped) track of actors' dialogue and other sound effects recordings to create a more realistic sound; aka referred to as room tone or matching ambient sound; a wild track or sound refers to a soundtrack w/o any synchronized picture accompanying it (e.g., the sounds of a playground) a type of comedy parody wherein conventional Examples: The Rocky camp (and especially overused or clichéd) situations Horror Picture Show (1975) (or campy) and plot devices are intentionally exaggerated and Barbarella (1968). to the point of absurdity to produce humor in movie terms, a definitely guaranteed 'can't Examples: The Star Wars cash cow miss’ blockbuster film that promises to generate franchise, the Indiana disproportionately tremendous profits due to its Jones films, the Spider lucrative franchise (sequels, merchandising, Man films, etc. spin-offs, etc.) refers to the illegal practice (mostly during the Example: Frances casting couch heyday of the studio system) when unknown McDormand, who played young actors or actresses (starlets) exchanged the role of Marge sex (literally on an office couch) with acasting Gunderson in Fargo (1996), director or producer in order to acquire/land a once joked that she got the role in a film role by the 'casting couch' method - she 'slept with' the director Joel Coen - her husband! short phrases, expressions, or words that have Examples: "over the top", catchphrase (film) become favored and/or popularized due to "indie-style", "laugh riot", repeated use, often by film critics "frightfest", "crowd- pleaser", "Oscar-worthy", "three-hankie ending", "haunting images", "urban comedy", "beautifully realized", etc. A literary term, referring to a narrative with a Example: Reefer Madness cautionary tale moral message warning of the consequences of (1936); Dr. Strangelove, certain actions, ideologies, character flaws, Or:... (1964); Planet of the technologies or institutions, often with a Apes (1968); War Games downbeat ending; many slasher horror films are (1983); the segment about semi cautionary tales about one of the Mr. Creosote and his consequences of sex or experimenting with the gluttonous appetite in occult --- death; see also satire, morality tale Monty Python's The and nihilism Meaning of Life (1983); The Evil Dead series; Gremlins (1984); thirteen (2002). refers to films popular with women, but also Examples: Steel Magnolias chick flicks used in a derogatory sense to marginalize films (1989), Thelma & Louise with heavy, sappy emotion and numerous (1991) female characters; aka tearjerkers a humorous or farcical interlude in a dramatic Example: Walter Huston as comic relief film, usually provided by a buffoonish character, a grizzly prospector - intended to relieve the dramatic, built-up dancing a jig on ground tension or heighten the emotional impact by laced with gold in The means of contrast Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) a film associated with difficult teen rites of Examples: Rebel Without A coming-of-age (film) passage (from adolescence to adulthood), the Cause (1955) with iconic onset of puberty, the loss of naive innocence James Dean,Summer of '42 and childhood dreams, the experience of (1971), American Graffiti growing up, achieving sexual identity, etc.; aka (1973), Breaking Away teen films (1979), the films of John Hughes a comedic convention that refers to the way in Example: W.C. Field's double take which an actor first looks at an object (subject, double-take at a black event, scene, etc.), then looks away, and then bank customer in a teller snaps his head back to the situation for a line in The Bank Dick second look - with surprise, disgust, sexual (1940) longing, etc.; a variation is termed a spit-take (the double-take causes the character to spit out whatever he is drinking)
exec or exex abbreviations for 'executive' or 'executives'
a "full-length" motion picture, one greater than
feature (film) 60 minutes in length - but usually about 90-120 minutes on one particular topic; also known as a theatrical; contrast to shorts. a term often used before the 1970s to refer to a Examples: One of the most featurette 20 to 45 minute film (longer than a short subject notorious featurettes was but shorter than afeature film), usually a Alfred Hitchcock's "making of" or "behind the scenes" mini- extended trailer for Psycho documentary, or an extended trailer, which was (1960), in which the usually displayed by theater owners to "sell" a director explored the set of film for exhibition in their movie house -- the Bates Motel, and coyly nowadays, featurettes are commonly run on described the film's premium cable stations, or offered as a 'bonus murders feature' as part of a DVD's extras; see also "Making of..." usually a light-hearted, upbeat comedy or Examples: Singin' in the "feel good" film (or romance that ends with an audience-pleasing Rain (1952), Rocky (1976), movie) conclusion; sometimes used derogatively; Ferris Bueller's Day Off compare to tearjerker (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Amelie (2001) a cliched term popularized by pop artist/painter Examples: Tiny Tim, Dr. Andy Warhol in the late 60s, who predicted that Laura, Amy Fisher, Tonya 'fifteen minutes’ or everyone could be famous for 15 minutes and Harding, Kato, Rodney ‘Everyone gets their experience a moment of 'crowning glory'; aka King, Tammy Faye Bakker, 15 minutes of fame' one-hit wonders; due to today's increasing Jessica Lynch, Pee Wee demands for pseudo-celebrities or Herman, Mr. T., Reality TV 'personalities', headline-grabbers, and the show contestants (i.e., widespread dissemination of information by Omarosa), Ken Jennings cable TV, talk radio, and the WWW, it may be (on Jeopardy), etc. possible for everyone to 'bask in the limelight' for a fleeting moment (a flash in the pan). a film (usually humorous) in which the main Examples: any version of A 'fish-out-of-water' character(s) faces 'culture shock' by being Connecticut Yankee in King tale placed in unfamiliar or new surroundings or Arthur's Court, Tarzan's situations New York Adventure (1942), Trading Places (1983), 'Crocodile' Dundee (1986), Babe: Pig in the City (1998) transitory, impermanent success or recognition; flash in the pan derived from panning for gold experience; see fifteen minutes of fame a film that is a failure at the box-office; also Examples: Heaven's Gate a flop known asfloppola, bomb, turkey. (1980) and Ishtar (1987) are two notorious examples of major flops a phrase often used in special trade Example: A typical "For "for your advertisements (in publications such as Variety) Your Consideration" ad by consideration" that are paid for by studios to promote "Oscar- Warner Bros. touted worthy" films (and their actors) and createOscar Sandra Bullock's Best buzz for Academy Award nominations, Supporting Actressworthy especially for borderline films and/or lesser performance in Infamous known indie efforts and lesser-known (2006) performers that would probably be overlooked without the additional publicity, aka FYC refers to the imaginary, illusory invisible plane Examples: the end of fourth wall through which the film viewer or audience is GoodFellas (1990), and all thought to look through toward the action; the throughout Ferris Bueller's fourth wall that separates the audience from Day Off (1986) the characters is 'broken through' when the barrier between the fictional world of the film's story and the "real world" of the audience is shattered - when an actor speaks directly to the viewers by making an aside a term denoting the 'go-ahead' for a film to be greenlight or made; contrasted to being red lighted; shouldn't "greenlighting" be confused with green screening a grindhouse originally signified a burlesque, Examples: any of the early grindhouse film strip-tease theatre (for "bumps and grinds") in a gore, slasher, or splatter red-light district, or a blue-collar downtown films (Blood Feast (1963), cinema-house that featured racy films, chop- 2000 Maniacs (1964), I Spit socky films, or other marginal fare; as a film, it On Your Grave (1978), The first referred to a cheap, low-budget, non- Texas Chainsaw Massacre mainstream, sleazy, hard-core film that played (1974)), cheesy spaghetti in an 'adults-only' venue, scruffy downtown westerns, biker films, area or drive-in in the 60s or 70s; early topics blaxploitation films included nudist pictures, kung-fu flicks, and (Superfly (1972), Coffy cheesy/sexy potboilers, but then branched out (1973), Dolemite (1975)), to refer to any genre of film with little plot, but revenge melodramas, early with lots of action, sex and nudity, violence, exploitation films such as taboo drug-use, lewdness, atrocities, Hong Kong the shockumentary Mondo martial arts content, or just plain weirdness; see Cane (1962), kung fu (The also B movies, exploitation or trash films, Street Fighter (1974)), slasher films, Blaxploitation films smutty soft-core sex films (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966), Therese and Isabelle (1968)), women in prison films (Caged Heat (1974)), and the films of Ed Wood, Jr.; a modern-day example: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996); Tarantino has claimed his recent opus Kill Bill, Vols. I and II (2003-4) is sort of a megagrindhouse epic, as is Grindhouse (2007) by Robert Rodriguez a low-budget film usually shot without seeking Example: Student films guerrilla film location permits, using non-SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actors, etc. an escapist film that engenders low Examples: Teen movies, 'guilty pleasure' expectations (usually an awful B-movie or a various horror films, sappy films critically-lambasted film) that the public enjoys romances, The Rocky despite or, more likely, because of its flaws; Horror Picture Show these are often quite personal film choices that (1975), Kentucky Fried are sometimes embarrassing to admit. Movie (1977), Flash Universally-loved 'guilty pleasure' films become Gordon (1980), Supergirl cult films. See also flop and B-movie (1984), Cocktail (1988), Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe (1995), Showgirls (1996), William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996), Anaconda (1997), Wild Things (1998), and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) named after Will Hays, a series of rigid Examples: Film that were Hays Code censorship restrictions imposed on films by the among the first to be Motion Picture Production Code (MPPC) censored for their alleged beginning in mid-1934, and objectionable material enforced/administered by Joseph Breen (in the included any of Mae Breen Office); the code had existed since the West's works (I'm No Angel late 1920s but wasn't vigorously enforced, and it (1933)), Baby Face (1933), basically lasted until the late 1960s; the Code and the early explicitly prescribed what couldn't be shown in Weissmuller/Maureen films, i.e., "nakedness and suggestive dances," O'Sullivan film Tarzan and "methods of crime," "alleged sex perversion," His Mate (1934) - which "illegal drug use," "scenes of passion," had its nude swimming "excessive and lustful kissing...", scene cut; in later "miscegenation," "pointed profanity," etc. installments of the Tarzan/Weissmuller films, Jane's scanty clothing and nudity, and rampant sexuality with Tarzan, would disappear. terms used to refer to the director (aka helmer) helm (to helm...) of a film
in a film, an obscure, show-biz related joke that Example: Finding Nemo
inside joke is understood (or realized) only by those who (2003) names its great know the reference (outside the context of the white shark Bruce - the film) same name given to the mechanical shark on the set of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) a term for an entire film or a subset of shots in the can that are all finished shooting; also denotes when a director has the takethat he wanted refers to the tendency in show business to Example: "It" originally "It" List (aka A List) prioritize individuals (stars, writers, would-be referred to the sex appeal celebrities, or up-and-comers) as 'hot' or of 20s flapper star and "It 'watchable' - highlighting those who have Girl" Clara Bow, suddenly 'burst onto the scene' and are either popularized in the film It notable and bankable; those who had some (1927); a modern day "It" transient success or 'brush with greatness, but List individual is (was) then were demoted from the list are called Monica Lewinsky. forgotten, has-beens, shooting stars, or flashes in the pan (after "fifteen minutes of fame" - an Andy Warhol expression); aka "A" List a film that has 'legs' has strong and profitable Examples: Il Postino 'legs' (to have legs) box-office, stamina and audience drawing (1994), Titanic (1997), power far beyond the opening weekend; the Hoop Dreams (1994), My term usually applies to films that last many Big Fat Greek Wedding months (2002) a fast-paced, wild, and reckless humorous work, Examples: Cannonball Run madcap comedy usually with plenty of slapstick humor, goofy (1981), It's a Mad, Mad, and farcical action, and crazy characters; also Mad, Mad World (1963), see screwball comedy Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), The Nutty Professor (1963) (pictured), All of Me (1985). short for movies filmed or made-for-television, made-fors often mid-way in style between a short drama and a cinematic release Alfred Hitchcock's term for the device or plot Examples: 'mistaken McGuffin element (an item, object, goal, event, or piece identity' at the beginning (or MacGuffin) of knowledge) that catches the viewer's of North by Northwest attention or drives the logic or action of the plot (1959)and the and appears extremely important to the film 'government secrets', the characters, but often turns out to be uranium ore in Notorious insignificant or is to be ignored after it has (1946) (seen here), or the served its purpose; its derivation is Scottish, stolen money - $40,000 meaning a "lion trap" for trapping lions in the inPsycho (1960); also the lion-less Scottish Highlands (i.e., a trap that 'black bird' inThe Maltese means nothing, since it is for an animal where Falcon (1941) served as a there is no such animal). McGuffin - before it was termed a style of acting first expounded by Konstantine Example: Marlon Brando method acting Stanislavsky in the early 1900s, and popularized was known as one of the by Lee Strasberg (1899- 1982) in the US in his main practitioners of Actors Studio; refers to actors who gave realistic method acting, seen here performances based upon and drawn from their in the famous taxicab own personal experiences and emotions; refers scene in On the Waterfront to not emoting in the traditional manner of (1954); other proponents stage conventions, but to speak and gesture in a of method acting included manner used in private life. James Dean and Montgomery Clift a popular, critically acclaimed film in recent Examples: Saving Private modern-day classic years destined (possibly?) to ultimately become Ryan (1998), or Groundhog or ‘modern’ an all-time classic Day (1993)
aka payoff shot; a term originally borrowed Examples: the
money shot from the pornographic film industry; referring transformation scene in to a scene, image, revelation, or climactic classic horror films in moment that gives the audience "their money's which the character grows worth," may have cost the most money to hair and fangs; Darth Vader cutting off Luke produce - and may be the key to the movie's Skywalker's hand in The success Empire Strikes Back (1980) a literary term mostly, but used also to refer to Examples: Intolerance morality tale a film (often heavy-handed and obvious in tone) (1916), Quiz Show (1994), (or play) that presents a judgment on the The Lord of the Rings goodness/badness of human behavior and trilogy character, and emphasizes the struggle between good and evil a slang term for the Walt Disney Co. or any Mouse (House) division thereof -- refers to the company's most famous animated character: Mickey Mouse a film in which the narrator knows (and sees) omniscient point-of- everything occurring in a story, including view (POV) character thoughts, action, places, conversations, and events; contrast to subjective point-of-view a term for a short, one-line joke (that contains Examples: (comedic one- one-liner its own punchline); also the term may refer to liner): "Either he's dead or the 'high concept' description of a film - a few my watch has stopped!" words used to describe a script, storyline or a (Groucho Marx in A Day At film's premise that a person can easily the Races (1937)) understand with a simple one-liner Often used in a derogatory way to describe Examples: The Alamo Oscar bait studio-invented pre-release PR buzz that a film (1960) and Chill Wills' (aka Oscarbation) (usually an epic or serious biopic released late in campaign for a Best the year) is worthy, meaningful, and deserving Supporting Actor Oscar of Oscar awards; the term was reportedly first was the first major used by Hedda Hopper in a "Looking at example of "Oscar bait" Hollywood" column on June 1, 1948; the term backlash; also Hello, Dolly! either refers to (1) a self-proclaimed, (1969), Paint Your Wagon "important", often over-produced film, (1969), The Towering undercut by its attempt to appeal to all Inferno (1974), Inchon demographics, or (2) a showy acting (1982); recent examples performance designed to draw attention to include The Last Samurai itself; these kinds of films and performances (2003), Alexander (2004), were the sort that used to guarantee an Oscar Memoirs of a Geisha from Academy voters during the film industry's (2005) and The Pursuit of adolescent years of the 1950's and early 1960's, Happyness (2006);Around but are now considered either pretentious the World in 80 Days and/or cheesy in the modern age, and ironically (1956), Gandhi (1982) and often hurt the film's or actor's chances at The English Patient (1996) winning an Oscar, though some films still are examples of successful succeed; aka Oscarbation "Oscar bait" a dramatic scene that justifies everything that Example: the startling payoff preceded it; the necessary result of a scene with an admission of complication for which the audience has been incest ("She's my sister and prepared; contrast to punchline and money shot my daughter!") by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) in Chinatown (1974) an instance of foreshadowing that is Example: the various clues, red herring deliberately planted to make viewers suspect an all to subvert and confuse, outcome--but the audience is to be deceived - that are unrelated to the the opposite happens and the false clue 'plant' real reason for Michelle is irrelevant; often done for humor, irony, or for Pfieffer's paranormal other thematic reasons; contrast to McGuffin beliefs and confusion in What Lies Beneath (2000). a film production that re-creates an actual event Examples: Glory (1989), re-enactment as closely as possible Nixon (1995).
refers to films that present an apparent genre Examples: Altman's
revisionistic stereotype and then subvert, revise, or McCabe & Mrs. Miller challenge it; aka deconstruction (1971), and The Long Goodbye (1973); Arthur Penn's Little Big Man (1970)(shown here); the sword-andsorcery Dragonslayer (1981, UK), or Costner's Dances With Wolves (1990) usually refers to a character (or group of Examples: Tim Curry as scene-stealing characters), usually subsidiary, whose Darkness in Legend (1985); (scene stealer) appearance, actions and/or dialogue draws William Bendix as Jeff in more attention than other actors in the same The Glass Key (1942); John scene; similar to the term 'chewing up the Gielgud as Hobson the scenery.' butler in Arthur (1981) in general terms, an actor who plays a Examples: Dean Martin second banana subordinate or secondary role; aka second was a 'second banana' to fiddle; in comedies, it refers to a performer who Jerry Lewis when they acts as a sidekick, foil or stooge (straight man) were a comic duo; or Bud to a lead comedian Abbott to Lou Costello; or Ralph Bellamy to Cary Grant in His Girl Friday (1940); also, Ward Bond as a secondary player in many westerns refers to non-pornographic, non-explicit, soft- Examples: the films of Russ sexploitation core films that feature sexual themes or explicit Meyers, such as Faster, sexual material and nudity often in an Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966), apparently crude, immature, leering way; these Vixen (1968). films exploited the concept of sex without violating longstanding cultural and legal taboos against showing it all on the screen; often with lurid titles; aka skin flick aka visual gag; an image that conveys humor Example: all silent film sight gag visually, usually non-verbally; often used in comedies, the animated silent film comedy, or in films with very little film The Triplets of dialogue Belleville (2003), or the scene of Cameron Diaz with semen as her hair-gel in There's Something About Mary (1998) aka "magic bullet" - a solution that completely Example: the silver bullet silver bullet solves the complicated dramatic problem within was used in The Lone a film; the term was derived from European Ranger Show(on radio and folklore in which only a silver bullet could kill a TV, and later on film) as a werewolf. symbol of the Lone Ranger's presence to solve various problems. a broad form of comedy in which the humor Examples: Keystone Kops, slapstick (comedy) comes from physical acts or pantomime, Charlie Chaplin (here in the frequently harmless violence and pratfalls extended boxing sequence intended to produce laughter. The name was in City Lights (1931)), derived from a device called a slapstick, two Laurel and Hardy, Buster boards that slapped together with a loud crack Keaton, the Three Stooges, when used to strike something or someone; and more recently, Jerry prevalent during the silent era and in early Lewis and Jim Carrey. talkies, with its primary motif being pie- throwing usually a cheaply-made sub-genre film (usually Examples: Three of the slasher film in the horror genre) designed for the teenage best known, classic slasher audience (teen movie), deliberately made to films that were contain gory, blood-splattering, explicit deaths commercially successful without any build-up, style or suspense, often include Hitchcock's Psycho committed by an unstoppable serial killer, with (1960), Carpenter's a sharp bladed weapon; most slasher films are Halloween (1978), and created to generate sequels and repetitive Wes Craven's A Nightmare boredom; aka splatter films; see also trash film, on Elm Street (1984); also grindhouse film, schlock film, B-film and Z-film the films of Mario Bava and Dario Argento (i.e. Deep Red (1975)), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Lucio Fulci's Zombie (1979), Sleepaway Camp (1983), the Friday the 13th franchise; also in the parodies beginning with Scream (1996) a movie that is released with little publicity or Examples: Marty (1955), sleeper pre-release buzz, often directed by and starring and My Big Fat Greek (sleeper hit) relatively unknown people, that eventually Wedding (2002) becomes popular (as a cult film) or financially successful beyond expectations, usually due to positive wordof-mouth; the term is sometimes used incorrectly to describe unpopular movies that the critics love. during nominations or awards proceedings, snub when a prominent, leading, or favored performer/director/crew member or film is inexplicably excluded or denied an award or nomination usually a comedic film that pays tribute to an Examples: Airplane! (1980) spoof earlier film in a humorous way. and Airport (1970); Blazing Saddles (1974) and westerns; Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) and King Arthur legendary tales; Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) refers to the way in which studios "groomed" or star system prepared/educated stars under contract, and sought star vehicles for them; studios served as protectorates/patrons for their stars. refers to the all-powerful control the studio system monopolistic film studios had over all aspects of assembly-line filmmaking and film production from the 1920s until the late 1950s, when chiefs - moguls (Mayer, Selznick and Zukor) ruled; tactics included the ownership of property, control of publicity and marketing, and iron-clad contracts with star-actors, directors, composers, cameramen, costume designers, writers, and producers. a clever phrase or short sentence to memorably Examples: "This is the tag line characterize a film, and tease and attract weekend they didn't play potential viewers, or sell the movie; also creates golf" (Deliverance (1972), a catchy 'soundbite' often repeated or "The Night He Came presented in a trailer or on a film's poster, Home!" (Halloween (1978), sometimes along with the film's leitmotif "Where were you in '62?" (American Graffiti (1973), "Small town. Big crime. Dead cold" (Fargo (1996) the common term used for films with sound Example: The Jazz Singer talkies (beginning in 1927), although rarely used (1927) the first talkie, then currently. The advent of talkies marked the Singin' in the Rain (1952) dawning of the era of sound films, as opposed which took a look back at to silent films or ‘silents’ the dawning of the talkies an excessively-sentimental or emotional film, Examples: Dark Victory A tearjerker(s) usually with suffering female protagonists, (1939),Now, Voyager tragic circumstances, manipulative scenes, and (1942), Mildred Pierce dramatic musical scoring; akamelodramas or (1945), Letter From an weepies; derogatively known as a 'woman's Unknown Woman (1948), film' or 'chick flick'; contrast to feel-good film Love Story (1970) (pictured), Beaches (1988), and Steel Magnolias (1989) refers to a feature-length motion picture made telefilm for television; also known as telepic or telepix; see also made-for TV movie tentpole an industry slang or trendy buzzword term, Example: Armageddon meaning a film that is expected to serve as a (1998) and other $100 primary support for a studio, i.e., to be a top- million-plus films, such as grossing blockbuster (usually during the Spider-Man (2002) or summer season), to compensate for a studio's Shrek (2001) other flops; usually the film is the start of, or an installment in, a franchise. word of mouth a term referring to the public discussion or buzz Examples: The Hulk (2003) that a film can acquire, fueled by sneak opened with $62 million previews and advance advertising; word of but fell 69.7% by its second mouth is an important marketing element in a weekend, due in part, to film's success or failure - positive word of mouth negative word of mouth, gives a film legs, while negative word of mouth whereas Disney's Finding may prematurely close it down Nemo (2003) had incredible word-of-mouth and staying power over many weeks
Fassbinder and His Friends Author (S) : Daniel Talbot Source: Moma, Winter - Spring, 1997, No. 24 (Winter - Spring, 1997), Pp. 10-13 Published By: The Museum of Modern Art