Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of filmmaking terms, concepts, and techniques.
Showing 28 terms
A
3Allegory
A narrative in which the characters and events systematically represent a parallel set of meanings beyond the literal story.
Antagonist
The character or force that directly opposes the protagonist's goal, generating the story's central conflict.
Anti-Climax
A narrative moment that disappoints built-up dramatic expectation by resolving conflict in a deflating or trivial way.
C
9Catharsis
The emotional purging or release that an audience experiences through witnessing a story's dramatic events.
Character
A fictional person whose actions, decisions, and desires drive the story of a film.
Chiaroscuro
The strong contrast between light and shadow used as a primary expressive tool to create depth and drama.
Cliffhanger
A narrative ending that leaves a conflict unresolved at a moment of high tension, compelling the audience to continue.
Climax
The point of maximum dramatic tension in a story, where the central conflict reaches its decisive confrontation.
Coda
A brief closing passage that follows the main story's resolution, providing a final emotional or thematic beat.
Coming-of-Age Film
A film that focuses on the emotional and psychological growth of a young protagonist transitioning from childhood or adolescence to adulthood.
Composition
The deliberate arrangement of visual elements within a film frame to guide attention, convey meaning, and create aesthetic impact.
Continuity
The maintenance of consistent spatial, temporal, and physical details across all shots within a scene.
D
3Denouement
The narrative resolution following the climax, in which consequences are settled and a new equilibrium is established.
Deus Ex Machina
A plot resolution in which an unexpected external force resolves a conflict the story has not earned the right to resolve.
Double Exposure
A technique in which two separate images are recorded on the same film frame or combined digitally, creating a translucent overlay of both images.
E
2Epilogue
A closing section that follows the main narrative, showing where the characters ended up after the story's events.
Exposition
Background information delivered to the audience that establishes story context, character history, and world rules.
M
2MacGuffin
An object, goal, or piece of information that motivates the plot but whose specific nature is unimportant to the story's meaning.
Melodrama
A dramatic mode that heightens emotional intensity through exaggerated conflict, moral polarisation, and the amplification of feeling beyond naturalistic restraint.
P
2Prologue
An introductory section that precedes the main story, establishing context, tone, or a prior event relevant to the narrative.
Protagonist
The central character whose goal drives the story forward and with whom the audience most closely aligns.
S
2Subplot
A secondary narrative thread that runs alongside the main plot, adding depth and complicating the protagonist's journey.
Subtext
The layer of meaning beneath the explicit surface of dialogue and action, communicated indirectly through what is not said.
T
2Three Shot
A shot framing three subjects within the same frame, establishing their spatial relationships simultaneously.
Two Shot
A shot framing two subjects within the same frame at roughly equal prominence.