film - Definition | Dictionary definition of film

Definition of film

Nouns

a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement

"the film was shot on location"

Synonyms:: flick, motion picture, motion-picture show, movie, moving picture, moving-picture show, pic, picture, picture show

Types:: show 22 types...; hide 22 types...; telefilm
a movie that is made to be shown on television; feature, feature film
the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater; Western, horse opera
a film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development; final cut
the final edited version of a movie as approved by the director and producer; home movie
a film made at home by an amateur photographer; collage film
a movie that juxtaposes different kinds of footage; coming attraction
a movie that is advertised to draw customers; shoot-'em-up
a movie featuring shooting and violence; short subject
a brief film; often shown prior to showing the feature; animated cartoon, cartoon, toon
a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence; newsreel
a short film and commentary about current events; docudrama, documentary, documentary film, infotainment
a film or TV program presenting the facts about a person or event; cinema verite
a movie that shows ordinary people in actual activities without being controlled by a director; film noir
a movie that is marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters; skin flick
a pornographic movie; peepshow
a short pornographic film shown in a small coin-operated booth; rough cut
the first print of a movie after preliminary editing; silent movie, silent picture, silents
a movie without a soundtrack; slow motion
a movie that apparently takes place at a slower than normal speed; achieved by taking the film at a faster rate; talkie, talking picture
a movie with synchronized speech and singing; 3-D, 3D, three-D
a movie with images having three dimensional form or appearance; musical, musical comedy, musical theater
a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing

Type of:: product, production
an artifact that has been created by someone or some process; show
a social event involving a public performance or entertainment

a medium that disseminates moving pictures

"film coverage of sporting events"

Synonyms:: celluloid, cinema

Types:: silver screen
the film industry

Type of:: medium
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information

photographic material consisting of a base of celluloid covered with a photographic emulsion; used to make negatives or transparencies

Synonyms:: photographic film

Types:: show 16 types...; hide 16 types...; footage
film that has been shot; microfilm
film on which materials are photographed at greatly reduced size; useful for storage; a magnification system is used to read the material; microfiche
small sheet of microfilm on which many pages of material have been photographed; a magnification system is used to read the material; cine-film, motion-picture film, movie film
photographic film several hundred feet long and wound on a spool; to be used in a movie camera; sound film
motion-picture film with sound effects and dialogue recorded on it; negative
a piece of photographic film showing an image with light and shade or colors reversed; orthochromatic film
a photographic film sensitive to green and blue and violet light; panchromatic film
photographic film sensitive to light of all colors (including red); positive
a film showing a photographic image whose tones correspond to those of the original subject; reel
a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector; roll
photographic film rolled up inside a container to protect it from light; roll film
photographic film wound on a spool; episode, sequence
film consisting of a succession of related shots that develop a given subject in a movie; X-ray film
photographic film used to make X-ray pictures; bitewing
a dental X-ray film that can be held in place by the teeth during radiography; film clip
a strip of motion picture film used in a telecast

Type of:: photographic material, photographic paper
light-sensitive paper on which photograph can be printed

a thin coating or layer

"the table was covered with a film of dust"

Types:: show 5 types...; hide 5 types...; scum
a film of impurities or vegetation that can form on the surface of a liquid; dross, scoria, slag
the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals; slick
a film of oil or garbage floating on top of water; oil slick
a thin film of oil floating on top of water (especially crude oil spilled from a ship); soap film
a film left on objects after they have been washed in soap

Type of:: object, physical object
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow

a thin sheet of (usually plastic and usually transparent) material used to wrap or cover things

Synonyms:: plastic film

Types:: Polaroid
(trade mark) a plastic film that can polarize a beam of light; often used in sunglasses to eliminate glare; shrink-wrap
the clinging transparent plastic film that is used to shrinkwrap something

Type of:: flat solid, sheet
a flat artifact that is thin relative to its length and width; wrap, wrapper, wrapping
the covering (usually paper or cellophane) in which something is wrapped