Genres
Grand-scale dramas reconstruct past civilizations through sprawling runtimes, armies of extras, and moral gravitas.
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Film Terms Starting With H
104 entries in the Movie Wiki begin with H, listed alphabetically with a one-line definition each. Open any of them for the full explanation.
61–104 of 104 entries
Definitions of Film Terms Starting With H
Open any entry for the full definition, where the term comes from and the films that show it best.
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Storytelling
A historical film is a narrative motion picture set in a past era, aiming to depict historical events and figures.
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Characters
A contract killer whose anonymity and professionalism underscore themes of detachment.
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General
A collective intelligence phenomenon where group consensus guides ideas and actions.
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Industry
HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) is a royalty-free High Dynamic Range (HDR) standard designed primarily for broadcast television due to its backward compatibility.
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Filmmaking
An HMI is a type of high-intensity discharge lamp that produces a powerful, daylight-balanced light, making it an industry-standard tool for film production.
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Filmmaking
Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA) is a full-sphere surround sound technology that captures a complete 360-degree soundfield, essential for interactive audio in VR, AR, and 360-degree video.
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Industry
Higher-Order Ambisonics is a full-sphere surround sound format that captures and recreates a complete 360-degree soundfield, independent of any specific speaker layout.
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Industry
A hold for pickup is a contractual clause, primarily in television, that keeps actors under an exclusive option while a network decides whether to order a full series from a pilot episode.
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Industry
A film that retains meaningful screen count and revenue weeks after release enjoys coveted holdover status.
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Pop Culture
A holiday special is a film or presentation, often part of a larger franchise, that is themed around a specific holiday celebration.
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Industry
Hollywood development deals are legal agreements that allow studios and producers to secure rights to intellectual property and creative talent during a film's pre-production phase.
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Industry
Hollywood labor strikes are work stoppages initiated by entertainment industry unions to protest unfair labor practices and negotiate for better contracts with studios and production companies.
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Industry
Hollywood's unions and guilds are professional organizations that represent creative and technical workers, negotiating for fair wages, safe working conditions, and benefits.
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Filmmaking
A home makeover show is a reality television format that serves as a real-world analogy for the cinematic art of production design.
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Industry
The home video market refers to the business of selling and renting films directly to consumers for private viewing on physical media or through digital platforms.
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Industry
Homomorphic Encryption is a revolutionary form of encryption that allows for computational operations to be performed directly on ciphertext, yielding an encrypted result that matches the result of the same operations performed on the plaintext.
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General
The Hong Kong Film Awards recognize the best in Hong Kong cinema annually, showcasing the industry’s dynamism since 1982.
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Genres
The Hong Kong New Wave was a transformative film movement in the late 1970s and 1980s led by a new generation of formally trained directors.
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Storytelling
Precise moment—often within seconds—when a narrative secures viewer commitment or loses it.
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Genres
Horror-comedy fuses fear and laughter, exploiting the body’s twin reflexes of scream and chuckle to heighten both.
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Genres
A horror film seeks to evoke fear and dread through supernatural or realistic threats.
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Storytelling
A hostage thriller is a suspense subgenre that revolves around a tense standoff between criminals, their captives, and the authorities in a confined location.
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Industry
Rapid-turnaround cost sheet projects daily budget overages so producers can course-correct before damage snowballs.
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Industry
The Hot Docs Forum is North America's most influential documentary pitching event, where filmmakers present their projects to a global panel of key industry decision-makers.
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Pop Culture
"Hot Girl Summer" is a slang term and cultural mantra about feeling confident, having fun, and living your best life during the summer months, regardless of relationship status.
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Filmmaking
A hot head is a remote-controlled camera head that allows an operator to pan, tilt, and sometimes roll the camera from a distance.
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Filmmaking
A hot mic is a microphone that is actively recording or transmitting audio, often unintentionally capturing private or off-the-record conversations.
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Filmmaking
A hot set is a film set where a scene is currently being filmed or is ready for filming, and nothing on it should be touched or moved to maintain continuity.
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Pop Culture
A quick, provocative opinion expressed immediately after an event to elicit strong reactions.
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Pop Culture
An urgent, targeted update addressing critical issues in film-related digital platforms.
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Filmmaking
A how-to guide is an educational format that has become a cornerstone of online film education, demystifying the craft of moviemaking for a new generation of creators.
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General
A how-to video is a tutorial-style video that provides step-by-step instructions on how to accomplish a specific, practical task, often inspired by films.
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Filmmaking
The Hue vs. Saturation curve is a color grading tool that allows a colorist to selectively increase or decrease the saturation of a specific range of colors within an image.
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Industry
A hybrid event combines in-person and virtual components to engage audiences across formats.
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General
Hybrid work combines remote and in-office collaboration models within one organization.
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Industry
A hype cycle is the predictable pattern of public excitement and subsequent disillusionment that a new product, such as a highly anticipated film, often experiences.
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Pop Culture
A hype drop is the limited-edition, highly anticipated release of a product by a popular brand, engineered to generate maximum buzz and sell out almost instantly.
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Pop Culture
A consumer who seeks the newest and most hyped streetwear releases, including those tied to movies.
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Filmmaking
A time-lapse technique that combines long-distance camera movement with stabilized imagery
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Genres
A storytelling style featuring interwoven narratives connected by thematic or character links
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Genres
Hyperpop is a maximalist, avant-garde microgenre of pop music characterized by its chaotic blend of electronic sounds, auto-tuned vocals, and surreal, internet-drenched aesthetics.
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