Industry
The A-List is the unofficial but universally understood tier of the most bankable and globally recognized actors in the film industry.
A to Z
Film Terms Starting With A
185 entries in the Movie Wiki begin with A, listed alphabetically with a one-line definition each. Open any of them for the full explanation.
1–60 of 185 entries
Definitions of Film Terms Starting With A
Open any entry for the full definition, where the term comes from and the films that show it best.
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Storytelling
The A-plot is the central, primary storyline of a film, focusing on the protagonist's pursuit of an external goal and driving the main narrative action.
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Storytelling
The A-vs-B story weave is a structural technique where the external plot is interwoven with a character's internal, emotional journey.
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Industry
An A/B thumbnail test is a marketing method used to determine which of two different thumbnail images for a video is more effective at attracting clicks.
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Filmmaking
An A11y Pass is a comprehensive quality assurance review in film production and distribution to ensure the final product is accessible to audiences with sensory disabilities.
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Industry
Above-the-line refers to the costs associated with the major creative and financial talent involved in a film before production begins.
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Characters
A parental figure whose physical or emotional absence profoundly shapes the protagonist.
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Characters
A parental figure archetype characterized by harmful and controlling behaviors.
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Industry
Oscars night crowns artistic and technical excellence while fueling billion-dollar lobbying campaigns.
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Industry
The Academy Film Archive is the film preservation arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, committed to the preservation and restoration of cinema history.
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Industry
A prestigious screenwriting fellowship awarded annually by the Academy.
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Industry
ACES AP0 is the ultra-wide, scene-referred linear color space that serves as the archival and interchange standard for the ACES workflow.
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Industry
ACES AP1 is the primary working color space within the ACES pipeline, designed for colorists and VFX artists to perform their creative work.
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Industry
ACES Archival is the practice of using the Academy Color Encoding System as a standardized, device-independent framework for the long-term storage of digital motion picture masters.
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Filmmaking
An ACES Input Device Transform (IDT) is the crucial first step in a modern color workflow that converts footage from a camera's proprietary format into the standardized ACES color space.
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Filmmaking
An ACES Output Device Transform (ODT) is the final step in the ACES color workflow that accurately converts the master image for viewing on a specific display, such as a TV or cinema projector.
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Filmmaking
A high dynamic range, wide gamut color space for visual effects and compositing in the ACES workflow.
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Pop Culture
An interactive challenge where fans earn badges or rewards for completing film-related tasks.
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Pop Culture
"Achievement Unlocked" is a notification indicating that a player has completed a specific, pre-defined challenge in a video game, a concept now used metaphorically across pop culture.
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Storytelling
An act is a major division in a screenplay's structure, composed of multiple sequences, that represents a distinct phase of the story's development.
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Storytelling
An act break is a major turning point in a screenplay that concludes one act and propels the story into the next.
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Storytelling
Act One is the foundational first section of a screenplay that introduces the characters, establishes their world, and sets the central conflict in motion.
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Storytelling
An act summary is a focused synopsis that describes the main narrative movement and key turning points within a single act of a three-act structure.
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Storytelling
Act Three is the final act of a film that brings the story to its dramatic climax and provides a resolution to the central conflict.
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Storytelling
Act Two is the long, complex middle section of a film where the protagonist confronts escalating obstacles in pursuit of their goal.
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Filmmaking
Action description is the component of the scene description that details the specific, observable movements, gestures, and physical actions of the characters.
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Genres
An action film is a genre where the narrative is primarily driven by a series of spectacular and intense physical feats, including fights, chases, and large-scale stunts.
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Filmmaking
Action formatting refers to the paragraphs of descriptive text in a screenplay that convey a character's physical actions, the setting's appearance, and key visual or auditory information.
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Filmmaking
An action line is the descriptive text in a screenplay, written in the present tense, that details what the audience sees and hears in a scene.
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Genres
An action-adventure film is a genre that combines the high-stakes physical conflict of action films with the exotic locations and quest-driven narratives of adventure films.
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Characters
A performer who embodies a character on screen through speech, movement and expression.
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Industry
Ad-free describes a viewing experience, typically paid for via a subscription, that contains no commercial interruptions.
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Industry
An ad-supported business model provides content to users for free or at a reduced cost by generating revenue from advertisements.
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Storytelling
A screenplay that transforms existing source material such as novels or plays into a film format.
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Industry
ADM BWF is the open-standard file format used for delivering and archiving object-based, immersive audio programs like Dolby Atmos.
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Industry
ADM IMF refers to the use of the Audio Definition Model as the standard for carrying immersive audio within an Interoperable Master Format package.
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Filmmaking
Automated Dialogue Replacement re-records speech to fix, enhance, or transform on-set performances.
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Filmmaking
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)
Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) is the post-production process of re-recording an actor's dialogue in a studio to replace the original on-set audio.
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Industry
An ADR contract is a union agreement that governs the terms of employment for an actor who is re-recording their dialogue in a post-production studio session.
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Filmmaking
An ADR note is a specific instruction from the director or sound supervisor indicating that a line of dialogue needs to be re-recorded in post-production.
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Filmmaking
An ADR supervisor orchestrates post-production dialogue replacement to fix or enhance spoken lines.
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Industry
An advance copy of a film, often called a 'screener,' is a version of the movie distributed before its official release to a select audience, such as critics, awards voters, or distributors.
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Genres
An adventure film is a genre that focuses on a journey to exotic or remote locations, emphasizing exploration, discovery, and the overcoming of obstacles within a grand setting.
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Characters
The adventurer archetype is a charismatic and daring hero who thrives on excitement, travels to exotic locations, and overcomes incredible odds through courage and resourcefulness.
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Filmmaking
Capturing images from the sky reshapes scale, geography, and narrative perspective in motion pictures.
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Genres
Images captured from above lend films geographic sweep, strategic context, and emotional altitude.
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General
An aesthetic is a distinct visual style or thematic motif that shapes the overall look and feel of a film, scene, or character.
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Industry
An affiliate link is a unique, trackable URL that allows a content creator to earn a commission from any sales generated through that link.
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Industry
The American Film Market (AFM) is a pivotal annual film market focused on independent film financing, production, and worldwide sales, held in the fall in Santa Monica, California.
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Genres
Afrofuturism in cinema explores the intersection of the African diaspora with technology, science fiction, and imagined futures through a Black cultural lens.
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Pop Culture
Late-night film events hosted beyond regular cinema schedules to showcase niche or cult titles.
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Industry
An aftermovie is a short, cinematic video recap that captures the energy and highlights of an event, such as a film festival or premiere.
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Industry
An Age Coordinator is a specialized role focused on the welfare and appropriate handling of actors at different life stages, particularly minors and seniors, ensuring compliance with labor laws and on-set best practices.
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Filmmaking
AI ADR is the process of using artificial intelligence and voice cloning technology to perform Automated Dialogue Replacement, creating or altering dialogue in post-production without the actor.
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Industry
An AI co-writer is a software tool that uses artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, to assist screenwriters in the creative process of writing a script.
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Filmmaking
AI frame interpolation is a technique that uses artificial intelligence to generate new, intermediate frames between existing ones in a video sequence, effectively smoothing motion or increasing the frame rate.
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Industry
An AI model card is a documentation artifact that describes the capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations of an AI model used in film production.
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