French Movie Vocabulary : Essential Terms And Culture
French cinema is known for its diversity of genres and styles. From auteur films to popular comedies, intense dramas to experimental art-house films, French film production offers a wide range of content that captivates audiences worldwide.
In this article, we share French cinema-related vocabulary, insights into the film industry in general, technical terms, the various professions in cinema and expressions to help you share your opinion about a movie.
Table of contents
1 – French cinema vocabulary
1/1-Vocabulary about the cinema theatre
1/2- Technical and general cinema vocabulary
1/3- Technical vocabulary used in the filmmaking process
1/4- Expressing your emotions after a movie
1/5- The various professions in cinema
2- French cinema : part of the culture
3- The French exception culturelle
1- List of French cinema vocabulary
1/1- To go to the cinema theater
Une salle de cinéma - Movie theater
Un écran géant - Big screen
Un ticket / un billet - Ticket
Une entrée - Entrance
Une première - Premiere
Une séance de cinéma - cinema screening
Une projection - Screening
Un film en version française - A film in French version
Un film en version originale - A film in original version
1/2- Technical and general cinema vocabulary
Un film - Movie
Un scénario - Script
Un tournage - filming
Une scène - Scene
Le montage - Editing
Un casting - Casting
Un studio - Studio
Des effets spéciaux - Special effects
Le Son - Sound
La musique de film - Film score
Un écran - Screen
Une critique de film - Film review
Un dialogue - Dialogue
Une bande-annonce - Trailer
Des sous-titres (m) - Subtitles
Le doublage - Dubbing
Un plan - Shot
Une mise en scène - Staging
Un éclairage - Lighting
Un costume - Costume
Un maquillage - Makeup
Une récompense - Award
Un palmarès - Award list
Un festival de cinéma - Film festival
1/3 - Technical vocabulary used in the filmmaking process
Un plateau - Set
Une équipe de tournage - Film crew
Un Storyboard - Storyboard
Un Repérage de lieux - Location scouting
Une Préproduction - Préproduction
La Direction artistique - Production design
Une création de costumes - Costume design
Une construction de décors - Set construction
Un Planning de tournage - Shooting schedule
Le Tournage principal - Principal photography
La Postproduction -Post-production
Les effets visuels - Visual effects (VFX)
La Conception sonore - Sound design
La composition musicale - Music composition
Un étalonnage - Color grading
La Distribution - Distribution
Le Box office / Recettes au guichet - Box office
1/4 1/4- Expressing your emotions after a movie
Commenting on a film after leaving the cinema is one of the favorite activities of French cinephiles ! Typically, after a movie screening, they go to a bar for a drink and engage in debates about the various interpretations that can be given to certain scenes or dialogues. It's a very serious intellectual activity, particularly Parisian in nature. Here is a series of adjectives that will help you express and describe what you felt while watching a movie. Using several of them will help you convey nuances in your emotions.
1. Enchanté / Charmé - Delighted / Charmed
2. Ému / Émue - Moved
3. Bouleversé / Bouleversée - Overwhelmed
4. Captivé / Captivée - Captivated
5. Intrigué / Intriguée - Intrigued
6. Amusé / Amusée - Amused
7. Diverti / Divertie - Entertained
8. Émerveillé / Émerveillée - Amazed
9. Étonné / Étonnée - Astonished
10. Effrayé / Effrayée - Scared
11. Triste - Sad
12. Joyeux / Joyeuse - Happy
13. Réfléchi / Réfléchie - Thoughtful
14. Inspiré / Inspirée - Inspired
15. Confus / Confuse - Confused
16. Agité / Agitée - Stirred
17. Ennuyé / Ennuyée - Bored
18. Déçu / Déçue - Disappointed
19. Émergé / Émergée - Enlightened
20. Empathique - Empathetic
1/5- The various professions in cinema
French cinema is less unionized than American cinema; however, very recently, and following the #MeToo movement, we can see the emergence of new professions such as intimacy coordinator or coordinator for gender-based and sexual violence and harassment. This list covers some of the key professions in the French cinema industry :
Un réalisateur / une réalisatrice - Director
Un acteur / une actrice - Actor / Actress
Un.e scénariste - Screenwriter
Un producteur / une productrice - Producer
Un cinéaste - Filmmaker
Un chef opérateur - Cinematographer
Un producteur / une productrice - Producer
Un directeur / une directrice de la photographie - Director of Photography
Un monteur / une monteuse - Editor
Un compositeur / une compositrice de musique de film - Film Composer
Un chef décorateur / une cheffe décoratrice - Production Designer
Un costumier / une costumière - Costume Designer
Un maquilleur / une maquilleuse - Makeup Artist
Un.e responsable des effets spéciaux - Special Effects Artist
Un.e responsable des effets visuels - Visual Effects Supervisor
Un.e ingénieur.e du son - Sound Engineer
Un mixeur / une mixeuse - Sound Mixer
Un.e scripte - Script Supervisor
Un directeur / une directrice de casting - Casting Director
Un régisseur / une régisseuse - Production Manager
Un coordinateur / une coordinatrice de production - Production Coordinator
Un assistant réalisateur / une assistante réalisatrice - Assistant Director
Un.e assistant.e caméra - Camera Assistant
Un.e machiniste - Grip
Un Perchman - Boom operator
Un coordinateur / une coordinatrice d’intimité - intimacy coordinator
Un.e référent.e violences et harcèlements sexistes et sexuels - coordinator for gender-based and sexual violence and harassment
2- French cinema : part of the national culture
The cinema in France is an integral part of the national culture and is widely recognized worldwide. Here are some key points about French cinema:
1. Rich History: France has a long cinematic history dating back to the early days of cinema. Pioneering directors like Georges Méliès made significant contributions to the development of cinema.
2. New Wave: In the 1950s and 1960s, the New Wave emerged in France, marking a period of cinematic renewal. Directors such as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Agnès Varda introduced new narrative and aesthetic techniques. They revolutionized French cinema by introducing new narrative techniques, distinctive visual styles, and a more spontaneous approach to filmmaking.
3. International Recognition: French cinema is renowned for its diversity and quality. Many French films have won prestigious awards at film festivals worldwide, including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
4. Government Support: The French government actively supports the film industry through funding policies, such as the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), which supports the production, distribution, and preservation of French films.
The National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) is tasked with promoting and supporting French film production through grants, funding, and tax incentives. This support helps to sustain the vitality and creativity of the French film industry.
5. Film Education: France places great importance on film education. Many internationally renowned film schools, such as La Fémis and the National School Louis-Lumière, train future filmmakers and cinema professionals.
3- The French “Exception culturelle”
The French cultural exception refers to the cultural policy implemented by France to protect and promote its national culture in the face of globalization, particularly in the fields of music, cinema, television, literature, and the arts in general. This policy aims to preserve cultural diversity, promote national artistic creation, and ensure access for the French public to a variety of French and European cultural works.
One of the most emblematic manifestations of the French cultural exception is the quota policy in audiovisual media, which requires broadcasters to reserve a certain proportion of their programming for national or European content. This policy aims to protect domestic production from the overwhelming dominance of foreign, especially American, content, while promoting cultural and linguistic diversity.
The French cultural exception is also defended internationally, particularly in the context of trade negotiations and international agreements, to ensure that national cultural policies can continue to operate without being hindered by international trade rules.
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