Dictionary of Film Terms

Contents: Term Index - Movie Index - Topical Index - Artist Index.

Frank Eugene Beaver is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Emeritus of Screen Arts and Cultures at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. For more than fifty years he has been a film teacher, film historian and film critic, and currently writes the monthly column «Talking About Movies» for MICHIGAN-TODAY, a world-wide on-line magazine.

«The beauty of Frank Beaver's Dictionary of Film Terms is not simply the precision and depth of the individual entries, nor the range of film beyond the Hollywood narrative that is covers, but the citation of a broad range of concrete examples for many of the entries. Beaver's command of motion picture history shines through. He assembles excellent examples - both historical and contemporary - that help the reader call to mind the specific film technique, technical process, narrative device, genre, etc. Beaver's Dictionary is anything but dry it's more like reading an enlightening catalog of all the things we love about motion pictures.» (Michael Frierson, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
«I was so fortunate to get Frank Beaver's Dictionary of Film Terms in my first ever film class. This updated edition promises to deliver on multiple cylinders for the new generation of filmmakers. It expands to cover new trends in the film industry, technological developments, as well as exhibition platforms. It is concise while also managing to be thorough and cover a plethora of subjects. Not only does it provide a platform for understanding individual film topics, it also helps one understand how different elements of cinema are connected. Talking the talk is an essential part of navigating the film industry, from production to development, and this handbook will equip you with the tools to get where you need to go.» (Sultan Sharrief, Award-Winning Filmmaker/Media Educator)
«As cinema's Samuel Johnson, Frank Beaver has thoroughly catalogued the essential terms used in the world of film production and scholarship. He has, for decades, been a trusted guide and companion, helping us to fluently negotiate the many tongues of the motion picture medium. The practitioner, the scholar, the student and the film buff, will all find this text an essential reference.» (Mick Hurbis-Cherrier, Hunter College - CUNY)