Most children arrive in school already knowing something about the language of the moving image. As teachers, we also bring experience of film to the classroom. What may be missing, however, is the vocabulary with which to share and extend what we know. Some of the terms we teach in Literacy are interchangeable with that of film e.g. ‘character’, ‘setting’, ‘build-up’, ‘climax’, ‘resolution’ etc. However, there is some additional vocabulary that needs to be introduced when using film with children; these terms contribute to the understanding of how film texts are constructed as well as providing a language with which to discuss what is seen.

On the next page you will find the main terms that children need to be familiar with.