The Film Studies Dictionary

This volume is designed to bridge the gap between guides and dictionaries that are primarily academic and theoretical and those that deal mainly in technical jargon.

Above all it is aimed at students of film and media who are likely to encounter a wide range of specialist language in a variety of places - in film reviews, critical writing, interviews with film-makers and stars, academic publications and on the Internet.

This dictionary aims to make this specialist language accessible and many entries use examples taken from a wide range of feature and other kinds of films to illustrate concepts in operation.

Whilst some of the entries are appropriately concise, others are more akin to short essays where topics need more in-depth coverage.The dictionary contains around 1000 entries ranging from terms that have always puzzled audiences such as "best boy" and "gaffer" to those required by specialist students of film such as "post-colonial theory" and "third cinema".

It uses a system of cross-referencing and concise and up-to-date references to further reading for further exploration.The authors are all experienced academics teaching film in a variety of contexts in both Britain and the US, and the guide is focused around their knowledge of the needs of students taking courses in film and media at A-level and undergraduate level.