Documentary and Nonfiction Film Production Companies Key Terms

Determine documentary and nonfiction film production companies key terms to optimize business communications

Understanding documentary and nonfiction film production companies key terms helps you professionally as you work with others in the business. Not only does it help you in basic communications, but it also displays an advanced level of professionalism on your part.

Learning the lingo and the history behind documentary and nonfiction film production companies key terms gives you a deeper understanding of the industry and how it works. It also keeps you current on trends in the field.

Above the line

This term refers to film costs covering major creative talent such as actors, directors, producers and writers.

Adaptation

An adaptation takes one art form and presents it in another medium. For example, an adaptation could include a film version of a popular book or a stage version of a film. The adaptation maintains historical settings and a majority of the original dialogue.

Character actor

This is the term for an actor specializing in a stereotypical or otherwise recognizable part or behavior. The type of actor is familiar with typecasting.

Genres

There are many genres, or categories, in documentary and nonfiction. Some of these include autobiographical or ethnographic documentary, direct cinema, compilation films and television documentary journalism. Non-fiction includes memoirs and autobiographies.

Narrative film

This type of film covers a series of events in a structured format. Using cause and effect, the events themselves provide the plot for the films. The story lines tend to run in a linear or chronological format.
Center for History and New Media offers a detailed explanation of how narrative films work. It offers the history of the process and the equipment used to make this type of film.

Time lapse

This filming method is popular in documentaries. Videographers shoot the frames at a slow rate, letting action happen between the shots. This makes the action seem quicker in the final film. This type of filming is popular in nature scenes depicting topics such as plants growing or seasons changing.

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