MacGuffin is a movie term coined by Alfred Hitchcock for a plot element or device that drives the action or logic of the plot. A MacGuffin is extremely important for the characters, but it is often ignored once it serves its purpose. For example, the sled in "Citizen Kane" is a MacGuffin.

Madcap comedy is a fast-paced, wild, and reckless humorous work, usually with plenty of slapstick humor, goofy and farcical action, and crazy characters. Also see "screwball comedy."

Made-fors, also known as made for TV, are short for feature-length movies filmed or specifically made-for-television, often mid-way in style between a short drama and a cinematic release. Also known as "telefilm" or "telepic."

Magic hour is the term for the optimum time for filming romantic or magical scenes due to warm and soft lighting conditions, characterized by a golden-orange hue color and softened shadows. Magic hour occurs for about 30 minutes around the time of sunset and sunrise. Also known as "golden hour."

Mainstream is the term for Hollywood-made film with major stars, big budgets, and big hype. Mainstream is in contrast to "independents." Its extreme opposite is termed "counter-cinema" (forms of alternative cinema, such as avant-garde, art films, Third World cinema, etc.).

Majors refers to the major Hollywood motion picture producer/distributor studios at the present time (i.e., DreamWorks SKG, MGM/UA, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony (Columbia/TriStar), Warner Bros, Universal, and Disney). Contrast to the smaller, mini-major production-distribution companies (i.e., Miramax, New Line Cinema, and Polygram) that compete directly with the bigger studios.

Make-up artists/hair are the crewmembers responsible for creating the specific “look” of each character. Designs and sets the actors’ hair and makeup, and is responsible for maintaining the continuity of that look between takes.

“Making of…” is a kind of specialized documentary that focuses on the production of a specific film. Most "making of..." documentaries are extended promotional advertisements before the release of the film, and almost all of them are shot while the film is in production. Some specialized documentaries of classic films (called "retrospectives"), made years after the film was released, gather interviews and behind-the-scenes clips, etc.

Mark is the name for the clapping of the sticks to sync up the sound and the picture. Also, something on the ground (tape, a stick, chalk, etc.) that lets the talent know where they should be for the shot.

Mask, or blackout, is the act of blocking out or covering up part of the camera frame with darkness or opaqueness. Most masks will be black. A mask would be necessary when portraying a character looking through binoculars.

A master shot is a continuous shot or long take that shows the main action or setting of an entire scene (most scenes are shot with one or two master angles and then broken up into a series of smaller or tighter angles during editing (such as one-shots, two-shots, close-ups, and reaction shots). A "master" refers to a positive print made especially for duplication purposes.

A match cut is a transitional technique for cutting between two unrelated shots that are deliberately linked or matched by a physical, aural, visual, or metaphorical parallelism.

A matte shot is the optical process of combining (or compositing) separately-photographed shots (usually actors in the foreground and the setting in the background) onto one print through a double exposure that does not meld two images on top of each other, but masks off (or makes opaque and blank) part of the frame area for one exposure and the opposite area for another exposure. The second image is printed in the masked-off area. It is a photographic technique whereby a matte painting or artwork from a matte artist, usually painted on glass, is combined with live-action footage to provide a convincing setting for the action. Also sometimes known as "split-screen."

Medium shot refers to a conventional camera shot filmed from a medium distance. Although it is difficult to precisely define, a medium shot usually refers to a shot of a human figure from the waist (or knees) up, to see body language clearly (but not facial expressions). Abbreviated as "m.s."

A megaplex, or multiplex, refers to movie chains (i.e., Loews, AMC Theatres) with movie theatres that screen more than one film at a time, as opposed to single-screen theatres. A multiplex has from 2 up to 16 screens, a megaplex has 16 or more screens. "Plex" is the abbreviation for a multiplex theatre.

Meisner technique is an acting program that focuses on in-the-moment exercises to emphasize spontaneity through communication between actors, creating an emotional reality.

Melodrama originally referred to "a drama accompanied by music," this is a film characterized by expressive plots with strong and intensified emotion, often with elements of pathos, illness and hardship. Called "women's films" or "weepies" (tearjerkers) during the 1940s. Also known as "meller." Sometimes used disparagingly to describe films that are manipulative and crudely appeal to emotions. See also "chick flicks."

A metaphor is a filmic device in which a scene, character, object, or action may be associated, identified, or interpreted as an implied representation of something else (that is unrelated).

Method acting is a style of acting first expounded by Konstantine Stanislavsky in the early 1900s, and popularized by Lee Strasberg (1899-1982) in the US in his Actors Studio. Method acting refers to actors who gave realistic performances based upon and drawn from their own personal experiences and emotions. Refers to not emoting in the traditional manner of stage conventions but to speak and gesture in a manner used in private life.

Midnight movies are offbeat, often independent (non-Hollywood) counter-cultural cult films exhibited at theatres for late-night shows, sometimes involving audience participation; appealed to various small segments of niche audiences with different tastes. These films (originally sexual thrillers, slasher flicks, etc.) were often box-office bombs upon initial release but then gained a faithful following. The phenomenon of midnight movies began in the early 1970s, then mostly disappeared in the 1980s, but has recently been revived.

A mime, short for pantomime, is a form of acting without words, emphasizing facial expressions, body movements, and gestures; common during the silent film era.

Miniatures are small-scale model photographed in a certain way to give off the illusion they are larger than what they actually are. This specific shot is known as a "miniature shot."

A minimum guarantee is a cash advance payable to the producer by the distributor in exchange for the exclusive rights to distribute a film in contractually stipulated media in a stipulated sales territory.

Miscast is a term that refers to a performer who is completely wrong, untalented, or unbelievable for the role in which they have been cast.

Mine en scène is a French term for "staging," or "putting into the scene or shot." In film theory, mine en scène refers to the sum total of all the factors or elements placed (by the director) before the camera and within the frame of the film, to affect the artistic look and feel of the shot, including their visual arrangement and composition. Elements include settings, decor, props, actors, costumes, makeup, lighting, performances, and character movements and positioning. Lengthy, un-cut, unedited and uninterrupted sequences shot in real-time are often cited as examples of mise-en-scene. Contrast to "montage."

A mix, or the process of mixing, is an electrical combination of different sounds, dialogue, music, and sound effects from microphones, tape, and other sources onto the film's master soundtrack during post-production. "Dubbing" (or re-recording) refers to the mixing of all soundtracks into a single composite track. The soundtrack is blended by a mixer (chief sound recording technician).

A mockumentary is a fictional, farcical film that has the style, look and feel of a documentary, with irreverent humor, parody, or slapstick, that is deliberately designed to mock the documentary or subject that it features. Related to docudrama (a film that depicts real people and actual events in their lives).

A modern classic refers to a Popular, critically-acclaimed film in recent years, believed to be destined to become an all-time classic. For example, "The Social Network" is considered a modern classic.

A mogul refers to a domineering, autocratic head of a major film studio. Most commonly used when the studio system dominated filmmaking. Now, a mogul is popularly called a "studio chief."

Monetize is the term for converting a contract to pay funds at a future date into cash right now.

Money shot is a term originally borrowed from the pornographic film industry, referring to a scene, image, revelation, or climactic moment that gives the audience "their money's worth," may have cost the most money to produce, and may be the key to the movie's success. The money shot is also known as the "payoff shot."

A monitor is a a small television screen hooked up to the camera or recording device that allows crew other than the camera operator to check the quality of a scene as it is being shot or to check and see if it needs to be reshot.

A monologue is a scene or a portion of a script in which an actor gives a lengthy, unbroken speech without interruption by another character. See also "soliloquy." See "Best Film Speeches and Monologues."

A montage is a French word literally meaning "editing," "putting together," or "assembling shots"; refers to a filming technique, editing style, or form of movie collage consisting of a series of short shots or images that are rapidly put together into a coherent sequence to create a composite picture. A montage usually suggests and conveys meaning or a larger idea or theme, or denotes the passage of time. In simple terms, it refers to the structure of editing within a film and is not usually accompanied with dialogue. Dissolves, cuts, fades, super-impositions, and wipes are often used to link the images in a montage sequence. Contrast to mise-en-scene

Moppet is a term for a child or pre-teen child actor.

A morality tale, also known as a morality play, is a literary term mostly, but used also to refer to a film (often heavy-handed and obvious in tone) that presents a judgment on the goodness/badness of human behavior and character, and emphasizes the struggle between good and evil.

Morph is a term for the transformation of one digital image into another with computer animation.

Motif refers to a recurrent thematic element in a film that is repeated in a significant way or pattern. Examples of motifs are a symbol, stylistic device, image, object, word, spoken phrase, line, or sentence within a film that points to a theme.

Motion pictures refers to the length of film (with or without sound) with a sequence of images that create an illusion of movement when projected. Originally referred to the motion or movement (due to the principle of persistence of vision) perceived when a string of celluloid-recorded images were projected at a rate of 16 or more frames per second. An art form, and one of the most popular forms of entertainment, known archaically as a photoplay during the silent era.

Motivation refers to lighting (or a light source) that is naturally existing in the real world, i.e., from a lamppost, table lamp, sunlight shining through a window, etc., that appears in a scene; for the lighting to appear natural in a film scene, it should seem to be coming from light sources that are visible or implied within the scene. The opposite effect is "unmotivated lighting."

Motivated is a term for the reason a character pursues a particular objective or super objective.

Mouse House is a slang term for the Walt Disney Co. or any division thereof. Refers to the company's most famous animated character, Mickey Mouse.

MPAA is an acronym for “Motion Picture Association of America.” The MPAA is an organization that represents the interests of the primary motion picture studios, including film ratings.

MTV-style editing refers to the style of filming and editing first found on the MTV cable channel in the 1980s and its music videos, consisting of rapidly-cut shots, fast-paced action, jump-cuts, fast-edits, and numerous camera angles.

Mumblecore is a type of independent film movement that originated in the early 2000s. It’s often characterized by naturalistic acting that’s occasionally improvised. The plots generally focus on a group of people in their 20s or 30s dealing with terrible jobs or bad relationships.

A musical is a film genre category denoting a film that emphasizes segments of song and dance interspersed within the action and dialogue; known for its distinctive artists, stars, singers, and dancers. The two major types are "backstage" musicals and "music-integrated" musicals.

Mute refers to a print with only the picture image, minus the soundtrack.

Stage 32 Glossary

MacGuffin

madcap comedy

made-fors (made for TV)

magic hour

mainstream

majors

make-up artist / hair

making of...

mark

mask (blackout)

master shot

match cut

matte shot

medium shot

megaplex (multiplex)

Meisner technique

melodrama

metaphor

method acting

midnight movies

mime (or pantomime)

miniature

minimum guarantee

miscast

mise en scène

mix (mixing)

mockumentary

modern classic

mogul

monetize

money shot

monitor

monologue

montage

moppet

morality tale (morality play)

morph

motif

motion pictures (movies, pic(s), pix, or "moving pictures")

motivated

motivation

Mouse House

MPAA

MTV-style editing

mumblecore (film)

musical (film)

mute