A Glossary of Screenwriting Terms & Filmmaking Definitions

Master the language of cinema with this comprehensive glossary of screenwriting and filmmaking terms. Whether you're a beginning screenwriter or an experienced filmmaker, understanding industry terminology is essential for professional communication.

Screenwriting Terms

Action Line: The descriptive text in a screenplay that describes what the audience sees and hears on screen, excluding dialogue.

Beat: A single unit of story action or a pause in dialogue indicating a moment of thought or emotional shift.

Cold Open: A technique where a story begins with action before the title sequence, commonly used in television.

Dialogue: The spoken words of characters in a screenplay, centered on the page beneath the character name.

EXT./INT.: Abbreviations for Exterior and Interior, used at the beginning of scene headings to indicate location.

Filmmaking Terms

Coverage: The variety of camera angles and shots used to capture a scene during production.

Mise-en-scène: Everything visible in the frame — set design, lighting, costumes, and actor positioning.

Shot List: A document listing every camera setup needed for a scene or sequence during production.

Story Structure Terms

Inciting Incident: The event that sets the main story in motion and disrupts the protagonist's ordinary world.

Midpoint: A major turning point roughly halfway through the story that raises the stakes and shifts the direction.

Climax: The highest point of tension in the story where the central conflict reaches its peak.