Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an
art form, and the
motion picture industry. Films are produced by
recording images from the world with
cameras, or by creating images using
animation techniques or
special effects.
Films are
cultural artifacts created by specific
cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important
art form, a source of popular entertainment and a powerful method for
educating — or
indoctrinating— citizens. The visual elements of cinema gives motion pictures a
universal power of communication. Some films have become popular
worldwide attractions by using
dubbing or
subtitles that
translate the dialogue.
Traditional films are made up of a series of individual images
called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a
viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see
the flickering between
frames due to an effect known as
persistence of vision,
whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after
the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a
psychological effect called
beta movement.
The origin of the name "film" comes from the fact that
photographic film (also called
film stock) had historically been the primary
medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist for an individual motion picture, including
picture,
picture show,
photo-play,
flick. A common name for film in the United States is
movie, while the Europeans prefer
cinema. Additional terms for the field in general include
the big screen,
the silver screen,
the cinema and
the movies.