MockoCinema is a rich and productive topic in TEF texts: a listening dialogue about a film seen last weekend, a reading passage from a film magazine, a speaking prompt asking you to describe your favourite film. The vocabulary needed is specific to the industry and its professions. At B1 level you are expected to talk about films using the correct French words for the people who make them, not just "la personne qui fait les films." This lesson focuses on cinema professions and the language of discussing films so you can handle any cinema-themed task with precision.
What you’ll learn
- Name and define cinema professions in French (writer, producer, director, actor, extra, critic)
- Use film vocabulary in descriptions, recommendations, and discussions
- Understand a cinema-related listening or reading text using precise professional terms
- Produce a short structured opinion about a film or cinema professional
Cinema professions
These are the core professional roles in cinema. TEF texts mention them by name, and you need to know what each person does.
- le réalisateur / la réalisatrice: director (the person who directs the film)
- le metteur en scène / la metteuse en scène: director (more common in theatre, but used in cinema too)
- le scénariste / la scénariste: screenwriter
- le producteur / la productrice: producer (finances and oversees the film)
- l'acteur / l'actrice: actor / actress
- la vedette / la star: star, lead actor
- le figurant / la figurante: extra (background actor with no lines)
- le critique (de cinéma): (film) critic
- le directeur de la photographie / le chef opérateur: director of photography, cinematographer
- le monteur / la monteuse: film editor
- le compositeur / la compositrice: composer (of the film soundtrack)
- le costumier / la costumière: costume designer
Le réalisateur et le scénariste ont travaillé ensemble pendant deux ans pour développer le script avant de convaincre un producteur de financer le film.
The director and the screenwriter worked together for two years to develop the script before convincing a producer to finance the film.
Réalisateur vs. producteur
- TEF texts frequently test this distinction. The réalisateur is the creative director of the film on set. The producteur manages the financing and logistics. A film can have the same person in both roles (a réalisateur-producteur), but they are distinct functions. If you hear "c'est lui qui a supervisé le budget", that is the producteur. If you hear "c'est elle qui a dirigé les acteurs", that is the réalisatrice.
Film types and genres
Naming the genre correctly signals comprehension of a text and sounds natural in a speaking answer.
- un long métrage: a feature film (full length)
- un court métrage: a short film
- un documentaire: a documentary
- une comédie: a comedy
- un drame: a drama
- un film d'action: an action film
- un film d'horreur: a horror film
- un film d'animation: an animated film
- un film historique: a historical film
- un film policier: a crime / detective film
- un film de science-fiction: a science fiction film
- un film romantique: a romantic film
Son premier long métrage était un court documentaire sur des musiciens de rue. Aujourd'hui, elle réalise des drames historiques reconnus dans le monde entier.
Her first feature was a short documentary about street musicians. Today she makes historical dramas recognised around the world.
The cinema experience
Beyond professions and genres, TEF dialogues often describe going to the cinema as a social activity. This vocabulary covers the whole experience.
- la salle (de cinéma): the cinema (the venue)
- le grand écran: the big screen
- la séance: the showing, the screening
- la bande-annonce: the trailer
- les sous-titres: subtitles
- doublé(e): dubbed (a film dubbed into French)
- la version originale (VO) / la version originale sous-titrée (VOST): original language version / with subtitles
- la version française (VF): French-dubbed version
- la bande originale (BO): original soundtrack
- les effets spéciaux: special effects
- une critique (de film): a film review
- avoir de bonnes / mauvaises critiques: to get good / bad reviews
Nous avons vu le film en version originale sous-titrée. La bande originale était magnifique et les effets spéciaux vraiment impressionnants. Il a eu d'excellentes critiques.
We saw the film in the original language with subtitles. The soundtrack was magnificent and the special effects truly impressive. It got excellent reviews.
Talking about a film: key verbs and adjectives
In a speaking task about a film, these verbs and adjectives make your answer sound specific and personal rather than generic.
- tourner un film: to shoot a film
- sortir en salle: to be released in cinemas
- interpréter un rôle: to play a role
- incarner un personnage: to portray a character (slightly more literary)
- être nommé(e) aux Césars / aux Oscars: to be nominated for the Césars / Oscars
- remporter un prix: to win an award
- passionnant(e): gripping, fascinating
- poignant(e): poignant
- décevant(e): disappointing
- bien ficelé(e): well crafted (literally "well tied together")
- tiré(e) d'un roman: based on a novel
L'actrice interprète un rôle poignant dans ce film tiré d'un roman autobiographique. Elle a été nommée aux Césars pour sa performance.
The actress plays a poignant role in this film based on an autobiographical novel. She was nominated for the Césars for her performance.
Giving a film recommendation
A TEF speaking task sometimes asks you to recommend or not recommend a film. This is also a common format for short writing tasks. Here is a natural structure.
- 1Name the film and its genre: "Je vous recommande... C'est un drame / une comédie..."
- 2Say who made it and who stars in it: "Il a été réalisé par... avec... dans le rôle principal."
- 3Describe the plot briefly (without spoilers): "L'histoire raconte... / Ça parle de..."
- 4Give two reasons to watch it (or one reason and one reservation): "Ce qui m'a le plus frappé(e), c'est... Cependant, certaines scènes sont assez longues."
- 5Close with a clear recommendation: "Je le recommande vivement / Je le déconseille si..."
Je vous recommande "Intouchables", un drame avec Omar Sy dans le rôle principal. Il a été réalisé par Toledano et Nakache. L'histoire raconte l'amitié entre un homme riche handicapé et son aide-soignant. Ce qui m'a le plus touché, c'est la justesse du jeu des acteurs. Je le recommande vivement.
I recommend "The Intouchables", a drama starring Omar Sy in the lead role. It was directed by Toledano and Nakache. The story tells of the friendship between a wealthy disabled man and his carer. What moved me most was the precision of the acting. I strongly recommend it.
How to practise this
Practice ideas for cinema vocabulary
- Read the French version of a film summary on Allociné (allocine.fr). Notice how the site uses réalisateur, acteurs principaux, synopsis, and critique. Read three film pages in ten minutes: the vocabulary will repeat and stick.
- Record a two-minute film recommendation using the five-step structure above. Choose a film you know well so you spend your energy on the French, not on remembering the plot.
- Translate the credits of one film into French. "Directed by" becomes "Réalisé par". "Written by" becomes "Scénario de". "Produced by" becomes "Produit par". This is an efficient way to learn cinema profession vocabulary in a real context.
Key takeaways
- Réalisateur (director) and producteur (producer) are distinct roles: the director creates the film artistically; the producer finances and organises it.
- Figurant (extra) is the specific word for a background actor with no lines: it is a vocabulary item that appears in TEF texts about film sets.
- VO, VOST, and VF are standard French cinema abbreviations: TEF listening tasks sometimes mention them when discussing film preferences.
- The five-step recommendation structure works for any film task in speaking or writing: name, credit, plot, two observations, verdict.
- Bien ficelé, poignant, and décevant are precise critical vocabulary that marks a clear B1 level of film discussion.
