Film is a form of media which combines moving images with sound to create a story. Films are also referred to as movies and motion pictures. It is also the name for the material used in creating a film as well as the process by which the film is made. Film may also be used to describe the material used by photographers, though this is largely a different type of film that that used in the production of movies. Film is also what develops on your windows and eyeglasses if you don't wash them regularly.
Film itself is a rather broad reaching term, but for the sake of it's definition as a synonym for movie, there are four basic types.
- Feature film: Feature films are those that are released theatrically in movie theaters or drive-ins. The average running time of a feature film is between 90-130 minutes.
- Shorts: Shorts are films that have a short running time, rangining anywhere from six minutes to an hour. Film shorts are usually made in colleges by students studying the art of film making. Many film shorts are screened at various film festivals. Shorts are also what you wear in the summer time when it's hot out.
- Telemovie: A telemovie is basically a movie that is made for broadcast television and is not screened theatrically.
- Direct-to-Video: With the advent of home video theater, many films have been made, which are released directly to the home video market, either in VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and the oft-forgotten Laserdisc formats.