Introducing the reader to definitions of the founding concepts in film studies, this guide covers such ideas as authorship and genre, technological impacts and the rise of digital cinema, social influences and notions of the avant-garde, and cinema's emergence as a major art form that reflects and shapes the world. In concise and clear sections, it explores how major works—from the classic French realist La Regle de Jeu to the dazzling animation of Norman McLaren and the memorial documentary of Shoah—were conceived, developed, and produced, and eventually received by the public, critics, and film history. Offering a concise overview of a vast and compelling subject, it is a resource for both the film enthusiast and the film student.