Meaning & use
shooting a film
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
The activity of recording scenes with cameras to make a film.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; it can be the subject or object of a sentence, and often follows 'be' or verbs like 'start'.
Patterns
- be shooting a film
- start shooting a film
- finish shooting a film
The director is shooting a film in the old town this week.
They spent three months shooting a film in the desert.
Shooting a film at night can be difficult because of the lighting.
Common combinations
- shooting a film on location
- The crew is shooting a film on location in Italy.
- start shooting a film
- They will start shooting a film next spring.
- be busy shooting a film
- She can't come to the party because she's busy shooting a film.
- shooting a film in black and white
- He insisted on shooting a film in black and white.
Synonyms and how they differ
- filming a movie
- Common in American English; it means the same but uses 'movie' instead of 'film'.
- making a film
- Broader: it includes all stages (writing, editing), not just the camera work.
Word family
- film shoot noun
- A session or period of filming.
- shoot noun
- Informal for a filming session, especially in the phrase 'on a shoot'.
Practice
The director ______ a film in the mountains right now.
Choose one answer.
'Is shooting' is correct because the action is happening now. 'Shoots' would be a habitual action, 'shoot' is the base form and needs a subject like 'they', and 'shooting' alone is not a complete verb phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shooting a film”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.