Filmischer

Filmischer is the attributive form of the German adjective filmisch, meaning relating to film or characteristic of cinema. In film studies and criticism, filmisch describes qualities or techniques that are understood as arising from the medium of motion pictures, as opposed to other media such as theatre or literature.

Typical filmische elements include camera work, montage, mise-en-scène, lighting, sound design, and editing pace. The term is used to discuss how a work looks and feels as a result of cinematic language, for example in the phrase eine filmische Umsetzung eines Romans or eine filmische Ästhetik. It can denote either the visual style or the overall cinematic effect, and is often used when analyzing the language of cinema rather than story alone.

Grammatical note: Filmischer is the masculine nominative singular attributive form; adjectives decline with gender, case and number. Examples: der filmische Stil (masc nom), den filmischen Stil (masc acc), die filmische Darstellung (fem nom), das filmische Bild (neut nom), die filmischen Stile (pl).

In English, the equivalent terms are filmic or cinematic. The German usage encompasses both the general “cinematic” and more specific “film language” aspects.