The United States film industry is the oldest film industry in the world.  It is also the largest in terms of revenue.  Los Angeles, California is the center of the United States film industry.  The film industry general consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking.  These include film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film personnel.

A production company is a company responsible for the development and physical production of the film.  The company may also be directly responsible for raising funds for the production.  A coproduction is a film made by more than one production companies.  The production company may sell its product to a film studio or may itself be the studio.  A movie studio or a film studio is a company that distributes films.

Cinematography is the choice of lighting and camera when recording photographic images for the film.  Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for films.  Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience.

A film festival is a cinematic festival that features films which are shown over the course of between a few days to a few weeks.  Festivals are places for films and filmmakers particularly in the case of independent films to gain exposure and critical buzz and, in many cases, distribution.  Sundance and Cannes are examples of film festivals.

A film cast is the actors who appear in front of the camera or provide voices for characters in the film.  Cast is distinguished from crew.  A film crew is a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a film or motion picture. A film crew is divided into different departments, each of which specializes in a specific aspect of the film production.  These departments include art department, hair and make-up department, wardrobe department, camera department, production sound department, electrical department, editorial department, visual effects department, and sound/music department.