photoplay

English

Etymology

From photo- +‎ play.

Noun

photoplay (plural photoplays)

1. A theatrical play that has been filmed for showing as a movie.
2. A novel adapted from a movie and illustrated with photographic stills taken from the film. Usage largely confined to the silent era of Hollywood.
3. (dated) A motion picture, especially a silent film.
   • 1913, Epes Winthrop Sargent, The Technique of the Photoplay, New York, page 30:

     The three essentials of the photoplay are the Synopsis, the Cast and the Plot of Action.

Derived terms

• photoplayer