The world would be a lot more boring without figurative language. Look at your favorite novel, essay, monologue, script– you’re guaranteed to find at least a few figurative language examples. But what is figurative language? And what are its different types? We’re going to answer those questions by outlining a figurative language definition alongside a myriad of examples. Now, let’s define figurative language, see what forms it can take, and how it can be used! Continue reading 7 Types of Figurative Language (With Examples)
Montages are crucial to the filmmaking language. A great montage can last in your audience’s head long after they’ve left a theater or turned off their television. But creating a great montage requires planning– how are your shots going to interact? In this post, we’ll look at how to storyboard montage sequences to know how they will look before even arriving on set.Continue reading Storyboard Montage — A Guide to Pre-Visualizing a Montage
In narrative filmmaking, the relationship between the director and the actors is arguably the most important relationship on set. And yet, for many directors beginning their careers, the process of working with an actor can seem mystifying. No one director collaborates with actors the same way, and yet many of the most celebrated actors’ directors follow certain tenets. Study up, and you can help create a great performance.Continue reading Directing Actors — How to Get the Best Performances
This opening paragraph is a hook to get you to keep reading. And just as a blog post needs to quickly capture the interest of a reader, a screenplay needs to grab the attention of its audience. Scripts with great hooks are more likely to be read all the way through, and scripts that are read all the way through are more likely to turn into movies. In this post, we teach you how to write the first ten pages of a screenplay. Are you hooked?Continue reading How to Write the First Ten Pages of a Screenplay
Watch any film by David Lynch, and you’ll see that he has a singular style. The focus of his films varies — from chaotic romances to high school murders — but there are recurring themes and moods that the director evokes. Because of this, many critics and fans have begun using the term “Lynchian” to describe films or even real-life events that have that Lynch flavor. But what does Lynchian mean exactly? Let's rock!Continue reading What Does Lynchian Mean — David Lynch’s Cinematic Style
Production call sheets are arguably the backbone of a well-run film production. They provide all the crucial information everyone needs to know before they show up on set. Without a call sheet, it is exponentially more difficult to maintain professionalism, organization, and efficiency during your shoot. Let’s look at what call sheets do, why they're important, and what you need to know to make one.Continue reading How to Make a Production Call Sheet From Start to Finish
Humans are multitaskers. We can listen to the news while doing dishes; we can pat our heads and rub our stomachs; and we can walk and talk. Humans in movies and TV especially love to do the last option. The walk and talk is a strategy used by directors in countless shows and films. Let’s look at how the walk and talk works, where it shows up, and why you may want to use it.Continue reading The Walk and Talk in Film & TV — Writing & Shooting Tips
There’s no one way to make a movie. In fact, there’s an infinite number of ways to make one. But in Hollywood, the general contours of a film’s creation hit similar story beats (to borrow a screenwriting term). Whether you are helming a massive studio blockbuster or grinding away at a microbudget indie film, the stages of film production often are the same. Continue reading Stages of Film Production — Overview of the Entire Process
Yorgos Lanthimos films are always a tangled knot of provocations. The filmmaker came out of the Greek Weird Wave, and the years have not faded the weirdness in his works. Lanthimos’s newest and biggest film to date, Poor Things, is as unwieldy and playful as what first earned Lanthimos international recognition. So, of course, the question must be asked: when the Victorian dust has settled, what is Poor Things about? Continue reading What is Poor Things About — Plot and Themes Explained
Making a movie is an extraordinary accomplishment that requires skill, perseverance, and a little bit of luck. But just because you’ve made a movie doesn’t mean anyone is going to see it. That’s where marketing comes in. What is film marketing? And what marketing approaches are most effective? Let’s break it down.Continue reading What is Film Marketing — How to Sell Movies to an Audience
