Mike Bedard is a graduate of UCLA. He’s a screenwriter based out of Los Angeles who’s written several short films as well as sketch comedy for various theaters around LA. He’s also written articles for sites like Cracked and Ranker.
Best Horror MoviesOpen menu Best Horror Movies of All Time Best Zombie Movies Best Vampire Movies Best Jump Scare Movies Best Stephen King Movies and TV Shows Best Underrated Horror Movies EssentialsOpen menu What is Horror Body Horror Explained Giallo Films Explained Horror Movie Tropes Found Footage Filmmaking What is a Grindhouse Movie Horror WritingOpen… Continue reading 30 Best Underrated Horror Movies To Watch This Halloween
What is black comedy? Have you ever watched a movie or TV show and wondered how the characters could joke about violence, disease, or war? That’s what we refer to as black comedy. It goes by many names. Dark humor. Gallows humor. Dark comedy. It all means the same thing. And in this blog, you’ll learn… Continue reading What is Black Comedy — Definition and Examples for Filmmakers
Art DepartmentOpen menu Art Director Production Designer Prop Master Storyboard Artist Concept Artist Set Dresser Ultimate Guide to Film Crew Positions Free Film Crew Management Software → You may have watched a film’s end credits and thought to yourself, “What is an art director in film?” After all, numerous industries, such as fashion, publishing, and… Continue reading What is an Art Director in Film — Job Description Explained
EssentialsOpen menu What is Sound Design Sound Editing vs Sound Mixing What is Voice Over What is Diegetic Sound What is Non-Diegetic Sound What is a Film Score TechniquesOpen menu Ultimate Guide to Sound Recording Filmmaker’s Guide to Sound Effect Techniques What is a Sound Bridge What is The Shepard Tone How to Design a… Continue reading 60 Best Movie Songs Of All Time — Top Needle Drops, Ranked
BasicsOpen menu Basics of Film Lighting What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur Lighting EssentialsOpen menu 3-Point Lighting What is Key Light What is Fill Light What is Backlight What is Practical Lighting When is Golden Hour E-BooksOpen menu FREE Ebook: Camera Lenses Explained… Continue reading How to Master Rembrandt Lighting in Photography and Video
BasicsOpen menu What is a Green Screen? Blue Screen vs Green Screen DIY Green ScreenOpen menu How to Make a Green Screen How to Use a Green Screen Green Screen Color Green Screen Lighting EditingOpen menu Best Green Screen Software Best Green Screen Background Videos How to Use a Green Screen in iMovie Green screens… Continue reading How to Make a Green Screen & DIY Green Screen Hacks
What’s the internal temperature of a Tauntaun? Lukewarm. A pun is so much more than your average joke. It demonstrates an ability to expertly maneuver your way around language for humorous or rhetorical effect. Whether you want to add a dad joke or a hidden Easter egg to your script, you should learn the answer… Continue reading What is a Pun — Definition, Examples, and Tips on Writing Them
Christmas is a time of year associated with presents, good cheer, and depending on who you ask, a great deal of gore and monsters. There’s just something about the jolly holiday season that makes for excellent juxtaposition with the horror genre. There have been plenty of mash-ups and slasher flicks that take place around Christmas,… Continue reading 20 Best Christmas Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked
Since his feature-length debut in 1986 with She’s Gotta Have It, Spike Lee has remained one of the most important and innovative voices in the film industry. No one has had their pulse on the zeitgeist quite like Lee, and even when he flounders, you can’t help but be impressed with what he manages to… Continue reading Best Spike Lee Movies and TV Shows — Ranked for Filmmakers
BasicsOpen menu What is a Green Screen? Blue Screen vs Green Screen DIY Green ScreenOpen menu How to Make a Green Screen How to Use a Green Screen Green Screen Color Green Screen Lighting EditingOpen menu Best Green Screen Software Best Green Screen Background Videos How to Use a Green Screen in iMovie In filmmaking,… Continue reading Green Screen Lighting: How to Ensure Your Backgrounds Pop
Television shows have a lot of moving parts — almost every show employs numerous writers and directors. So, how do you make sure everything functions as it should while guaranteeing the overall creative vision of the series? This is the job of a showrunner — a position more like the conductor of an orchestra. We’ll… Continue reading What is a Showrunner — What it Means to Literally Run the Show
What are the best horror movies of all time? From zombies to your nextdoor neighbor, films have found fear from a wide variety of sources over the decades. In this blog, we’re providing all of you filmmakers out there with the definitive list of the best horror films ever made. We’ll discuss what makes each… Continue reading 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
From Sri Lanka to ancient Greece, the myth of the vampire has permeated virtually every society throughout history. The myth typically arose to explain sudden deaths caused by illnesses but attributed those tragedies to a horrific creature of the night. Over the years, vampires have gone on to symbolize the darker side of humanity and… Continue reading 30 Best Vampire Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
Plot TropesOpen menu What is a Trope What is a Cliche Flashback MacGuffin Plot Twist Red Herring FREE Movie Scripts: StudioBinder Screenwriting Library Write Your Script for Free A briefcase full of money. A Persian rug. Important documents. Technically, all of these story elements answer the question: “What is a MacGuffin?” However, the term has… Continue reading What is a MacGuffin — Definition and Examples
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is one of the most well-known philosophical concepts in history. As such, it only makes sense that numerous filmmakers would try to incorporate this philosophy into their movies. But what exactly is it? And why does it work so well in the context of filmmaking? We’ll look at this concept… Continue reading Plato’s Allegory of the Cave — Summary & Meaning Explained
Mumblecore is one of those genres that’s difficult to put into words, but you know a mumblecore film when you see it. There generally isn’t a lot of action. The plot’s mainly driven by dialogue that has a naturalistic feeling. They are intimate stories focused on the small parts of existence most people wouldn’t pay… Continue reading Best Mumblecore Movies — Ranked for DIY Filmmaker in You
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → You’ve likely heard of an anti-hero – a protagonist who lacks common heroic attributes like morality and courage. But… Continue reading What is an Anti-Villain — Definition, Types and Examples
Why are major Hollywood movies so expensive these days? It seems like everything costs at least $200 million to make. Surely, there has to be a happy medium between indies and blockbusters. As it turns out, while the average movie budget has exploded over the last few decades, it’s still a far cry from your… Continue reading Average Movie Budget — How Much Do Movies Cost to Make?
Editing EssentialsOpen menu What is Film Editing Types of Editing Transitions How to Become a Film Editor What is a Film Cut What is a Freeze Frame DownloadablesOpen menu Free Video Transitions Free Sound Effects for Video Editing Best Free Video LUTs Ding Sound Effect Download Muzzle Flash Effect Download Free Fog Overlay Templates Editing… Continue reading What is a Jump Cut? 5 Ways to Use Jump Cuts in Film
The bigger the budget, the more that’s at stake. While many directors never have to worry about films costing over a few million (if that), there are some who regularly operate in the area of $200 million. It begs the question: what is the most expensive movie ever made? We’ve adjusted the budgets of various… Continue reading What is the Most Expensive Movie Ever Made — Top 25 Ranked
