What is slapstick comedy? Is it the same thing as physical comedy? And where does the name come from? We will be answering all of these questions, plus taking a trip through the history and evolution of slapstick, and looking at a number of great slapstick comedy examples from classic and modern movies. First, let’s… Continue reading What is Slapstick Comedy — Movie Genres Explained
It was not long ago that the idea of virtual reality seemed to only be realized in science fiction. But now, VR technology is becoming increasingly popular on Christmas wish lists, office spaces, and viral videos. With its increasing popularity many fear it, others embrace it, and some simply wonder, “What is virtual reality?” In… Continue reading What is Virtual Reality — Games, Movies & Storytelling
What is a Slasher film? The name of this popular horror sub-genre might evoke a strong mental image, but do you know the actual criteria for what constitutes a Slasher film? In this post, we’ll provide a Slasher movie definition, explore the complex history of Slasher films, and take a look at some of the… Continue reading What is a Slasher Film — Definition, Characters, Villains & Tropes
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 What is Dolby Stereo — History of Game-Changing Sound in Film
What is realism in film? We hear the term “realistic” all the time, but how do we know if something is realistic when realism is so subjective? Well, in storytelling, there is an objective way to tell whether or not something is realistic. We’re going to explore what realism is and how it’s used in… Continue reading What is Realism in Film? Cinematic Realism Explained
Color BasicsOpen menu What is Color Temperature Color Grading vs. Color Correction What is LUT What is Technicolor First Color Movie Film Colorization Process Color SchemesOpen menu What is a Color Palette What is a Color Scheme Triadic Color Scheme Monochromatic Color Scheme Analogous Color Scheme Complementary Color Scheme FREE Ebook: How to Use Color… Continue reading What is Technicolor? Definition and History Explained
What is an experimental film? This elusive and niche genre can be difficult to define, and there are many common misconceptions about experimental filmmaking, but we’ll be sorting through the fact and the fiction to provide a comprehensive overview of what it means for a film to be “experimental”. We’ll get started with a definition,… Continue reading What is Experimental Film — History, Examples & Movements
Before the 1950s, nearly every single movie was in the same 4:3 aspect ratio. But then CinemaScope from 20th Century Fox changed the landscape with widescreen imagery to get people into theaters nationwide. Pretty soon, other studios were making their own widescreen movies, including Paramount Pictures with VistaVision. What is VistaVision, you ask? Well, it… Continue reading What is VistaVision — A History of Widescreen in Hollywood
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said in his 383 U.S. 463 (1966) ruling that “censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself.” And Stewart was right: censorship has reflected social culture (or the lack thereof) since the dawn of time. Cinema has not been immune to censorship. In fact, cinema has been subject… Continue reading Movie Censorship — A History of Film Censorship in America
Cowboys, outlaws, deserts, shanty towns, and gunslinging. These are familiar elements seen in the genre known as the Western, in both literature and cinema. But for many genre fans, it specifically refers to Spaghetti Westerns, a genre that emerged during the 1960s. Traditional Westerns they weren’t, as they were often low budget, featured violence and… Continue reading What is a Spaghetti Western — History and Legacy Explained
Have you ever watched an old black and white movie, maybe starring Humphrey Bogart or Katherine Hepburn, and thought some of it was a bit tame? Even when the movies are great, they seem to play it safe? Most of this is a direct result of what is popularly known as the Hays Code, which… Continue reading What is the Hays Code — Hollywood Production Code Explained
Whenever you hear someone talking about the male gaze, you may be asking yourself, “What is the male gaze?” Well, in this post we’re going to tell you. We’re going to explain what we mean by the term “the male gaze” and we’ll show you some examples from recent films. We’ll also give you some… Continue reading What is the Male Gaze? Definition and Examples in Film
The goal of cinematic storytelling has always been empathy; to move the viewer as close as possible to the story. First, we used moving pictures, then color and sound, 3D, IMAX, CGI, and animation. Now filmmakers are looking towards virtual reality as a way to further immerse an audience. With this technology, the viewer moves… Continue reading What is VR Film — The Future of VR Movies Explained
Mise en scène can seem foreign, even to filmmakers, film critics, and movie buffs. Why is it important? How do you pronounce it? And what is mise en scène anyway. Grasping mise en scène is critical for anyone who makes or seriously watches any kind of visual content. For directors and producers, mise en scène… Continue reading 20 Mise en Scène Elements Every Filmmaker Needs to Know
From movies to novels to video games, dystopian fiction is consistently one of the hottest genres in entertainment. But given its broad scope and variety of forms, the dystopian genre can sometimes be hard to categorize. What is dystopian fiction? What are its defining features and how can we account for its enduring popularity? This… Continue reading What is Dystopian Fiction? Definition and Characteristics
In April 2014, a YouTube channel named Every Frame a Painting was created and it changed the course of film criticism forever. Over the course of three years, Every Frame a Painting founders Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou released 28 video essays addressing everything in film from the style of Akira Kurosawa to the editing… Continue reading What Happened to Every Frame a Painting? — A Eulogy
Queer theory is a complex, multi-faceted subject that’s difficult to cover in a single post. So we’re going to try to break it down into more digestible pieces. We’ll give you a basic overview of Queer Theory, but mainly we’ll provide some examples from films and TV shows that have been groundbreaking in terms of… Continue reading What is Queer Theory? Definition and Examples for Filmmakers
Every film needs suspense. At the foundational level, a story poses a question in the beginning and answers it by the end. The suspense is the anticipation for that answer. But what are the elements of suspense films? And how do we go about building suspense with film technique? Film is the perfect medium for… Continue reading Elements of Suspense — Building Suspense with Film Technique
Best Nolan MoviesNolan’s Directing StyleNolan Directing Tips Nolan’s CirclesNolan’s Shot List Understanding how Christopher Nolan approaches filmmaking is an important step to improving your own skills, but his films are complicated puzzles that are built to confuse and perplex viewers. His use of visual and narrative circles creates intricate and layered films. In this post,… Continue reading How Christopher Nolan Films use Circles to Warp Sight & Sound
Mise en scène. It’s a fancy looking phrase that you’ve seen floating around many film-related articles, carrying with it an immediate sense of snobbery. Don’t worry, you’re not the first person to ask “what is mise en scene?” After today, you’ll have a better sense of this concept and its fundamentals so you can apply… Continue reading What is Mise en Scène in Film: Definition and Examples
