There is no shortage of the best film schools out there, but it seems like everyone has an opinion on where you should get your film production education.Continue reading 21 Best Film Schools Every Filmmaker Needs to Look At
You’ve got a fresh story–original characters, unique plots, a daring setting. But without a distinct directing style, your film can feel as boring as Manchester by the Sea. How you frame a scene can give your script new meaning or skyrocket you to one of the great auteur directors.Continue reading Directing Styles: How Mr. Robot… Continue reading Directing Styles: How Mr. Robot Uses Unique Framing To Build Drama
Cinematography BreakdownsOpen menu Stranger Things Cinematography Better Call Saul Cinematography Euphoria Cinematography Analysis Drive Cinematography Breakdown Blade Runner 2049 Cinematography Sicario Cinematography Cinematographer StylesOpen menu Roger Deakins Style Hoyte van Hoytema Style Linus Sandgren Style Rodrigo Prieto Style Robert Yeoman Style Darius Khondji Style E-BooksOpen menu FREE Ebook: Camera Lenses Explained FREE E-Book: Exposure The… Continue reading Roger Deakins Cinematography Tips & Techniques: Complete Guide
Types of Camera AnglesOpen menu Low Angle Shot Eye Level Shot High Angle Shots Dutch Angle Shot Overhead Shot Aerial Shot Explore More ShotsOpen menu All Camera Shots Camera Shot Ultimate Guide Create Free Shot List W hat do you get from a low angle shot? Does it make your character seem more powerful? Can it… Continue reading Low Angle Shot: Creative Examples of Camera Movements & Angles
Which are the best sports movies of all time? It’s not an easy list to create because there are so many great sports films that include different styles, different approaches, and of course, different sports. In this post, we’re going to give you the ultimate list of the best sports movies ever made from the… Continue reading 80 Best Sports Movies of All Time — The Greatest Sports Films Ever Made
How does one create a great tracking shot in film? What strategies are available to keep the shot interesting for the audience without becoming too chaotic? With this example from Martin Scorsese’s excellent film The Wolf of Wall Street, we’ll show you how a master filmmaker uses eye lines, blocking, and framing to create a… Continue reading The Wolf of Wall Street Long Take — Director’s Playbook
Best of…20102011201220132014201520162017201820192010-2019 Ranking movies at the end of their respective years is always a difficult task. Some films may seem fresh and exciting in my mind now, but in a year, it may be completely forgotten. Still, these “Best Of” lists provide a unique time capsule into where the zeitgeist was at the time. As… Continue reading The Best Movies of 2019 — The Year in Review, Ranked for Filmmakers
What makes the best baseball movies? Some are funny baseball comedy movies, others are inspirational. Some really good baseball movies even find a way to straddle both sides of the baseline. In this post, we’re going to give you a list of the best baseball movies of all time so that you and your loved… Continue reading Top 9 Best Baseball Movies of All Time
It’s been nearly two decades since the release of Sam Mendes’ gangster-epic Road to Perdition and we thought it would be a good idea to look back at what made it so great. Mendes may be more famous for working on films like American Beauty, Skyfall, and 1917, but his work as the director of… Continue reading Road to Perdition: Revisiting the Sam Mendes Classic
The Star Wars universe has given the world so much. From backwards-talking aliens to familial plot twists, Star Wars has sparked millions of people’s imaginations. However, the films also introduced us to one of the coolest weapons ever to grace the big screen: the lightsaber. We’ve already discussed how superb cinematography can enhance any lightsaber… Continue reading Star Wars Lightsaber Duels — What Makes Them Great?
Learn How to Shot ListOpen menu What is a Shot List How to Make a Shot List How to Make a Lined Script Shot List ExamplesOpen menu Free Shot List Template How to Design Your Shot List Shot Listing Like a Pro How to Create a Shot List Like ‘Creed’ Shot Listing Efficiently Create Shot… Continue reading What’s in Your Shot List: How to Design and Communicate Your Vision
Few fight scenes in cinema are as exhilarating as a lightsaber duel in the Star Wars franchise. Everyone has their own personal favorites, but one of the most well-choreographed and filmed lightsaber combat scenes put to film is the Throne Room scene in The Last Jedi. A lot of people may watch this lightsaber fight and… Continue reading How to Shoot a Lightsaber Duel — The Last Jedi Throne Room Breakdown
Christmas movies are a time honored tradition, and there are many that touch on the spirit of Christmas and what the holiday means to society during the time period in which it was created. In today’s post we do some film analysis on what may, or may not, be considered a classic in the genre… Continue reading Jingle All the Way — A Complete Deconstruction of the Capitalist Machine
Cinéma vérité – literally “cinema of truth” – is a style of filmmaking you’ve probably seen more than you realize. You may even have studied it as part of your film education. As a technique, cinéma vérité has been a valuable tool for independent filmmakers for decades, not only for recording events as they happened,… Continue reading Cinéma Vérité — Filmmaking Style That Keeps It Real
Jay Roach has filmed some of the greatest comedies of all time with his work on the Austin Powers trilogy and Meet the Fockers. In recent years, he’s turned his attention to more politically-oriented stories like Trumbo and the upcoming Bombshell. As part of our ongoing partnership with Sundance Co//ab, Jay Roach recently sat down… Continue reading Jay Roach Breaks Down Bombshell
The year 2018 proved to be yet another evolutionary year for Netflix Original movies. From reviving the romantic comedy to uplifting the auteur filmmaker to terrifying horror flicks, Netflix is checking all the boxes. In addition to leveling up the quality of their films, Netflix is producing more films than previous year. With all these… Continue reading Best Netflix Original Movies of 2018, Ranked for Filmmakers
We often hold writers, directors, and cinematographers, responsible for movie masterpieces. But who made this possible? It turns out discovering who invented the movies is actually more of a question of when, because there were different inventors at different times in history, and all had a hand in innovating the motion picture. Let’s look at… Continue reading When Were Movies Invented? A Brief History of Motion Pictures
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 Here lies the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. She was written into this world without a care in the world, and now the majority of movie-goers, filmmakers, writers,… Continue reading Manic Pixie Dream Girl — A Eulogy for a Character Trope
Types of FocusOpen menu Shallow Focus Deep Focus Rack Focus Zoom Shots Dolly-Zoom (Zolly) Tilt-Shift More ShotsOpen menu All Shots & Angles Camera Shot Ultimate Guide Create Free Shot List Now → Cinematographic and photographic techniques like shallow focus can serve your story or images in numerous ways. And mastering it isn’t overly complicated. Some… Continue reading What is Shallow Focus? How Can it Help Your Cinematography?
Often regarded as one of the worlds greatest actors, Robert De Niro is also one of the most prolific. According to IMDB, De Niro has acting credits in 120 different productions! Within those 120 performances are some of cinema’s finest. In this list, we’re going to rank the top Robert De Niro movies, and the… Continue reading The Tough Guy — 20 Best Robert De Niro Movies
