Midsommar is Ari Aster’s haunting folk horror film that stunned audiences in 2019. The movie follows a group of college students who travel to a pagan festival in Sweden and get caught up in a terrifying ordeal. If you’ve seen the film, then you know that description doesn’t really do the movie justice, and there’s so much that makes this film such a complex, intriguing work of art. Fortunately, we’ve analyzed every frame to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of what this movie’s really about. Here’s Midsommar explained for all you filmmakers wanting to make your own folk horror masterpiece.
Naturally, spoilers ahead for Midsommar.… Keep reading
Few filmmakers are able to imbue simple, grounded genre stories with as much dramatic heft and visual style as Michael Mann. One of the “neon-noir” innovator’s greatest cinematic achievements is his action-thriller Collateral (2004). If Heat was Michael Mann’s masterwork of the ‘90s, then the Collateral movie was his masterwork of the ‘00s and, arguably, his last great film to date. Collateral was Mann’s most successful film in terms of box office earnings. The film was made for a budget of approximately 65 million dollars and brought in a massive return of over 220 million dollars. Let’s take a look back at Collateral and examine what made it work so well.… Keep reading
The Office has found its way into audiences’ hearts well after its series finale. The show has stood the test of time thanks to its dry humor, clever writing, and likable characters. Well, some likable characters. In the Season 3 of The Office, one character became more annoying and disagreeable than any other, yet somehow lasted until the series finale. How? This is how the writers of The Office constructed the fall and rise of the Nard Dog, Andy Bernard.
Continue reading Andy Bernard: The Office’s Most Unlikely Likable Character
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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 Queer representation.
Continue reading What is Queer Theory? Definition and Examples for Filmmakers
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Christopher Nolan has become one of the biggest filmmakers on the planet, and his first time with a licensed property helped him get there. Co-written with David S. Goyer, Batman Begins was a blast of fresh air, getting major critical appraisal, bringing in a new era for both the Dark Knight and superhero films.… Keep reading
In film, there are memorable characters and there are iconic characters. The latter is a result of great writing, directing, and acting. Auteur directors flesh out these iconic characters to create a whole person. The screen has been graced with iconic characters like Jack in The Shining, Travis in Taxi Driver, or for this article, Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Who is Daniel Plainview?
There are many components that contributed to the creation of the character of Daniel Plainview. Research, inspiration, and casting decisions are all critical. In this article, we’ll dive into a Daniel Plainview character analysis and uncover how Paul Thomas Anderson created the flesh and blood of the Plainview in There Will Be Blood.… Keep reading
In today’s cinematic landscape, very few people are unaware of what a prequel is. Whether you’re watching a new movie that’s labelled as such, or the “sequel” you’re watching actually takes place before the first film, prequels are not that uncommon in the world of entertainment. But what is a prequel exactly, and what are the elements that make one up?
Continue reading What is a Prequel? Definition and Examples for Screenwriters
There seem to be three primary ways people learn screenwriting these days: film school, screenwriting books or the Scriptnotes podcast with John August and Craig Mazin. In most cases, probably a combination of all three. Film school has an obvious downside, it costs about $100,000. Ask any screenwriter about screenwriting books and you’ve clearly hit a touchy subject, and don’t even mention the gurus. Yet, it’s hard to find anything negative about the weekly Scriptnotes podcast, which means it’s hard to find anything negative to say about John August. So, who is John August and why is he such a valuable resource for aspiring screenwriters?… Keep reading
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Many people thought the last time they would see Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of Andy’s toys would be in 2010’s Toy Story 3. However, those beloved toys got one final send-off (for now) with Toy Story 4, released in 2019. To come back after a successful trilogy was no easy feat, but as the Toy Story 4 script proves, Pixar had a strong story they needed to tell.… Keep reading
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oap operas have been a staple of daytime television for decades, captivating audiences with their cliffhangers, melodramatic plots, and character-driven stories. With their roots in radio programming, these serialized shows have a rich history and have evolved significantly over the years while maintaining their unique characteristics.
Continue reading What is a Soap Opera — History, Examples & Evolution
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pangram, often a source of intrigue, is a unique linguistic feat that not everyone may be familiar with. In essence, a pangram is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once, showcasing the versatility of language and the creativity of the writer.
Consider the phrase, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”, a common example of a pangram that may well be known by many. Let’s uncover the uses, variations, and the challenges pangrams present to linguists and language enthusiasts alike.
Continue reading What is a Pangram — Definition, Examples & Uses
Jordan Peele followed up his Oscar-winning horror film Get Out with another horror flick that dealt heavily in social commentary: Us. The movie follows a suburban family who goes on vacation only to discover a group of doppelgangers are out to get them. They soon learn there’s an entire world of doppelgangers hiding within an elaborate tunnel system beneath the surface, and it all leads to a shocking finale. If you haven’t been able to stop thinking about the movie since it came out in 2019, don’t worry. We have all your answers right here. Here’s the Us movie ending explained as well as everything else you may have missed.… Keep reading
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In the plethora of slasher-horror films from the ’70s and ’80s, none stand out more than the Halloween (1978) script. Why does this older horror film stand the test time, both critically and with fans? Regardless of the genre, every great movie starts with a great screenplay.… Keep reading
So you’ve written a script; great! Now what? Well, if you’re like me, you’ll obsess over making every scene perfect (a screenplay is never “perfect,” but that’s a discussion for another time). You have a solid 3-act structure, good dialogue, and a few punch-lines to keep the reader hooked. But something is off. Do your scenes feel a little dull? Is it the pacing, tone, or stakes? The solution is simple — G.O.D.D. It’s more than just an acronym, we will go over the four elements to make your characters more compelling and your scenes more dynamic.
Continue reading How to Write a Scene in a Screenplay — 4 Keys to a Great Scene
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There are many ways to enhance the main plot of a film. You can flesh out your protagonist, establish a story structure that keeps the audience engaged, and fine tune the plot points that move the story forward. But did you know that introducing subplots can enhance your film’s main plot? Understanding how a subplot functions and serves the main plot can give your film the depth you desire. So, what is a subplot of a story?… Keep reading
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The Dark Knight Rises script laid the groundwork for the final film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Although it wasn’t as well received as its predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises still had plenty of great moments. We’re going to break down The Dark Knight Rises script by looking at characters, dialogue, and story-arcs.… Keep reading
Although we may not always consciously realize it, we seek out stories for their themes. The movies that most affect us – the ones we cherish and carry with us throughout our lives – are those with common themes that have profoundly affected and even changed us. And yet, because movie themes are often buried deep within a story’s structure, it can be hard to articulate or even recognize them. This article will analyze how seven classic movies deliver profound movie experiences through common story themes.
Continue reading Movie Themes: Examples of Common Themes for Screenwriters
From romantic comedies to dramas, many films require a scene where the future love interests meet. There’s love in their eyes, even if one or both of them don’t realize it yet. This is the meet cute, and if you’re writing a script with a romantic plot, then you need to know how to answer, “What is a meet cute?” It’s often regarded as a cliche staple of romantic genres but it can be much more than that. Let’s look at some meet cute examples from movies that elevate these scenes beyond the cliche. Then we’ll talk about the four different types of meet cute scenes that you can write in your next script.… Keep reading
