Film is a uniquely visual storytelling medium. Everything you see within the frames of a shot is carefully thought out by someone behind the scenes. More often than not, these details in the frame come from the art department. An art department is responsible for the larger creation of a film set as well as… Continue reading The Art Department in Film — Guide to Positions, Duties, Salary
Types of LensesOpen menu Lens Basics Prime Lens Zoom Lens Anamorphic Lens Focal LengthsOpen menu Wide Angle Lens (14mm – 35mm) Standard (35mm – 70mm) What is a 50mm Lens Good For 35mm vs 50mm Lenses Telephoto Lens (70mm – 200mm) Create your free shot list → Finding the best camera lenses for your camera… Continue reading Understanding Camera Lenses & How to Choose the Right Lens
Hand-held light meters might seem like an outdated appendage. Most modern cameras come with built-in light meters, and editing software is getting better and better at offering remedies to poorly-exposed footage. But light meters continue to be invaluable: a cinematographer’s primary job is to understand and manipulate light, and you can’t do that with a built-in… Continue reading Best Light Meter — Top 8 Ranked for Photography, Film & Video
Look at your mobile device, your high-definition television, or laptop computer; what do you see? Most likely it’s a rectangular widescreen, with a lot of the video you watch on it filling the entirety of the screen. We are of course talking about the 16:9 ratio, which has been the current standard in television and… Continue reading What is 16:9 Aspect Ratio — Origins of the Widescreen Format
Years and years ago, when not every movie was a sequel, remake, or reboot, people usually left the movie theatre by the time the end credits rolled. These days, if your movie is a big deal, some people might stick around to see if there’s anything after the credits. These “after credits” scenes are popularly… Continue reading What is a Post Credit Scene — The Movie Stinger Beyond Marvel
BasicsOpen menu What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur ResourcesOpen menu Essential Cinematography Books Top 100 Cinematography Films Videography Contract Template Best Cinematography Schools How to Join the Cinematographer’s Guild Best Cinematography Online Courses E-BooksOpen menu FREE E-Book: Camera Lenses Explained FREE E-Book: Exposure… Continue reading What is Motion Blur, Is Motion Blur Good & Why Does it Happen?
Screenplays By GenreOpen menu Comedy Sci-Fi Drama Crime TV Scripts Horror ResourcesOpen menu FREE Scripts: StudioBinder Screenwriting Library Best Screenplays to Read Shane Black Movies & Screenwriting Explained Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Best Horror Movie Scripts to Download Write Your Script for Free → The Silence of… Continue reading The Silence of the Lambs Script PDF — Download and Analysis
DOF Basics DOF Guide FREE Depth of Field E-Book There are few terms in cinematography and photography more misunderstood than depth of focus. The term is often used interchangeably with depth of field, but the two ideas actually have two completely separate meanings. Depth of focus is critical to understand if you want to have… Continue reading What is Depth of Focus vs. Depth of Field? — Camera Essentials
Christopher Nolan is one of the most revered directors of the 21st century, known for his cerebral blockbusters like Inception and The Dark Knight. Much is made of his striking visual style and expert direction, but his work as a screenwriter is equally important to his career success. While Nolan’s cinematic subjects are far ranging—from sci-fi… Continue reading Christopher Nolan’s Writing Process Explained & Script PDFs
You don’t need to be a pro to use forced perspective. In fact, you’ve probably seen your friends post photos using the technique. Some of the most iconic films have worked with it, and even semi-professional photographers often grace the internet with the unique visual elements it often gives. So how can you use it… Continue reading What is Forced Perspective? Examples of How to Trick the Eye
What is lens flare? It’s probably appeared on some of your photos or footage. Sometimes it ruins images, and sometimes it surprises you and makes you feel like you are the greatest photographer in all the land. If you’re an aspiring photographer or filmmaker, though, you’ll probably want and need more control over your images.… Continue reading What is Lens Flare? How to Get It & How to Avoid It
You’ve probably heard the term ‘film noir’ hundreds of times. You may associate it with detectives and femme fatales running around in black and white. But what is film noir, really? Well, it turns out it’s not so clear cut, but there are some elements of the style that are fairly obvious. Let’s get into… Continue reading What is Film Noir? A Brief History with Examples from Cinema
Close UpsOpen menu Extreme Close-Up (ECU) Medium Close-Up (MCU) Medium ShotsOpen menu Medium Shot (MS) Cowboy Shot (CS) Medium Full Shot (MFS) Wide ShotsOpen menu Full Shot (FS) Wide Shot (WS) Extreme Wide Shot (EWS) Create Free Shot List Extreme close-up shots are a very useful tool in cinema, but because they are so noticeable… Continue reading Extreme Close-Up Shots: Creative Examples That Work
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 The term “Plot device” has grown to be taboo in the world of writing. Most screenwriters associate the term with an inherently negative connotation, but that doesn’t… Continue reading What is a Plot Device? Definitions and Examples for Screenwriters
I think we all can agree, screenwriting contests can be useful tools for both new writers and those with experience under their belts. They’re excellent ways to get noticed, but some of the contests out there can’t take you as far as some others. So what are the best screenwriting contests to enter? Continue reading 13… Continue reading 13 Best Screenwriting Contests You Need to Enter Now
With over 40 years of experience working as a feature cinematographer, Robert Richardson has lensed movies for director’s like Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. He’s worked on everything from 65mm film to stereoscopic 3D and has won the Academy Award for cinematography three times (for his work on JFK, The Aviator and Hugo)!… Continue reading Robert Richardson Style — Tarantino, Scorsese’s DP Techniques
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
Narrative ElementsOpen menu Antagonist Catharsis Motif Plot Protagonist Theme Narrative DevicesOpen menu Deus ex Machina Foreshadowing Irony Personification Plot Twist Red Herring Write Your Script For Free → There are various literary devices that cross over from literature to everyday language. Perhaps the most commonly used literary device in everyday conversations is the euphemism. Euphemisms… Continue reading What is a Euphemism — Definition, Examples for All Writers
Screenplays By GenreOpen menu Comedy Sci-Fi Drama Crime TV Scripts Horror ResourcesOpen menu FREE Scripts: StudioBinder Screenwriting Library Best Screenplays to Read Shane Black Movies & Screenwriting Explained Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Best Horror Movie Scripts to Download Write Your Script for Free → The Ex Machina… Continue reading Ex Machina Script PDF Download: Plot, Characters & Quotes
