Screenplay Structure 101Open menu Three Act Structure Freytag’s Pyramid Story Mountain Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Save the Cat Dan Harmon’s Story Circle 5 Stages of A StoryOpen menu Exposition Inciting Incident Rising Action Climax Falling Action Denouement Write Your Script For Free → I s there anything worse than bad exposition in film? Few things turn… Continue reading Mastering the Screenplay: Writing Exposition in Film
The golden age of cinema is surprisingly dark. From 1941 to 1959, American audiences were captivated by melodramas about hard-boiled detectives, dangerous dames, and pulpy mysteries with literary origins. It’s a style that would later be known as film noir. Many of the movies in that classic film noir era-inspired cinema for decades to come.… Continue reading 15 Best Film Noir Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
Being a comedy writer isn’t easy. Even if you’re a director, knowing what’s funny and what’s not, isn’t always easy. Comedy is mostly subjective, but if you’re trying to write, direct, or even act in a comedy, there are some techniques that might help. So what is comedy? We’ll give our comedy definition, examples of… Continue reading What is Comedy — Defining it Through Technique
What is Production Design What Does a Production Designer Do? Production Design Tips We all watch movies but rarely do we pause to think just how those movies were created. It’s the culmination of a large team of specialists and a production designer is an irreplaceable part of it.Continue reading 10 Production Design Tips For… Continue reading 10 Production Design Tips For Filmmakers on a Budget
Best Nolan MoviesNolan’s Directing StyleNolan Directing Tips Nolan’s CirclesNolan’s Shot List Christopher Nolan films include Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige, and Interstellar. His films Inception and Dunkirk received Academy Award nominations for best picture. We watched all of Christopher Nolan’s movies, interviews, and documentaries to compile a list of filmmaking tips & techniques.Continue reading… Continue reading Christopher Nolan: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Nolan’s Directing Style
Animation BasicsOpen menu What is Animation Types of Animation What Does an Animator Do What is Cel Animation What is Anime What is Claymation ResourcesOpen menu How to Direct an Animated Movie Animation Storyboard Tips Unreleased Aladdin Animatic Best Animated Music Videos Best Animation Software Best AnimationsOpen menu Best Animated Movies of All Time Best… Continue reading The 10 Absolute Best Stop Motion Movies
The Twilight Zone is one of the greatest television series ever made. From intimate stories like “The Lonely” to sprawling ones like “Execution,” The Twilight Zone is widely known as a series that entertains and challenges its audience in equal measure. This is a list of the best Twilight Zone episodes ranked with a look… Continue reading 30 Best Twilight Zone Episodes Ranked
Dramatic IronyOpen menu Types of Irony What is Tragic Irony Stages of Dramatic Irony Verbal IronyOpen menu Sarcasm Understatement Overstatement Socratic Irony Situational IronyOpen menu Cosmic Irony Poetic Justice Structural Irony Historical Irony What is sarcasm? As it turns out, it isn’t exactly what most people think it is. In some cases, what we think… Continue reading What is Sarcasm? Definition and Examples in Film & TV
I f there’s one thing writers will agree on, it’s that character development is super critical to writing a winning script.Continue reading Character Development: Write Stronger Characters [with FREE Worksheet]
ProcessOpen menu How to Make a YouTube Video How Do You Make a Video on YouTube How to Add Subtitles How to Make Money on YouTube How to Make A YouTube Channel That Stands Out How To Make An Intro For Your YouTube Video ResourcesOpen menu Best Filmmaking YouTube Channels Best Camera for YouTube Videos… Continue reading When Was YouTube Created (and What Was the First Video)
Kickstarter has helped plenty of filmmakers outside of Zach Braff bring their projects to life. It’s proved to be a great way for independent filmmakers to raise funds when other avenues may be closed off. If you think you might want to start a campaign for your own movie, then you need to look at… Continue reading 6 Successful Kickstarter Film Projects & How They Did It
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 → Macro lenses are part of every professional photographer… Continue reading What is a Macro Lens? Tips and Techniques on How to Use One
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 Iron Man… Continue reading Iron Man Script: Quotes, Characters, Ending and Screenplay PDF
Every family has their own Thanksgiving traditions. Some play football in the backyard after filling up on turkey while others go straight from the dinner table to those Black Friday deals. But if you’re like us, you like to let the tryptophan settle in while you’re cuddled up watching one of the best Thanksgiving movies… Continue reading 30 Best Thanksgiving Movies — What to Watch on Turkey Day
Screenplay Structure 101Open menu Three Act Structure Freytag’s Pyramid Story Mountain Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Save the Cat Dan Harmon’s Story Circle 5 Stages of A StoryOpen menu Exposition Inciting Incident Rising Action Climax Falling Action Denouement Write Your Script For Free → We all know every story starts at the beginning, right? But what’s… Continue reading 15 Best Inciting Incident Examples for Screenwriters and Directors
Alex Wolff has made quite a name for himself around Hollywood, starring in such films as Hereditary, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and My Friend Dahmer. He recently made his directorial debut with the film The Cat and the Moon, and StudioBinder sat down with Alex to talk about some of the directorial choices he… Continue reading In the Frame with Alex Wolff — The Cat and the Moon
It’s hard to believe that Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar win came in 2016. DiCaprio is one of the most famed and sought after film stars in the world today. In this article, we’re going to rank the top Leonardo DiCaprio movies. The ranking of these movies are in regards to their quality and impact, not… Continue reading The Superstar — 15 Top Leonardo DiCaprio Movies
So what is an adapted screenplay and what are the requirements for an adaptation? It’s obvious by the name that an adapted screenplay is well, adapted from something else, while an original screenplay is just that, originally created. But actually, even if you come up with an original idea, it may end up falling into… Continue reading The Adapted Screenplay: True Adaptations or Academy Categories?
Musicals are a special breed of filmmaking that requires a LOT of preparation and planning to pull off. There is singing, and dancing, and music. And it all has to be presented in the script in a particular way. In this post we’ll look at some of the special considerations that go into making a musical… Continue reading How to Schedule a Musical: Breaking Down La La Land
What’s black and white and red all over? It could be a newspaper — or it could be a neo-noir film. It’s hard to tell. Neo-noir is notoriously difficult to classify. An offshoot of the historical film noir genre, it’s painted in such broad strokes that it can subvert, parody, heighten, or reimagine the prototypical stories… Continue reading Top 30 Best Neo-Noir Films, Ranked for Filmmakers
