Alfred Hitchcock is one of the all-time great auteur filmmakers. His films can be explained in the simplest of terms: You know it when you see it. Over 55 years, Alfred Hitchcock directed dozens upon dozens of films, some of which have joined the pantheon of the greatest movies in cinema history. In this article, we’re going to rank the 30 best Alfred Hitchcock movies based on these four criteria: legacy, suspense, filmmaking, and story.
Continue reading 30 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies Ranked for Filmmakers
When it comes to the best thriller movies of all time, there’s a lot to choose from. While great thrillers involve the protagonist in constant and terrifying danger, some are more light hearted, while still juggling with the concepts of life and death.
With such a broad genre, there are many movies in the thriller genre to choose from, including horror, psychological, true crime, and black comedy. Since it can sometimes be difficult to choose good thrillers, we decided to make the job easier for you.
Listed here are the best thrillers from cinema, ranging from new classics to old favorites, along with everything in-between to satisfy all types of thrill seekers.… Keep reading
@media (min-width: 300px){.thrv_symbol_91218 [data-css="tve-u-171dbaca69d"]{margin-top: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}:not(#tve) .thrv_symbol_91218 [data-css="tve-u-171dbaca69f"]{letter-spacing: 1px;font-size: 14px !important;text-transform: uppercase !important;}.thrv_symbol_91218 [data-css="tve-u-171dbaca69e"]{font-size: 14px !important;}} Browse Film Terms A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Whether you’re working on your first or 100th film, there is always something new to learn. When you need to update your film terminology, this resource will be your best friend.… Keep reading
In psychology, there’s something called the serial position effect. It means people tend to remember what comes first and last, not what occurs in the middle. Filmmakers know this phenomenon all too well. Combine that with today’s stream-ability and countless options… and the opening to a film is as important as ever. Today, we study the best opening scenes in movies to see how the best in the business grab the audience and never let go.
Continue reading 25 Best Opening Scenes in Movies & What Makes Them Great
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A filmmaker is a visual artist. To be a great visual artist you need mastery of the color palette. Many of the greatest Directors, Cinematographers, and Production Designers have extensive backgrounds as visual artists themselves. There are many ways to use color in film. We’re going to break down the key approaches as well as offer you a free E-book. The ebook is an excellent tool for better understanding the use of the color in film, and how to master it.
Continue reading How to Use Color in Film: 50+ Examples of Movie Color Palettes
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A detective movie can be a lot of things: a moody noir, a screwball comedy, a sci-fi thriller. Any of these genres can follow one protagonist trying to answer a question. Detective movies follow searchers– people are not satisfied until they get to the bottom of it all. Often, the answer isn’t as simple as they’d like, instead raising more questions about the world around us. Here are the best detective movies ever.
Continue reading Best Detective Movies of All Time — Film’s Greatest Gumshoes
After their first viewing, many people need the Vertigo movie explained. This Alfred Hitchcock film is beguiling and its initial release in 1958 was disappointing. It made significantly less than other Hitchcock films to date and it was widely panned by critics. Subsequently, Hitchcock bought back the rights to the film but it was widely unavailable until 1983. And yet, as years went by, Vertigo slowly ascended the ranks of Hitchcock’s filmography, from cult favorite to critical favorite. Now, it’s considered not only one of Hitchcock’s best films, but one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time.
What is it about Vertigo that is so arresting?… Keep reading
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 takes a bit of explaining, so if you can, please join us as we look into the origins of VistaVision, what it was like, and why it still matters today.
Continue reading What is VistaVision — A History of Widescreen in Hollywood
It is not uncommon for directors to take inspiration from previous great directors in history. Various techniques and styles are passed on through cinema like a tradition between filmmakers. The Vertigo effect is one of the most distinct examples of this. Films throughout the last sixty years have used the Vertigo effect in a variety of ways for different reasons. But they have all derived from the same origin. What is the Vertigo effect and where did it originate? How have some of cinema’s best directors used it? Let’s dive in.
Continue reading What is the Vertigo Effect? The Hitchcock Zoom Explained
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Peripeteia. Is it a synonym for ‘onomatopoeia’? A fancy potato? A lyric from Mary Poppin’s “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Excellent guesses, but no. Peripeteia isn’t written sound effects, a special tuber or delightful nonsense from the Poppinverse. So, what is peripeteia? Despite how intimidating it may appear on paper, the peripeteia definition is a simple, but crucial, story element that we will spell out for you. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will be able to not only spell peripeteia but use it, too.… Keep reading
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What is a complementary color scheme? How can it be utilized in your filmmaking efforts, why does it matter and how is it different from other color palettes? We will be answering each of these questions and taking a look at the psychology of color in storytelling and showcasing some of the best complementary color schemes found in movies.… Keep reading
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FREE Ebook: How to Use Color in Film
Mise en scene plays a huge role in communicating the tone of a story — but what is mise en scene? In classical terms, mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play or film. Today, mise en scene is regarded as all of the elements that go into any single shot of a production.… Keep reading
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