Christopher Nolan is a British-American filmmaker known for making personal, distinctive films within the Hollywood mainstream. His ten films have grossed over US$4.7 billion worldwide and garnered a total of 34 Oscar nominations and ten wins.
Becoming a film director isn’t a straight path. There are multiple ways of getting there but, ultimately, there’s only one driving force: you. Regardless of your education or current skill set, if you want to make movies, you will. But that’s easier said than done, so let’s go a little deeper to answer how to… Continue reading How to Become a Director: Learning from Seasoned Filmmakers
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… Continue reading 25 Best Opening Scenes in Movies & What Makes Them Great
The heist film has evolved over the decades, taking on many forms and styles. From sleek and chic to rough and gritty, filmmakers have taken the heist movie in every direction. The best of which have perfected the criminal ensemble, the intricate heist executions, or have taken the heist narrative into completely unique and innovative… Continue reading The Best Heist Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
With so many places to debut your videos, getting the correct aspect ratio has become critical to your project’s success. But it can be tricky to understand.Continue reading The Definitive Guide to Aspect Ratio [with FREE Aspect Ratio Calculator]
Types of CharactersOpen menu Protagonist Antagonist Hero Anti Hero Tragic Hero Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Common Character Types Types of Villains Femme Fatale Mad Scientist Mary Sue Damsel in Distress Write Your Free Script → What is a protagonist? Many refer to it as the leading character in a story. But is the protagonist… Continue reading What is a Protagonist — Definition & Examples for Screenwriters
You’re looking for a list of the best crime movies of all time. Maybe you want to find action crime films, or crime thrillers, or perhaps even a crime comedy movie or a crime drama. We’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the best crime movies of all-time, including American crime… Continue reading 73 Best Crime Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
The ending of a screenplay is often more important than the 90 pages that preceded it. Due to the magnitude of its importance, many writers struggle to conclude their scripts with proper resolution. Don’t worry though, we’re going to show you everything you need to know about how to end a screenplay, with basic script… Continue reading How to End a Screenplay: Basic Script Format Explained
Cinematography Terms Screenwriting Terms Film Terms There are a lot of intricacies in scripts that present challenges to even the most veteran of screenwriters. The process of writing a script is difficult enough but the vocabulary, abbreviations, and defintions related to the job can be a bit elusive. But don’t worry, we’re going to cover… Continue reading Screenwriting Terms — Abbreviations, Definitions & Vocab
Of all of the parts of a screenplay, the opening scene is perhaps the most important – not only because it has to establish the world of the story, but because it also has to grab the attention of the script-reader. We’re going to look at a few different ways you can start your screenplay… Continue reading Screenplay Opening Scene Examples — 6 Ways to Begin a Script
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 → Have you ever watched a movie with a plot twist that blew your mind and then watched that movie again and noticed signs leading to the twist?… Continue reading What is Foreshadowing — Definition, Examples in Film and Lit.
Filmmaking is a complex process that involves various stages and meticulous planning. Among the important aspects of filmmaking is the pre-production stage, where planning and organization are done before the actual filming. One of the critical tasks in pre-production is creating a plan for the shots that will be taken. Filmmakers use either shot lists, storyboards… Continue reading Shot List vs Storyboard — How They Differ & Why You Need Both
Movies and television are incredible because they can transport us into a world of wonderment. Today we’re going to go over the Kuleshov Effect and how the greatest director of all time, Steven Spielberg, put his own twist on the editing technique for his personal stamp.Continue reading The Kuleshov Effect Explained (and How Spielberg Subverts… Continue reading The Kuleshov Effect Explained (and How Spielberg Subverts it)
In narrative filmmaking, the relationship between the director and the actors is arguably the most important relationship on set. And yet, for many directors beginning their careers, the process of working with an actor can seem mystifying. No one director collaborates with actors the same way, and yet many of the most celebrated actors’ directors… Continue reading Directing Actors — How to Get the Best Performances
How to Format a ScreenplayOpen menu Scene Headings Sluglines Action / Description Dialogue Transitions TV Script Format 101 FREE Movie Scripts: StudioBinder Screenwriting Library Write Your Script for Free Many screenwriters are praised for their witty and captivating dialogue. A skill that is far too underappreciated, however, is the ability to effectively incorporate action within… Continue reading How to Write Action Breaks in Dialogue — Examples & Tips
Though best known for producing many of the best television shows of all time, HBO is also home to many excellent films. HBO caught on quick that streaming was the way of the future, and got into the only media game early. We’ll be taking a look at what movies are on HBO right now.… Continue reading Best Movies on HBO Right Now — Filmmaker Playlist (Jan. 2021)
Best Marvel MoviesMCU in Release OrderMCU in Story OrderThe Pegasus OrderUpcoming Over the years, Marvel Studios has assembled quite a filmography. From the early trial-and-error period of Phase 1, through the uncertain highs and lows of Phase 2, all the way up to the record-shattering renaissance of Phase 3, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has run… Continue reading 23 Best Marvel Movies Ranked (2008 – 2019)
What is tone? To answer that question we have to place tone in an appropriate context. Tone can refer to the intonation/pitch of acoustics, the meeting of light and shadow, the firmness of muscles, etc. — but we’re going to focus on what tone means in storytelling. Tone is how an artist feels towards the… Continue reading Tone in Writing: Definition and Examples
Amazon Prime Video is chock-full of great movies but it’s a nightmare trying to find them. Unlike Netflix which offers strong curated playlists, Prime Video does a poor job of highlighting all the amazing movies on its service. Don’t fret though, we’ve scoured the depths of Prime’s film catalog to deliver our list of the… Continue reading The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Right Now (July 2020)
With such a wealth of new movies to rent on Amazon Prime, it can be hard to keep track of and parse new movies as they are added to the platform. Here we cover the 10 new movies landing on Amazon Prime in August 2020. You can also read our list of the best overall… Continue reading Best New Movies on Amazon Prime (August 2020)
Though best known for producing many of the best television shows of all time, HBO is also home to many excellent films. HBO caught on quick that streaming was the way of the future, and got into the only media game early. We’ll be taking a look at what movies are on HBO right now.… Continue reading Best Movies on HBO Right Now — Filmmaker Playlist (Sept 2020)
