There are many ways to film the same scene. The director's decisions depend on what experience they want the audience to have. Knowing what shot composition is and how to use it is vital to visual storytelling. Shot composition is more than arranging scene elements in a camera frame. It is an art that combines those elements to advance the story, reveal character and create emotion. Knowing the rules of shot composition and using them well can keep your audience engaged from beginning to end. Let's get started.Continue reading Rules of Shot Composition in Film: A Definitive Guide
Summarizing an entire screenplay is not an easy thing to do. Let alone in 1-2 sentences. But it is what’s required if you want to pitch your script to a producer or studio. When you send out your script too, the logline sometimes determines if someone even reads it. So, what is a logline? We're not going to stop at the definition, we've got a tried-and-true formula for crafting the perfect hook. Continue reading What is a Logline? [with FREE Logline Formula Template]
We all know the sound that a camera makes. That satisfying click when we press the button and create our photograph. What we’re hearing is the camera’s shutter. That sound is the shutter moving up and down. It moves the same way every time we take a photo, but not always at the same speed. The way our pictures come out depends on that speed. So what is shutter speed? How can we understand it to take intentional and consistent quality pictures each time. Let’s jump in. Continue reading What is Shutter Speed and Its Role in the Exposure Triangle?
The Best Breakup Scenes? Classifying on-screen heartbreak into a “best” category may be a little callous. But just like your ex, we’re going to do whatever we want, anyway! Just kidding. We made a list of the saddest movie breakup scenes in recent years. So however you choose to judge those gut wrenching moments in cinema, the ones that capture the truth and rawness of what breakups actually feel like, you can check them out below. The saddest ones are often the ones that have no makeup scene to follow. Of course, we added those scenes in too, for the…
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 the Academy’s category of Best Adapted Screenplay (if you should be so lucky). Continue reading The Adapted Screenplay: True Adaptations or Academy Categories?
There’s no shame in needing a refresher on filmmaking terms, the sooner you know who’s who, the faster you can get involved. So let’s start with one of the most basic, yet hugely significant roles: the movie director. What is a film director? Let's dive in.Continue reading What is a Film Director? A Brief Definition of the Role
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 become a director. Continue reading How to Become a Director: Learning from Seasoned Filmmakers
The French New Wave of cinema, or La Nouvelle Vague, was one of the most important film movements of all time. In this article, we’re going to rank the best French New Wave Films based on four criteria: Acting, Story, Directing and Style. But before we jump into the ranking, it’s important to know what the French New Wave is.This is our list of the best French New Wave films, including work from the critics of Cahiers du Cinema and the directors of the Left Bank.Continue reading French New Wave Films: A Curated List and Their Iconic Directors
The French New Wave changed the ways movies were made forever and influenced some of the greatest directors of our time. But what is the French New Wave? How did it begin and why? This post will provide you with a definition, a brief historical context, and highlight some key characteristics of the movement from the earliest pioneers. As we'll see, the influence of the French New Wave continues through modern filmmakers like Tarantino and Scorsese, just to name a few.Continue reading What is French New Wave? Background and Revolutionary Techniques
Thanks to movies and television, we’ve all experienced fantastical worlds that could never exist on our Earthly plane. Even if we don’t typically enjoy the fantasy genre, we’ve definitely seen these effects in action — whether in cinema, commercials or even video games. This post explores how to create these worlds using visual effects. So what is VFX? How and why do filmmakers use it? We’ll explore VFX by defining the term with epic examples from some of your favorite films.Continue reading What is VFX? Defining the Term and Creating Impossible Worlds
