Light is the heart and soul of capturing a beautiful image. How we manipulate light and expose for it is partly artistic and partly technical. The latter utilizes specific techniques to accurately capture the image we envision. The term foot candle may raise a few questions. What is a foot candle exactly? What is the comparison to other light measurement units like lumens or lux? Let’s demystify the foot candle and take a look at how it applies to real world cinematography and photography.Continue reading What is a Foot Candle — How To Measure Light On Set
With new streaming platforms emerging every year and binge watching becoming an art form, the television industry needs more writers than ever. Unfortunately, there is also more competition than ever. Breaking into the TV industry can be tough, but here are the fundamentals you need to know about becoming a television show writer as well as some actionable tips that will help you get that much closer to writing for television.Continue reading Writing for Television — Format, Genre and Structure
Some say that when the editor does their job well, the audience is not supposed to notice. This does not mean that the editor’s job is unimportant. In fact, the complete opposite is the case. Editor’s are responsible for maintaining the illusion of a film and story by hiding the mechanisms at work. The main tool they have to do this is continuity editing.What is continuity editing in film? What are the techniques used to achieve continuity in film? Is there a place for discontinuity editing? We’ll answer all of these questions and more while highlighting some key examples in…
In the era of the digital format, many filmmakers utilize aspect ratio to help tell their story. Screening irregular aspect ratios onto traditional 16:9 screens both in theatres and on TVs require letterboxes. Creating your own letterboxes can be incredibly tedious. Luckily, there are free resources that make letterbox templates of all kinds available. In this article, we’ll take a look at one of the best free letterbox templates package and why it’s so useful to have. Continue reading Cinematic Bars — How to Add Black Bars to Video [Downloads]
While cinematography has the unique ability to visually draw an audience’s eye to something specific, screenwriters also have a unique tool to draw a reader's attention to a specific scene element within a screenplay. The slug line is one of the best tools a screenwriter has for drawing attention and incorporating visual elements into a screenplay. So what is a slug line and what is it used for? Let’s find out. Continue reading What is a Slug Line? Scene Heading Screenplay Formatting
Lenses work in a very similar way to the human eye. However, not all lenses have an angle of view that is similar to the human eye. The normal lens aims to capture a shot in a way that is most similar to how we see the world. So what is a normal lens exactly? In this article, we’ll take a look at what defines a normal lens, when and why to use one, and how it differs from other lenses.Continue reading What is a Normal Lens? Definition & Uses of a Standard Lens
Animation has undoubtedly opened countless doors in the stories filmmakers are able to tell. It has allowed worlds, characters, and adventures to seep out of the imagination of artists and onto the big screen. Many are drawn to the world of animation because of its limitless possibilities. If you are one of the many, at one point you will have to learn how to use animation software. However, not all animation software is made equal. So we’ve made a list of the best animation softwares out there to highlight each one’s strengths, weaknesses, use in the industry, and cost. Continue reading Best…
What does contrast do to a photo? Why is it so alluring when we see it? There’s no doubt that contrast adds a certain characteristic that can elevate a photo. Great contrast photography starts with how you shoot the photograph. Adjusting your contrast in editing should only be a sweetener for the contrast that you’ve already captured.In this article, we’ll take a look at the differences between tonal contrast and color contrast. We’ll also analyze the role exposure plays in high-contrast images. Ultimately, you’ll learn about the techniques that you can use to create your own unique, high-contrast photographs.Continue reading…
After Effects is an incredibly powerful and useful program. However, learning how to initially use it can be daunting. One fundamental technique used for both simple and complex animations is moving the anchor point. It may seem easy to do, but you might have found that simply clicking and dragging didn’t quite do the trick. Here are the three simple steps to learn how to move the anchor point in After Effects.Continue reading How to Move the Anchor Point in After Effects (Tutorial)
Have you ever been in a photo gallery and immediately drawn to a specific photograph? If so, what was it about this photograph that grabbed your attention? This is the question at the heart of aesthetic photography. What defines an aesthetic photograph?In this article, we’ll take a look at the highly ambiguous and often vague term “aesthetic photography.” We’ll also take a look at the techniques that go into creating aesthetic photos and how you can put them into practice.Continue reading Aesthetic Photography — Composition, Lighting, and Color
