Rex Provost is an award-winning writer/director based in New York. When he’s not making movies he’s writing about them.
Metaphors are an important part of any writer’s lexicon. At their best, metaphors can crystalize an image or meaning in just a few words. Sometimes, however, they’re not operating at their best. Some of the most maligned metaphors are called dead metaphors, and most writers avoid them. But what is a dead metaphor? And is there any time you may want to use one?Continue reading What is a Dead Metaphor — Examples & How to Avoid Them
Metaphors are a crucial part of any writer’s prose. The figurative language technique can illustrate an idea or image in just a few words. Metaphors come in all shapes and sizes. One of the subtlest of its forms is the implied metaphor– a linguistic flare that you can miss if you’re not looking. But just because it can be hard to spot doesn’t mean it’s not important. What is an implied metaphor?Continue reading What is an Implied Metaphor — Definition, Examples & Usages
Is there a worse feeling than losing an argument? It’s always frustrating to not be able to articulate your viewpoint or leave a conversation feeling like you didn’t get your ideas across effectively. The art of persuasion is an art as old as time: for as long as humans have been talking, they’ve been arguing. Ancient Greeks in particular were obsessed with the methodology behind persuasion, and started to label the myriad ways we express ourselves when trying to get a point across. The resulting list of communication tools is commonly referred to now as rhetorical devices. Rhetorical devices are important…
Distribution is an integral part of the film industry; without it, a film doesn’t get seen. Yet for many filmmakers starting out their careers, the distribution process is murky and intimidating. This is compounded by film distribution’s rapidly shifting status in the age of streaming. So what is film distribution? How does it work, what is its history, and what is its future?Continue reading What is Film Distribution — The Ultimate Guide for Filmmakers
Storyboards can be a crucial backbone in the filmmaking process. Understanding what you’ll be shooting on a given day, and making sure that your crew does as well, often makes the production process much smoother and more efficient. In this post, we’ll look at how to make a storyboard template so that you can hit the ground running for your next shoot. Continue reading How to Make a Storyboard Template — A Step-by-Step Guide
Narrative films are made up of scenes. It should come as no surprise that a screenwriter needs to know how to write a scene. Every great scene carries emotional weight, character change, and story propulsion. If you can’t write a good scene, you can’t write a good movie. So, what are some of the fundamental elements of a great scene? How can you incorporate them into your script? Time to break down how to write a scene, and look at some scene examples.Continue reading How to Write a Scene — Elements of a Great Scene Explained
The world would be a lot more boring without figurative language. Look at your favorite novel, essay, monologue, script– you’re guaranteed to find at least a few figurative language examples. But what is figurative language? And what are its different types? We’re going to answer those questions by outlining a figurative language definition alongside a myriad of examples. Now, let’s define figurative language, see what forms it can take, and how it can be used! Continue reading 7 Types of Figurative Language (With Examples)
Montages are crucial to the filmmaking language. A great montage can last in your audience’s head long after they’ve left a theater or turned off their television. But creating a great montage requires planning– how are your shots going to interact? In this post, we’ll look at how to storyboard montage sequences to know how they will look before even arriving on set.Continue reading Storyboard Montage — A Guide to Pre-Visualizing a Montage
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 follow certain tenets. Study up, and you can help create a great performance.Continue reading Directing Actors — How to Get the Best Performances
A screenplay is an entirely different beast than a novel, essay, or poem. Instead of a finished work of art, a screenplay is a blueprint for a final product — and yet it still requires artistry. The modern screenplay has strict formatting requirements and conventions. Before you become the next great screenwriter, you need to know the rules of the medium, where they come from, what forms they take, and how they’re used. In this ultimate guide, we'll cover the history of screenplays, their elements, and their types. Let's jump in.Continue reading What is a Screenplay — The Ultimate Guide…
