Screenplay Structure 101Open menu Three Act Structure Freytag’s Pyramid Story Mountain Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Save the Cat Dan Harmon’s Story Circle 5 Stages of A StoryOpen menu Exposition Inciting Incident Rising Action Climax Falling Action Denouement Write Your Script For Free → This opening paragraph is a hook to get you to keep reading.… Continue reading How to Write the First Ten Pages of a Screenplay
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… Continue reading 7 Types of Figurative Language (With Examples)
Call Sheet EssentialsOpen menu What is a Call Sheet Anatomy of a Call Sheet Ultimate Guide to Call Sheets How to Make a Call Sheet Call Sheet Templates TipsOpen menu How to Create a Better Call Sheet Now (with Free Templates) Best Practices for Sending Call Sheets Staggering Call Time Formulas How Call Sheets are… Continue reading How to Make a Production Call Sheet From Start to Finish
Learn How to Shot ListOpen menu What is a Shot List How to Make a Shot List How to Make a Lined Script Shot List ExamplesOpen menu Free Shot List Template How to Design Your Shot List Shot Listing Like a Pro How to Create a Shot List Like ‘Creed’ Shot Listing Efficiently Create Shot… Continue reading How to Make a Shot List in 8 Steps — Process Explained
Animation takes patience, attention to detail, boundless creativity, and more patience. The beauty of the artform is that, if you are willing to put the work in, there is no image you can’t create, no world you can’t immerse your viewer into. And yet, despite its endless possibilities, most narrative animators follow a certain set… Continue reading What are the 12 Principles of Animation — Ultimate Guide
Stages of Film ProductionOpen menu Film Financing Film Production Pre-Production Post-Production Film Distribution Film Marketing Free Production Calendar Software → 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… Continue reading What is Film Distribution — The Ultimate Guide for Filmmakers
Stages of Film ProductionOpen menu Film Financing Film Production Pre-Production Post-Production Film Distribution Film Marketing Free Production Calendar Software → There’s no one way to make a movie. In fact, there’s an infinite number of ways to make one. But in Hollywood, the general contours of a film’s creation hit similar story beats (to borrow… Continue reading Stages of Film Production — Overview of the Entire Process
Yorgos Lanthimos films are always a tangled knot of provocations. The filmmaker came out of the Greek Weird Wave, and the years have not faded the weirdness in his works. Lanthimos’s newest and biggest film to date, Poor Things, is as unwieldy and playful as what first earned Lanthimos international recognition. So, of course, the… Continue reading What is Poor Things About — Plot and Themes Explained
Stages of Film ProductionOpen menu Film Financing Film Production Pre-Production Post-Production Film Distribution Film Marketing Free Production Calendar Software → Making a movie is an extraordinary accomplishment that requires skill, perseverance, and a little bit of luck. But just because you’ve made a movie doesn’t mean anyone is going to see it. That’s where marketing… Continue reading What is Film Marketing — How to Sell Movies to an Audience
Film festivals are everywhere. There’s a festival for every niche you can imagine, and every niche you can’t. Today, festivals can take many shapes and sizes, from massive industry mainstays to scrappy yet exciting startups. A savvy independent filmmaker understands the festival circuit, knowing what to apply to and how. In this article, we’ll tell… Continue reading What is a Film Festival — Everything You Need to Know
Watching a film can sometimes feel like looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. This someone else may be a particularly auteurist filmmaker, or they can be a character within a movie that a filmmaker wants us to identify with. Referred to as subjective cinema, this filmmaking technique can be incredibly powerful.Continue reading Subjective… Continue reading Subjective Cinema — Types and Techniques in Filmmaking
Some of the greatest scenes in movie history take place in a car. The dino-tour in Jurassic Park, the “Contender” speech in On the Waterfront, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” rendition in Wayne’s World — what would these iconic scenes have been without a car? Let’s take a look at how car scenes are captured and how… Continue reading How to Shoot a Car Scene — Camera, Sound & Rigs Explained
Like anyone who has spent two hours waiting at the DMV can attest, emotional states are affected by the perception of time. In filmmaking terms, we want to take a moment to discuss one of the most commonly used time manipulation techniques — slow motion — and how it can be used to add deeper,… Continue reading How to Use Slow Motion to Create Iconic Moments
Y ou’ve unwrapped your gifts, gorged yourself on a massive breakfast, and curled up next to a roaring fire. It’s Christmas, and it’s time to throw on the perfect movie. Sometimes, however, the obvious Christmas classics feel a little too obvious. We’re here to help with a list of Christmas movies that aren’t really Christmas movies.… Continue reading 12 Best Christmas Movies That Aren’t Christmas Movies
F or most of us in the Western world, Christmas music is inescapable for the month of December. It is a fact of life, just as the sun rises in the east. As such, Christmas songs make a boatload of money. Never a town to miss an opportunity for a quick buck, Hollywood has built plenty… Continue reading Best Christmas Movie Songs — 10 Perfect Holiday Tracks
I t’s no secret that Christopher Nolan is a fan of practical effects. From running a plane into an airport to building an entire rotating hallway, the man likes to do it for real. Oppenheimer is no different. Though Nolan didn’t exactly detonate an atomic bomb, the auteur utilized in-camera effects in creative and unexpected ways.… Continue reading Oppenheimer Practical Effects Explained — VFX Without CGI
M ore than almost any other artistic medium, filmmaking depends on money. And the more expansive a filmmaker’s vision for a movie is, the more money they’ll need. Very few filmmakers get into the movie business because they’re interested in dealing with money, but often an effective filmmaker is good at film financing. So what is… Continue reading What is Film Financing — How to Get Funding for a Movie
Best Horror MoviesOpen menu Best Horror Movies of All Time Best Zombie Movies Best Vampire Movies Best Jump Scare Movies Best Stephen King Movies and TV Shows Best Underrated Horror Movies EssentialsOpen menu What is Horror Body Horror Explained Giallo Films Explained Horror Movie Tropes Found Footage Filmmaking What is a Grindhouse Movie Horror WritingOpen… Continue reading The Blair Witch Project Ending Explained & Making Of
I t’s hard to succinctly describe Sofia Coppola’s filmography. Her movies span time and space– 18th century France, the Civil War South, modern-day Japan. And yet Coppola’s work feels cohesive, joined by a distinct aesthetic and sensibility. Her films depict a distinct interiority, filled with unforgettable characters alienated from the worlds around them. Each of her… Continue reading Sofia Coppola Movies Ranked — The Complete Filmography