Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and film critic. Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes.
EssentialsOpen menu Insert Image What is The Three Act Structure Insert Image What is Story Structure Insert Image What is a Story Beat Insert Image What Is a Plot Insert Image What is a Non-Linear Plot Insert Image What is a Plot Device Insert Image Screenplay Structure Examples Insert Image Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Insert… Continue reading What is Save the Cat — Blake Synder’s Beat Sheet Explained
If you are at all interested in the behind-the-scenes side of filmmaking, then you may have heard the terms “above the line” and “below the line” thrown around in interviews, articles, or BTS footage. In this article, we’ll be discussing above and below the line in film and breaking down exactly what above the line… Continue reading Above the Line Film Positions & How They Work in a Budget
The days of Avid Media Composer serving as the industry’s only standard video editing program are coming to a close. With David Fincher and Coen Brothers having turned to Adobe Premiere Pro for their post-production needs, the barrier to entry of professional-level video editing is shrinking. There are many reasons why one would want to reverse a… Continue reading How to Reverse a Clip in Premiere Pro — A Step-by-Step Guide
What does pacing mean in the context of storytelling? What makes one story feel fast or another one feel slow? How can pacing be controlled? Throughout this post, we will be answering all of these questions and digging into everything you need to know about narrative pacing. Let’s get started with a definition.Continue reading What… Continue reading What is Narrative Pacing — And How to Control It
Poetry BasicsOpen menu What is a Stanza in a Poem What is an Acrostic Poem What is Dissonance What is a Sonnet What is a Haiku What is Prose What is an Ode Types of Poems What is an acrostic poem? What sets an acrostic poem apart from other types of poetry and how is… Continue reading What is an Acrostic Poem — Examples and Writing Tips
What is the best GoPro camera to buy for 2021? At this point, there are many different models of GoPros available, and it can be tricky to know which one is best suited to your needs. We’ll be ranking the best GoPro camera choices, we’ll compare GoPro models, and we’ll give you some quick GoPro… Continue reading Best GoPro Camera in 2023 — Features, Comparisons & Prices
BasicsOpen menu What is Sound Design What Does a Sound Designer Do Sound Editing vs Sound Mixing What is Voice Over What is a Foley Artist What is Diegetic Sound What is Non-Diegetic Sound What is a Film Score What is Asynchronous Sound What is Music Licensing TechniquesOpen menu Ultimate Guide to Sound Recording Filmmaker’s… Continue reading What is Asynchronous Sound in Film — How to Use it Creatively
What is the best drone camera for the money? With the relatively recent explosion in popularity of drone photography and videography, the market has been flooded with different brands and models of drones. Drone technology continues to develop and improve at a rapid rate. This can make it hard to keep track of which drone… Continue reading Best Drone Camera for the Money — A 2023 Buying Guide
What is the best tripod? One of the essential tools of any serious photography or filmmaker’s toolkit is a reliable tripod, but which one is best? There are many different makes and models of camera tripods on the market and it can be confusing to know which is the best for your purposes and which… Continue reading Best Tripod To Buy in 2023 — Pros, Cons, Prices for Any Budget
What is a palindrome? Actually, there are a few different types and we will dig into all of them. In this post, we’ll define palindrome, cover the rules that govern the different styles, and take a look at examples of each type. We will even take a look at a few examples of palindromes in… Continue reading What is a Palindrome — Definition, Examples & How They Work
Poetry BasicsOpen menu What is a Stanza in a Poem What is an Acrostic Poem What is Dissonance What is a Sonnet What is a Haiku What is Prose What is an Ode Types of Poems What is a haiku? What distinguishes a haiku from other forms of poetry? We will provide a definition for… Continue reading What is a Haiku — Definition, Examples and Structure Explained
Directorial DepartmentOpen menu Insert Image What Does an Assistant Director Do Insert Image What Does a 2nd Assistant Director Do Insert Image What is a Casting Director Insert Image What is a Second Unit Director Insert Image What Does a Director Do Ultimate Guide to Film Crew Positions If you’ve ever heard the terms ‘second… Continue reading What is a Second Unit Director & What Does a Second Unit Do?
How long is a television script? If you want to write a television pilot, you will want to ensure that your script follows all formatting and length guidelines. But knowing exactly how long a television script should be can be more of a challenge than one might expect. In this post, we’ll be breaking down… Continue reading How Long is a TV Show Script — Half-Hour and Hour Formats
How long is a movie script? Or perhaps better questions are how long are scripts in general and how many pages should a screenplay be? While there is a degree of variety to how many pages is a movie script, there is far less flexibility when it comes to the length of a screenplay than… Continue reading How Long is a Movie Script & Why Page Count Matters
What is a pilot episode? It is impossible to overstate just how vital a good pilot is within the television industry. In this post, we will explain what a pilot episode is, where it got that name, how a pilot gets made, and how it becomes a show. We will finish up by looking at… Continue reading What is a Pilot Episode — Definition, Script Examples & History
What is a vignette? The term has the potential to be confusing because it means slightly different depending on which story-telling medium is the topic of discussion. Even within filmmaking, the term can also be used to describe two completely different things. We will sort through this confusion and break down each meaning of ‘vignette.’… Continue reading What is a Vignette in Writing — Definition & Examples Explained
What is a coming of age movie? This often heartfelt and nostalgic genre is much beloved, but pinning down exactly what defines one can be a bit of a challenge. In this post, we’ll be doing exactly that. We’ll look at how to define the coming of age genre, then we’ll examine some of the… Continue reading What is a Coming of Age Movie — Examples and Characteristics
What is a subgenre? If you are familiar with what a genre is, then you are already halfway there. But there might be more to subgenres than meets the eye. In this post, we will be providing a definition for “subgenre,” looking at examples, and exploring how multiple genres and subgenres can nest within each… Continue reading What is a Subgenre — Definition, Examples & How They Work
On a low-budget independent film with a scaled back crew, there are not too many film crew positions to keep track of. When we start looking at larger productions, however, the amount of distinct film crew positions can balloon to massive numbers. Gaining an understanding of the function of each movie crew member’s role can… Continue reading Ultimate Guide to Film Crew Positions (Jobs & Duties Explained)
What is a lined script? How do you make one? And what is it used for? Read on to find the answers to these questions and step-by-step instructions for lining a script. Let’s start with a quick definition. A lined script is a separate version of the screenplay that includes vertical lines denoting how much… Continue reading How to Line a Film Script — A Guide for Script Supervisors
