13 Best Mafia Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers

Mafia Movies hold a dear spot in the hearts of many filmmakers. Every filmmaker remembers the first time they saw Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather; a type of film that inspires us as cinema fans. But before we rank the best mafia movies of all time, let’s define the key characteristics.The ranking of these films is in relation to their quality and importance as Mafia movies rather than just general gangster movies. Many of the films from our top gangster movies of all time list were excluded, with special exceptions for extraordinary impact as Mafia movies.Continue reading 13 Best Mafia…

The Split Diopter Lens Explained with Eye-Popping Examples

Filmmakers have a wide variety of camera techniques to implement to adequately tell a story. One of the most powerful tools directors have at their disposal is the split diopter lens, which is capable of having two subjects at different distances in frame simultaneously.In this blog, we’ll go over what exactly a split diopter shot is. We’ll also include plenty of examples, so you can see it first-hand. Used properly, you can use a split focus diopter to convey a certain mood and direct your audience to exactly what they need to pay attention to.Continue reading The Split Diopter Lens…

73 Best Crime Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers

You’re looking for a list of the best crime movies of all time. Maybe you want to find action crime films, or crime thrillers, or perhaps even a crime comedy movie or a crime drama. We’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the best crime movies of all-time, including American crime movies and the top crime films from around the world. All of these movies are worth a watch, so pop some corn, call your lawyer, pour a glass of your favorite pruno, and start the show. Continue reading 73 Best Crime Movies of All…

What is Deep Depth of Field? Definition and Examples

Dof basicsShallow dofDeep dofDOF GuideTYPES OF CAMERA FOCUS If you’re just getting your feet wet in photography or videography, you’ve probably heard one million terms tossed around that either mean nothing to you...yet, or you know of them, sort of, but you’re not entirely sure how they all work together. Whatever your skill level, this post is for the aspiring filmmaker looking to brush up or learn the fundamentals. Understanding and applying depth of field, aperture, and other camera considerations determine the quality, and consistent quality of your work. This post focuses on something called deep depth of field, or…

How to Shoot The Best Car Chase Scene [Mad Max: Fury Road Example]

Car chase scenes are fantastic, but they are probably one of the most difficult things to capture. Even if you end up with a relatively successful experience on set, how can you be sure it will work in the edit? Continue reading How to Shoot The Best Car Chase Scene [Mad Max: Fury Road Example]

Storyboard Montage — A Guide to Pre-Visualizing a Montage

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

Production Lighting — 4 Types of Lighting Kits for Filmmakers

Finding a production lighting kit for an upcoming film can be a daunting task. There are many different kinds of lights you can use, and each have their own strengths and weaknesses. But understanding the different forms of film and videography lighting gives you a solid start. For today’s post we looked to great minds in the field, and professional cinematographers as well, to shine a light on the types of film and video lighting kits you need to know about. The first step to painting cinematic pictures with light is knowing the types of light. Then you can pick-and-choose…

The Modern Cowboy Shot — Types of Shots in Film, Explained

Cowboy shots are something we see all the time in film and television. Even from the name alone, an image comes to mind but when should you use one in your film? You don't have to be shooting a Western to use the iconic cowboy shot camera angle. In this post, we're going to start in the Old West but we'll look at some of the ways modern filmmakers have embraced the cowboy shot film technique. So, get your holsters ready and let's ride.Continue reading The Modern Cowboy Shot — Types of Shots in Film, Explained