The Best Supporting Actor category at the Oscars is often one of the most crowded and competitive fields in the entire Academy Award ceremony. Supporting actor roles tend to be some of the juiciest parts penned by screenwriters and often provide the perfect opportunities for talented actors to sink their teeth in and disappear into… Continue reading Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — Top 20 Winners
EssentialOpen menu What is Creative Commons What is Fair Use What is Public Domain ResourcesOpen menu Creative Commons License Pros and Cons How Copyright Free Music Works How to Copyright a Script How to Find Award-Worthy Script Ideas from The Public Domain Best Public Domain Movies Does it seem like every story imaginable has already… Continue reading What is Public Domain and How is it Used? A Guide for Creators
Color BasicsOpen menu What is a Color Palette Color Grading vs. Color Correction What is Color Space What is Color Temperature What is a Vectorscope What is LUT What is a Colorist What is a Color Checker What is Technicolor First Color Movie Film Colorization Process Color SchemesOpen menu What is a Color Scheme Triadic… Continue reading What is Color Space — Mastering Color in Post in Photo & Film
In 1990, Francis Ford Coppola released the third installment in the universally acclaimed Godfather series: The Godfather Part III. But unlike its predecessors, The Godfather Part III was anything but universally acclaimed. In late 2020, Ford Coppola released a recut version of The Godfather Part III, titled The Godfather Coda The Death of Michael Corleone. We’re… Continue reading The Godfather Coda — What We Learned From Coppola’s Redux
What is an experimental film? This elusive and niche genre can be difficult to define, and there are many common misconceptions about experimental filmmaking, but we’ll be sorting through the fact and the fiction to provide a comprehensive overview of what it means for a film to be “experimental”. We’ll get started with a definition,… Continue reading What is Experimental Film — History, Examples & Movements
One of the best places to start when learning about photography is learning about the different portrait lighting setups. From these lighting setups, you’ll be able to learn how light position can completely change the effect on a photo. One of the most common portrait lighting setups is broad lighting. What is broad lighting and… Continue reading What is Broad Lighting — Types of Portrait Lighting Explained
Any photographer, whether you are aspiring to be a professional or take photos as a hobby, wonders whether or not film photography or digital photography is better. Knowing the difference between the two will help you utilize each to what they’re best at. Ultimately, this will result in better photographs. Let’s take a look at the… Continue reading Film vs Digital Photography — The Good & Bad of Each Format
Editing EssentialsOpen menu What is Film Editing What Does a Film Editor Do How Does an Editor Control the Rhythm of a Film How to Become a Film Editor What is In Camera Editing What is Screen Direction in Film What is a Rough Cut in Film What is Continuity Editing in Film What is… Continue reading American Psycho Business Card Scene — Complete Breakdown
Who doesn’t love a good coming of age film? There are a number of clearly identifiable characteristics that most, or even all, coming of age films share. Perhaps the most inherently relatable of all subgenres, coming of age films focus on young characters developing and growing across trying ordeals, or pivotal moments in their lives.… Continue reading Best Coming of Age Movies of All Time (And Why They’re Great)
The beauty behind a great edit is that sometimes the magic goes unnoticed. Using a library shot is one of those techniques that editors use that, when done correctly, slips past the audience entirely and they stay locked into the story. Library shots can save a budget, save a schedule, and quite possibly save a… Continue reading What is a Library Shot — Types of Shots in Film Explained
The Robert Towne-written, Roman Polanski-directed Chinatown is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made – which begs the question: what’s so great about it? Well, as it turns out, just about everything involving Chinatown is great. The Chinatown screenplay is viewed as the Hollywood gold standard; Jack Nicholson’s performance is considered among… Continue reading Chinatown Movie Analysis — The Legacy of a Hollywood Classic
Few film endings are as iconic and impactful as the unforgettable resolution to The Graduate. Be sure to watch our video essay below for a full breakdown of The Graduate ending scene, then read on for further analysis. We’ll be digging into the four factors that culminate in the film’s ending being as effective as… Continue reading The Graduate Ending Scene — Breaking Down an Iconic Finale
Major Awards:Open menu Best Picture Best Director ActingOpen menu Best Actress Best Supporting Actress Best Actor Best Supporting Actor WritingOpen menu Best Original Screenplay Best Adapted Screenplay TechnicalOpen menu Best Film Editing Best Visual Effects Best Cinematography Animated & InternationalOpen menu Best Animated Short Film Best Animated Feature Film Best International Feature Film MusicOpen menu… Continue reading Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress — Winners Ranked
Beginner photographers often have the misconception that to create quality portraits, you need multiple lights and complex techniques. While this is true for some portrait lighting setups, many fundamental lighting techniques are quite simplistic. The split lighting technique is perhaps the most simple and achievable of all portrait lighting setups. It is an essential technique for… Continue reading Split Lighting Photography — Examples, Patterns and Setups
In a world where digital photography has become the norm, there is still a place for those who want to use physical film stock. While digital technology has made it easier to be a photographer, physical celluloid still has a charm and texture that no digital camera can ever fully replicate. And above all else,… Continue reading What is Film Stock — Various Types of Film Stock Explained
Types of LensesOpen menu Lens Basics Prime Lens Zoom Lens Anamorphic Lens Focal LengthsOpen menu Wide Angle Lens (14mm – 35mm) Standard (35mm – 70mm) What is a 50mm Lens Good For 35mm vs 50mm Lenses Telephoto Lens (70mm – 200mm) Specialty LensesOpen menu What is a T-Stop Macro Lens Fisheye Lens Tilt-Shift Lens Split-Diopter… Continue reading Understanding Camera Lenses & How to Choose the Right Lens
Hand-held light meters might seem like an outdated appendage. Most modern cameras come with built-in light meters, and editing software is getting better and better at offering remedies to poorly-exposed footage. But light meters continue to be invaluable: a cinematographer’s primary job is to understand and manipulate light, and you can’t do that with a built-in… Continue reading Best Light Meter — Top 8 Ranked for Photography, Film & Video
Look at your mobile device, your high-definition television, or laptop computer; what do you see? Most likely it’s a rectangular widescreen, with a lot of the video you watch on it filling the entirety of the screen. We are of course talking about the 16:9 ratio, which has been the current standard in television and… Continue reading What is 16:9 Aspect Ratio — Origins of the Widescreen Format
Years and years ago, when not every movie was a sequel, remake, or reboot, people usually left the movie theatre by the time the end credits rolled. These days, if your movie is a big deal, some people might stick around to see if there’s anything after the credits. These “after credits” scenes are popularly… Continue reading What is a Post Credit Scene — The Movie Stinger Beyond Marvel
BasicsOpen menu What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur ResourcesOpen menu Essential Cinematography Books Top 100 Cinematography Films DP Advice from Alex Buono Videography Contract Template Best Cinematography Schools Cinematography Jobs How to Join the Cinematographer’s Guild Best Cinematography Online Courses E-BooksOpen menu FREE… Continue reading What is Motion Blur, Is Motion Blur Good & Why Does it Happen?
