Best Shyamalan MoviesShyamalan’s Style ExplainedThe Return of M. Night Shyamalan I’ve been a fan of M. Night Shyamalan for years, and that includes the 9-year gap between Lady in the Water and The Visit when it was challenging for everyone involved. I don’t love every Shyamalan movie, but I don’t despise his misfires either —… Continue reading Welcome to the Shyamalan-aissance — What a Twist!
Sony has announced two new APS-C lenses for the Sony E-mount, bringing Sony’s total E-mount lineup to 54 lenses. What does this mean for Sony alpha users in the near future, and should they invest? In this post, we’ll take a look at these new Sony APS-C lenses to see their capabilities, what they bring to… Continue reading Sony Announcement: Two NEW APS-C E-Mount Zoom Lenses Out Soon
Types of FocusOpen menu Shallow Focus Deep Focus Rack Focus Zoom Shots Dolly-Zoom (Zolly) Tilt-Shift More ShotsOpen menu All Shots & Angles Camera Shot Ultimate Guide Create Free Shot List Now W hen you’re shooting a scene there are a lot of choices to be made about what’s in the audience’s focus. If you want them… Continue reading Deep Focus Shot: Creative Examples of Camera Movements & Angles
The best martial arts fight scenes of all time each bring something unique to the table. They have to because there is a long tradition of one upsmanship with complexity and overall skill. We put together a list of the best martial arts fight scene from a filmmakers perspective, so we’ll be looking at everything from… Continue reading 14 Best Martial Arts Fight Scenes of All Time | Movie Fights Ranked List
Every single blog post or news article that follows an award show focuses on all of the snubs and surprises of the previous evening. Now this may be a silly question, but what makes an Emmy snub a snub? Nominations seem a fairer game to judge, but once a person is nominated, how can you… Continue reading What’s a True Emmy “Snub”? Best Emmy Snubs and Surprises of All Time
Sidney Lumet directed feature films and television for over 50 years. In other words, we can learn a lot from his perspective about the film business and film directing. We were lucky enough that Lumet decided to share these thoughts in book form. “Making Movies” by Sidney Lumet is an invaluable resource for any filmmaker.… Continue reading What We Can Learn from “Making Movies” by Sidney Lumet
Location, location, location. We all know how critical scouting is to your production, why picking the right filming locations can make or break your movie. But have you ever considered just how significant it can be to your story? Some settings matter so much to the plot, they take on a life of their own… Continue reading Filming Locations that Enhance Your Story
James Gray’s new film Ad Astra is a visually stunning journey through our solar system that explores concepts like solitude, commitment, and a focus on the essential to the exclusion of all else. Precision. That’s the word that immediately comes to mind when watching this film. Both from the impressive direction from James Gray to the flawless… Continue reading “Ad Astra” Review: A Precise Exploration of Solitude
Death scenes are just… one of those things. A good death scene is totally subjective, but these are a few that really stand out. We’re going to take a look at some of the craziest and best movie death scenes from the past decade. These are scenes that are memorable either because of their impact… Continue reading Top 10 Best Movie Deaths of the Last Decade
Film blocking is arguably one of the most important things a Director must do on set. Think of it as a carefully choreographed dance where the camera and subject move together in harmony.Continue reading 3 Ways To Make Your Film Blocking More Interesting
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 ASC Celebrates 100 Years with a Best Cinematography Films 100 List
Acting EssentialsOpen menu What is a Screen Test in Acting What is a Casting Call What is the Taft-Hartley Act What is SAG-AFTRA What is a Cold Reading Best Acting Agencies What is a Demo Reel Acting TipsOpen menu How to Become an Actor as a Kid How to Become an Actor How The Best… Continue reading How to Overcome Stage Fright — Jenny Slate & Other Comedians Share
Best Tarantino MoviesQT’s Directing StyleQT Directing Tips QT DialogueOnce Upon a Time AnalysisBasterds Breakdown Speculation about Tarantino’s last movie has now reached full tilt — but are we really ready for Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek? There is only one final film to go before we find out if QT was bluffing or not. But what… Continue reading Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek: Should This Be Tarantino’s Last Movie?
ProcessOpen menu How to Make a Short Film How to Write a Short Without Dialogue Short Film Schedule Tips Write a Short That Gets Noticed Making a Short Film How to Storyboard a Short Film Phases of Short Film Pre-Production Ari Aster Short Films How Whiplash Went From a Short to a Feature ResourcesOpen menu… Continue reading 30 Ways to Brainstorm Short Film Ideas You Can Actually Produce
When I watch the Netflix series Mindhunter, I’m blown away by how accurate the production design seems to portray the time period. I think to myself, “How do they find these places?” The short answer… they don’t. They find locations that have the right skeleton, and then collaborate with a skilled VFX team to enhance scenes… Continue reading VFX in Netflix’s Mindhunter: Matte Paintings, Composites, and 3D Tracking
Cycloramas are commonplace in video production, and they make the lives of those shooting on a green screen that much easier. So what is a cyclorama? Let’s find out. Continue reading What’s a Cyclorama? How Can Cyc Walls Help My Shot?
If you’re like me, you and a few filmmaker friends love to send each other videos and news about the latest state-of-the-art filming equipment. Camera gear is always improving, and we like to keep ourselves educated on the cutting edge film technology. Today, we’re going to show you pro ARRI camera stabilizer systems. Let’s look at… Continue reading 4 Best ARRI Camera Stabilizer Systems
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 Carl Zeiss Cinema Lenses: The Best Showreels and Shorts
Early filmmakers showed the world that a movie director could be an artist. But not every movie director. Because part of auteur theory is knowing how to define auteur directors. Before auteur theory, Directors were important, but the other factors were still more significant. Stars. Studios. Producers. People referred to a ‘Clark Gable movie’ for example,… Continue reading Auteur Theory: The Definitive Guide to the Best Auteur Directors
The best digital camera for multi-functionality on the market, the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro now has an update – the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2. Both cameras yield some beautifully cinematic footage, and this post takes a look at footage from each.Continue reading Best Footage: Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro and Its Update the Mini… Continue reading Best Footage: Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro and Its Update the Mini Pro G2
