This opening paragraph is a hook to get you to keep reading. And just as a blog post needs to quickly capture the interest of a reader, a screenplay needs to grab the attention of its audience. Scripts with great hooks are more likely to be read all the way through, and scripts that are read all the way through are more likely to turn into movies. In this post, we teach you how to write the first ten pages of a screenplay. Are you hooked?Continue reading How to Write the First Ten Pages of a Screenplay
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 — and they are just as necessary as the characters themselves. Let’s take a look at a few examples when filming locations took center stage. We’ll start with a brief video of the Texas-loving football drama, Friday Night Lights.Continue reading Filming Locations that Enhance Your…
Though best known for producing many of the best television shows of all time, HBO is also home to many excellent films. HBO caught on quick that streaming was the way of the future, and got into the only media game early. We’ll be taking a look at what movies are on HBO right now. HBO-Go is home to not just every great HBO original series, but also hundreds of films ranging from all-time classics to new releases. Joining us in counting down the top 50 HBO movies available right now. Continue reading Best Movies on HBO Right Now —…
Planning a video or sequence in a film doesn’t come second nature to most filmmakers. Serious prep is required. Lucky for you, there are tools to make this easier. Laying out your vision in a storyboard is one way to do it. What is a storyboard you may ask? It is a roadmap that will guide your journey from script to screen. To really grasp the benefits of storyboarding, we'll go beyond a simple storyboard definition to explore how filmmakers like Ridley Scott and the Coen Bros. rely on this fundamental process and how easy it will be for you to…
Directors and cinematographers shoot with purpose, as they match their technical shot choices with the intended tone or emotion of the story. Of course, they’re not the only ones making critical choices. Editors’ decisions hugely determine the success of a film. It is up to the editor to assemble every scene, every cut in a scene, to tell the intended emotional truth of the story. It’s a tall order. To alleviate some of this pressure, Oscar-winning editor, Walter Murch, outlined some helpful tools. In his book, In the Blink of an Eye, Walter Murch details The Rule of Six, discussing…
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 a screenwriting term). Whether you are helming a massive studio blockbuster or grinding away at a microbudget indie film, the stages of film production often are the same.Continue reading Stages of Film Production — Overview of the Entire Process
Films possess an immense power to evoke a myriad of emotions within their viewers. From pure joy to profound sadness, from gripping fear to overwhelming love, movies have the unique ability to transport us to alternate worlds and forge deep connections with the stories being told. One element that plays a pivotal role in creating this emotional impact is the atmosphere of a film. Continue reading Atmosphere in Movies — How Image & Sound Create Worlds
When it comes to art, human beings are drawn to both harmonious and antagonistic compositions. While harmony in art can evoke pleasing emotions that viewers are drawn to, art with conflict can create greater intrigue and story. One of the most valuable techniques for creating the latter in art is contrast. What is contrast and what is its place in art? Contrast can be used in nearly every art form in numerous ways. But it’s important to understand the “Why?” behind its ubiquitous use in art. In this article, we’ll take a look at why artists and consumers of art…
There is a saying: the best film editing is the editing that nobody notices. Though there are exceptions, this is pretty widely accepted as truth for the most part. So if good editing purposely avoids standing out, how are the nominees and winners of the Best Film Editing Oscar picked out and decided?The editing style of a particular film is at the behest of the story being told and the style of the director telling it. Large-scale films that are grand in scope and full of flashy, complex sequences are sure to impress, which is why war films tend to…
We’ve talked quite a bit about the amount of thought that goes into Costume Design. We’ve talked about how costumes instantly convey information about the story’s setting, and about who the characters are. The Academy Award for Best Costume Design winners add their own flavor and style to the film, in some cases even a style that audiences wanted to emulate. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the 21st century Best Costume Design winners and see “who wore it best.” One thing you’ll notice immediately is that the films on this list are mostly period pieces, but…
