The Academy Award for Best Director is the most prestigious honor any director can receive -- well, at least in theory it is. You may be shocked to find out that many of “the greatest directors of all-time,” like Alfred Hitchock, Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, Fritz Lang, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini never won the award. Of all of the Academy Awards, the Best Director category probably has the greatest discrepancy between its winners and its retrospective, critical consensus. No matter though, we’re going to list all of the Academy Award Best Director winners, then we’ll rank some…
How would it feel to watch your perfect scene play out on the big screen? You’re one step closer, because you’re about to learn one of the most important methods to help your scene achieve a big, cinematic look. The complex master shot.By following five key steps, you’ll gain more control over the viewer’s attention, because understanding how to stage, schedule, and capture a complex master shot will transform your film into a tour de force.Continue reading The Master Shot — 5 Steps to Shooting a Complex Master
In psychology, there’s something called the serial position effect. It means people tend to remember what comes first and last, not what occurs in the middle. Filmmakers know this phenomenon all too well. Combine that with today's stream-ability and countless options… and the opening to a film is as important as ever. Today, we study the best opening scenes in movies to see how the best in the business grab the audience and never let go. Continue reading 25 Best Opening Scenes in Movies & What Makes Them Great
In 1990, Goodfellas was released worldwide and instantly became a mobster classic. Martin Scorsese served as the director of the film and also co-wrote the script with Nicholas Pileggi.Goodfellas is an adapted screenplay from Pileggi’s novel, Wiseguys, which is based on the true story of Henry Hill and his mob associates. Since the story was based on real-life subjects, the script had to be written through a historical lens, with specific verbiage. Through extraordinary talent and well-developed research, Scorsese was able to deliver an excellent film, one that has become an icon of the gangster genre.In this article, we’re going…
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…
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 Time, Ranked…
Have you ever watched a movie with a plot twist that left you stunned, only to rewatch it and realize the subtle clues were there all along? This storytelling technique is called foreshadowing. But what is foreshadowing exactly? Is it merely dropping hints, or is it something more powerful? This article explores foreshadowing in literature and film, defining its types, analyzing famous foreshadowing examples, and revealing how master storytellers from William Shakespeare to Christopher Nolan use this device to craft unforgettable stories.Continue reading What is Foreshadowing — Definition, Examples in Film and Lit.
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, because in the 1930's stars ruled the day. Auteur theory came in the early 1950's, and it changed all that. It shifted some power away from actors, producers, and studio moguls. It shifted power towards directors. Towards specific types of directors. And it ultimately led…
Using non-diegetic sound is a great way for filmmakers to support the worlds that they build. You may have heard this fancy term before but what is non-diegetic sound? The answer is much less complicated than you think. In this article, we’re going to define what non-diegetic sound is. Then, we’ll look at examples from cinema history that show us how to properly and creatively use it.Continue reading What is Non-Diegetic Sound — Definition and Examples
Imagine watching Inception with no explanation of dream levels—confusing, right? Now, picture Blade Runner spoon-feeding Deckard’s backstory through narration—just as frustrating. That’s the challenge of exposition in a story: delivering information without losing the audience’s interest. What is Exposition? It’s the way stories reveal important details over time, shaping how engaged we feel. When done well, it pulls us deeper into a story; when done poorly, it takes us out of it. In this article, we’ll break down exposition and explore how different storytelling mediums use it effectively.Continue reading What is Exposition — You Can’t Escape It But You Can…
