Over the last few years, Hollywood has tried to reinvent its definition of the “strong female protagonist” – but the result has been mixed. Although there has been a greater representation of empowered women in Hollywood films, there has also been a dissolution of nuanced characters. All of this begs the question: how do you effectively write a female protagonist? Well, it starts with all of the tenets of effective characterization – and by analyzing the best female protagonists of all-time. We’re going to break down the best female protagonists by looking at what makes them strong and weak. By the…
Video transitions are used in just about every film and video – and they play an enormous role in the subliminal or liminal effects of moving from shot to shot. As such, knowing when and how to use specific types of editing transitions in film – like wipes, fades and pans – can make your project better than ever before. We’re going to break down a variety of different types of editing transitions in film with examples from cinema history. By the end, you’ll be ready to apply video transitions in your own works!Continue reading Types of Editing Transitions in…
Since the days of silent films, music has played an essential role in cinema. Originally played by phonography or improvised by live musicians, music accompanied the narrative of a film in theatres. As technology progressed and the ability to synchronize sound to celluloid developed, the role of the film composer became integral and music was tailored to every frame of a film. Thus the film score was born.As cinema progressed and dialogue and cinematography became the heavy lifters of a film’s narrative, music unfortunately started to become an afterthought in the filmmaking process. However, the most memorable, emotional, and engaging…
Human beings have been telling stories for as long as we have roamed this Earth. Storytelling has gone from oral tradition to a natural part of the cinematic landscape. And in-between it all, we have learned how to end a story. Throughout our years telling stories, we have learned that there are ultimately four ways to end one. We will be going over each of these four ending types and explaining their characteristics for knowing how to end your screenplay. Let's begin at the beginnings before we end with the endings! Continue reading How to End a Story — Different…
The Academy Award for Best Original Score is one of the most prestigious honors a composer can be given. Over the years, some of the world’s most acclaimed composers, like John Williams and Max Steiner, have won the award. We’re going to list every Academy Award for Best Original Score winner, then rank some of the best. By the end, you’ll know the Best Original Score category better than ever before. Continue reading Academy Award for Best Original Score: Top Winners Ranked
The Godfather is nothing short of a masterpiece. That’s because every single facet of the film’s production is layered with detail, emotion, and purpose. But everything that we see visually in the final cut was once just an idea in the minds of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, initially transcribed onto the page as The Godfather script.Continue reading The Godfather Script PDF Download: Plot, Quotes, and Analysis
Every month, dozens of movies arrive on Netflix, but it can be a hassle keeping track of all the great content that comes and goes. Don’t fret though, we’re going to break down the best new movies on Netflix each month to help you decide on what to watch. These are the best of what’s coming to Netflix in November, 2020. Continue reading Best New Movies on Netflix, Filmmaker Playlist (January 2021)
The best movie directors of all time — the idea of such a list sparks immediate debate. Rather than try to impose any sort of definitive or objective best directors list, consider this more of a celebration of the entire medium. Woefully underrepresented on this list are women. While women have been an integral part of the film industry since the beginning, the opportunity to direct was rarely given to them. That means that any list that covers the entirety of film history will be unfortunately one-sided. Thankfully, women have been making great strides in reversing this over the years…
Francis Ford Coppola is one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time; his seminal classics, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, and The Conversation, consistently rank among cinema’s pantheon – but did you know he’s directed 20 other feature-length films? We’re going to rank every Francis Ford Coppola film, from top to bottom. By the end, you’ll know the best Francis Ford Coppola movies, and just might find a hidden gem or two!Continue reading Best Francis Ford Coppola Movies — Every Film Ranked
Audiences and filmmakers alike love sequels. And we all love to rank and debate which are the “greatest.” But deciding which films belong on a “best movie sequels of all time” list can feel overwhelming. How does one choose from every film ever made? And how to rank one above the other? While such a list is by definition subjective, it doesn’t have to be arbitrary. One way of more rigorously determining if a movie is the best in a certain category is by ranking it according to aggregated scores across categories. To determine the best sequels of all time…
