The investigation of a publishing tycoon’s dying words reveals conflicting stories about his scandalous life.
Screenwriting books and instructors often warn aspiring writers against writing flashbacks in their scripts. They know beginning and amateur writers often use them in a way that can bring a film to a dead stop. However, so many great films have used flashbacks with resounding success. So, let’s learn from some films that figured out how… Continue reading How to Write a Flashback in a Script — Techniques & Format
You cannot capture a man’s entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one,” says Gary Oldman in David Fincher’s oeuvre to Citizen Kane. But whose life is Citizen Kane an impression of? Charles Foster Kane? William Randolph Hearst? Orson Welles? Or Herman Mankiewicz? Perhaps it’s an impression… Continue reading Citizen Kane Screenplay PDF Download — Summary & Analysis
There are a lot of intricacies in scripts that present challenges to even the most veteran of screenwriters. The process of writing a script is difficult enough but the vocabulary, abbreviations, and defintions related to the job can be a bit elusive. But don’t worry, we’re going to cover a variety of screenwriting terms that… Continue reading Screenwriting Terms — Abbreviations, Definitions & Vocab
Have you ever watched a movie that seemed more focused on the inner life of its central character than following a traditional plot? Plenty of movies have great characters, but how many of those same movies would have the same plot if you removed that character? This is part of what makes character studies special,… Continue reading What is a Character Study — Character vs. Plot-Driven Narratives
One of the most prestigious honors a screenwriter can be given is the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Over the years, we’ve seen sweeping stories of romanticism like the original Titanic, as well as stories of war like The Hurt Locker, win the award. We’re going to list all the scripts that have won… Continue reading Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay — Top 20 Ranked
For decades, filmmakers have iterated on creative lighting and cinematic techniques. But still, some of the best lighting techniques, such as chiaroscuro, have persevered to have an impact on cinema today. Though chiaroscuro in film was popularized nearly a century ago, modern cinema still venerates its value. So what is chiaroscuro in film and how… Continue reading What is Chiaroscuro in Film? Definition, Techniques, & Examples
Every artist, photographer or otherwise, comes to a point in their creative process where they must look elsewhere for inspiration. As such, we felt it would be a great idea to compile a list of creative photography ideas. We’re going to touch on some creative and technical strategies that might stimulate your photographic eye –… Continue reading Creative Photography Ideas & Techniques To Get You Inspired
2020 was a very strange year for movies. Most theaters in the United States have been closed since March in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing studios to push most of its offerings into 2021 at the earliest. While it may seem like a bare year for cinephiles, there was still plenty to enjoy. If… Continue reading The Best 2020 Movies — Bright Lights in a Dark Year
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… 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… Continue reading 55 Best Movie Directors of All Time and Their Greatest Films
What is colorization? Back in the early days of filmmaking, color was something reserved for movies few and far between. But as the years went by, more and more movies began to use color. However, many filmmakers and critics in Hollywood expressed outrage at the idea of adding color to classic black-and-white movies. We’re going… Continue reading Film Colorization Process & The Debate Over Colorized Movies
Orson Welles used to say “they’ll love me when I’m dead” — well at least that’s what his protege Peter Bogdanovich said. I suppose in some sense that perspective was well-warranted. Although Welles received a lot of acclaim during his life, particularly for writing, directing, and starring in Citizen Kane, he never got the respect… Continue reading Best Orson Welles Movies — His 13 Directed Films Ranked
Of all of the parts of a screenplay, the opening scene is perhaps the most important – not only because it has to establish the world of the story, but because it also has to grab the attention of the script-reader. We’re going to look at a few different ways you can start your script… Continue reading Screenplay Opening Scene Examples — Ways to Begin a Script
Have you ever noticed how the narrative in a story seems to have repeating patterns or cycles? Does the narrative feature two separate storylines that seem very similar to each other? Is there a series of movies where the same sorts of things happen in each movie? There is a good chance you were seeing… Continue reading What is Parallelism — Definition and Examples for Writers
What is tone? To answer that question we have to place tone in an appropriate context. Tone can refer to the intonation/pitch of acoustics, the meeting of light and shadow, the firmness of muscles, etc., etc. – but we’re going to focus on what tone means in storytelling. Tone is how an artist feels towards… Continue reading What is Tone in Literature & Film — A Guide for Storytellers
Flashback is a term that we hear nearly every day in life — but what is a flashback in writing? A flashback is sometimes used to give context to the past, but there’s a lot more to the technique than that. We’re going to break down flashbacks by looking at how they’re used by writers,… Continue reading What is a Flashback? Definition and Examples in Literature and Film
Everyone loves to see a great scene transition, but how do you connect scenes on a deeper level? Consider using a match cut. Using similar colors, shapes, actions or even dialogue, match cuts add that extra level of meaning to create a more cohesive and seamless narrative. In today’s post, we’re going to break down… Continue reading Match Cuts & Creative Transitions with Examples – Editing Techniques
What makes a great music score? Does it need to dominate the soundtrack or can go unnoticed in the background? Should a contemporary movie always use modern music or is it blasphemy for a period piece to include pop songs? Whether you have answers to these questions or not, there’s no denying the power of… Continue reading 23 Best Movie Scores of All Time — Filmmaker Playlist
Dof basicsShallow dofDeep dofDOF GuideTYPES OF CAMERA FOCUS Shot List SeriesShot SizeShot FramingCamera AnglesCamera FocusCamera GearCamera MovementCamera Lenses Camera focus is more than just making sure your image is sharp and detailed. When you consider the storytelling value of shallow focus or how a rack focus can guide the eye, a whole new world opens… Continue reading Ultimate Guide to Camera Focus: Understanding Depth of Field
What is an allegory? An allegory is an important part of a symbolic story. Many of us have heard the term used when describing literature or film, but how do we know what it means? We’re going to get to the bottom of those questions by looking at examples from Fight Club, Snowpiercer, and more,… Continue reading What is an Allegory? Definition and Examples in Literature and Film
