Motion pictures have enticed and inspired artists, audiences, and critics for more than a century. Today, we’re going to explore the history of film by looking at the major movements that have defined cinema worldwide. We’re also going to explore the technical craft of filmmaking from the persistence of vision to colorization to synchronous sound. By the end, you’ll know all the broad strokes in the history of film.Note: this article doesn’t cover every piece of film history. Some minor movements and technical breakthroughs have been left out – check out the StudioBinder blog for more content.Continue reading The History…
Filmmaking can be an incredibly daunting task. But it can be even more daunting with a lack of preparation. With all the moving parts that go into making a film from cinematography to production design to blocking, preparation is essential. One of the most common ways to prepare for a film is previsualization. What is previs or previsualization? How is it achieved? And why should you use it in your projects? Let’s find out. Continue reading What is Previs — The Art and Process of Previsualization in Film
Tripods in filmmaking used to be a necessity due to the weight of older cameras. As cameras have become lighter and lighter, many new age filmmakers jump to the handheld shot immediately. And while there is a time and a place for the handheld shot, many critics have pointed out its overuse in cinema today. That being said, there has never been a better time to go back to basics and learn about the fundamentals of the tripod.Continue reading What is a Tripod — Definition, Types and Functions Explained
David Koepp may be famous for writing the action-packed blockbusters Jurassic Park and Mission Impossible, but his decades-long career as screenwriter boasts a far more diverse, and abundant, oeuvre. From romantic or black comedies to thrillers or moody suspense, Koepp’s stories take audiences on entertaining rides, no matter the genre. Continue reading David Koepp — Screenwriter Analysis on Genre, Craft & Process
Why are major Hollywood movies so expensive these days? It seems like everything costs at least $200 million to make. Surely, there has to be a happy medium between indies and blockbusters. As it turns out, while the average movie budget has exploded over the last few decades, it’s still a far cry from your typical “Avengers” movie. So buckle up as we take you through a journey of the average of how much it costs to make cinema magic.Continue reading Average Movie Budget — How Much Do Movies Cost to Make?
How do people make movies? Writers, actors, directors, surely play a part, but there’s something more important than a movie’s creators, and that thing is money. Movies need money; that’s an irrefutable fact. And it’s the sole goal of the financier(s) to get a positive return on their investment. We’re going to look at how producers use production budgets to outline a course to positive net return. We’re also going to break down movie production budgets at three levels: low, mid, and high end. By the end, you’ll know how production budgets are made and the most expensive movies of…
What makes Jurassic Park a timeless story? While there are many reasons, one of the most important is the fantastic screenplay. Despite its age, the Jurassic Park script is a monument to classic story-telling. In this breakdown, we will provide a Jurassic Park summary, as well as why this script stands tall above all of the sequels that follow.Continue reading Jurassic Park Script PDF Download: Characters, Quotes, and Plot
Film is a uniquely visual storytelling medium. Everything you see within the frames of a shot is carefully thought out by someone behind the scenes. More often than not, these details in the frame come from the art department. An art department is responsible for the larger creation of a film set as well as the small details that are placed within that set. This may sound like a lot to do for one department. But the art department delegates responsibilities to various roles. In this article, we’ll be discussing what these roles are and how each is an integral…
90s movies may forever be my favorite movies. For whatever reason, whether comedy, drama, or horror, I feel this overwhelming sense of peace when one of my favorite 90s films is on. Is it just nostalgia or do they actually hold up? I suppose that’s always debatable. But there is a thin line between what is considered one of the “best” movies, and those movies that become so iconic, they define a decade. Some fans praise films for the technical and creative masterpieces that they are, while others love the movies they love because they have impacted them in some…
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…
