James T Kirk, who is the captain of the Starship Enterprise, explores the whole galaxy with his crew and goes on several adventures as they fight evil forces together.
What is a protagonist? Many refer to it as the leading character in a story. But is the protagonist something more? Or something less? To understand the definition fully, we need to look at how different types of protagonists are used in screenwriting. This will help us decide which type works best for our scripts.Continue… Continue reading What is a Protagonist — Definition & Examples for Screenwriters
You’ve seen them: the crazy scientist, the damsel in distress, a noble and chaste hero, the villain who keeps his identity secret, the old guy who trains the hero. These are who you call stock characters, and they have been in fiction for an extremely long time. In fact, they keep showing up in fiction,… Continue reading What is a Stock Character — Definition, Examples & Tropes
What is a parody? Is it a joke? Is it a mock of a famous work? We’re going to get to the bottom of those questions by breaking down the history of parodies – as well as by looking at some famous parody examples in film and literature. By the end, you’ll know what makes… Continue reading What is a Parody — Definition and Examples in Film
Types of LensesOpen menu Prime Lens Zoom Lens Anamorphic Lens Lens Basics More About Lens Types Focal LengthsOpen menu Wide Angle Lens (14mm – 35mm) Standard (35mm – 70mm) Telephoto Lens (70mm – 200mm) More Focal Lengths Specialty LensesOpen menu Macro Lens Fisheye Lens Tilt-Shift Lens Split-Diopter Lens Deakinizer Lens Lens BrandsOpen menu Lens Buying… Continue reading What is an Anamorphic Lens? How to Get that Cinematic Look
If you love TV, then you’ve probably heard of a bottle episode before. Some of the best shows ever from Breaking Bad to Community have used this formula to mixed results. They tend to be some of the most divisive episodes with some fans hating the unique structure while others love what’s made possible through… Continue reading What is a Bottle Episode — Best Examples & How to Write One
What is lens flare? It’s probably appeared on some of your photos or footage. Sometimes it ruins images, and sometimes it surprises you and makes you feel like you are the greatest photographer in all the land. If you’re an aspiring photographer or filmmaker, though, you’ll probably want and need more control over your images.… Continue reading What is Lens Flare? How to Get It & How to Avoid It
Before the 1950s, nearly every single movie was in the same 4:3 aspect ratio. But then CinemaScope from 20th Century Fox changed the landscape with widescreen imagery to get people into theaters nationwide. Pretty soon, other studios were making their own widescreen movies, including Paramount Pictures with VistaVision. What is VistaVision, you ask? Well, it… Continue reading What is VistaVision — A History of Widescreen in Hollywood
From movies to novels to video games, dystopian fiction is consistently one of the hottest genres in entertainment. But given its broad scope and variety of forms, the dystopian genre can sometimes be hard to categorize. What is dystopian fiction? What are its defining features and how can we account for its enduring popularity? This… Continue reading What is Dystopian Fiction? Definition and Characteristics
BasicsOpen menu Insert Image Antagonist Insert Image Hero Insert Image Anti Hero Insert Image Tragic Hero Insert Image Superhero Insert Image Anti-Villain Insert Image Villain Character TropesOpen menu Insert Image Common Character Types Insert Image Character Archetypes Insert Image Types of Villains Insert Image Femme Fatale Insert Image Mad Scientist Insert Image Mary Sue Insert… Continue reading 8 Character Archetypes — Examples in Literature & Movies
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… Continue reading Best Movie Sequels of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
What is a paradox? Definitions can often feel, well, paradoxical. Even though paradoxes have been part of human thinking for thousands of years, they are not always well understood. This seems particularly true of paradoxes in movies, which often leave viewers scratching their heads. Whether you want to get a grip on exactly what a… Continue reading What is a Paradox? Definition and Examples for Literature and Film
Storytellers have been using literary allusion for thousands of years – Sophocles, for example, used Greek mythological allusion in Antigone way back in 441 BC. But while the device is a crucial element of literature and drama, it’s not always easy to recognize types of allusion or understand how they are used. Exactly what is… Continue reading What is an Allusion? Definition and Examples for Screenwriters
How do you decide film credits order? Do you always have to put the director first? Do you list in order of celebrity? Pull names from a hat?Continue reading The Ultimate Guide to Film Credits Order Hierarchy (with Free Film Credits Template)
The 2000s were a weird time for cinema — kind of sandwiched in between the indie 90’s scene and the blockbuster 2010’s scene. But there are so many great movies that came out between 2000 and 2009, that we thought it would be interesting to look back at what made them so great. So without… Continue reading Best Movies of the 2000s — The Entire Decade Ranked
Best Marvel MoviesMCU in Release OrderMCU in Story OrderThe Pegasus OrderUpcoming Over the years, Marvel Studios has assembled quite a filmography. From the early trial-and-error period of Phase 1, through the uncertain highs and lows of Phase 2, all the way up to the record-shattering renaissance of Phase 3, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has run… Continue reading 23 Best Marvel Movies Ranked (2008 – 2019)
The 1980s were a seminal time for the horror genre. It was the decade of slasher films and when the genre began to become deconstructed as audiences became more familiar with the tropes present in horror films. It was also a great time for films involving vampires, which is why we are ranking the best… Continue reading 20 Best 1980s Vampire Movies, Ranked for Filmmakers
