Steven Allan Spielberg is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular directors and producers in film history. Spielberg started in Hollywood directing television and several minor theatrical releases.
A Close-up shot is one of the most commonly used shot sizes in film and television, but there are ways to make your close-ups extraordinary. It may be when you decide to use them in your story, or how you angle your camera to get an added emotional effect, or by surrounding them with varying shot sizes. In this post, we’ll break it down for you. Continue reading Close-Up Shots: Examples of Camera Movement & Angles
When you’re working on a movie or TV show, it can be hard to plant the audience inside the character's point of view. Today we’re going to go over the POV, or point of view shot. We’ll define it, see it in action, and talk about why it belongs on your shot list. Continue reading Point of View Shots: Creative Camera Movements & Angles
You’ve seen many Steven Spielberg movies in your time. Despite his popularity, it can be difficult to pinpoint what defines the Steven Spielberg directing style. Perhaps his control of the medium is so natural and intuitive, his trademarks and cinematography techniques go unnoticed in a good way. This article will explore the most iconic films by Spielberg, analyzing his unique style and storytelling techniques.We get lost in a Spielberg movie in a way that’s like no other filmmaker. His ability to captivate audiences raises questions like what film is the highest grossing of all time, as many of his masterpieces…
Becoming a film director isn’t a straight path. There are multiple ways of getting there but, ultimately, there's only one driving force: you. Regardless of your education or current skill set, if you want to make movies, you will. But that’s easier said than done, so let’s go a little deeper to answer how to become a director. Continue reading How to Become a Director: Learning from Seasoned Filmmakers
Watching a scene is easy, but blocking and staging a scene effectively is a complex dance between actors and your camera. When deciding where to position your actors and your camera, you're essentially solving a puzzle — a puzzle with more than one solution.So, how is it done?In this post, we’re going to show you how three of the great directors in filmmaking history stage and block their scenes in a way that is profound, interesting, and ultimately cinematic. Lezgo.Continue reading Blocking and Staging a Scene like Spielberg, Kubrick, and Inarritu
What is a tracking shot? They are really fun to watch, but difficult to film. We've put together a list of the best tracking shots of all time. Then we break down everything you'll need to consider when blocking and planning a tracking shot in your own projects.Continue reading What is a Tracking Shot — 25 Best Tracking Shot Examples
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
Mise en scène. It’s a fancy looking phrase that you’ve seen floating around many film-related articles, carrying with it an immediate sense of snobbery. Don't worry, you're not the first person to ask "what is mise en scene?" After today, you’ll have a better sense of this concept and its fundamentals so you can apply it in your next project. Continue reading What is Mise en Scène in Film: Definition and Examples
