Inception is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, in large part due to the special effects. Can you build the special effects from Inception scenes with your home setup?In today's post, we’re going to show you how we recreated the VFX explosion animation in the Paris cafe scene from Inception. See how we approach lighting, sound effects, set design, and slow-motion to create a similar visual product for a fraction of the cost.Continue reading Inception Special Effects: Explosion Animation in the Paris Cafe Scene
Best Nolan MoviesNolan's Directing StyleNolan Directing Tips Nolan's CirclesNolan's Shot List Christopher Nolan films include Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige, and Interstellar. His films Inception and Dunkirk received Academy Award nominations for best picture.We watched all of Christopher Nolan's movies, interviews, and documentaries to compile a list of filmmaking tips & techniques.Continue reading Christopher Nolan: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Nolan’s Directing Style
Alex Wolff has made quite a name for himself around Hollywood, starring in such films as Hereditary, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and My Friend Dahmer. He recently made his directorial debut with the film The Cat and the Moon, and StudioBinder sat down with Alex to talk about some of the directorial choices he made to bring raw and emotional truth to his film.Continue reading In the Frame with Alex Wolff — The Cat and the Moon
Best Tarantino MoviesQT's Directing StyleQT Directing Tips QT DialogueOnce Upon a Time AnalysisBasterds Breakdown Quentin Tarantino is known for many things as a filmmaker. His films have unpredictable violence and masterfully-crafted scenes. But above all else, Tarantino is known for his dialogue. It’s not easy holding an audience’s attention for even two minutes, but Tarantino somehow manages to keep scenes engaging even when they extend well beyond 10 minutes. For a great example of this, you should review the Kill Bill Vol 2 ending, which showcases several techniques on how to make dialogue scenes interesting. We’ll also include other scenes from…
You grew up watching the best fight scenes and loved every bone-cracking minute of them. They are one of the reasons you became a filmmaker, and perhaps you’ve already put together a few of your own.But for some reason... they just don’t play the way you had hoped. It’s not like you don’t know how to film an action scene or even a good fight scene, but something is just... wrong. Was it the sound design? The fight choreography? The actors? You're not sure, but you do know one thing...You can do better.In this post, we’re going to break down…
You want to learn how to write a fight scene in a screenplay, but it seems that each writer takes their own unique approach. How then can you determine the ‘right way’ to write compelling fight scenes? No worries. This post will take you through the process of writing the best fight scenes for different genres (with examples) so that they are adequately descriptive, entertain the reader, and help to sell your scripts to professional filmmakers. Lezgo. Continue reading How to Write a Fight Scene in a Screenplay Like John Wick
Quentin Tarantino has created some of the most memorable scenes in film history. However, none are quite so impactful, tense, and amazing as the Inglourious Basterds opening scene.The scene lasts for just under 20 minutes, but during that time, Tarantino employs a vast array of framing techniques and angles to help tell the story to its fullest potential. In this post, we’ll run through some of the different techniques he used and how you can incorporate them into your own films.Continue reading Writing and Directing for Suspense: Inglourious Basterds
EPISODE 3Location LockdownA film is only as good as the locations. Finding a great filming location that fits inside your budget isn't easy, especially when you need areas for lunch, parking, and staging equipment. Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this.EPISODE 3Set scouting beginsFinding a really great filming location for a professional production is one of the more difficult tasks you'll face. They can be expensive and you often need a place to park production trucks, bathrooms and dressing rooms for your cast and crew, and areas for food service. In the third episode of our Pre-Production web-series, we scout locations across…
EPISODE 2Department Head HuntingThe first step to building a great film crew is securing department heads. Watch as the team hires their DP and 1st Assistant Director and discusses crew and camera budgets.Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this.EPISODE 2Assembling the A-TeamNow is the time to begin building your team so that you can hire an effective film crew. You'll also want to put together your production calendar so that you can stay on track. You may have an idea for your budget, but the department heads might have some objections.In the second episode of our Pre-Production web-series, we hire…
You’re a filmmaker who wants to get the most out of your production design, mise en scene, and scene elements, but you’re not sure how to plan and maximize your visual opportunities.In this post, we’re going to breakdown the production design, mise en scene, and scene elements in the Amazon Original series, The Boys, so that you can apply this same process to your own projects.Continue reading Amazon’s The Boys: Mise En Scene, Production Design, and Costumes
