EssentialsOpen menu What is Sound Design What Does a Sound Designer Do Sound Editing vs Sound Mixing What is Voice Over What is a Foley Artist What is Diegetic Sound What is Non-Diegetic Sound What is a Film Score What is Asynchronous Sound What is Music Licensing What is a Film Composer TechniquesOpen menu Ultimate… Continue reading What is Non-Diegetic Sound — Definition and Examples
There are many responsibilities that fall onto the shoulders of a director. One of the most important responsibilities they have is to direct the actors of a film. How do great directors bring out great performances from an actor? What is the relationship between director and actor? How should a director communicate with an actor?… Continue reading How to Direct Actors for Film — 12 Tips & Techniques Explained
Types of Camera GearOpen menu Insert Image Tripod Insert Image Handheld Insert Image Gimbal Insert Image Jib / Boom Insert Image Drone Insert Image Dolly Insert Image Steadicam Insert Image Crane Shot TypesOpen menu Insert Image All Shots & Angles Insert Image Camera Shot Ultimate Guide Insert Image Camera Movement Master Class Create Free Shot… Continue reading What is a Boom Shot — Camera Shot Definition and Examples
EssentialsOpen menu What is Sound Design What Does a Sound Designer Do Sound Editing vs Sound Mixing What is Voice Over What is a Foley Artist What is Diegetic Sound What is Non-Diegetic Sound What is a Film Score What is Asynchronous Sound What is Music Licensing What is a Film Composer TechniquesOpen menu Ultimate… Continue reading What is a Sound Bridge in Film — Scene Transition Techniques
Great performances, direction, cinematography, and even production design are all essential for creating an engaging dialogue scene. But one of the most important aspects of a great dialogue scene is effective editing. Editing can make or break a dialogue scene even if all of the other filmmaking elements fall into place. So how do you edit… Continue reading How to Edit a Dialogue Scene — Tips and Techniques for Editors
While cinema is known for being a primarily visual medium, there is no doubt how much of an impact music can have on a film. Some of the most iconic scenes in history are remembered with a song attached. Sometimes the music choices are left to a director far after the screenplay is written. However,… Continue reading How to Write Music into a Screenplay — Examples & Tips
EssentialsOpen menu Insert Image What is The Three Act Structure Insert Image What is Story Structure Insert Image What is a Story Beat Insert Image What is a Story Mountain Insert Image What Is a Plot Insert Image Plot vs Story Insert Image What is a Non-Linear Plot Insert Image What is a Plot Device… Continue reading What is Story Structure — Definition, Examples & Types
Trope EssentialsOpen menu Insert Image What is a Trope Insert Image What is a Cliche Insert Image Tropes & Cliches to Avoid Character TropesOpen menu Insert Image Character Tropes Insert Image Stock Character Insert Image Mary Sue Insert Image Manic Pixie Dream Girl Insert Image Mad Scientist Insert Image Femme Fatale Insert Image Damsel in… Continue reading What is a Trope — Definition and Examples in Movies
Basic CharactersOpen menu Insert Image Protagonist Insert Image Deuteragonist Insert Image Antagonist Insert Image Hero Insert Image Anti Hero Insert Image Tragic Hero Insert Image Tritagonist Insert Image Superhero Insert Image Anti-Villain Insert Image Villain Insert Image Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Insert Image Common Character Types Insert Image Character Archetypes Insert Image Types of… Continue reading What is Characterization — A Guide to Character Building
Best Tarantino MoviesQT’s Directing StyleQT Directing Tips QT DialogueOnce Upon a Time AnalysisBasterds Breakdown How do you learn filmmaking techniques from a director like Quentin Tarantino? You can watch his films, and learn his filmmaking process with quotes from Quentin Tarantino interviews. We also built a video with directing tips and examples from Quentin Tarantino… Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Interviews, Directing Tips & Quotes on Film
EssentialsOpen menu What is Sound Design What Does a Sound Designer Do Sound Editing vs Sound Mixing What is Voice Over What is a Foley Artist What is Diegetic Sound What is Non-Diegetic Sound What is a Film Score What is Asynchronous Sound What is Music Licensing What is a Film Composer TechniquesOpen menu Ultimate… Continue reading 60 Best Movie Songs Of All Time — Top Needle Drops, Ranked
Basic CharactersOpen menu Insert Image Protagonist Insert Image Deuteragonist Insert Image Antagonist Insert Image Hero Insert Image Anti Hero Insert Image Tragic Hero Insert Image Tritagonist Insert Image Superhero Insert Image Anti-Villain Insert Image Villain Insert Image Foil Character Character TropesOpen menu Insert Image Common Character Types Insert Image Character Archetypes Insert Image Types of… Continue reading What is an Antagonist in a Story — Definition & Examples
Close UpsOpen menu Insert Image Extreme Close-Up (ECU) Insert Image Medium Close-Up (MCU) Medium ShotsOpen menu Insert Image Medium Shot (MS) Insert Image Cowboy Shot (CS) Insert Image Medium Full Shot (MFS) Wide ShotsOpen menu Insert Image Full Shot (FS) Insert Image Wide Shot (WS) Insert Image Extreme Wide Shot (EWS) More ShotsOpen menu Insert… Continue reading What is a Medium Long Shot — Types of Shots in Film Explained
What’s the most difficult aspect of writing dialogue? Ask any ten writers and you’re bound to get a range of answers. But “getting started” is no doubt one of the most popular. So, we’re going to break down some dialogue prompts to kickstart your writing process! By the end, you’ll have options to choose where… Continue reading Dialogue Prompts for Writers — Lines To Get You Writing Now
Art is inherently referential; everyone is influenced by something that came before. Great (and not-so-great) artists all get inspiration from somewhere and will sometimes show it in their works. If an artist makes a reference to something in their own work, that is often seen as an homage. But what is homage? Is it anything… Continue reading What is Homage — Definition & Examples in Art and Film
Since his feature-length debut in 1986 with She’s Gotta Have It, Spike Lee has remained one of the most important and innovative voices in the film industry. No one has had their pulse on the zeitgeist quite like Lee, and even when he flounders, you can’t help but be impressed with what he manages to… Continue reading Best Spike Lee Movies and TV Shows — Ranked for Filmmakers
How long is a movie script? Or perhaps better questions are how long are scripts in general and how many pages should a screenplay be? While there is a degree of variety to how many pages is a movie script, there is far less flexibility when it comes to the length of a screenplay than… Continue reading How Long is a Movie Script & Why Page Count Matters
Types of FocusOpen menu Shallow Focus Deep Focus Rack Focus Zoom Shots Dolly-Zoom (Zolly) Tilt-Shift More ShotsOpen menu All Shots & Angles Camera Shot Ultimate Guide Create Free Shot List Now If you’re an aspiring cinematographer or director, you know that the camera is your primary storytelling tool. How you move the camera or how… Continue reading What is a Zoom Shot and When You Should Use One