By GenreOpen menu Insert Image Comedy Insert Image Sci-Fi Insert Image Action Insert Image Romantic Insert Image Animation Insert Image Thriller Insert Image Drama Insert Image Crime Insert Image TV Scripts Insert Image Horror Insert Image Fantasy Insert Image Western Insert Image Musical Insert Image War ResourcesOpen menu Insert Image Best Screenplays to Read Insert… Continue reading Best Free Thriller Movie Scripts Online (with PDF Downloads)
A detective movie can be a lot of things: a moody noir, a screwball comedy, a sci-fi thriller. Any of these genres can follow one protagonist trying to answer a question. Detective movies follow searchers– people are not satisfied until they get to the bottom of it all. Often, the answer isn’t as simple as they’d… Continue reading Best Detective Movies of All Time — Film’s Greatest Gumshoes
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 The dolly zoom is one of the most discussed cinematic techniques. You can use them in many ways, but a great director will find… Continue reading What is a Dolly Zoom — Scene Examples of the Vertigo Effect
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the all-time great auteur filmmakers. His films can be explained in the simplest of terms: You know it when you see it. Over 55 years, Alfred Hitchcock directed dozens upon dozens of films, some of which have joined the pantheon of the greatest movies in cinema history. In this article,… Continue reading 30 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies Ranked for Filmmakers
After their first viewing, many people need the Vertigo movie explained. This Alfred Hitchcock film is beguiling and its initial release in 1958 was disappointing. It made significantly less than other Hitchcock films to date and it was widely panned by critics. Subsequently, Hitchcock bought back the rights to the film but it was widely… Continue reading Vertigo Movie Explained — Plot, Characters, Themes & Legacy
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
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… Continue reading 25 Best Opening Scenes in Movies & What Makes Them Great
It is not uncommon for directors to take inspiration from previous great directors in history. Various techniques and styles are passed on through cinema like a tradition between filmmakers. The Vertigo effect is one of the most distinct examples of this. Films throughout the last sixty years have used the Vertigo effect in a variety… Continue reading What is the Vertigo Effect? The Hitchcock Zoom Explained
Peripeteia. Is it a synonym for ‘onomatopoeia’? A fancy potato? A lyric from Mary Poppin’s “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Excellent guesses, but no. Peripeteia isn’t written sound effects, a special tuber or delightful nonsense from the Poppinverse. So, what is peripeteia? Despite how intimidating it may appear on paper, the peripeteia definition is a simple, but crucial, story… Continue reading What is Peripeteia? A Deep Dive Into a Surprising Plot Device
Color BasicsOpen menu Insert Image Color Grading vs. Color Correction Insert Image What is Color Space Insert Image What is Color Temperature Insert Image What is a Vectorscope Insert Image What is LUT Insert Image What is a Colorist Insert Image What is a Color Checker Insert Image What is Technicolor Insert Image First Color… Continue reading What is a Complementary Color Scheme — Definition, Examples
Types of LensesOpen menu Insert Image Lens Basics Insert Image Prime Lens Insert Image Zoom Lens Insert Image Anamorphic Lens Focal LengthsOpen menu Insert Image Wide Angle Lens (14mm – 35mm) Insert Image Standard (35mm – 70mm) Insert Image What is a 50mm Lens Good For Insert Image 35mm vs 50mm Lenses Insert Image Telephoto… Continue reading The Different Types of Camera Lenses for Video and Photography
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 What is a… Continue reading 23 Best Movie Scores of All Time — Filmmaker Playlist
A filmmaker is a visual artist. To be a great visual artist you need mastery of the color palette. Many of the greatest Directors, Cinematographers, and Production Designers have extensive backgrounds as visual artists themselves. There are many ways to use color in film. We’re going to break down the key approaches as well as… Continue reading How to Use Color in Film: 50+ Examples of Movie Color Palettes
When it comes to the best thriller movies of all time, there’s a lot to choose from. While great thrillers involve the protagonist in constant and terrifying danger, some are more light hearted, while still juggling with the concepts of life and death. With such a broad genre, there are many movies in the thriller genre… Continue reading Best Thriller Movies of All Time, Ranked for Filmmakers
