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Watch: How 'Get Out' Gives Us a New Perspective on Horror
In this essay, Michael Tucker looks at how 'Get Out' uses and subverts the rules of horror in order to bring a new perspective to the genre. At the 90th Academy Awards, Jordan Peele won an Oscar for...
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Darren Aronofsky Delivers His Ten Commandments of Indie Filmmaking
The visionary director's SXSW keynote was a wide-ranging masterclass on the art of making movies, pushing filmmakers to bring their unique visions to the screen. During his first trip to SXSW,...
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Watch: Discover 'The Secret in Their Eyes' and the Secrets of Revenge Films
Learn how the Argentinian Oscar-winner El Secreto de sus Ojos uses structure to subvert the traditional revenge plot. In this essay, from Jack's Movie Reviews, Jack looks at Argentine filmmaker Juan...
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Watch: How Steven Spielberg Uses Sound Design to Add Structure and Suspense
As beautiful as Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is, 'Munich' is also a film that demands to be heard. While movies are an overwhelmingly visual medium, in the words of the Nerdwriter, Evan Puschak,...
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From 'Witness' to 'Mad Max': Takeaways from Oscar-Winning DP John Seale's...
He's worked with directors Ron Howard, Barry Levinson, George Miller, Anthony Minghella, and Peter Weir, and that's just naming a few. In a master class presented by the Australian International...
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Inside an Awards Campaign: Neon CEO Tom Quinn on the Success of 'I, Tonya'
Behind-the-scenes of an upstart distributor's strategy to make waves through awards season. Participating In a Case Study at the Australian Screen Forum in New York City last week, Neon CEO Tom Quinn...
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Watch: Paul Thomas Anderson and Richard Linklater Reflect on the Late...
At the 2018 Texas Film Awards, two great directors sat down to discuss the work of another. According to a local website, filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who sadly passed away last year at the age of 73,...
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What's the Future of VR? Pioneer Nonny de la Peña Has Some Ideas
"Godmother of VR" Nonny de la Peña discusses the future of immersive journalism and VR technology. Nonny de la Peña, the "Godmother of virtual reality" and founder of the Emblematic Group, has...
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Watch: 3 Editing Techniques 'Big Little Lies' Uses to Create Empathy
The skillful editing of 'Big Little Lies' establishes relationships (and creates empathy) for its characters. In a video essay created by YouTuber mzak, we're shown how Big Little Lies, HBO's...
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Watch: How to Effectively Use a Smartphone in Your Movie
Do smartphones provide filmmakers with the opportunities to organically incorporate technology into their stories? Whether filmmakers like it or not, smartphones are here to stay. I'd even hazard a...
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The Cinematography of Breaking Bad in 4 Iconic Camera Moves
Breaking Bad's cinematography helped define the tone and story. Now, we look back on one of the greatest televisions shows of all time and dissect the four camera angles/moves that made its story...
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'Westworld' Creators & Cast Pull Back the Curtain on Season 2
At Tribeca 2018, the showrunners and stars of HBO's mind-bending series revealed the new directions the show will take in its second season. The HBO series Westworld returned on Sunday night, but last...
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Why Sound Design is Just as Important for Documentaries—and Two Ways to...
The filmmakers behind 'Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable' and 'No Greater Law' discuss the unique challenges of sound design in nonfiction film. Two documentary films that are premiering at this year's...
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5 Tips From the Creators of Pixar's 'Bao' on How to Perfect an Animated Short
At the Tribeca Film Festival, Domee Shi discussed the process of creating Bao, the new Pixar short about a dumpling that comes to life. Pixar's short films have long been a staple of the studio's...
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RIP Legendary 'Lawrence of Arabia' Editor Anne V. Coates
Anne V. Coates, the legendary Oscar-winning film editor, has passed away at the age of 92. This morning, BAFTA tweeted out the sad news that legendary film editor Anne V. Coates passed away in...
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Watch: How to Create a New Language for Your Film
If you're looking to create the next Dothraki or Shivaisith, this video looks at how some of the most famous fictional movie languages were created. According to The Economist, the number of people...
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Watch: Why the Midway Point of a Screenplay is So Important
Michael Mann's Collateral demonstrates how a story's midway point is the key to characterization. Having seen Michael Mann's thriller Collateral a few times now, I've always remembered how tight the...
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'Revolutionizes the Film Industry and Our Lives': Here's How to Benefit from...
A panel addressing the blockchain and its revolutionary possibilities for independent film took place in Cannes. Unless you're this guy, you've probably heard of Bitcoin, the crypto-currency currently...
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What Exactly Does an Agent Do For You?
During a panel at Cannes, four talent agents discussed their evolving role in an increasingly diverse industry. For those filmmakers and other creatives who are on the outside and looking to get in,...
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HBO's 'The Tale': Director Jennifer Fox on Why 'There is Nothing in...
Jennifer Fox reveals how her doc film career did—and didn't—prepare her for her feature debut. Jennifer Fox, director of the much-buzzed about The Tale, is used to taking risks. At the age of 21, the...
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Watch: Take a Crash Course in Motion Picture Film Gauge
Let's give 16mm, 35mm, and 65mm its proper due. When we discuss film gauge, we're specifically speaking about the width of the frame itself, that is, the available space that is exposed to light when...
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The Specific Methods Every Director Should Understand When Working with Actors
These simple concepts can make one of a director's hardest jobs that much easier. Nine times out of ten, the most unforgettable moments in a movie come from a human face, rather than an impressive...
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'Breaking Bad', 'Billions' Editors Share the Pros and Cons of Entering the...
Top editors discuss their craft and give their thoughts on the state of cinematic TV. According to the editors behind some of the biggest shows on TV, this is indeed a golden age for television...and...
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Here's What It's Like to Be in the Cutting Room with Alexander Payne
Editor Kevin Tent discussed his career and long-collaboration with Alexander Payne during an event at this year's Sight, Sound & Story. Editors frequently share long and fruitful collaborations...
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Watch: How Martin Scorsese Proves Pop Music Can Help Enhance Your Story
This video looks at Martin Scorsese's extensive use of popular music and how the songs function as a storytelling device. Martin Scorsese is justifiably renowned for his use of music, and not merely...
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Watch: How 'Fear and Loathing' Points Out the Cinematic Challenges of...
Terry Gilliam's adaptation of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' translates the novel's psychedelic prose into striking visuals. As this essay from Daniel Netzel and Film Radar points out, Hunter S....
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Watch: How the Screenplay For 'Jurassic Park' Creates Conflict Amongst Its...
Here's how 'Jurassic Park' uses its screenplay to do far more than merely showcase dinosaurs. Ever since the on-screen introduction of Jurassic Park back in 1993, the franchise's main attraction has...
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Three Essential Dynamic Camera Moves and When to Use Them
Camera movement is one of most important tools in any filmmaker's arsenal, but knowing how and why to move is as important as knowing how. For much of their history, movies didn't move very much at...
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Watch: 6 Cinematographers on the Future of Their Art
In this video from CookeOpticsTV and the BSC, cinematographers including Guillermo Navarro and John Toll discuss the future of 'cinematography as art.' Filmmaking's ongoing digital revolution has...
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Watch: 3 Tips for Multi-Camera Shooting From 'The Hurt Locker' DP Barry Ackroyd
Academy-Award nominated cinematographer Barry Ackroyd discusses the philosophy and merits of his multi-camera shooting style. A theme of the English cinematographer Barry Ackroyd's career is...
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Watch: Stanley Kubrick on Why Films Should be More Like Commercials
On what would have been his 90th birthday, we're highlighting this video that shares Stanley Kubrick's thoughts on a number of thought-provoking topics. Stanley Kubrick was born in the Bronx on July...
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Watch: Breaking Down the Amazing In-Camera Effects of 'Blade Runner'
Cinematographers Nic Knowland and Geoff Boyle analyze Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' and explain the craft behind the imagery. Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is one of the most beloved sci-fi films ever...
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Hans Zimmer on How to Be a Composer with 'No Technique and No Formal Education'
Hans Zimmer, the legendary Academy-Award winning composer of over 150 films, breaks down his most famous work. [Editor's Note: Although it may appear that the same video is being featured several...
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Watch: The Secret to the Success of 'Mission Impossible' is Not Just Tom...
Mission Impossible: Fallout and its storied franchise masterfully use heist movie conventions to drive story. As Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay admits at the start of this video, the...
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Not a Trick Question: What Do 'Boogie Nights' and 'Goodfellas' Have in Common?
Goodfellas and Boogie Nights are more similar than you might think. These videos take a deep dive. Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights were arguably two of the most...
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Watch: What Role Does a MacGuffin Serve?
This video explains what the briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction,' the rabbit's foot in 'Mission Impossible III,' and the titular statue from 'The Maltese Falcon' have in common. Every story needs a starting...
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Watch: How 'A Quiet Place' Builds Suspense in Its Opening Minutes
Breaking down how the first eight minutes of 'A Quiet Place' introduce the world of the story, set the rules, and ratchet up the stakes. One of 2018's breakout hits, John Krasinski's A Quiet Place is...
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Watch: Here's How to End a Movie, Coen Brothers Style
Let's see how the endings of the Coen brothers' films both subvert and satisfy the traditional requirements of narrative. When it comes to movies, endings are one of the most difficult parts to get...
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Watch: What 'Seven Samurai' Teaches Screenwriters About Story and Structure
Akira Kurosawa's 'Seven Samurai' is one of the most influential films in cinema history. Here's what the 1954 classic teaches us about screenwriting and structure. As Jack from (Jack's Movie Reviews)...
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Watch: How 'No Country for Old Men' Successfully Defies Narrative Expectation
'No Country for Old Men' forces the viewer to create meaning for themselves. At the beginning of his latest video, Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay quotes a Ted Talk by Andrew Stanton,...
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Watch: Legendary Oscar-Winning DP Haskell Wexler On His Career, Hollywood and...
The legendary Oscar-winning DP has seen quite a lot in his five-decade filmmaking career. Haskell Wexler, ASC was one of the most influential cinematographers in Hollywood history (and one of the only...
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Watch: How to Spot Wes Anderson's Style From the Very Beginning of His Career
Wes Anderson is one of the most distinctive filmmakers working in Hollywood today, and this video looks at his debut 'Bottle Rocket' to find the roots of his style. Wes Anderson is, arguably, the most...
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Watch: Why 'Chinatown' is Considered One of the Greatest Screenplays of All Time
This video looks at the screenplay for 1974's 'Chinatown,' examining why it's often cited as one of the greatest scripts ever written. Ever since there have been books on screenwriting (the modern age...
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Watch: The Reason Why Alfred Hitchcock Incorporated Birds Throughout His Movies
This essay looks at how Alfred Hitchcock deployed our fine feathered friends to such great effect in 'The Birds.' As the below visual essay from Grace Lee points out, "Birds and cinema go way back, as...
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Watch: How Christopher Nolan's 'Following' Laid the Groundwork for His Career
Christopher Nolan's ultra low-budget indie debut provided signs of the director's later work. While Memento was the first film that catapulted him into public consciousness, Christopher Nolan's first...
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Watch: Get Introduced to the Mystic Theatre of Alejandro Jodorowsky
This video is an introduction to the mind-bending alchemy of the films of one of the most singular, symbolic and influential surrealist filmmakers of all time. As Lewis Bond points out at the start of...
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Why Going to the Movies Still Matters in 2018
During a panel at this year's TIFF, filmmakers, theater owners, and studio executives gathered to discuss the role of theatrical distribution in 2018. In 2018, film fans and pop culture consumers have...
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How Sales Agents and Film Reps Are Viewing the Booming World of 'Non-Fiction'...
There is an ever-growing market for documentaries. Let's hear from the sales agents and film reps who broker the deals. The documentary marketplace is growing. With success comes inevitable change in...
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3 Reasons Why It Makes Sense to Keep Your Crew Diverse
Keep it diverse. The buzzword in Hollywood over the past few years has been diversity. Like anything in life, though, it's easier to talk about change than to effect it, and particularly so in an...
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Watch: How Aaron Sorkin Creates Compelling Characters
Aaron Sorkin may be famous for his dialogue, but this video argues that his character development goes deeper than just talk. While Aaron Sorkin is considered one of the greatest writers of dialogue...
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