Genre Conventions — The Building Blocks of Genre Storytelling

Most movies can be characterized as being one genre or the other. If the plot involves a love triangle, that’s most likely romance. If the plot is about a space marine, it’s most likely science-fiction. If the plot involves a group of kids running away from a monster, that’s probably horror. The things that make… Continue reading Genre Conventions — The Building Blocks of Genre Storytelling

Best Screenplays to Read for Aspiring Screenwriters — Top 10

What are the best movie scripts to study as an aspiring screenwriter? Reading great screenplays is an important part of the learning process for any developing screenwriter. By looking at the work of great writers, we can explore a multitude of styles and approaches. Studying great scripts can strengthen and inform your own writing. We’ll… Continue reading Best Screenplays to Read for Aspiring Screenwriters — Top 10

Chinatown Movie Analysis — The Legacy of a Hollywood Classic

The Robert Towne-written, Roman Polanski-directed Chinatown is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made – which begs the question: what’s so great about it? Well, as it turns out, just about everything involving Chinatown is great. The Chinatown screenplay is viewed as the Hollywood gold standard; Jack Nicholson’s performance is considered among… Continue reading Chinatown Movie Analysis — The Legacy of a Hollywood Classic

Screenwriting Terms — Abbreviations, Definitions & Vocab

There are a lot of intricacies in scripts that present challenges to even the most veteran of screenwriters. The process of writing a script is difficult enough but the vocabulary, abbreviations, and defintions related to the job can be a bit elusive. But don’t worry, we’re going to cover a variety of screenwriting terms that… Continue reading Screenwriting Terms — Abbreviations, Definitions & Vocab

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay — Top 20 Ranked

One of the most prestigious honors a screenwriter can be given is the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Over the years, we’ve seen sweeping stories of romanticism like the original Titanic, as well as stories of war like The Hurt Locker, win the award. We’re going to list all the scripts that have won… Continue reading Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay — Top 20 Ranked

The Godfather Script PDF Download: Plot, Quotes, and Analysis

The Godfather is nothing short of a masterpiece. That’s because every single facet of the film’s production is layered with detail, emotion, and purpose. But everything that we see visually in the final cut was once just an idea in the minds of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, initially transcribed onto the page as… Continue reading The Godfather Script PDF Download: Plot, Quotes, and Analysis

What is Connotation? Definition & Examples in Literature & Film

What is connotation? We often hear about how certain things have good or bad connotations, but how do we know? We’re going to answer that question by looking at some examples of connotations in literature and film. By the end, you’ll know how to recognize and apply all sorts of connotations in writing and everyday… Continue reading What is Connotation? Definition & Examples in Literature & Film

Explore and Read the Best Free Movie Scripts Online (with PDF Downloads)

Introducing StudioBinder’s screenplay library — your one-stop-shop for reading, downloading, and analyzing the best movie scripts online. Our collection contains all the feature-length screenplays in our database as well as scripts that we have broken down by plot, character, ending, quotes, and more. Our hope is that screenwriters everywhere can have access to these iconic… Continue reading Explore and Read the Best Free Movie Scripts Online (with PDF Downloads)

Best Animated Movies of All Time — From Aardman to Zootopia

Over the years, animated movies have changed the landscape of cinema with fantastic imagery, other-wordly stories, and sobering morals. We all remember watching animated movies when we were children, whether it be the work of Disney, Pixar, Studio Ghibli, Dreamworks, or another production house – but there’s so much more to animated movies than what… Continue reading Best Animated Movies of All Time — From Aardman to Zootopia

Top 30 Best Neo-Noir Films, Ranked for Filmmakers

What’s black and white and red all over? It could be a newspaper — or it could be a neo-noir film. It’s hard to tell. Neo-noir is notoriously difficult to classify. An offshoot of the historical film noir genre, it’s painted in such broad strokes that it can subvert, parody, heighten, or reimagine the prototypical stories… Continue reading Top 30 Best Neo-Noir Films, Ranked for Filmmakers