A bounty hunter and his captured fugitive are caught in the middle of a snowstorm. They seek refuge at a small lodge and encounter a twisted turn of events there.
There are many elements that go into creating a cinematic shot. The key light is important to expose the image. The fill light can determine the visual tone of a shot. But all too overlooked is the backlight. Back lighting can be the determining factor between a flat image and an interesting shot full of… Continue reading What is Backlight Photography — Lighting Techniques Explained
If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, you’ve probably heard the term aspect ratio quite often. Before you shoot even a single frame of your film, you have to decide what aspect ratio would be best. This decision will affect the staging and framing of every single shot going forward. Why? What is aspect ratio, and why… Continue reading What is Aspect Ratio? A Formula for Framing Success
The Academy Award for Best Original Score is one of the most prestigious honors a composer can be given. Over the years, some of the world’s most acclaimed composers, like John Williams and Max Steiner, have won the award. We’re going to list every Academy Award for Best Original Score winner, then rank some of… Continue reading Academy Award for Best Original Score: Top Winners Ranked
Cinematography and photography is naturally a two-dimensional medium. However, great cinematographers and photographers utilize light to create three-dimensional effects. One of the tools they have to do this is the rim light. A rim light can keep an image from falling flat. Rim lighting can bring out shapes, textures, and contours that make an image appear… Continue reading What is a Rim Light — 3 Point Lighting Techniques Explained
What makes a great music score? Does it need to dominate the soundtrack or can go unnoticed in the background? Should a contemporary movie always use modern music or is it blasphemy for a period piece to include pop songs? Whether you have answers to these questions or not, there’s no denying the power of… Continue reading 23 Best Movie Scores of All Time — Filmmaker Playlist
Dof basicsShallow dofDeep dofDOF GuideTYPES OF CAMERA FOCUS Shot List SeriesShot SizeShot FramingCamera AnglesCamera FocusCamera GearCamera MovementCamera Lenses Camera focus is more than just making sure your image is sharp and detailed. When you consider the storytelling value of shallow focus or how a rack focus can guide the eye, a whole new world opens… Continue reading Ultimate Guide to Camera Focus: Understanding Depth of Field
There are three things in this life you can be certain of — death, taxes, and awesome Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. Tarantino is the master of the needle drop and knows how to place an existing song perfectly within a scene. It’s tough to narrow down the best Quentin Tarantino songs in his filmography, but that’s… Continue reading The Best Quentin Tarantino Songs Used in His Movies
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)
Browse Terms A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Whether you’re working on your first or 100th film, there is always something new to learn. When you need to update your film terminology, this resource will be… Continue reading Ultimate Guide to Film Terms: The Definitive Glossary of Film Terminology
With so many places to debut your videos, getting the correct aspect ratio has become critical to your project’s success. But it can be tricky to understand.Continue reading The Definitive Guide to Aspect Ratio [with FREE Aspect Ratio Calculator]
Quentin Tarantino has been one of the most controversial and intriguing directors since the 1990s. Some people adore his quippy dialogue while others flinch in fear from his giddy reliance on excessive violence. And the feet. So many feet. We’re ranked all Quentin Tarantino films here so that if you haven’t watched anything from the prolific… Continue reading Best Quentin Tarantino Movies Ranked for Filmmakers
Best of…20102011201220132014201520162017201820192010-2019 Cinema had a wide-ranging scope in 2015. Mad Max: Fury Road proved there was still room for high-concept, big-budget spectacle. And then you had films like Tangerine, filmed on an iPhone, to tell the intimate story of a transgender sex worker. 2015 proved filmmakers haven’t run out of ideas yet as long as… Continue reading The Best Movies of 2015 — The Year in Review
Best Tarantino MoviesQT’s Directing StyleQT Directing Tips QT DialogueOnce Upon a Time AnalysisBasterds Breakdown Is there any filmmaker whose personality is more apparent when you watch his films than Quentin Tarantino? In his own quirky way, Tarantino has introduced us to some of the most shocking and moving emotional moments on film. Of course, Quentin Tarantino’s… Continue reading The Directing Style of Quentin Tarantino
