Have a short or feature film that you’re ready to show off online? Here’s a step-by-step guide to organizing your film’s premiere. You’ve worked long days, crazy weekends, and through countless re-edits to finish up your film project, and now you can see the light at the end of the tun

Very rarely has a single filmmaker’s style transformed Hollywood with as much force as Christopher Nolan. Here are a few insights into his method. Christopher Nolan has worked with Wally Pfister on seven feature films and Hoyte Van Hoytema on his most recent three. His films share a consiste

Take a look at what a sizzle is, some examples of successful film and television reels, and the steps you can take to make your own. Recently, I just completed a sizzle reel for one of my documentary projects. This journey was necessary in order to showcase how important this piece of creati

Take a closer look at the career of Hoyte van Hoytema and the inner-workings of his signature shallow-depth-of-field shots. Hoyte van Hoytema’s decision to work with true auteurs has led to some of the best-looking films ever made, and his career is really just starting. His sensibilit

Here are a few awesome applications that can help you do some great pre-production planning before you dive into your next project. Let’s face it. You’re probably stuck inside right now, not out in the world shooting your next big project. It’s frustrating! Trust me, I know. Now, don’t

“Coverage” is a deceptively simple term that encompasses a wide range of factors — how to stage, block, light, and capture a film. “Coverage” refers to the order and method of shooting a scene. “V Coverage” — so-called due to the layout of the cameras from

From footage to phone safety — we took a look at the capabilities of the iPhone gimbal, and how to incorporate it into your next project. 1. Get Smooth Footage The iPhone X (and above) have stabilization built into their video modes. This smooths out bumps and judder by itself. So, slow wa

Here’s everything you need to know about preparing for and creating streaming video content for YouTube Live. If you find yourself tasked with creating live content for a client or for any work-from-home scenario (or if it’s just something you’re curious about), then YouTub

Tiger King, the immediate Netflix docuseries sensation, offers plenty of valuable lessons for aspiring documentary filmmakers. We took a look into the producers’ approaches and strategies that helped make this show an instant success. Ever since its release on Netflix, Tiger King has receive

From politics to storytelling to great sets — here’s a look at what it takes to become a successful cinematographer, at any level. To paraphrase Werner Herzog, cinematography is a complicated profession. Sometimes, you can do everything right and still never get hired again. So, here a

Need to write a script with little to no budget? Here are some great, free alternatives to the high-priced Hollywood standards. I’m sure you’ve had the same thought I have, sitting alone in your house with absolutely no creative outlets as we wait out this pandemic: “I shou

In this write-up, we’ll take a look at the intricacies of lighting a scene using natural light, unmovable items on set, and the 180-Degree Rule. Most filmmakers use the 180-degree rule — also known as “the line” — in their work on a regular basis. For those unfamiliar with

Editor Jin-mo Yang shares explains why he still uses Final Cut Pro 7, and he shares his approach to editing Parasite — winner of 2020 Academy Award for Best Picture. It’s hard to explain the theater experience you get from watching Parasite. It’s an absolute roller coaster of gen

From aperture to shutter speed to frame rate — in this tutorial, we’ll look at the basic building blocks of great filmmaking. To guide you through the fundamentals of getting a good exposure, I’m going to draw from the diagram of the exposure triangle originally created for photo

In this tutorial, we’ll look at what shutter speed is and how to set it — as well as its potential to influence the actual narrative of your story. Shutter speed is probably the least understood camera setting, yet it has a powerful effect on your footage and can make it seem much more

Don’t let the limitations and constraints of the filmmaking process deter you. You can still get a great-looking, cinematic image with a single light. Dealing with limitations is just part of the filmmaking process. You might find yourself in a situation where you only have a single li

Cinematographer Stefan Ciupek gave us the lowdown on the visual language, lenses, and filming locations behind Guns Akimbo. While it’s certainly true of any project, going into production on a limited budget action film requires meticulous pre-production discussions on finding the righ

Focus is a major cornerstone of successful cinematography. Learn how to find the focal plane manually in every situation that might arise on set. There might be thousands of recipes to make a beautiful gumbo, but every single one is going to start with the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell

Lighting talent is hard enough, but when you have to take into account different skin tones, you need a thorough understanding of how to control light. If the talents’ skin tones are different, but not radically so, you can usually get away with placing the darker skinned person closer

Do you have a video clip, but it doesn’t have any accompanying audio? In this challenge, we explore how you can create your own foley effects. Matching audio to your footage can sometimes be a real challenge, but it’s also a lot of fun. Once you get the hang of it, you can improv