Useful film theory concepts explained for indie filmmakers.
If you’ve ever wondered why an image of an inanimate object on screen made you cry, you probably have Lev Kuleshov to thank. Lev Kuleshov was a Soviet filmmaker in the early 1900s that made famous, through a camera test where he cut a man’s neutral expression with different objects, that you can change the …
As someone creating films or studying film theory, you know how important the plot of a story is to the overall narrative of a film, television show, or screenplay. But what is the definition of the plot in a movie? In short, the plot is what happens in a film, i.e., the narrative sequence of events that determine the …
Every time I watch a movie I don’t like, or that I think is bad, I find myself wondering: what are the key ingredients that separate good movies from bad movies? What actually makes a movie good? The key ingredients that make a movie “good” are when the acting, directing, writing, cinematography, and overall production …
Music and sound design are just as important elements for your short film or feature as the pictures. Understanding the diegetic and extra-diegetic aspects of your film and how it can be used to communicate to the viewer (and listener) is key for designing an effective soundscape. But what does the term diegesis mean, and …
If you’re like me, you probably love to nerd out over shots that totally reinvent what you thought was possible to capture on film. Recent films like Blade Runner 2049, High Life or The Joker come to mind, as do cinematic tv shows like Game of Thrones or Chernobyl. Or what about iconic shots from …
If you have anything more than a passing interest in film and filmmaking, then you’ve probably heard of the 180-degree rule. Like most filmmaking principles, the 180-degree rule is not hard and fast. It can be broken at certain times when there is storytelling intent behind it. Before we talk about breaking the rules, however, …
Documentary films are an essential genre to master if you want to portray reality as it is. And the possibilities for picking a topic are endless. In its essence, documentaries hold all the lessons about human nature. Filming a documentary can teach you a lot as a filmmaker. You need to be able to observe …