The area in front of the camera that appears sharp in the frame is called depth of field. Depth of Field is defined as the range of acceptable focus on a shot or photograph. Depth of field is an important concept for cinematographers and camera operators to master because they often need to manipulate focus to... Continue Reading →

Blocking was originally a theater term that refers to the positioning and movement of the actors in the stage. In cinema, camera and lights are added to the equation. Blocking is an essential part of rehearsal because doing it in advance will speed up principal photography as the actors and camera operators will know how... Continue Reading →

In the dawn of the 20th century, cinema was a new art form, consisting of many techniques that hadn’t been fully developed. The elements of editing were among them. Filmmakers knew that you could cut and splice the film strip, but they didn’t thoroughly comprehend the artistic purposes of doing so. Lev Kuleshov, a Soviet filmmaker, was... Continue Reading →

Sound is always present, even silence is the presence of the absence of sound. So it comes to no surprise that film has accepted sound has a constantly present companion as well. Most people will focus on the beauty of cinematography, editing or directing. But sound, noise and music in a film influence our perception... Continue Reading →

A film editor has the heart of an artist and the mind of a computer expert. Film editors take enormous amounts of raw film footage and decide how it will ultimately be connected, transforming it into a cohesive and insightful presentation. The editing process can make or break a film’s quality and success; therefore, the... Continue Reading →

Thanks for joining me! I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a big fan of Michael Hauge‘s approach to characters. His insights helped me figure out how to avoid the “love at first sight” cliché and how to make sure romances featured couples that were the perfect match. Most importantly, his approach helped me figure out how to mesh... Continue Reading →