Film noir translates to “dark film.” French critics came up with the term film noir to refer to a series of dark American crime dramas and westerns that became popular across Europe in the 1940s. The term first popped up in the journal Cahiers du cinema ­ (cinema notebooks). French critics raved about dark American […]

Film is emotion, and at the heart of it is one of cinema’s most popular: the 360-degree shot. It is a common device in the filmmaker’s tool bag, one that serves to more than just make you dizzy. But first, what does it mean? A 360-degree shot refers to any shot in film that goes […]

In the history of cinema, there have been a couple of inspiring movements that have gone on to reshape the industry. One of those was the French New Wave. It was inspired by the earlier decade’s American noir and also iconic movements like the Italian Neo-Realism as well. Somewhere around the 1950s, a group of […]

You may not know exactly what is, but you’ve probably seen it a couple of times in movies. It is sometimes overwhelming but always unforgettable.  The dolly zoom shot, otherwise known as a zolly, is a zoom shot taken from a moving dolly or during dollying. That could be toward or away from the subject. […]

A twist ending can be the difference between a good and bad movie. It is the line that often separates the mundane from the exhilarating. If your film’s ending is obvious from a mile away, chances are your audience won’t be too happy about it when their prediction comes true. Few people get excited when […]

A shot is an important building block of any scene. The cinematographer decides the types he chooses from the storyboard instructions, the director’s guidance, and what he feels will add to the power of storytelling in a particular moment.  There are numerous shots and tricks that the DoP can pull out of his hat, and […]

When the camera is tilted to the side of its position on the x-axis so that the initially horizontal lines in the frame are now diagonal, that technique is referred to as the Dutch angle. In other words, the camera remains in a fixed position on the horizontal plane but positions at an angle to […]

A long take, true to its name, takes up a lot more screen time than your typical shot. A take is a continuous scene recording without interruption in terms of cutting. If the duration of the shot lasts for extended periods beyond the normal conventions then it becomes a long take.  In some circles, a […]

More people today than ever want to start making videos. Probably now is the best time for that. Most people already have all the necessary tools to do this. All you need is just a camera. But video recording is only part of the process. An equally important element of a great video is its […]

By the time the 1980s rolled around., Hong Kong cinema was popular the world over for its martial arts flicks or wuxia. Most Asian families during that time couldn’t afford a TV so the film industry had a huge local following.  Capitalizing on this fame to spread the Hong Kong style in other genres of […]