Spec Script: Everything You Need to Know

Spec Script: Everything You Need to Know

A spec script is a script written under speculation that it will be sold. There’s no sale or deal in place, and the script is not commissioned. In other words, no one pays you to write a spec script. You use your own original ideas and concepts with the hope...
Practical Effects: Everything You Need to Know

Practical Effects: Everything You Need to Know

Practical effects or in-camera effects are visual effects created by hand using props and special equipment. Practical effects are the original special effects, as they existed before digital technology tools. Some of the common tools filmmakers use for practical...
Movie Tropes: Everything You Need to Know

Movie Tropes: Everything You Need to Know

Movie tropes are devices for telling a story that communicate something figurative. Tropes can be very simple, like a common object that has a symbolic meaning. They can also be complex, such as actions that have referential meaning. Many times, you’ll hear...
Movie Synopsis: Everything You Need to Know

Movie Synopsis: Everything You Need to Know

A movie synopsis summarizes the film’s storyline. It covers all of the screenplay’s acts and highlights key plot points and emotional components. A synopsis also introduces the main characters and the movie’s setting. There are many reasons to use a...
Medium Long Shot: Everything You Need to Know

Medium Long Shot: Everything You Need to Know

Also known as a three-quarters shot, a medium shot shows the subject from the knees or mid-thigh up. This framing technique also reveals how the subject relates to the setting. Often abbreviated as MLS on the shot list, a medium long shot can include one, two, or...