Our Webby Nomination, Massive Film & TV Genre List, & First Short Film Tips

[No Film School]

April 06, 2026 Hey Stu, Welcome back! Want to know what’s new on No Film School? Check out our top craft stories of the week.  📢 Announcements We’ve Been Nominated for a Webby! Our How-To Explainer, featuring No Film School’s awesome podcast host GG Hawkins on making I Really Love My Husband on a freakishly fast timeline, has been nominated for The Webby Awards! Produced by the great Max Gibson, we wanted to create a resource for folks looking for a way in to starting their own feature-length movie journey. We’re now in the running to win a People’s Voice Award! VOTE FOR US BEFORE APRIL 16TH! 🖋️ Screenwriting The Conclusive TV & Movie Genres List The Conclusive TV & Movie Genres List Movie genres and TV genres are how we pick what we want to entertain us or inspire us. The genre we decide to write has to be the one we live in for several months. It also has to be the one we continue to study over and over so we can create a fresh and interesting entry into the canon. We've taken the liberty of providing you with a list that highlights the tropes and expectations of each movie genre definition (and TV too!), names several seminal films and television shows within each as examples of the best they have to offer. Continue Reading - The Conclusive TV & Movie Genres List 🗞️ Quick Reads for Screenwriting What Making 70 Short Films Taught This Filmmaker - And what you can learn, too. Want Tarantino's Advice? Trap Your Characters, Trap Your Audience - Quentin Tarantino waxes poetic on The Thing. Lessons From The 'Project Hail Mary' Script - Drew Goddard really cooked with this one. 🎬 Directing 4 Tips to Make Your First Short Without Any School (or Money) Credit: Becca Watson/YouTube Somewhere between "I have a great idea" and "we're shooting Monday," many first-time filmmakers get stuck. You might tell yourself to wait. You don’t have the right camera, you don’t have the budget, you’re not sure about the script, you just don’t feel ready. That’s why this insight from actor and YouTuber Becca Watson is so great, because she digs into that fear of not being ready, or maybe feeling like their skills aren’t high enough. Continue Reading - 4 Tips to Make Your First Short Without Any School (or Money) 🗞️ Quick Reads for Directing How Denis Villeneuve Directs Actors and Frames Every Shot - Take your on-set cues from one of the greats. Why Martin Scorsese Says There Are No Shortcuts - Here's what that means for your filmmaking journey. 6 Practical Tricks Directors Use To Film Realistic Horse Stunts - The illusion of risk on horseback comes from pure craft.  🎥 Cinematography ​Why Childhood Scenes Are Mostly Warm-Toned in Movies 'E.T.' (1982) Source: Universal Pictures Moments from a character’s childhood not only reveal the person’s background but also help the audience form an emotional connection with them. Naturally, using a flashback to a character’s childhood as an expository tool might be a cliché, but more often than not, they prove to be extremely effective if presented with intention. Let’s analyze why childhood scenes are usually warm-colored in movies. Continue Reading - Why Childhood Scenes Are Mostly Warm-Toned in Movies 🗞️ Quick Reads for Directing How Did They Capture the 'Goodfellas' Copacabana Shot? - It took a lot of Steadicam and takes to get this shot. 🎙️ Podcast ​How a $30K Animated Indie Scored a Theatrical Run — Then Landed on HBO 'Boys Go to Jupiter' Credit: Cartuna; Irony Point In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, host GG Hawkins speaks with animator and director Julian Glander about making his microbudget animated feature Boys Go to Jupiter for just $30,000, premiering it at Tribeca, building momentum through a 50-festival run, and eventually landing theatrical distribution and a streaming home on HBO Max. 📚 Recommended Reads: 7 Highest-Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Impeccable imagination turned into box-office dominance. Why This One Line in ‘Unforgiven’ Shattered the Western Myth Forever Examine the heavy philosophical weight of a legendary outlaw’s perspective on death and what is stolen from the fallen. Why Luke Skywalker Throwing His Lightsaber Was the Most Powerful ‘Return of the Jedi’ Moment The saga’s moral peak hinged on a critical Skywalker decision. How a Kitchen Gadget from ‘Alien’ Became “Mr. Fusion” in ‘Back to the Future’ A background prop that was cleverly repurposed. The Lethal “Mule” Gag: How ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ Introduced a Legend The Man with No Name uses a bizarre demand for an apology to mask the arrival of a deadly gunslinger. Explore more articles → Visit No Film School 🎬 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now Want the latest filmmaking news, industry insights, and indie success stories delivered straight to your inbox? 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive tips and resources: 👉 Sign up here 🎙️ Check out the No Film School Podcast for gear updates, trending film topics, and interviews with some of the biggest names in the industry. 🎥 Keep learning, keep creating. Visit No Film School for daily updates, expert guides, and in-depth tutorials. 📢 Join the conversation on social media and connect with fellow filmmakers: Instagram | Twitter/X | YouTube | Facebook See you next time with more filmmaking goodness! 🎬   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 No Film School 14205 N Mo Pac Expy Ste 570 PMB 39920 Austin, TX 78728-6529, United States Terms of Service