The Best Cinematography I've Ever Seen

00:28:29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZTIH0WKaU

Resumo

TLDRThe video discusses the importance of cinematography in film, particularly in establishing characters and themes. It highlights how films like 'The Graduate' utilize visual elements to convey mental states and emotional depth, emphasizing the collaborative nature of filmmaking. Key figures in cinematography, including Emmanuel Lubezki and Roger Deakins, are showcased for their unique styles that push boundaries and enhance storytelling through light and composition. The distinction between natural and artificial lighting is also explored, along with the significance of composition. The video encourages viewers to appreciate the beauty in cinematography and its impact on personal connections to stories.

Conclusões

  • 🎥 Cinematography uses visual elements to convey mental states and emotions.
  • 🌟 'The Graduate' uses framing to illustrate character isolation.
  • 🏞️ Natural light creates realism and beauty in film.
  • 🖼️ Composition is key in storytelling and thematic development.
  • 🔥 Emmanuel Lubezki is celebrated for his innovative camera work.
  • 💡 Roger Deakins excels in creating motivated, expressive lighting.
  • 💫 Beautiful cinematography can help evoke complex emotions.
  • 🎨 The collaboration of various departments enhances the final image.
  • 📽️ Unique compositions can refresh traditional cinematographic approaches.
  • 🤔 Beauty in cinematography invites viewers to explore deeper narratives.

Linha do tempo

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The Graduate uses cinematography to convey the main character Benjamin's mental state, visually expressing his pressure during his graduation party. Cinematic framing helps establish the thematic foundation of the film, portraying the contrast between characters, particularly Mrs. Robinson, and illustrating how cinematography is a storytelling tool.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Emanuel Lubezki, a master of natural and wide lens cinematography, significantly influences modern cinematography. Films like The Revenant and Birdman showcase his long takes and composition skills, which maintain clarity and suspense. His innovative handheld techniques continue to inspire, yet few approaches match his unique style.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Natural lighting is a key strength for Lubezki, requiring precision, patience, and awareness of light conditions. Great cinematographers like Malick have collaborated with him to push cinematic boundaries, finding beauty in natural settings. This kind of work presents challenges but also elevates storytelling through authentic portrayal of light.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Roger Deakins, another leading cinematographer, blends naturalism with expressive lighting. His ability to craft visually stunning scenes, as seen in films like Blade Runner 2049, is enhanced by collaboration with art direction, showing how lighting can shape narrative context. His work exemplifies pushing limits in contemporary film aesthetics.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:28:29

    Composition and camera movement are vital to excellent cinematography. Unique compositions can enhance thematic storytelling, as seen in films like Barry Lyndon and Seven Samurai. A focus on how camera angles, movement, and framing reflect character experiences can deepen viewers' emotional connections to the film's narrative.

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Vídeo de perguntas e respostas

  • What is the main focus of the video?

    The video focuses on the art of cinematography and its role in storytelling through visual elements.

  • Who are some influential cinematographers mentioned?

    Emmanuel Lubezki, Roger Deakins, and Nestor Almendros are highlighted.

  • What film is mentioned as having significant cinematographic innovation?

    'The Graduate' and 'Tree of Life' are significant examples.

  • How is composition important in cinematography?

    Composition helps convey themes and emotions effectively, enhancing storytelling.

  • What role does natural lighting play in cinematography?

    Natural lighting is used to create a sense of realism and beauty, often requiring careful planning.

  • What does the video say about the relationship between beauty and storytelling in cinematography?

    Beauty in cinematography is crucial as it can evoke emotions and enhance the narrative.

  • How does the video define great cinematography?

    Great cinematography combines storytelling tools with beautiful imagery that maintains a cohesive visual style.

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  • 00:00:00
    when we think about establishing a
  • 00:00:01
    character at the start of a film we
  • 00:00:03
    probably first think about what we can
  • 00:00:05
    learn through dialogue Exposition or
  • 00:00:07
    performance but The Graduate uses
  • 00:00:09
    cinematography to help us understand the
  • 00:00:12
    main character's mental state here
  • 00:00:15
    Benjamin is framed as if he's underwater
  • 00:00:17
    and pressing in from the outside
  • 00:00:19
    visually confining him are his parents
  • 00:00:22
    is anything wrong no no after this shot
  • 00:00:25
    we cut directly to Ben's graduation
  • 00:00:27
    party and we never get an establishing
  • 00:00:29
    one shot of the party instead we just
  • 00:00:32
    see a long telephoto shot that tracks
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    with Ben as adults from the party push
  • 00:00:38
    into the frame from every side in just a
  • 00:00:41
    few seconds we can already understand
  • 00:00:43
    and feel the pressure Ben is under he
  • 00:00:46
    tries to escape but is literally
  • 00:00:48
    thematically and Visually trapped by the
  • 00:00:50
    adults around him that feeling is key to
  • 00:00:53
    the rest of the plot and here the
  • 00:00:54
    cinematography is playing a major role
  • 00:00:56
    in establishing the film's Thematic
  • 00:00:59
    Foundation and look at how this adult
  • 00:01:01
    Mrs Robinson is positioned in contrast
  • 00:01:03
    to every other adult in the scene if you
  • 00:01:06
    haven't seen the graduate and you want
  • 00:01:07
    to know why she's portrayed differently
  • 00:01:09
    you'll have to watch it to find out
  • 00:01:11
    that's an example of how composition
  • 00:01:13
    just one element of the art of
  • 00:01:15
    cinematography can be used to help tell
  • 00:01:17
    a story and this for me is a big part of
  • 00:01:20
    what defines great cinematography the
  • 00:01:23
    ability to use the elements of
  • 00:01:25
    cinematography as storytelling tools if
  • 00:01:28
    you can do that while making beautiful
  • 00:01:30
    images in a way that gives a film a
  • 00:01:32
    cohesive and consistent visual style
  • 00:01:35
    then you have incredible cinematography
  • 00:01:38
    and if you can do those things while
  • 00:01:40
    innovatively pushing the boundaries and
  • 00:01:42
    creating cinematography that feels
  • 00:01:44
    unique and fresh that is where you find
  • 00:01:47
    the greatest cinematography of all time
  • 00:01:50
    at least that's what I look for in
  • 00:01:52
    cinematography at the end of the day
  • 00:01:54
    what cinematography is the greatest is
  • 00:01:56
    an almost impossible question to answer
  • 00:01:59
    we can talk about how influential a
  • 00:02:01
    certain film cinematography was or which
  • 00:02:04
    cinematographers have won the most
  • 00:02:05
    Oscars but for each viewer the greatest
  • 00:02:08
    cinematography will be the images that
  • 00:02:10
    help a particular story dig itself into
  • 00:02:12
    your heart and psyche and that's
  • 00:02:14
    something that's very personal and
  • 00:02:16
    depends on your aesthetic preferences
  • 00:02:18
    and which stories resonate the most with
  • 00:02:23
    you it can also sometimes be hard to
  • 00:02:26
    understand exactly where cinematography
  • 00:02:27
    ends in the other crafts of filmm begin
  • 00:02:30
    for an image like this how much of the
  • 00:02:32
    beauty and visual interest comes from
  • 00:02:33
    the cinematography and how much is the
  • 00:02:36
    result of the location or production
  • 00:02:38
    design while obviously there is a role
  • 00:02:41
    on set called the Director of
  • 00:02:42
    Photography or cinematographer there are
  • 00:02:45
    many people who contribute to the
  • 00:02:48
    cinematography of a film what a shot
  • 00:02:50
    looks like at the end of the day is
  • 00:02:52
    often a collaboration between the
  • 00:02:54
    director cinematographer their crew the
  • 00:02:56
    production designers colorists and VFX
  • 00:02:59
    artists you might have a cinematographer
  • 00:03:01
    like Roger deacons collaborating with
  • 00:03:03
    set designers to help plan how to build
  • 00:03:06
    lighting into the set design or you
  • 00:03:08
    might have a dolly grip like sanj Samy
  • 00:03:11
    who builds custom Dolly rigs so that Wes
  • 00:03:14
    Anderson can pull off some of his
  • 00:03:16
    complicated camera moves some directors
  • 00:03:18
    meticulously plan every composition or
  • 00:03:20
    camera move and some cinematographers
  • 00:03:22
    improvise handheld movement and
  • 00:03:24
    compositions while they shoot so while
  • 00:03:27
    I'll mention the work of specific
  • 00:03:28
    directors in cinematography in this
  • 00:03:30
    video The Assumption here is always that
  • 00:03:33
    the final images are often the
  • 00:03:34
    collaborative effort of many people and
  • 00:03:36
    departments working on a film with all
  • 00:03:39
    this in mind I'm going to take you on a
  • 00:03:41
    tour of what has been the greatest
  • 00:03:43
    cinematography I've seen so far in my
  • 00:03:46
    years of watching movies this certainly
  • 00:03:48
    isn't a comprehensive list for me but
  • 00:03:50
    I'll touch on as many examples as I can
  • 00:03:52
    maybe you'll agree with some of my
  • 00:03:54
    choices but if you don't I hope this
  • 00:03:56
    video still helps clarify what great
  • 00:03:59
    cinematograph means for you and the
  • 00:04:01
    important role cinematography can play
  • 00:04:04
    in some of your favorite films this
  • 00:04:06
    video is sponsored by movie go to
  • 00:04:08
    mubi.com Thomas flight to sign up for
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    your free trial
  • 00:04:15
    today when I think about great
  • 00:04:17
    cinematography the tree of life is the
  • 00:04:20
    first movie that comes to my mind not
  • 00:04:22
    necessarily because it's the best
  • 00:04:24
    although I think it is one of the most
  • 00:04:25
    beautiful movies ever shot but because
  • 00:04:28
    it was part of what made made me realize
  • 00:04:30
    when I was younger that you could shoot
  • 00:04:32
    a movie in a way that felt radically
  • 00:04:34
    different from how most movies are shot
  • 00:04:37
    the lens was wide the camera was
  • 00:04:39
    handheld and always moving and that
  • 00:04:41
    movement felt like an eye that was
  • 00:04:43
    searching for something shots were
  • 00:04:45
    positioned from low angles everything
  • 00:04:48
    was in focus and the light the light was
  • 00:04:50
    always beautiful beyond that though it
  • 00:04:53
    never felt artificial or forced it
  • 00:04:55
    didn't feel like a constructed Beauty it
  • 00:04:58
    felt like the beauty of f
  • 00:05:00
    sunlight to talk about tree of life we
  • 00:05:02
    have to talk about one of the best and
  • 00:05:04
    most influential cinematographers of the
  • 00:05:06
    21st century Emanuel lubeski taken as a
  • 00:05:10
    whole luy's filmography is
  • 00:05:12
    jaw-droppingly impressive besides Tree
  • 00:05:15
    of Life the Revenant Birdman and
  • 00:05:18
    Children of Men are some of the most
  • 00:05:19
    beautifully shot movies I've ever seen
  • 00:05:22
    and that's just to name a few lubeski is
  • 00:05:25
    a master of using wide lenses a roving
  • 00:05:28
    camera and long takes that build
  • 00:05:30
    suspense without feeling
  • 00:05:33
    gimmicky if some of these things that
  • 00:05:35
    I've mentioned don't seem that
  • 00:05:36
    Innovative now it's only because luy's
  • 00:05:39
    work has probably been the biggest
  • 00:05:41
    influence on cinematography of the last
  • 00:05:43
    few decades turn on a TV and you'll find
  • 00:05:46
    everything from Netflix dramas to
  • 00:05:48
    pharmaceutical commercials that have
  • 00:05:50
    been influenced by his style but to me
  • 00:05:52
    it seems like few attempts to imitate
  • 00:05:54
    his look even come close to the heights
  • 00:05:56
    he's reached and I think there are
  • 00:05:57
    several reasons for that first unlike a
  • 00:06:01
    lot of handheld and steady cam work that
  • 00:06:03
    we see lubeski doesn't allow the
  • 00:06:06
    composition of the image to be
  • 00:06:08
    sacrificed when he's working this way
  • 00:06:11
    especially in longer takes without the
  • 00:06:12
    Precision of a dolly or tripod handheld
  • 00:06:15
    work I find can often become a jumbled
  • 00:06:18
    mess or play it overly safe
  • 00:06:20
    compositionally lubeski however is a
  • 00:06:23
    master of finding interesting and
  • 00:06:25
    layered compositions even within the
  • 00:06:28
    chaos of a long hand handheld or steady
  • 00:06:30
    cam shot it's for me what sets a piece
  • 00:06:34
    like this extended take in Children of
  • 00:06:36
    Men apart from the many long takes that
  • 00:06:38
    have tried to follow in its footsteps
  • 00:06:40
    after a shaky Dash across a road look
  • 00:06:43
    how his camera work definely lands on
  • 00:06:45
    this nicely composed shot this isn't a
  • 00:06:48
    fluke he does this again and again
  • 00:06:50
    within this six-minute take and his
  • 00:06:52
    camera work always feels like it's aware
  • 00:06:55
    and responsive of what the movement and
  • 00:06:57
    position of the camera mean in this shot
  • 00:07:00
    it's luy's camera that pans down from
  • 00:07:02
    Jessica Chastain's face making the
  • 00:07:04
    subject of the shot not her face but
  • 00:07:07
    this small piece of performance where
  • 00:07:09
    she pinches at her neck and grief but
  • 00:07:11
    there's another thing that I think sets
  • 00:07:13
    luy's work apart and that is his Mastery
  • 00:07:17
    of natural
  • 00:07:18
    light natural lighting is
  • 00:07:21
    deceptively difficult in one sense you
  • 00:07:24
    just shooting what's already there
  • 00:07:26
    instead of setting up a bunch of lights
  • 00:07:29
    but but you can't just walk outside
  • 00:07:31
    anytime anywhere and shoot an image that
  • 00:07:34
    looks this good here he finds the
  • 00:07:36
    position within the backyard where a
  • 00:07:38
    small patch of sunlight streams through
  • 00:07:40
    the trees and reflects off the baby's
  • 00:07:42
    blanket filling in the Shadows on the
  • 00:07:45
    older child's face and creating a catch
  • 00:07:48
    light in his eyes shooting with natural
  • 00:07:50
    light is about being at the right place
  • 00:07:52
    at the right time it's about knowing how
  • 00:07:55
    the light will look within a room at
  • 00:07:57
    certain times of day it requires an eye
  • 00:07:59
    for where to place your subject it
  • 00:08:01
    requires coordination with the set and
  • 00:08:03
    location departments and the entire
  • 00:08:05
    production to do work when and where the
  • 00:08:07
    light will be best and available it
  • 00:08:10
    requires patients to wait for the light
  • 00:08:12
    to be right and then a crew that can
  • 00:08:15
    work quickly since sunlight when it's
  • 00:08:17
    low in the sky is always moving and
  • 00:08:19
    changing and during golden hour dusk or
  • 00:08:21
    Sunset when the light looks the best you
  • 00:08:24
    might have less than an hour to shoot
  • 00:08:26
    entire scenes for lubeski and Malik in
  • 00:08:29
    the of life this meant shooting on
  • 00:08:31
    multiple sets for the primary house just
  • 00:08:33
    so that the sunlight was positioned
  • 00:08:35
    where they wanted it indoors at certain
  • 00:08:37
    times of day look I'm not a natural
  • 00:08:40
    light purist I think more stylized and
  • 00:08:42
    Theatrical lighting can certainly be
  • 00:08:43
    equally impressive beautiful and has a
  • 00:08:47
    special power to tell certain kinds of
  • 00:08:50
    stories but there's a unique quality and
  • 00:08:53
    Beauty to natural light that is
  • 00:08:55
    impossible to create artificially and
  • 00:08:58
    there are certain stories that I think
  • 00:09:00
    are elevated by that naturalistic beauty
  • 00:09:03
    in a way that I don't think artificial
  • 00:09:05
    or theatrical lighting
  • 00:09:07
    would I specifically highlight luy's
  • 00:09:10
    work with Malik in Tree of Life in part
  • 00:09:13
    because Malik was an influential Source
  • 00:09:16
    in helping to develop and push luy's
  • 00:09:18
    style as far as it could go and vice
  • 00:09:21
    versa even though Malik and lubeski have
  • 00:09:24
    gone on to do beautiful work apart from
  • 00:09:27
    each other the Styles they both continue
  • 00:09:29
    to use separately are undeniably linked
  • 00:09:32
    they don't just shoot films in a unique
  • 00:09:34
    way they developed an approach style and
  • 00:09:37
    Ethos for cinematography that they and
  • 00:09:39
    other filmmakers have adopted and
  • 00:09:41
    carried forward even before his work
  • 00:09:44
    with lubeski Malik was always on the
  • 00:09:46
    search for interesting ways to use
  • 00:09:48
    natural light Days of Heaven is another
  • 00:09:51
    one of the most beautiful films I've
  • 00:09:52
    ever seen here we don't yet see Malik's
  • 00:09:55
    energetic probing camera movement that
  • 00:09:57
    he would develop with lubeski but we
  • 00:09:59
    still see a focus on shooting in Golden
  • 00:10:02
    hour and with beautiful natural light
  • 00:10:04
    the cinematographer responsible for Days
  • 00:10:06
    of Heaven Nester alros is one of the
  • 00:10:10
    great masters of realism and naturalism
  • 00:10:13
    in lighting besides Days of Heaven it's
  • 00:10:15
    kind of rare that alr's work comes up in
  • 00:10:18
    discussions of best
  • 00:10:20
    cinematographers and that's in part
  • 00:10:22
    because I think his entire ethos
  • 00:10:24
    centered around a certain kind of
  • 00:10:26
    invisibility when it came to his use of
  • 00:10:28
    lighting realism in lighting is
  • 00:10:30
    something that like using natural light
  • 00:10:32
    looks easier than it is in a way that's
  • 00:10:35
    the point it's supposed to look like the
  • 00:10:36
    shot wasn't lit but if you've ever tried
  • 00:10:39
    to just shoot a scene in your own living
  • 00:10:41
    room you know that things don't
  • 00:10:43
    automatically look this good alr's
  • 00:10:46
    lighting is never flashy but it's always
  • 00:10:49
    subtly beautiful it's even and soft the
  • 00:10:52
    Shadows are rich there's enough contrast
  • 00:10:55
    but things never feel too dark or washed
  • 00:10:58
    out these are images that don't pop out
  • 00:11:01
    at us and immediately grab our attention
  • 00:11:03
    but when I compare this cinematography
  • 00:11:05
    to the Sea of often to muddy flat or
  • 00:11:08
    dark cinematography that is common now
  • 00:11:11
    it's this type of reliably solid
  • 00:11:14
    attractive and realistic lighting that
  • 00:11:16
    I've come to really
  • 00:11:19
    appreciate there's something very
  • 00:11:21
    satisfying to me about a cinematographer
  • 00:11:23
    like Al mandros who just knows how to
  • 00:11:26
    choose a film stock lenses and light in
  • 00:11:28
    a way that produces warm stunning images
  • 00:11:32
    cinematographers like lubeski and
  • 00:11:34
    deacons have shown you can shoot
  • 00:11:35
    incredible cinematography on digital
  • 00:11:37
    cameras and I'm not a film purist but
  • 00:11:40
    when film is at its best it produces a
  • 00:11:42
    look that I love and which isn't really
  • 00:11:44
    achievable any other way I won't spend
  • 00:11:47
    too much time here but some of my
  • 00:11:48
    favorite examples of this are Mii malam
  • 00:11:51
    Jr's work with Paul Thomas Anderson on
  • 00:11:53
    the master as well as hoav van hotas
  • 00:11:56
    work with Nolan especially in Dunkirk
  • 00:11:59
    and Interstellar this kind of work feels
  • 00:12:02
    to me like a continuation of the kind of
  • 00:12:05
    realism and lighting that
  • 00:12:06
    cinematographers like Alam Andros pushed
  • 00:12:09
    forward the other name that inevitably
  • 00:12:12
    comes to mind when I think of
  • 00:12:14
    cinematographers whose work has defined
  • 00:12:16
    the 21st century is Roger deacons on one
  • 00:12:20
    end of the spectrum we can find work
  • 00:12:22
    from deacons that fits into the kind of
  • 00:12:24
    naturalism we've been talking about in
  • 00:12:27
    the assassination of Jesse James by the
  • 00:12:29
    coward Robert Ford deacons uses vintage
  • 00:12:32
    lenses and grainier film stocks to
  • 00:12:34
    perfectly capture the film's portrayal
  • 00:12:37
    of the death of the western myth this
  • 00:12:39
    film has some of the best nighttime
  • 00:12:42
    cinematography I've ever seen and
  • 00:12:44
    introduces us to Deacon's unparalleled
  • 00:12:47
    use of light in
  • 00:12:49
    motion if lubeski is the master of
  • 00:12:52
    finding natural light deacons might be
  • 00:12:54
    the Contemporary cinematographer who is
  • 00:12:56
    best at crafting beautiful light Deacon
  • 00:12:59
    style is grounded in naturalism in that
  • 00:13:02
    he goes to Great Lengths to make his
  • 00:13:04
    lighting feel motivated which means he
  • 00:13:07
    makes it feel like every light actually
  • 00:13:09
    has a source within the world and the
  • 00:13:12
    magic of Deacon's lighting for me is
  • 00:13:14
    that he doesn't let this limit him he
  • 00:13:16
    uses motivated lighting and then pushes
  • 00:13:18
    that to evocative and expressionistic
  • 00:13:22
    extremes this means when he approaches a
  • 00:13:25
    film like Blade Runner 2049 or 1917 he
  • 00:13:28
    doesn't just coming into an existing
  • 00:13:30
    space and setting up his lights he's
  • 00:13:32
    working collaboratively with the
  • 00:13:34
    production and art design to design how
  • 00:13:37
    the space will be lit this allows him to
  • 00:13:40
    use the movement of light in a way I've
  • 00:13:41
    never seen from anyone else creatively
  • 00:13:44
    he pushes the limits of how you can
  • 00:13:46
    light a scene all while doing it
  • 00:13:48
    beautifully with a Keen Eye for the
  • 00:13:50
    shape and color of his light deacons and
  • 00:13:54
    lubeski in many ways defined the look of
  • 00:13:56
    this recent era of contemporary film
  • 00:13:58
    making but but while a lot of my
  • 00:14:00
    favorite cinematography is rooted in
  • 00:14:02
    realism and naturalism and lighting
  • 00:14:04
    those things aren't inherently the best
  • 00:14:06
    approach to shooting a film and
  • 00:14:08
    sometimes pushing something to visually
  • 00:14:11
    unnatural extremes creates the image
  • 00:14:14
    that will tell your story the best among
  • 00:14:16
    the filmmakers who are more
  • 00:14:18
    expressionistic when it comes to
  • 00:14:19
    lighting Nicholas whining Reen is the
  • 00:14:22
    first who comes to mind his work with
  • 00:14:24
    Larry Smith for only God forgives or
  • 00:14:26
    with Natasha BR for neon demon pushed
  • 00:14:28
    the limits of what's possible with
  • 00:14:30
    deeply saturated color in
  • 00:14:33
    film I also love the more
  • 00:14:36
    expressionistic lighting that we find in
  • 00:14:37
    neo- noir films like seven or Blood
  • 00:14:39
    Simple these films update and exaggerate
  • 00:14:42
    the visual drama of classic noirs like
  • 00:14:45
    the third man and Touch of Evil and add
  • 00:14:48
    color into the mix creating a result
  • 00:14:50
    that is arresting and stunning some of
  • 00:14:53
    the best examples of more theatrical and
  • 00:14:55
    expressionistic lighting are probably
  • 00:14:57
    found in the past where naturalism was
  • 00:15:00
    less in favor classic films like pow and
  • 00:15:03
    pressberg the red shoes or black
  • 00:15:05
    narcissist for me represent the height
  • 00:15:07
    of what was possible visually in the
  • 00:15:09
    studio
  • 00:15:10
    era we've talked a lot about light but I
  • 00:15:14
    want to shift here into talking about an
  • 00:15:16
    equally important aspect of creating
  • 00:15:18
    beautiful cinematography one that I
  • 00:15:21
    think is often overlooked and that is
  • 00:15:24
    composition and framing the standard
  • 00:15:26
    coverage approach to cinematography of
  • 00:15:29
    wide establishing shots overthe shoulder
  • 00:15:31
    mediums and close-ups works well enough
  • 00:15:34
    and there's something to be said for the
  • 00:15:36
    way this approach doesn't draw attention
  • 00:15:37
    to itself it can allow the
  • 00:15:39
    cinematography to just disappear and for
  • 00:15:41
    performance to take Center Stage but so
  • 00:15:44
    much more than this is possible and
  • 00:15:46
    especially when you watch a lot of
  • 00:15:48
    movies unique compositions can be a
  • 00:15:50
    breath of fresh air and as we saw with
  • 00:15:53
    the graduate in the opening of this
  • 00:15:55
    video it can also be a powerful
  • 00:15:57
    storytelling device beautiful
  • 00:15:59
    composition can come from symmetry or
  • 00:16:02
    breaking symmetry it can come from the
  • 00:16:04
    use of negative space the balance of
  • 00:16:07
    objects within an image it can come from
  • 00:16:09
    the way lines lead our eyes toward a
  • 00:16:12
    subject it can come from how an image is
  • 00:16:16
    flattened or how depth is used to create
  • 00:16:19
    layers it can come from how elements of
  • 00:16:22
    the world create frames within frames
  • 00:16:25
    and it can come from where the horizon
  • 00:16:26
    line is placed within a shot
  • 00:16:29
    one of the first films I think of when
  • 00:16:31
    we talk about composition is Barry lynon
  • 00:16:35
    there's a lot to love about how this
  • 00:16:37
    movie is shot the beautiful natural
  • 00:16:39
    lighting with Stanley cubric and
  • 00:16:41
    cinematographer John Alcott creating
  • 00:16:43
    custom lenses so that they could shoot
  • 00:16:45
    by candl light but the star of the show
  • 00:16:48
    for me is really the way these shots are
  • 00:16:50
    staged and composed to look like oil
  • 00:16:53
    paintings this is one of the few movies
  • 00:16:56
    where you could genuinely say every
  • 00:16:58
    frame is a painting the lack of camera
  • 00:17:01
    movement for a lot of the shots and the
  • 00:17:02
    lack of movement within the frame only
  • 00:17:04
    amplifies the effect and the choice to
  • 00:17:07
    use zooms instead of dollies flattens
  • 00:17:10
    the image it's as if we're slowly moving
  • 00:17:12
    our eye towards or away from a painting
  • 00:17:16
    instead of moving our body through the
  • 00:17:19
    actual three-dimensional scene itself
  • 00:17:21
    another director who is masterful at
  • 00:17:24
    composing and blocking beautiful images
  • 00:17:26
    is a Kira curasawa what is striking to
  • 00:17:29
    me about the beauty of Seven Samurai is
  • 00:17:32
    that curasawa isn't precious about the
  • 00:17:34
    beauty of his shots sometimes you can
  • 00:17:37
    feel a filmmaker slowing down to deliver
  • 00:17:40
    their beautiful shot on a platter before
  • 00:17:42
    they move on to the rest of the scene
  • 00:17:44
    that is shot fairly normally but with
  • 00:17:46
    kirisawa we find an incredible attention
  • 00:17:49
    to detail in staging even for shots that
  • 00:17:52
    only last a brief moment kirisawa finds
  • 00:17:55
    Beauty in how we layer bodies and
  • 00:17:57
    movement within the frame
  • 00:17:59
    yasujiro U finds Beauty and precise
  • 00:18:03
    consistency always shooting on the same
  • 00:18:05
    lens and from specific preset camera
  • 00:18:08
    heights for each type of shot he's a
  • 00:18:11
    clear predecessor to the calculated
  • 00:18:13
    cemetry that Wes Anderson's
  • 00:18:15
    cinematography is so often praised for
  • 00:18:18
    composition of course isn't just about
  • 00:18:21
    crafting beautiful images what were
  • 00:18:23
    shown in the background of a shot and
  • 00:18:25
    how it's shown can play a role in the
  • 00:18:27
    Thematic language of the film when I
  • 00:18:30
    watch Vim venders Paris Texas
  • 00:18:32
    beautifully shot by Robbie Mueller I see
  • 00:18:36
    a man who is trapped and assaulted by a
  • 00:18:40
    modern world that he's struggling to be
  • 00:18:42
    a part of laventura photographed by Aldo
  • 00:18:46
    scavarda is another movie that uses
  • 00:18:48
    composition to a similar end scavarda
  • 00:18:51
    and director Michelangelo antonioni make
  • 00:18:53
    us feel as if his characters are lost or
  • 00:18:56
    trapped within an empty landscape he
  • 00:18:59
    makes a town feel hollow and lifeless
  • 00:19:02
    like an austere box rather than a place
  • 00:19:05
    built for humans all of this a
  • 00:19:07
    reflection of the emotional Journey the
  • 00:19:10
    characters are
  • 00:19:11
    on and in Francis Ford cop's the
  • 00:19:13
    conversation shot mostly by Bill Butler
  • 00:19:16
    I can see and feel the character's
  • 00:19:19
    paranoia and isolation in the way he's
  • 00:19:22
    framed and shot within the film Persona
  • 00:19:25
    directed by ingar Bergman and shot by
  • 00:19:27
    Sven Nyquist besides being stunningly
  • 00:19:29
    beautiful also uses composition to help
  • 00:19:32
    tell its story of entangled identities
  • 00:19:36
    the women literally overlap on screen
  • 00:19:38
    even as their identities intertwine
  • 00:19:41
    within the
  • 00:19:45
    story closely related to the language of
  • 00:19:48
    composition for me is the language of
  • 00:19:51
    camera movement movement evolves a shot
  • 00:19:54
    it can create a sense of mystery or
  • 00:19:57
    Discovery through slow revelation
  • 00:19:59
    it can help draw or guide our eye
  • 00:20:01
    towards a subject but it can also speak
  • 00:20:04
    a deeper more mysterious language for
  • 00:20:07
    soresi whose movies vary greatly when it
  • 00:20:10
    comes to lighting and color grade
  • 00:20:12
    there's a consistent Beauty in his
  • 00:20:13
    cinematography in how and when he moves
  • 00:20:16
    his camera for example I often think
  • 00:20:18
    about this shot from Taxi Driver shot by
  • 00:20:20
    Michael Chapman the way the camera
  • 00:20:22
    dollies into the Hall before the phone
  • 00:20:24
    conversation is over speaks deeply to
  • 00:20:27
    something about what the character is
  • 00:20:29
    experiencing it's not just the emptiness
  • 00:20:31
    of the hall it's as if he's begun to
  • 00:20:34
    dissociate or has already moved on
  • 00:20:37
    Michelangelo antonioni and laventura
  • 00:20:40
    creates a similar feeling here by doing
  • 00:20:42
    the same thing basically in Reverse
  • 00:20:44
    panning into an empty frame long before
  • 00:20:47
    the subject enters it I can't tell you
  • 00:20:50
    exactly what this means or why but I
  • 00:20:53
    don't think I need to and I don't think
  • 00:20:55
    the artist does either that's part of
  • 00:20:57
    the magic of how these images work it's
  • 00:20:59
    an intuitive visual poetry I think why
  • 00:21:02
    when and how a camera moves can carry
  • 00:21:04
    just as much meaning as the Rhythm or
  • 00:21:07
    rhyme within a poem or song and
  • 00:21:10
    sometimes the camera can speak in the
  • 00:21:11
    tiniest of ways camera's rack Focus
  • 00:21:14
    countless times within a film shifting
  • 00:21:16
    from one subject to another like we see
  • 00:21:19
    in this shot from the conversation
  • 00:21:21
    usually here the goal is to be invisible
  • 00:21:24
    with this shift but what about this
  • 00:21:26
    moment in The Graduate where there's a
  • 00:21:27
    shocking revelation for this character
  • 00:21:30
    here director Mike Nichols and
  • 00:21:31
    cinematographer Robert cerre choose to
  • 00:21:33
    slow down the shift and focus it's
  • 00:21:35
    almost as if we can see the realization
  • 00:21:37
    of what's Happening slowly Dawning on
  • 00:21:40
    the
  • 00:21:42
    character great cinematography is about
  • 00:21:45
    more than just a beautiful image and
  • 00:21:48
    I've talked about some of those other
  • 00:21:49
    factors but for me the greatest
  • 00:21:51
    cinematography is often very
  • 00:21:54
    beautiful beauty alone isn't everything
  • 00:21:57
    there are plenty of beautiful films that
  • 00:21:59
    at the end of the day don't have very
  • 00:22:01
    much substance and some of my favorite
  • 00:22:03
    movies aren't the most beautifully shot
  • 00:22:05
    films ever made but I don't think we
  • 00:22:06
    should toss aside Beauty and
  • 00:22:08
    cinematography as something that is
  • 00:22:10
    merely a superficial stylistic
  • 00:22:13
    addition it can and does serve a greater
  • 00:22:16
    purpose within the art of
  • 00:22:19
    Cinema I think Beauty can touch
  • 00:22:21
    something very tender in us it's hard to
  • 00:22:25
    be cynical when you're looking at
  • 00:22:26
    something beautiful when you take take
  • 00:22:28
    in the beauty of a work of art you kind
  • 00:22:30
    of have to open yourself up a little bit
  • 00:22:33
    to the mysterious unspoken things that
  • 00:22:36
    has to say art can use this openness
  • 00:22:40
    then to invite the viewer into an
  • 00:22:42
    encounter with more difficult emotions
  • 00:22:46
    Melancholy fear loneliness and grief are
  • 00:22:50
    all things that we can find within a
  • 00:22:52
    beautiful image seeing these
  • 00:22:55
    uncomfortable emotions presented in a
  • 00:22:57
    beautiful way might shed new light on
  • 00:23:00
    how we perceive these things within our
  • 00:23:02
    own life it might open us personally to
  • 00:23:05
    the possibility of holding our own
  • 00:23:07
    sadness or grief within the beauty of
  • 00:23:10
    gratitude for Life cinematography is a
  • 00:23:14
    bit like architecture I think you can
  • 00:23:16
    design and build a building that does
  • 00:23:18
    the bare minimum to serve the function
  • 00:23:20
    that it needs to serve but isn't it much
  • 00:23:23
    more inviting and doesn't it serve us as
  • 00:23:25
    humans to create spaces that fulfill the
  • 00:23:28
    their purpose and are beautiful and
  • 00:23:31
    communicate meaning and are Pleasant to
  • 00:23:33
    spend time inside a film I think is the
  • 00:23:35
    same
  • 00:23:37
    way why not make dramatically lit images
  • 00:23:40
    that catch and guide our attention why
  • 00:23:42
    not use compositions that command the
  • 00:23:45
    attention of our eye and cause us to
  • 00:23:47
    look closer cinematography can create
  • 00:23:50
    mystery and emotion it can reveal the
  • 00:23:53
    world to us in a new way sometimes the
  • 00:23:56
    mystery of the image is Inseparable from
  • 00:23:59
    The Poetry of the story itself I feel
  • 00:24:02
    this way watching movies like
  • 00:24:03
    tarkovsky's mirror shot by Gregory rberg
  • 00:24:06
    for me the Ethereal quality of these
  • 00:24:08
    images visually cannot be untangled from
  • 00:24:11
    what they mean and make me
  • 00:24:14
    feel when you see the beauty of a
  • 00:24:16
    well-shot film it's not just the beauty
  • 00:24:18
    of the film but a reflection of the
  • 00:24:21
    beauty of our own world I will always
  • 00:24:24
    remember the chills I got when it first
  • 00:24:26
    cuts to the desert in Lawrence of Arabia
  • 00:24:29
    but am I getting chills here because of
  • 00:24:31
    the beauty of the cinematography or
  • 00:24:33
    because of the beauty of the desert
  • 00:24:35
    itself upon a massive cinema screen the
  • 00:24:37
    desert seems to almost swallow you this
  • 00:24:40
    of course helps tell the story but it
  • 00:24:43
    also offered me a deeper appreciation
  • 00:24:46
    for the beauty of the deserts of Jordan
  • 00:24:49
    something I will likely never get to see
  • 00:24:52
    in real life and though they're
  • 00:24:54
    constructed I felt a similar way about
  • 00:24:57
    the images of of space in
  • 00:25:00
    interstellar to craft beautiful images
  • 00:25:02
    the cinematographer might use the beauty
  • 00:25:04
    of nature like this or they might rely
  • 00:25:08
    on the beauty of a human face or the
  • 00:25:10
    beauty of light and these images can
  • 00:25:13
    tell us how to look for existing Beauty
  • 00:25:16
    in nature faces and light in the world
  • 00:25:19
    around us the cinematographer by looking
  • 00:25:22
    for beauty and capturing that beauty is
  • 00:25:25
    subtly teaching us how to find that
  • 00:25:27
    beauty for ourselves they are inviting
  • 00:25:29
    us into their
  • 00:25:32
    eyes but perhaps the beauty in their
  • 00:25:35
    images isn't found but constructed here
  • 00:25:38
    we can appreciate their artistic ability
  • 00:25:40
    to arrange light people objects and
  • 00:25:43
    movement in unique and novel ways all
  • 00:25:46
    the potential magic of a photograph or a
  • 00:25:49
    painting lie within a single frame of a
  • 00:25:51
    film there's a whole fine art form
  • 00:25:54
    hidden within what is often treated as a
  • 00:25:57
    most
  • 00:25:58
    commercial and pop culture Enterprise
  • 00:26:01
    how does this Artistry work what is this
  • 00:26:04
    magic why do some images grab us While
  • 00:26:07
    others are forgettable like an evocative
  • 00:26:09
    story I think an evocative image often
  • 00:26:12
    contains some element of contrast or
  • 00:26:15
    conflict something that is slowly being
  • 00:26:18
    revealed or something hidden that we
  • 00:26:21
    want to see Shadows are dramatic we want
  • 00:26:25
    to know what lies in them we might see a
  • 00:26:28
    character trying to conceal themselves
  • 00:26:30
    or maybe were drawn in by the conflict
  • 00:26:32
    between the beauty of the image and the
  • 00:26:35
    sadness it
  • 00:26:36
    contains cinematography was the first
  • 00:26:39
    part of film making I fell in love with
  • 00:26:41
    before I started editing professionally
  • 00:26:43
    I loved photography and cinematography
  • 00:26:46
    and I will always love a beautifully
  • 00:26:48
    shot film and I hope you enjoyed a tour
  • 00:26:51
    of some of my favorites if you're
  • 00:26:53
    interested in my breakdown of great
  • 00:26:54
    cinematography that's more subtle and
  • 00:26:56
    invisible in its approach I recommend
  • 00:26:58
    check checking out my previous essay In
  • 00:26:59
    Praise of subtle cinematography which
  • 00:27:01
    I'll link to at the end here but I also
  • 00:27:03
    invite you to share your favorites in
  • 00:27:05
    the comments below what's the most
  • 00:27:07
    beautiful film you've ever seen and what
  • 00:27:09
    did that beauty mean to you this video
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    is sponsored by mie an online hand
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    incredible nature cinematography in The
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    Voyage of time you could watch part CH
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    wo's inventive cinematography in
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    decision to leave he puts the camera in
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    places and moves it in ways I never
  • 00:27:35
    thought was possible you could also
  • 00:27:37
    check out the substance from coralene
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    Fara she uses the Distortion of
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    wideangle lenses to powerful effect in
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    this check those out and explore the
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    trial today start exploring the
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Etiquetas
  • Cinematography
  • Film Analysis
  • Visual Storytelling
  • Emmanuel Lubezki
  • Roger Deakins
  • Tree of Life
  • The Graduate
  • Composition
  • Lighting
  • Film Aesthetics