Hi guys, reading this article at nofilmschool and DP Darius mentioned about using one theme and not cluttering your picture with more than one. http://nofilmschool.com/2014/03/dp-...reat-advice-for-cinematographers-on-a-budget/ This is something I have heard before but am struggling to understand quite what they mean? Are we talking about sticking to a select use of colors for the picture? Are we talking like- not blending film noir style with a contemporary style. Are we talking about keeping it safe through out the picture and not taking risks? Help!
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Cinematography themes
- Thread starter james d
- Start date
j1clark@ucsd.edu
Veteran
Are we talking like- not blending film noir style with a contemporary style.
I'm pretty sure this is what Darius Khondji is talking about. I've also got the impression on some of the various clips that are around everywhere, some people are thinking more of the nifty equipment they have, rather than how it 'serves the story'... tracking shot, slider, DoF, etc. all can serve the story... and can just be technical exercises...
In the case of DoF, to me it is often used either badly, or inconsistently, along with shallow DoF and focus errors...
As for 'risks'... I don't think Khondji is saying not to take risks, but that the film needs to have some story basis for a shot that may have some aesthetic risk... not talking about hanging out a window to get a handheld, telephoto shot of a couple on the street a block a way... unless of course the script says 'Voyeur's POV on couple'... well then maybe I am talking about such a both physically and aesthetically risky... such a risk shot is in the story... not just for the hell of it...
It's about keeping an overall theme in your photography; You might feel like the romantic scenes should be softer and the action / drama scenes should be harsher and perhaps more towards handheld; But you also need to establish a basic theme that bridges these decisions or it will feel like scenes out of two different movies. Whether you do this by color palette, camera movements, filters etc is all up to you, but I what he talks about is the need for something that ties the different elements of your storytelling together into a unified piece.
dmitrizigany
Veteran
Delicatessen and City of the Lost Children are two of my favourite films of all time. Absolutely fantastic and visually impeccable.