Which film most shaped the look of cinematography today?

[Guest]

Just curious to hear thoughts on which movies might have been the most influential in cinematography in recent times.

Recently, someone mentioned that they thought the Darius Khondji helmed "Se7en" (1995) was the single most influential film for cinematography today, and is the film that set the "look" for most films today.

 

[Guest]

These frames might not be the iconic ones from the film, but they do show the tone and lighting within the film.

-disclaimer, if these end up being set photographs, I think they still show the lighting and design

 

[morgan_moore]

How much is film shaped by style and also how much by tech.

I can say if you shoot on 20ISO kodak stock (1930s? ?) your interior looks are pretty limited to walls of lighting.

Your modern cinema camera can shoot with a couple of candles

Would the 1930s DP still be using a wall of light?

 

[ahalpert]

These frames might not be the iconic ones from the film, but they do show the tone and lighting within the film.

-disclaimer, if these end up being set photographs, I think they still show the lighting and design

Lighting looks pretty current. Something about 90s movies looks more staged than films today I think

 

[Guest]

Lighting looks pretty current. Something about 90s movies looks more staged than films today I think

Agreed. Lighting in the 90's felt "source-y" by today's standards, but these days we suffer a bit from being a little to soft and polished. Even when using similar looks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pk_TBkihU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw
(cheating with Deakins here. he is well known for his softer lighting, which is sometimes described as "natural" but any doc shooter knows it is far from)

 

[Josh Bass]

Isn't it 'cause mostly folks are ever striving toward a "natural"/"unlit" look....i.e. the way real life looks to your eye (but just a little prettier)? In ye olden days there were certainly a lot more hard or at least hardER shadows and such, and less emphasis on realistic lighting. I think it's Blind Date with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger, there's a scene in a dark room where she lights a lighter. Lighter is below her head/face, really the main source in the room at that moment, yet light from the "fire" is very clearly from ABOVE and at an angle.

 

[combatentropy]

The only movie I've heard of revising the style of cinematography is The Godfather. Nowadays it isn't so remarkable, but in the 1970s it was scandalously dark.

It wasn't even nominated for Best Cinematography. Compare it with other movies at that time, like The Sting:

It looks fake, but it was lit by Robert Surtees, who was nominated 14 times, of which he won 3.

 

[combatentropy]

Related, No Subtitles Necessary is free right now on Amazon Prime, about Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond. I enjoyed it, but I'm still trying to think of something that meets your criteria of "recent".