video2zero

the business the art and the science of new media

Archives for the ‘Cinematography’ Category

What does a $100million TV show look like?

By admin • Jul 5th, 2008 • Category: Cinematography • Tags: ,

If HBO’s John Adams is a guide:
Lots of handheld camerawork and tens of thousands of Dutch/canted shots. Surprised and gratified to see modern cinematography storm period drama at the hands of Tom Hanks and HBO.
Shot with a complete disregard for bogus rules and conventions - I’m half way through the DVD - brilliant!
The making [...]



Platon fever

By peter • Mar 25th, 2008 • Category: Cinematography • Tags:

Platon fever has gripped the photography world. Reports of grown (camera)men swooning in the presence of the wickedly talented New York based Brit.



Speaking of cinematography..

By admin • Jan 10th, 2008 • Category: Cinematography • Tags:

WARNING - if you are of a sensitive disposition close your eyes when Colin Farrell says “Or I could be a thief or something”, and keep them closed until you here a loud THWACK.
To my eye cinematographer Ryszard Lenczewski is the most talented cameramen I’ve run across. He works a lens like Keith Jarrett works [...]



Spielberg: Bourne Ultimatum and old-fashioned movies

By admin • Jan 9th, 2008 • Category: Cinematography • Tags: , , ,

Variety think “Paul Greengrass’s Bourne Ultimatum advances the art of action filmmaking and will change it forever”.
Others think that the movie debases the art of film, and makes them feel queasy.
Steven Spielberg:
“Quick-cutting is very effective in some movies, like the Bourne pictures, but you sacrifice geography when you go for quick-cutting. Which is fine, [...]



Breaking rules 2.0

By admin • Oct 23rd, 2007 • Category: Cinematography • Tags: ,

Shooting a western, so the story goes, John Ford was concerned about the amount of time a cowboy took to leave the saloon, get on his horse, and ride off.
As there was no other coverage, Ford asked the editor to jumpcut the sequence: “Get him on the darn horse”.
The Editor complained, Ford countered: [...]



Improving web video - 2.Contrast

By admin • Oct 3rd, 2007 • Category: Cinematography, Online Video • Tags: , ,

In the days before digital tuners, tuning a violin or guitar was an imprecise science. Tuning the strings to one another is a skill anyone can learn - but tuning the E string precisely to E is not - at least in my experience. So if you have 3 guitars all properly tuned to [...]



Photo video counterpoint

By peter • Oct 1st, 2007 • Category: Cinematography, Videojournalism • Tags:

mediastorm video: Katrina - 2 years later.
The first rule of composition, according to Brahms, is to master the art of counterpoint. Strictly speaking Brahm’s rules apply to musical composition, but this one transplants happily to the video realm. Combining two or more themes/perspectives in a single story can create a more compelling message.
This clip [...]



Sigur Ros - Heima sublime

By peter • Sep 4th, 2007 • Category: Cinematography, News • Tags:

I first came across Sigur Ros through the cut Staralfur on the soundtrack to The Girl in the Cafe. The band returned to Iceland for a series of concerts last summer and Heima documents the trip. There is a high quality quicktime of the trailer on the EMI website. Inspirational film making. The DVD will [...]



No more cutaways

By peter • Aug 30th, 2007 • Category: Cinematography, Videojournalism • Tags:

From the land that invented reality TV - moves afoot to expand the concept into the news divisions.
Faced with fallout from a series of high-profile deceptions British TV executives are planning an overhaul of the rules guiding news and documentary coverage.



Breaking Rules

By peter-v • Jul 30th, 2007 • Category: Cinematography • Tags:

Rule One - Don’t suggest to a ruling monarch that they appear in ceremonial robes but lose the crown because “its too dressy”.