Go behind the scenes with Guardians’ Director James Gunn and Director of Photography Henry Braham, BSC as they discuss their vision for the movie and the experience they wanted to give viewers. Their desire to display a larger-than-life adventure that is punctuated with intimate human moments made the compact form factor and large sensor size…
The Film Theorists take a look at how Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-winner Birdman achieves the feel of being shot in one continuous take (when it wasn’t). If you’re interested in other truly long take films, check out the opening shot of Orson Welles’ 1958 thriller, Touch of Evil or Alexander Sokurov’s 2002 film, Russian Ark which is the real deal: shot in a single 96 minute Steadicam…
If you haven’t read my article on why you shouldn’t edit your own film, read that first. In my article on objectivity, or the lack of it that we have as filmmakers, I used Paul Greengrass’ Bourne films as an example of lost objectivity. But those films are good for something else, too. Never, in the…
If you fancy a filmmaking sabbatical to Hungary for autumn 2014 then the scholarship competition at Budapest Film Academy is definitely for you. Submissions are currently being accepted for scholarships in screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, editing and sound recording courses. Budapest Film Academy (BFA) and Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) have joined forces and launched an English and Hungarian language film academy in…
In the first episode of the series, veteran cinematographer Dean Cundey (“Apollo 13”, “Back to the Future”, “Jurassic Park”) talks through his experience with Craft Truck. Dean Cundy is not just a man who has traversed pretty much every genre -horror, action, drama, comedy, western, etc – but also always shown a commitment to storytelling first. Cundey just knows…
During my time as an undergraduate in college, I used my skills as a photographer to garner extra revenue whenever possible. This revenue would flow back into my main area of expertise and passion, film. The skill set of a photographer is quite invaluable on a film set. A creative eye for positioning, shot placement, lighting,…
Kicking off in October 2012, REDucation X is a training initiative from the makers of the RED camera, one of the trailblazers in the digital cinematography scene. REDucation X is a 16 week training program for filmmakers who want to have the opportunity to take their RED experience to another level and get some industry exposure at the same…
There is probably no more reviled filming technique than the “shaky cam”, or the vomit cam as it is derisively referred to by those that it sends running from the movie theaters with hands pressed over mouth. The fact is that shaky cam is a valid filming technique, but one that should be used in moderation. This…
At the heart of any cinematic creation is the visual image. It does not matter how spectacular the locations are where you are filming, nor how great the performances of your actors — if you do not correctly capture these images on your camera, then your film is lost. The D.P. The primary individual who…
