In 2018, Roger Deakins finally won his first Oscar for Best Cinematography for Blade Runner 2049. And the world was not one bit shocked. As one of the most well respected cinematographers in the business, Deakins seems unable to make a less than beautiful film. So we decided to take a look at the tricks and techniques Deakins uses to make average scenes visually stunning. One trick he uses is utilizing water reflections and patterns. In this article, we’ll take a look at how Deakins achieved this water light reflection effect in Blade Runner 2049. We’ll also break down how you…
What are Quasar lights? Quasar lights have become some of Hollywood’s favorite tools for lighting – but where did they come from and how are they used? We’re going to answer those questions by breaking down their best use cases. By the end, you might want to pick up some products from Quasar Science yourself. Continue reading Quasar Lights — Prices, Reviews of Quasar Science Lights
Have you ever wondered why green screens need to be, well, green? This particular green screen color didn’t just look pretty on camera. Green serves a specific purpose. The same holds true for blue, which you also sometimes see used in movie productions. There’s a time to use each one so that you can adequately chroma key the scene in question.Continue reading Green Screen Color — Ideal Shades for Paint, Fabric and Screens
Among all of the different practices of photography that exist, which provides the most creative freedom? Which practice gives photographers freedom to explore any story or concept that they envision? The answer, most would argue, is editorial photography.Editorial photography is nor restrained by brand image like commercial photography. Nor does it depend on the unpredictable nature of street photography. Editorial photography allows photographers to use every tool at their disposal to create an image that tells a story. In this article, we’ll take a look at the steps you can take to creating your own editorial photography.Continue reading What is…
What is chroma key? The use of this technique has become integral to modern filmmaking. Whether alongside the use of green screens or blue screens, chroma key effects have become the most commonly used VFX technique in the entire film industry. In this post, we’ll provide a chroma key definition, explain the importance of this technology, and the reasoning behind using different colors.Continue reading What is Chroma Key Technology — The VFX Process Explained
The best films are ones that create immersive and believable worlds. Worlds that make you forget that you are watching a film, and make you feel like you are participating. There are many filmmaking techniques that aim to elicit this feeling in audiences. When it comes to cinematography and lighting, motivated lighting is perhaps the most fundamental.Understanding the value of a motivated light sources and how to create it will immediately make you a better cinematographer. In this article, we’ll analyze the function of this lighting style in filmmaking as well as what you need to know to create it.Continue…
The Academy Award for best cinematography is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed each year at the Oscars. The best cinematography Oscar has been around since the inception of the award ceremony but it underwent a great deal of experimentation and evolution in the early years.Continue reading Academy Award for Best Cinematography — Top 20 Winners
Knowing how to properly expose your shots is an obvious first step for becoming a photographer or cinematographer. We’ll lay out examples and visuals to answer what is overexposure in photography. But we’ll also take a look at why overexposing photos with intention sometimes works (sometimes doesn’t) and the ways in which you can break the rules to produce visuals that are uniquely yours.Continue reading What is Overexposure in Photography & How to Fix It
Light is the heart and soul of capturing a beautiful image. How we manipulate light and expose for it is partly artistic and partly technical. The latter utilizes specific techniques to accurately capture the image we envision. The term foot candle may raise a few questions. What is a foot candle exactly? What is the comparison to other light measurement units like lumens or lux? Let’s demystify the foot candle and take a look at how it applies to real world cinematography and photography.Continue reading What is a Foot Candle — How To Measure Light On Set
When you get yourself a new digital camera, you have to choose between whether you want a crop sensor or full frame sensor. While one could easily say that the differences between the two are in their names (literally fuller frame vs cropped frame), there is a bit more to it than that. So as we dig into the full frame vs crop sensor world, we will talk about noteworthy differences, including which sensor could be best for you and the difference between full frame and crop sensor.Continue reading Full Frame vs Crop Sensor — Everything You Need to Decide
