Best Cinematography of 2011

[Lynn Thurman]

I finally saw True Grit and Inception. They were both really good. My top three for best cinematography overall would be Inception, Black Swan, and The Social Network.

[Ignacio Aguilar]

"True Grit" has just been released in Spain and I have seen it digitally projected at 2K.

 

This is a very nice looking picture, with some great shots, such as the opening or the dusk sequence when Matt Damon's character lights his cigarrete with a match, and some stunning night exterior lighting. Plus, as you can expect from Roger Deakins, technically wise, his work is exquisite.

 

My main complaint is that Mr. Deakins has shot two films with similar settings in a short while, and even though "True Grit" isn't as poetic as "Jesse James" or as rough as "No Country for Old Men", most of the ideas that show up here came from these two films. The latter even offered him a wider variety of settings. I wish he had switched to anamorphic lenses, or tried something different than using medium focal lenghts most of the time, (i) because the grainless, crystal clear digital projection and the snappy look of Master Prime lenses almost looks TOO good for a period film and (ii) though technically perfect, this work is no longer innovative because it just repeats some previous ideas he had succesfully played with in the past. But I already know that he prefers shooting in Super 35mm (now Alexa), gets dense negatives, uses medium-focal lenghts and the cleanest lenses out there for every project, no matter the period or setting. There's nothing wrong with this approach. It's just a matter of taste. If he shoots "Bond 23" for Sam Mendes (he recently claimed in an interview that it may be his next film) it would be interesting to see if he changes his method.

 

Anyway, I'd like to see Mr. Deakins winning the Academy Award and while this isn't his best work in terms of inspiration, it could be a fair winner even though I enjoyed the cinematography of both "Inception" and "The Social Network" a bit more.

[John Holland]

Iganacio you are so correct in your post i know Roger Deakins he is a great Cinematographer and has been over looked to many times for the "Oscar". I hate saying this but " True Grit " isnt his best . I still feel Danny Cohen BSC for " The Kings Speech " should get it .

[Ger Leonard]

Ok the Oscars would consign these "foreign" films to "foreign language" and they are excluded from other awards incl cinematography but I think they deserve a mention.

 

The cinematography in these 3 films (and the films themselves) for example are to my mind far more impressive than that of some the extraordinarily overrated an overhyped nominees for best film and best cinematography at this years Oscars.

 

Best cinematography should be best cinematography in any language.

 

OF GODS AND MEN

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588337/

CONFESSIONS

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1590089/

DOGTOOTH

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1379182/

[Ignacio Aguilar]

I had previously heard very good things regarding Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser, but I hadn't had the chance to watch one of his films. "Let Me In" has been the first and it's not only a gorgeus looking film; it also shows a lot of talent and taste, plus great technical skills. Great use of the anamorphic frame and shallow focus to tell the story with the camera. The lighting does not remind me that much of the early 80's pictures (the story is set un 1983), but the texture and contrast is well matched. The younger folks may find the look reminiscent of David Fincher's pictures, but I would go further and dare to say they went to the fountain and mimic some Gordon Willis' treats, both for framing and lighting. Great stuff and a very solid film, though I haven't seen the original Swedish picture made two years before.

 

Now that I have seen the most important pictures of the year, I can tell my favourites are:

 

"The American", Martin Ruhe. Story told with the camera, great framing and really nice night exteriors using sodium lamps.

"The Social Network", Jeff Cronenweth. Very precise framing, low-key but still commercial HD cinematography.

"True Grit", Roger Deakins. Natural but not realistic, very well exposed, well framed, great night exteriors.

"Inception", Wally Pfister. Techically perfect, with some great high-contrast lighting.

"Let Me In", Greig Fraser. See above.

 

I believe Matthew Libatique did a good job on "Black Swan", but I disliked the way the picture was directed so much that it went to a point when I stopped caring about the cinematography. I saw it at 2K DCP and for a Super 16mm negative cropped for 2.40:1, the image was quite good. The higher contrast stuff had a decent sharpness with moderate grain, almost like a modern high-speed 35mm stock pushed one or two stops, while other parts were softer and grainier, but nothing too bad. What I found distracting, due to the use of shorter focal lenghts for close-up photography, was the higher amount of depth of field compared to 35mm or a S35 sized sensor.