Nicolas Courdouan Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) Eraserhead (USA)The Color of Pomegranates / Sayat Nova (Armenia) Beauty and the beast (France) Persona (Sweeden) Nosferatu (Germany)Inauguration of the pleasure dome (USA) Stalker (Russia)Prosperos Books (UK) The Holy Mountain (UK/Spain?) The cabinet of Dr Caligari (Germany) Add to the bolded ones Blade Runner (my number 1, no contest), Children of Men, The Machinist, No Country for Old Men, and Old Boy, and you get my top 10. "Pi" is close to the 10th one, I'm a sucker for grainy-as-hell, low-budget films. Edited February 5, 2012 by Nicolas Courdouan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Sutherland Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I can't think of ten off the top of my head, but here are a couple that haven't been mentioned yet. Firstly, I'm going to go with Crank 2: High Voltage. Neveldine and Taylor have a distinctive shooting style, and whilst it's not a beautifully lit or whatever, it's interesting what they do. And I'm looking forward to seeing what they're going to do with Ghost Rider when it opens next month. Their DP on both of these is Brandon Trost. Below is a haunted house story set on a WW2 submarine. I saw it at a screening at Pinewood, along with a talk by Ian Wilson on how he shot it. (One stop over-exposed, and then printed down during processing.) And lastly I'm going to say "Drive". Look at the way that characters are lit, and the more morally compromised they are the more they're in shadow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Stewart Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I can't think of ten off the top of my head, but here are a couple that haven't been mentioned yet. Firstly, I'm going to go with Crank 2: High Voltage. Neveldine and Taylor have a distinctive shooting style, and whilst it's not a beautifully lit or whatever, it's interesting what they do. And I'm looking forward to seeing what they're going to do with Ghost Rider when it opens next month. Their DP on both of these is Brandon Trost. Below is a haunted house story set on a WW2 submarine. I saw it at a screening at Pinewood, along with a talk by Ian Wilson on how he shot it. (One stop over-exposed, and then printed down during processing.) And lastly I'm going to say "Drive". Look at the way that characters are lit, and the more morally compromised they are the more they're in shadow. Saw Drive for the second time, and noticed the shadow play. Nicely done. The driving sequences were nicely lit (ie. more real) too - reminded me of my favourite driving sequence ever in Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer. I have to say though that a lot of the cinematography choices I perceived more as direction. Loved the breathing Scorpion jacket, Ryan Gosling moving slowly out of frame after his first "kill". Great film overall. Too bad it wasn't shot on film lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan Marlin Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 The Shining. Just the way the focal length brings you into and out of so many scenes, as well as Jack's slow mental decay. Triumph of the Will. The opening arial shot as well as the buried camera shot. The framing as well as tight shots on german citizens are remarkably well done. As well, if not only for one scene, Nightmare on Elm street. The ridiculously careful lighting of the shot of freddy coming through the wall gives me chills. I totally agree with the others stated, especially Apocalypse Now with its use of warm and wonderful colour tones and such meticulous lighting. (Particularly all the scenes with Marlin Brando's gigantic forehead playing hide and seek with shafts of light.) And Blade Runner is just rad beyond words. The opening master shot is just... wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sykes Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I agree with much of the listings, Freya's especially! :P Ok here's some from the top of my head (or more so from glancing over at the DVD rack) they're musts in my eyes, I would say so myself. Not many classics mind but definitely worth a watch. Film - Production Country - Cinematographer Days of Heaven - USA - Nestor Alemandros A.S.C. & Haskell Wexler A.S.C. Ballast - USA - Lol Crawley La Haine - France - Pierre Aim Kundun - Mainly filmed in Morocco - Roger Deakins A.S.C/B.S.C. Hanna - Finland/Germany - Alwin Kuchler B.S.C. Werkmeister Harmonies - Hungary - This has like 5 Cinematographers so just watch it ;) Three Colours Red, Blue, White - France/Poland - Piotr Sobocinski, Slawomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski Barry Lyndon - UK - John Alcott Andrei Rublev - Russia - Vadim Yusov Ivans Childhood - Set in Germany - Vadim Yusov Martha Marley May Marlene - USA - Jody Lee Lipes Cries and Whispers - Sweden - Sven Nykvist Biutiful - Spain - Rodrigo Prieto Import/Export - Ukraine/Austria - Edward Lachman A.S.C/Wolfgang Thaler Also Channel 4's (UK) Red Riding: In the year of Our Lord. Three Episodes, 3 DP's, 3 Directors, 3 Styles. Very Good. Episode one: 1974 - UK - Rob Hardy B.S.C. Episode two: 1980 - UK - Igor Martinovic Episode three: 1983 - UK - David Higgs B.S.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sykes Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Oh and any of Breaking Bad shot by Michael Slovis A.S.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gin Bourne Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Titles from everywhere get ignored because it's just a thread about what pops into peoples head. I think international films are making a good showing. Certainly Germanys doing fantastic with Nosferatu, M, Faust, Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Sunrise. The UK is even doing surprisingly well with Prosperos Books, Lawrence of Arabia, Peeping Tom, The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and Man of Aran! (I'm shocked) ...and theres lots of other international films too! I'm just surprised nobody has mentioned any Christopher Doyle films yet! love Freya 1.Dead Man 2.Living in Oblivion 3. Still Walking 4.Eternity and a Day 5.In the Mood for Love 6.Elephant 7.Stranger Than Paradise 8.Nights of Cabiria 9.To Live 0.Persona Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Kast Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Road to Perdition is at the top of my list. I thought the Lord of the Rings series shot by Andrew Lesnie was right up there as well. Casablanca. It's tough to dispute anybody's picks. I completely agree with the Public Enemies comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Kast Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Road to Perdition is at the top of my list. I thought the Lord of the Rings series shot by Andrew Lesnie was right up there as well. Casablanca. It's tough to dispute anybody's picks. I completely agree with the Public Enemies comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sykes Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Road to Perdition is at the top of my list. I thought the Lord of the Rings series shot by Andrew Lesnie was right up there as well. Casablanca. It's tough to dispute anybody's picks. I completely agree with the Public Enemies comment. Do you like Road to Perdition twice as much ;) hehe It's unbelievably shot!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Kubin Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 The Taking Of Pelham 123 Solaris Ivan's Childhood Contempt Pans Labrynth The City Of Lost Children Children Of Men Blade Runner Stalker The Conversation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Patrick Nuse Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Surprised I did not see Magnolia listed. Magnolia Blade Runner The Professional or Leon Donnie Darko Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Garden State Inception The Dark Knight The Girl With a Pearl Earing Apocalypse Now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ward Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 This is a great thread. I have some personal favorites for one reason or another. 1. Gomorrah 2. Amelie 3. Seven 4. Mean Streets 5. Reservoir Dogs 6. Requiem for a Dream 7. Shawshank Redemption 8. The French Connection 9. Serpico 10.The Professional 11.The Shining 12.Shutter Island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio Taricco Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) ORDET by T. Dreyer The servant by J. Loosey These are awesome shootings Giorgio Edited March 5, 2012 by Giorgio Taricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Thomas Gallegos Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I am by no means a cinematographer, but I think the most essential films a cinematographer must see are those that can evoke life and feeling to the eyes. When one looks upon the silver screen we primarily connect with the people who are living and breathing before us, the mise en scene or what have you is merely a template of the scene, and enhances the sensibilities of the watcher. Therefore, I must consider Sven Nykvist as the most important cinematographer of our time. My list is as follows: 1. Persona (Ingmar Bergman) 2. The Third Man (Carol Reed) 3. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles) 4. Grapes Of Wrath (John Ford) 5. Cat People (Jacque Torneur) 6. The Blue Angel (Josef von Sternberg) 7. Ben Hur (William Wyler) 8. Night Of The Hunter (Charles Laughton) 9. Nights Of Cabiria (Federico Fellini) 10. Any William Wyler film to show you how to become disciplined and efficient with your shots: Jezebel, Roman Holiday, Little Foxes, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Sykes Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 1.Dead Man 2.Living in Oblivion 3. Still Walking 4.Eternity and a Day 5.In the Mood for Love 6.Elephant 7.Stranger Than Paradise 8.Nights of Cabiria 9.To Live 0.Persona In relation to Elephant, I watched Gerry today, I would say this is also a must in relation to Van Sant and Harris Savides' Craftsmanship, Did I mention "Last Days" in my list? Can't remember. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Horn Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 In no particular order: 1) Road to Perdition 2) Seven 3) American Beauty 4) Brazil 5) Children of Men 6) Assassination of Jesse James 7) Requiem for a Dream 8) No Country for Old Men 9) Inception 10) There Will Be Blood I'm not all too familiar with international cinematographers, so pardon my list for being very American and Hollywood. I like what I like, regardless of location or time period. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel de Bourg Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Here are some of my personal favorites (in no particular order). Some might seem like odd choices, but these are often films that I refer too and use as an influence. Jurassic Park: Dean Cundey is my all time favorite DP and I consider this to be his greatest work (with Roger Rabbit a close second). Makes great use of the 1.85:1 frame, with fantastic compositions (my favorite being Muldoon standing with the shotgun and Laura Dern next to him), great use of Cundey's characteristic fill light from underneath and camera moves and blocking so well thought out that they become invisible. The cinematography in this film is in many ways invisible, which is why I think it's so great: It never gets in the way of the story. Some films are made to beautiful while some are stories told through a camera. This is one of the greatest examples of the latter. The Empire Strikes Back: Peter Suschitzky does a marvelous job here, from the scenes on Hoth, with huge soft sources to the low key finale on Cloud City with great use of smoke, shadows and warm light. Not only the best Star Wars film, but the best looking one too. The Godfather I & II: Whenever I need a character to look mysterious, having questionable morals or show that it's a dingy, low lit locale, I often specify "Godfahter-eyes". Willis use of shadowed eyes is of course just one part of the puzzle, the other being his use of underexposure (for example when Michael is overlooking the lake in II, as a silhouette is just beautiful) and the amazing brown-red colors. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Kubrick is a great visionary director and all his films deliver great cinematography. The one I enjoy the most is 2001, which is just a feast for the eyes (and ears). Blade Runner: Jordan Cronenweth created something few people can: A movie that's almost black and white and at the same time filled with color. It's a deeply layered movie, with strong use of contrasts, almost in a black & white sense, but with splashes of color and neon creating an atmosphere that wraps it all up. Apocalypse Now: While I can have split opinions on Storaro as a person, I can not say anything else but that he is a true mastermind as a cinematographer. Apocalypse Now has some sequences (to me the bridge attack and Playboy show) where I just drop in awe. To see this film in it's original 2.39:1 aspect ratio on Blu-Ray really brought the point home, as the extra frame really proved what I've been missing during these years. True Grit: For me it was either The Shawshank Redemption or this and in the end, I think True Grit is Deakins best work (so far). He captures the rough, hard nature of the west in a way that's very natural, but still with great style. Inception: Of course, Pfister beat Deakins to the Oscar last year and while one can argue which one deserved it the most, it was not undeserved. Pfister is a master of creating dynamic cinematography, going between a steady tripod shot to a handheld shot, just when it's needed. And the environmental shots in this film are truly epic. Drive: Newton Thomas Sigel really proved to me what the Alexa was capable of with Drive. Even with the less need for lights, it shows that you still need to light for character. And boy does he. His faces are in some cases almost perfectly split between light and shadow, here taking out the duality of each character. Funnily enough, there is almost no handheld in this film, but the camera is almost always on a dolly or jib, always being able to move around and follow the action. Touch of Evil: While Kane is amazing, Touch of Evil was one I found more interesting. Kane made great use of depth of field, but it was almost too much. Touch of Evil is scaled back and very raw, especially for an older film in some scenes, but makes great use of wide-angle. And of course, there's the opening crane shot, where one falls in love with the rest of the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel de Bourg Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I forgot one film, even though that's 11, but what the heck! L.A. Confidential: Dante Spinotti did magnificent work on this film and I prefer it to his work in Heat, as I find it more refined. He gets the feeling of sunny California of the 50s, but without it feeling old. It also has the most beautiful zoom ever seen, when Exley and Bud White face down with each other on the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Jensen Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I would suggest staying away from effects laden films if you or just starting out. Lighting is what you want to learn first. IF you want to get into effects by all means have at it. CGI just won't help you learn photography. One of my favorite movies to watch for lighting and cinematography is The Crossing Guard that Vilmos Zsigmond shot. This was a very low budget movie shot by a master. He had to light in the simplest possible manner to get this film made. You can see he had to use his wits and experience to light fast with minimal manpower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Otaviano Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Some of my picks: B&W: The Fugitive (1947) - Gabriel Figueroa The Night of the Hunter (1955) - Stanley Cortez The Trial (1962) - Edmond Richard Winter Light (1963) - Ulla Ryghe Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) - Denys N. Coop Colour: The French Connection (1971) - Owen Roizman Fat City (1972) - Conrad L. Hall Road to Perdition (2002) - Conrad L. Hall Capote (2005) - Adam Kimmel War of the Worlds (2005) - Janusz Kaminski Revanche (2008) - Martin Gschlacht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Morken Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Seconds - James Wong Howe(well anything by him is amazing) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted April 29, 2012 Premium Member Share Posted April 29, 2012 My "must-watch" list would be over a hundred titles probably, but these are a few color movies I find myself going back to again and again to look at the cinematography: Black Narcissus Moulin Rouge (the 1950's version) JFK Snow Falling on Cedars Cabaret Superman: The Movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind Alien Blade Runner Apocalypse Now Godfather II Excalibur Lawrence of Arabia Seven McCabe & Mrs.Miller This is just off the top of my head, I actually tried to not think too hard and just type what came to mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 I must add David Watkin " The Charge of the Light Brigade " Help" {Bad film} but fantastic lighting . " Catch 22" " The Devils " "The Three Musketeers " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Massadian Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 I think Soy Cuba should be on that list!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOLVm_9UcRw&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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