Taylor Montague
Posted Yesterday, 02:58 PM
how would you characterize the cinematography on Breaking Bad?
I'm new to this forum, and my original question was really just an overly generalize springboard for further discussion. At any rate, my question was specifically regarding the use of blown out windows in certain scenes. I've also see some blown out practicals in some shots. I'm aware that blowing out light sources can be a stylistic thing to do, but I'm wondering how much was done for financial/time reasons. You can shoot a lot more quickly when you don't have to put ND grad all over the windows, or grip them up with nets and flags etc. etc. Or for that matter, to put bobbinet over practical bulbs so they don't read so hot, and allow the details and textures of say a lampshade to be read clearly on screen.
Another issue of concern was in one of the opening shots of season 5, when he's sitting in the diner early in the day, the light coming through the windows is blue- just the kind of blue you get when the tungsten light and the daylight are balanced, in other words it had questionable stylistic significance that I'm aware of. In many contexts, this failure to balance the color temperature of daylight and tungsten might be considered sloppy or flat out wrong. Were they just saving time by not putting CTO correcting gel on the windows, or is there something stylistic going that I'm not familiar with. Blown out whites - I can understand. Unbalanced color temperatures-not so much.
Please help with ideas or suggestions. I'm new to television styles of cinematography - even though I know Breaking Bad leans more toward Film cinematography and is famed for it's exemplary lighting.
