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Raissa Contreras

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  • Occupation
    Cinematographer
  • Location
    Baltimore, MD
  • My Gear
    Canon Scoopic 16 mm, Pentax K 01
  • Specialties
    Documentary

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  • Website URL
    www.raissacontreras.org

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  1. I'm a Baltimore based cinematographer who shoots in 16mm film if you are ever interested...https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3342068/
  2. There are so many but here's 2 recent favorites...
  3. Saw The Edge of the City today on TCM - gorgeous B&W cinematography. Looked up cinematographer - Joseph Brun. He had been nominated for an earlier film (Martin Luther). A little off topic but I bring it up because the beauty of not only the light and compositions but of the rich grain - and there was a comment on the beauty of grain on this thread.
  4. I'm so happy to see this thread. I didn't know that Old Man With a Gun was shot with 16mm! I love 16 mm and use it personally. I was unaware it's becoming a "thing" and thought I was sort of a lone throw back. I was also under the impression that if a larger production film was shot on 16 mm it was due to budget...Kathryn Bigelow's Hurt Locker I believe was shot on 16 mm & I thought it was because it was cheaper. This is all very interesting. Of course digital can be beautiful too and love the cinematography in Roma which if I'm not mistaken was shot with Alexa 65. Also very happy to see David Mullen did The Marvelous Mrs Maisel! Congratulations!! I have already praised the look of Love Witch was was very cool. It was lush, beautiful and campy all simultaneously. Haven't seen Mrs Maisel yet but will definitely check it out!
  5. I said Roger Deakins is a great cinematographer & it is fine that he migrated to digital. He discussed his reasons and it seemed a thoughtful choice. I imagine he can see the difference. Glad you can too. My point discussing the old print of Ozu's film is that an old imperfect print is still beautiful. More recent works shot on film don't necessarily have scratches etc. They are beautiful too. I have also said REPEATEDLY that I have seen beautiful films shot on digital. I'm thinking at this point you are enjoying arguing and I've had enough.
  6. I compared the two because Avatar used 3d to seem alive and it was highly touted for its digital breakthroughs. I was comparing the effect of an "imperfect" celluloid image to the supposed hyper real "perfect" digital one. I found the "imperfect" celluloid image more alive. I keep saying maybe not everyone sees a difference between celluloid and digital but I do. I didn't attribute ALL the differences in the experience to the "capture" medium.
  7. I said I had seen beautiful films that were digital. Please read my comments thoroughly. I also think Roger Deakins is a great cinematographer. I said a serious cinematographer should consider what medium she/he uses not that a serious cinematographer must always use film. My point has been film is beautiful even with "flaws" and I pray digital does not kill film. I firmly believe we will be losing something important if that happens. I notice a difference between celluloid & digital maybe you don't. I notice a difference and I think keeping celluloid alive is important.
  8. I disagree that what a film is created with is low on the list. I consider film an art form, like painting, and feel its medium extremely important. I would assume any serious cinematographer would. I didn't call Early Summer a flawed movie. I said the old print was flawed - had a few scratches etc - but still beautiful. And yes vinyl is making a comeback. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/03/record-sales-vinyl-hits-25-year-high-and-outstrips-streaming
  9. I never claimed that Early Summer was great simply because it was shot on film. However, I'm sure Ozu would be a proponent of keeping film around. My point was that a "flawed" celluloid experience can feel more alive than a digital one using 3d to heighten its impact. Celluloid is alive perhaps because of its imperfections...much like life itself. People are saying something similar about vinyl as it's making a come back. Certainly, I have seen digital films that are beautiful and digital can be sublime - Life of Pi comes to mind - but humanity will be losing something precious if it loses celluloid as a medium.
  10. Well I just saw a very old print of Ozu's Early Summer (black & white) - full of scratches and flaws and it was beautifully ALIVE. The characters were so alive I felt I was in the room with them. I felt nothing like that in Avatar even as multi colored 3d bugs flew out at me. I left the theater again praying we don't lose film. Someone noted that film is like a painting because it exists in the physical realm...it is like a painting in other ways too.
  11. I liked Collateral a lot too and looked up the DP when I watched it.
  12. Loved Murder on Orient Express shot on 65 mm. Honestly, couldn't tell if it was sharper, but it was gorgeous.
  13. This discussion is so interesting because I have never found anything shot on film excessively sharp no matter the format or lenses. I have found digital excessively sharp.
  14. Jon O'Brien - Interesting to hear digital referred to as an old guy's format! LOL. Vittorio Storaro shot Wonder Wheel and Cafe Society w digital so I thought of him after reading your comment. He's a brilliant cinematographer & both are beautiful but I have to say I like the look of Magic in the Moonlight better. I'm a film person tho I understand the advantages of digital and why it might actually be better sometimes. Still, I have always felt like a dinosaur. It's nice for someone to comment otherwise. Would also like to say I thought Murder on Orient Express cinematography fabulous and loved that it was shot on film.
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