I would argue that you forgot about time. A shot doesn't exist frozen in time, but flows with it. Subject, composition, light, contrast, etc... are dynamic. A cinematic shot tells a story. Cinematic shots have purpose. Lastly, I would also argue that you can't know the magnitude of your work's transcendence in advance. You can work with the best minds and highest budgets only to achieve mediocrity. By the same token, a seemingly stupid gig can end up redefining popular culture in unexpected ways. Always try your very best. :)
this is the type of content I want to see, not a dude in travel with his family, just talking about real art, very clear explanation here, and it seems that I'm a total noob, happy with my wood sticks, thanks for the video bro, so inspiring, need to learn more!😎
Yes Thomas, you're right. We are inspired by the best and we try to imitate them. We try to find and understand how they did it and how we can do it. This makes us both admiring, humble, and better at the same time. Thank you for the time you took to make this video.
For someone who dropped out of school, this sure was a well planned and juicy lesson. Can definitely see some film professor stumbling upon this video and making the class watch it 😂
Hey buddy, I don't know what to write to express my gratitude for this video. Your work is not only helpful, but there are no words to describe its educational value. I'm really happy that you're doing what you do, and I wish you all the best. Keep up the good work!
Really had a trip watching this and with your score in the underbelly of the presentation. I totally agree with this and without everything coming together to form the One, it's pointless B-Rolls. Secondly, in my view, it doesn't have to be a BIG person to do any element of the movie, it has to be whoever is perfect for the job. It could be a small actor with zero acting experience, as long as they play the character perfectly well. So that's when things come together as One. Not with Film or Digital camera, unless intentional for the story and not famous celebrities, not a small budget or big budget, just the elements that fit correctly based on your idea, as David Lynch would say.
Loved this explanation, and deep dive into how your brain thinks about Filmmaking and "cinematography" Like you I didnt finish film school, but am now getting back into the medium (after a 25 year hiatus) I am working within the digital realm, and discovering cinematic animated short films... this has been a great re introduction.
It's so great to see you looking so healthy, as for cinematic, I think for me it's all boiled down to emotion, how well can I attempt to craft an image, a composition/frame using pace and score etc to evoke the emotion and hence my vision for the film. Even when making videos of my kids to only be viewed by my family, I try to make it meaningful and emotionally charged. I think the effect of that is what something being cinematic culminates to, the emotion evoked by the film to a viewer. Your breakdown was a refreshing take on it. I've been following you from perhaps 10k subs? I can't understand why your numbers are exploding despite your explicit and repeated requests to NOT subscribe...
Great thesis, Thomas, and well presented! I hope you produce more of these 'nuts & bolts' type of content. In what now seems to be a previous life, I used to teach screen colour theory - some basic observations I used to make: * Complimentary colour for close-ups (i.e., blue and orange) * Triads of colour for depth/long shots (i.e., orange, green and violet) * Orange and blue = 'film' * Red and green = 'video' Thanks for the video and the time that you took to put it together :)
This is a fantastic video and one that I feel a lot of aspiring DOPs and filmmakers need to watch. I have always hated the term "cinematic". To me, it's never meant anything but it gets thrown around. If you want to tell a story, your shots have to have intent and a reason behind it. Production design, actor performance, direction, blocking, lighting, audio; if all these are done well then it will make a locked off well-framed shot on your cheap camera and lens combo look interesting. Making something feel like our favourite film is a combination of all of those. If you skimp on one, then naturally you try to overcompsate with a complicated lighting setup or resorting to opening up the lens all the way to make it feel like it has depth. Good set design, framing and lighting will add depth more than a fast lens will.
I don't agree with your labels for the categories but the categories themselves are great. As someone who went to film school and is tired of people trying to obtain the "cinematic" look for no reason, I really appreciate this video existing. Great video!
Loved the cargo cult riff at the end. Important to remember that even top tier directors fail to make great cinema sometimes, even with all the resources, and artists like Godard made a great film running around Paris with a two actors and a handheld camera. Moving art is takes effort, vulnerability, good taste and luck.
To answer your prompt towards the end of the video: I see the difference between videographic and cinematic images the same way I differentiate a picture and a photograph. A picture relays information whereas a photograph tells a story. Videography records events as they happen, the images in cinematography (and by extension things which are 'cinematic') are crafted to aid in telling the story. I agree that something being beautiful (Que bokeh bros) does not necessarily make it cinematic unless the image has its hands on one of the many oars which propel a story to its conclusion. I loved every second of this video thank you so much for making it and sharing it with us.
I like this a lot, I always find that my favorite projects of mine are the ones that I resonate with personally, and the ones that I put a piece of myself into. They always turn out better because of it, and you can feel the personality seeping through the subtext.
Genius. Your work is genius. Unlike UA-cam which overflows with light, flimsy, floppy chest beating you are an oasis of insight. Sincerely, thank you. For first time I have found a master whose feet I am happy to sit at
Great video! Just had a conversation about this same thing a week or two ago on a production. Definitely didn't bring up "implicit" or "contextual," but loved your thoughts on this. We are attempting high-grade, high-artistry images with purpose and story, but will we ever through repetition, admiration, or experience become that which we aspire to? A discussion for another day.
The technical --> The philosophical --> The synthesis being an informative and inspiring video. I appreciate your teachings here. They helped me feel the urge to lock in on a more focused, wholistic approach than simply zeroing in on the visuals. I think that can end up being a crutch for so many creators to lean on, which has the potential to lead to stagnation as an artist.
I would like to thank you for putting an 'explanation' to the word 'cinematic' that most of us tend to use ambiguously. I have also liked the "synthesis' bit of your explanation because for a picture to deserve the status or the honor to belong to the cinematic category, it must merge a lot of top-tier, and sometimes, intuitive skills into a one unit - a shot. It's important to support low-budget and upcoming directors but I must admit, I struggle (feeling guilty at the same time) to provide enough attention to pictures that are not cinematic but are advertised as 'movies'. It's as if they should be called "content" or another lower-level term. A cinematic feel is intuitively, umh, cinematic.
Im so glad this video was made because there a good amount of people who over use the word cinematic. It just down plays the meaning. Cinema is an art and if you think it only takes better gear and nothing else to make art, your wrong. The artist makes cinema, not just his tools.
Hey Thomas, "Namaste" from India by a movie lover and a film maker. Man I have seen your videos earlier also they used to be quite good but this one, is on another level. I can feel the things you were saying implanted in this video itself. I saw yours shots from the beginning to end, changing from amateur to Cinematic (if there is such a term) in a gradual and beautiful way. Man this video was like 1917's first image to the last with a perfect subjective idea behind it. Really thanks a lot for making that video and telling the truth that no matter what we do, we indie film makers can only try to be cinematic, we can reach closer to it but can't achieve the perfect look. Thanks Man
@@EpicLightMedia I am also a film maker, If you ever need some information about the film making growth here in India or want to collaborate or want some shots of Indian places, feel free to reach out. I will be happy to do my bit of contribution.
This video was excellent, one of the better breakdowns on this concept I've seen, with a really cool way of thinking about things. I will say though, at 17:24... feels like I'm hearing whatever harsh voice you must hear in your own head. I wholly agree that that unmistakable "movie quality" comes from an incredibly complex web of things being done at a very high level, but I'm gonna be honest, be very careful about viewing your art as "not true art", or whatever it is you're trying to define. I don't have some bullcrap rationale that all art is created equal, but I detect something in the way you're viewing your own art that isn't quiiiite fair to it. Don't "chase something you can never achieve" that other people supposedly do. Just create YOUR art, with the tools you have. You can do it proudly, not under a sign where you've written "Definitely not the BEST artist" that weighs heavier on your head than anyone else's.
wonderful video, i loved the philosophical part - and its not just cinematography, the play of contrast and opposites seems to be a recurring law of the universe. ☯
Thank you. I agree and i am thinking similar. There is also the fact that everything we are living is feeling and imagination. I think that people who make films are very sensitive and they are impressed by stories and by everything that surrounds them in the real world. That's why they have the ability to connect with others and to spend so much time with reading, feeling and telling stories through film pictures. So the stories, the characters, the places and your relation to them are also very important , because this things are the inspiration in the search of the right picture. Thank you for your approach!
Absoltuely love seeing you posting native Scope aspect ratio content to youtube. Epic. Next time, just for me (only me) please use the true DCI spec pixels (4096 × 1716) or (2048 x 858). This is literally just for me, only me.
You know what... I agree with you, 100 percent. Amazing video, can't imagine how long you used it. "Cinematic" for me and other people watching UA-cam is, I think... we want our footage to look professional like a movie, we want to compare it to the great ones like you said about the plane, and say that we got something that looks like that, but it is only a cheap replica, we need subjective stuff, not just people trying to copy the great art that was before. I think about all of this stuff you told us in the video as cinematic, but really, I think "real" cinematic is to express feelings thru the camera, light, story, acting, etc. "cinematic" as most UA-camrs say, is only the visual, and as my teacher once said, a guy I knew loved a video that looked cinematic, it had cool grading, anamorphic look, and editing, but the message was nowhere to be found. And the teacher said that it is not a good video, I was confused at first about why he could say that, the image looked pretty, but I then realized that a video that looks good, is not a good video, it needed story and value, art, not just a sequence of "cinematic" shots... but then again, maybe it is cinematic in its own way? I don't know. I don't think there is a definite answer to "What is Cinematic". It is subjective and I would say it is for us who can't become the best but desperately want to succeed, so we strive for a cinematic image to prove that we too can be artists, and I will say that we are artists in our own way, but not the best... I think everyone reading this will be more confused lol, at least I am. Great video, it made me think about it in a new way. But cinematic can look "ugly" as long that there are emotion in it :-)
I very much enjoyed the video … and it is a great analysis of film … When you speak about contrast, I would add also mention the contrast of film editing… so editing an ultra wide shot after a close up shot or vice verca adds also a lot of tension and contrast to your movie… 🎥
Trying to decide which of your selfie set-ups is the best lit.. I think it may be that one where you're centered and so is the bounce light.. very clean, stand out against the background, yet without any harsh contrast.. do you concur?
Was not expecting a Hegelian analysis in a video on understanding the term cinematic, but loved it! (I'm one of those philosophy nerds. Spent a whole quarter on Hegel in college). Nice job and very interesting application!
@@EpicLightMedia You did a fantastic job on something considered *the* most difficult concept to understand. The beauty of philosophy (and history, the other half of my double major) is you can study and enjoy them all of your life. 😊
I am so glad how this video came out. It seems someone out there thinks the word 'Cinematic' is overused and problematic. It's wasn't just me at all. Loved this video and everything that you said. Every individual has their own understanding of the term 'Cinematic' and 'Filmmaking'. I would love to express my personal understanding of film here. I've also witnessed many amateurs filmmakers( I'm also on the same boat in terms of experience and skills) using the word 'Cinematic' a lot ( I've rarely used this word only when formality is needed in film buisness negotiations). I genuinely hate everyone using this word 'Cinematic'. Put a cinescope ratio in your footages, amateurs will start calling it cinematic. Like wise, you can just slow down the 120 fps footage, use silent film format, use teal and orange luts, do b-roll camera movement without proper framing and blocking. Constantly do speed ramp and masking transition in videos without a proper storyline. From my point of view, a shot is only 'Cinematic' if the lighting is properly executed. Just having a great frame won't make it cinematic. A cinematographer who has a great understanding of lighting will naturally have great understanding of color, location, acting, story, framing and compositions, . Other factors like acting, production set design and so more can enhance the the term 'Cinematic'. Proper execution of lighting is the first step to giving justice in other film department during the shoot of the film. Note: Everyone has their own understanding of proper filmmaking and the term Cinematic. I'm from Nepal and there are a lot of amateurs filmmakers who thinks they're great filmmakers just because they have expensive film gears and have gathered a lot of experience. Surely they have gathered a lot of experience but their understanding of film is still downgraded. They're nowhere near the level of even amateurs in terms of cinematography.
I totally understand what you are trying to explain. We need to learn and understand all of the techniques so we have them the back of our minds when creating our own catalogue and not replicate a scene from a film, because it will be the exact plane and antenna made of straws that you mentioned. We need to understand the purpose before we mimic a result.
For me the word cinematic means contrasty. Contrast can be in lighting, patterns...or color contrast. And these contrasts help in achieving depth or as you may as well say some sort of 3D appearance.
You killed me with this cargo cult thing. But... This film made me want to dig way deeper than I thought it was possibile. I'm a beginner at a below zero level. The cinematic term ment to me - to this day - just leveling up the visual appeal of the movie I want to make. But you have opened to me a while new world of possibilities and and urge to try harder each and every time. Thank You 👍
Well done sir. We were talking about a documentary the other day and I actually said "I hate to use this word because it is overused but the interview had to be well lit at a comfortable location and look "cinematic", not just a talking head video.
Bro. You are a filming nerds dream. This is a Dope video filled with Platinum nuggets...yeah- the hell with gold..bron you went straight Platinum!👊🏾🔥🔥🔥 Btw I subbed
That’s the first time I heard something as real as it’s not cinematic because you’re faking it. I agree. But I lift up the people who are out there creating their own content that is more “cinematic” than 90% of streaming original movies.
🤣the closure though.The moment I started learning about cinematic I felt like is about position of your camera angle and movement so they appear appealing to the audience.yeah
One day I was in the streets with my Fuji xpro3 and I had on my lens a square hood that resembles old cinema cameras' hoods. Three young men most certainly brainwashed by UA-cam bulldh*it stopped me and asked me about the camera: - this part (hood) makes the image cinematic right? - it's jus a plastic hood. - but the image is more cinematic! - it's just a plastic hood that stops light hitting at certain angles. - because it looks like cinematic gear. - what's cinematic??? - ... The "cinematic" have absolutely no meaning at all when 99,99% of UA-camrs using it are just filming themselves dumping a s**t in shallow depth of field and green tint and use this word to give that p**p they dumped a meaning. It's like the word "revolution" and "noble" or "disruptive" that Apple managed to empty of their meaning. Just type cinematic in UA-cam search and you'll drown in an ocean of cr*p made by people who aren't able to differentiate between a visually good movie and a UA-cam vlog.
I use your videos as teaching tools enough that I should probably be giving you royalties. I have to air quote the word "cinematic" every time I use it because of the reasons you so clearly articulated. "Cinematic" is just such useful shorthand for explaining why you put in so much time "setting up the shot"... because doing so "makes things more *sigh* 'Cinematic'". When trying to explain to non-film people (clients, students) what makes an image "good", do you have a useful word that expresses only the Objective and Implicit components without the additional baggage of the word "cinematic"?
As fan I love that you do it and have your thoughts. Each example is represented by the a still image, which is the opposite of cinema. Cinema at its core is that very little, if anything, is left to chance. Cinematic if you will, is nothing more than crafting the inputs to be sympathetic to the story being told. The blair witch project did relatively well for itself as a film. It gave no real attention to exposure, its movement was jerky and nauseating, its compositions were virtually non existent. It sound design was marginally better than amateur, its script was college student level, its gear was only slightly better than lower order rental house. Thats why it worked. The story told any other way would have taken away from it.
This was an excellent video. You could’ve gone on for another 35 minutes and I would have watched every single one of them. Curious to know what your thoughts are on the Netflix TV show: Ridley.😬 keep up the great work👍
“What is cinematic?” Great question. Reminds me of the little story of when somebody was asked how to define pornography? They said: “I don’t think can define it, but I know it when I see it.” I feel the same way about cinematic. I know it when I see it. At least I think I do? 😬
This wide ratio filled my phone screen. Now that's CINEMATIC! wait. Did I miss the whole point of the video? Thank you for not exporting with black bars.
This is a great video. I read this book once called "Man With A Camera" by Nestor Almendros A.S.C. I did not read this in film school. He says that to be a great cinematographer, you need to have or cultivate cultural awareness on whatever you are shooting. Then you create an image that gives important subtext to that culture and the story. This is the best cinematography advice that has helped me on my quest to collaborate and tell great stories. We can shoot people raising their hands in front of exotic waterfalls, sweigh our hips side to side with the camera, or adjust the contrast bar in color grading, but if the image doesn’t add any new value culturally, your right in the sense that we are just constructing our own disfuncional bamboo planes
I think we need to tell visual stories that don't exist within a single shot, but as a whole of many. So, you tell that story from the perspective of either a character, an omniscient being, a second character, or a mix of all three. I don't believe that you always need to have a conflict and resolution. If that were the case, every film would end happily. What you do need, is a context and a reason for everything that goes before the camera. You don't need to need film grain to till your story. A little vignetting around the edges, some flicker or slight drift, maybe even some random scratches that are almost subliminal. I used to wonder what the difference between film and video was, and now I know: spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and soft edges that play no faster than a dream. With just a phone camera, film emulation app and notepad, I have made film after film. If you are just getting started in storytelling, I recommend editing the timing of representative shots to a piece of music. The transitions give you your visual rhythm. The different sections of the song allow you to explore different parts of the same concept. Just, whatever you have, make films with it! Don't wait until you have the latest gear. If you have a good idea, you can even express it in shadow puppets.
I think the Hegelian synthesis between black and white is the combination "black & white," not gray, because it is supposed to be a kind of tension of the thesis and antithesis.
Thanks for the video, it made me think. The word cinematic has become a symbol that harkens to the sublime qualities in cinema that enables a person to view out into the limits of the perceptual landscape(consciously or unconsciously); There for, rendering only partial truth in the subjective connotations. However, It is only with the aggregation of stories created by a divergent group of individuals that we come to grips with the experience that cinema attempts to imitate: life(our reality). As long as your film(story) imitates life, it is cinematic(if you think beyond the physical constructs). There’s a reason why the movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has its name. It’s a profound step away from postmodernism and the struggle with meaning. I think if we don’t blow ourselves up: we’ll each be able to explore the multifaceted nature of our humanity. *That’s me being hopeful.
There are no subjective choices without first mimicking. The task at hand is to grow beyond mimicking and embrace our own way that carries with it what we mimic and what we have made as our own. Ask any of the great artists and you’ll hear that they use certain techniques they learned mimicking other great artists.
Loved the video. I think when we hear the term “cinematic” now, we often think it means that the image is pleasing and good enough that it represents something you’d see in a Hollywood film. It often has nothing to do with the story itself anymore but more so the quality of the image. That said, I hate hearing the term now because it’s so overused and misused. Same with “filmic”.
LOVE THIS! 🤍 And really appreciate your kind of tough-love description of the societal value aspect of filmmaking. Found it so inspiring 🔥 Well it’s what I need to be reminded of right now.
I love a channel that sucks as good as this. Of course I am subscribed. Why? Because I don’t want to miss any content that sucks as good as this. After all I aspire to your level of greatness and beyond in the context of sucking. On that note, thank you. On to the next, right?
I've never heard someone explain cinematography this way, but it's so simple and yet genius
I would argue that you forgot about time. A shot doesn't exist frozen in time, but flows with it. Subject, composition, light, contrast, etc... are dynamic. A cinematic shot tells a story. Cinematic shots have purpose. Lastly, I would also argue that you can't know the magnitude of your work's transcendence in advance. You can work with the best minds and highest budgets only to achieve mediocrity. By the same token, a seemingly stupid gig can end up redefining popular culture in unexpected ways. Always try your very best. :)
Great comment 👍
beautiful comment
this is the type of content I want to see, not a dude in travel with his family, just talking about real art, very clear explanation here, and it seems that I'm a total noob, happy with my wood sticks, thanks for the video bro, so inspiring, need to learn more!😎
Yes Thomas, you're right. We are inspired by the best and we try to imitate them. We try to find and understand how they did it and how we can do it. This makes us both admiring, humble, and better at the same time. Thank you for the time you took to make this video.
I appreciate your effort to simplify and provide depth to the word cinematic
I really like these videos where you break down elements of film and cinematography. Nice change up
Oh hey thanks!! I love making these types most but they don’t get views
@@EpicLightMedia I know the frustration!
I appreciate the changing of talking head from natural lighting to “natural lighting”
For someone who dropped out of school, this sure was a well planned and juicy lesson. Can definitely see some film professor stumbling upon this video and making the class watch it 😂
Hey buddy, I don't know what to write to express my gratitude for this video. Your work is not only helpful, but there are no words to describe its educational value. I'm really happy that you're doing what you do, and I wish you all the best. Keep up the good work!
Wow! 😍Thank you so much for this content! Every part was pure joy and truth!
Really had a trip watching this and with your score in the underbelly of the presentation. I totally agree with this and without everything coming together to form the One, it's pointless B-Rolls.
Secondly, in my view, it doesn't have to be a BIG person to do any element of the movie, it has to be whoever is perfect for the job. It could be a small actor with zero acting experience, as long as they play the character perfectly well. So that's when things come together as One. Not with Film or Digital camera, unless intentional for the story and not famous celebrities, not a small budget or big budget, just the elements that fit correctly based on your idea, as David Lynch would say.
Yes I agree
Your best video yet! I know this video probably took a lot longer than your normal videos, but I would greatly appreciate more content like this.
Loved this explanation, and deep dive into how your brain thinks about Filmmaking and "cinematography" Like you I didnt finish film school, but am now getting back into the medium (after a 25 year hiatus) I am working within the digital realm, and discovering cinematic animated short films... this has been a great re introduction.
It's so great to see you looking so healthy, as for cinematic, I think for me it's all boiled down to emotion, how well can I attempt to craft an image, a composition/frame using pace and score etc to evoke the emotion and hence my vision for the film. Even when making videos of my kids to only be viewed by my family, I try to make it meaningful and emotionally charged. I think the effect of that is what something being cinematic culminates to, the emotion evoked by the film to a viewer.
Your breakdown was a refreshing take on it.
I've been following you from perhaps 10k subs? I can't understand why your numbers are exploding despite your explicit and repeated requests to NOT subscribe...
He doesn't want people to subscribe ? Why he's so good I want to be aware of what's new
Okay he's trolling, I just read the description and now I understand XD
Bet you're miles ahead of all your buddies who stayed in film school. Great video!
Image is awsome, and loved the cinemascope format. Also loved that "New York 1993" video when you say beauty, it has a nice jazz background.
Great thesis, Thomas, and well presented! I hope you produce more of these 'nuts & bolts' type of content.
In what now seems to be a previous life, I used to teach screen colour theory - some basic observations I used to make:
* Complimentary colour for close-ups (i.e., blue and orange)
* Triads of colour for depth/long shots (i.e., orange, green and violet)
* Orange and blue = 'film'
* Red and green = 'video'
Thanks for the video and the time that you took to put it together :)
This is a fantastic video and one that I feel a lot of aspiring DOPs and filmmakers need to watch. I have always hated the term "cinematic". To me, it's never meant anything but it gets thrown around. If you want to tell a story, your shots have to have intent and a reason behind it. Production design, actor performance, direction, blocking, lighting, audio; if all these are done well then it will make a locked off well-framed shot on your cheap camera and lens combo look interesting. Making something feel like our favourite film is a combination of all of those. If you skimp on one, then naturally you try to overcompsate with a complicated lighting setup or resorting to opening up the lens all the way to make it feel like it has depth. Good set design, framing and lighting will add depth more than a fast lens will.
You look dope man. Great transformation 😊
I don't agree with your labels for the categories but the categories themselves are great. As someone who went to film school and is tired of people trying to obtain the "cinematic" look for no reason, I really appreciate this video existing. Great video!
got a lot out of this; thanks for creating it; I guess that makes it one step closer to making it cinematic.
I Love the part when he said "It's Cinematic Time", and then everyone started Cinema'ing
😂
Loved the cargo cult riff at the end. Important to remember that even top tier directors fail to make great cinema sometimes, even with all the resources, and artists like Godard made a great film running around Paris with a two actors and a handheld camera. Moving art is takes effort, vulnerability, good taste and luck.
To answer your prompt towards the end of the video: I see the difference between videographic and cinematic images the same way I differentiate a picture and a photograph. A picture relays information whereas a photograph tells a story. Videography records events as they happen, the images in cinematography (and by extension things which are 'cinematic') are crafted to aid in telling the story. I agree that something being beautiful (Que bokeh bros) does not necessarily make it cinematic unless the image has its hands on one of the many oars which propel a story to its conclusion. I loved every second of this video thank you so much for making it and sharing it with us.
I like this a lot, I always find that my favorite projects of mine are the ones that I resonate with personally, and the ones that I put a piece of myself into. They always turn out better because of it, and you can feel the personality seeping through the subtext.
Anybody else notice that cinematic scenes don't exactly hurt the eyes, either?
It just hurts our pockets 😆
Cool take! Really helped me structure my own views on "cinematic" images. Cheers!
YES!! Bravo!!! So many UA-camrs buying the latest Arri only to create their own stick plane.
Wha haha
Best 23 minutes I’ve spent today haha. Great job, I always love your videos.
Greatest, honest, straight and educational piece of content. Great job
Hey thanks!!!
I will build my bamboo airplane with pride now
Never thought about shots in this way. Great perspective!
Oh hey thanks!!
alwys love your videos!! thank you for sharing this
Not the typical ELM video I was expecting. Unsubscribed and resubscribed in protest.
I unsubscribed and resubscribed in support.
As long as it's not a typical video, it's nice to mix things up every once in a while.
I subscribed in protest.
This is the way
🤣🤣🤣
Genius. Your work is genius. Unlike UA-cam which overflows with light, flimsy, floppy chest beating you are an oasis of insight. Sincerely, thank you. For first time I have found a master whose feet I am happy to sit at
Great video! Just had a conversation about this same thing a week or two ago on a production. Definitely didn't bring up "implicit" or "contextual," but loved your thoughts on this. We are attempting high-grade, high-artistry images with purpose and story, but will we ever through repetition, admiration, or experience become that which we aspire to? A discussion for another day.
The technical --> The philosophical --> The synthesis being an informative and inspiring video.
I appreciate your teachings here. They helped me feel the urge to lock in on a more focused, wholistic approach than simply zeroing in on the visuals. I think that can end up being a crutch for so many creators to lean on, which has the potential to lead to stagnation as an artist.
I would like to thank you for putting an 'explanation' to the word 'cinematic' that most of us tend to use ambiguously. I have also liked the "synthesis' bit of your explanation because for a picture to deserve the status or the honor to belong to the cinematic category, it must merge a lot of top-tier, and sometimes, intuitive skills into a one unit - a shot.
It's important to support low-budget and upcoming directors but I must admit, I struggle (feeling guilty at the same time) to provide enough attention to pictures that are not cinematic but are advertised as 'movies'. It's as if they should be called "content" or another lower-level term. A cinematic feel is intuitively, umh, cinematic.
Good point!! Even some lower tier movies should be called “content” or maybe “entertainment” but not “cinema” or even “cinematic”
Useful framework for thinking about image making. Thank you, sir.
Well-expressed, yet humble. An homage to the pinnacle of cinematography.
Grazie from Italy Thomas, appreciate your effort and thought put into this. So precious 🙏
You’re so kind!!
Im so glad this video was made because there a good amount of people who over use the word cinematic. It just down plays the meaning. Cinema is an art and if you think it only takes better gear and nothing else to make art, your wrong. The artist makes cinema, not just his tools.
This was an EXCELLENT video. Clear, straightforward, well-thought out. Thank you.
Hey Thomas,
"Namaste" from India by a movie lover and a film maker.
Man I have seen your videos earlier also they used to be quite good but this one, is on another level.
I can feel the things you were saying implanted in this video itself. I saw yours shots from the beginning to end, changing from amateur to Cinematic (if there is such a term) in a gradual and beautiful way. Man this video was like 1917's first image to the last with a perfect subjective idea behind it.
Really thanks a lot for making that video and telling the truth that no matter what we do, we indie film makers can only try to be cinematic, we can reach closer to it but can't achieve the perfect look.
Thanks Man
Hey thanks for watching from India!!! Thanks for your insights. This video was fun to make
@@EpicLightMedia 🤘🤘🤘🤘
@@EpicLightMedia I am also a film maker, If you ever need some information about the film making growth here in India or want to collaborate or want some shots of Indian places, feel free to reach out. I will be happy to do my bit of contribution.
This video was excellent, one of the better breakdowns on this concept I've seen, with a really cool way of thinking about things. I will say though, at 17:24... feels like I'm hearing whatever harsh voice you must hear in your own head. I wholly agree that that unmistakable "movie quality" comes from an incredibly complex web of things being done at a very high level, but I'm gonna be honest, be very careful about viewing your art as "not true art", or whatever it is you're trying to define.
I don't have some bullcrap rationale that all art is created equal, but I detect something in the way you're viewing your own art that isn't quiiiite fair to it. Don't "chase something you can never achieve" that other people supposedly do. Just create YOUR art, with the tools you have. You can do it proudly, not under a sign where you've written "Definitely not the BEST artist" that weighs heavier on your head than anyone else's.
wonderful video, i loved the philosophical part - and its not just cinematography, the play of contrast and opposites seems to be a recurring law of the universe. ☯
Yes
Thank you. I agree and i am thinking similar.
There is also the fact that everything we are living is feeling and imagination.
I think that people who make films are very sensitive and they are impressed by stories and by everything that surrounds them in the real world. That's why they have the ability to connect with others and to spend so much time with reading, feeling and telling stories through film pictures.
So the stories, the characters, the places and your relation to them are also very important , because this things are the inspiration in the search of the right picture.
Thank you for your approach!
Great analysis :) Subscribed!
The learning curve on this is real steep..
Absoltuely love seeing you posting native Scope aspect ratio content to youtube. Epic. Next time, just for me (only me) please use the true DCI spec pixels (4096 × 1716) or (2048 x 858). This is literally just for me, only me.
You know what... I agree with you, 100 percent. Amazing video, can't imagine how long you used it. "Cinematic" for me and other people watching UA-cam is, I think... we want our footage to look professional like a movie, we want to compare it to the great ones like you said about the plane, and say that we got something that looks like that, but it is only a cheap replica, we need subjective stuff, not just people trying to copy the great art that was before. I think about all of this stuff you told us in the video as cinematic, but really, I think "real" cinematic is to express feelings thru the camera, light, story, acting, etc. "cinematic" as most UA-camrs say, is only the visual, and as my teacher once said, a guy I knew loved a video that looked cinematic, it had cool grading, anamorphic look, and editing, but the message was nowhere to be found. And the teacher said that it is not a good video, I was confused at first about why he could say that, the image looked pretty, but I then realized that a video that looks good, is not a good video, it needed story and value, art, not just a sequence of "cinematic" shots... but then again, maybe it is cinematic in its own way? I don't know. I don't think there is a definite answer to "What is Cinematic". It is subjective and I would say it is for us who can't become the best but desperately want to succeed, so we strive for a cinematic image to prove that we too can be artists, and I will say that we are artists in our own way, but not the best...
I think everyone reading this will be more confused lol, at least I am. Great video, it made me think about it in a new way. But cinematic can look "ugly" as long that there are emotion in it :-)
Good points here
100% agreed
I very much enjoyed the video … and it is a great analysis of film … When you speak about contrast, I would add also mention the contrast of film editing… so editing an ultra wide shot after a close up shot or vice verca adds also a lot of tension and contrast to your movie… 🎥
Great video! I’ve already mentioned this in a few conversations at work today. Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow thanks!!!!
I was on a workshop from Korean A list filmmakers and they explained exactly same about black and white. U are genius and you must be in film world 🌎
Oh wow I’ve never heard it before but it’s good to know others explain it that way as well
That was really good!! Thank you!
Hey thanks!!!!!!!!!!! Glad you liked it
The stick plane metaphor was beautiful. This video inspired me
Trying to decide which of your selfie set-ups is the best lit.. I think it may be that one where you're centered and so is the bounce light.. very clean, stand out against the background, yet without any harsh contrast.. do you concur?
Was not expecting a Hegelian analysis in a video on understanding the term cinematic, but loved it! (I'm one of those philosophy nerds. Spent a whole quarter on Hegel in college). Nice job and very interesting application!
Oh good to know!!! I wish I could have studied philosophy in college! Really cool. Hope I didn’t botch the Hegel stuff too much haha
@@EpicLightMedia You did a fantastic job on something considered *the* most difficult concept to understand. The beauty of philosophy (and history, the other half of my double major) is you can study and enjoy them all of your life. 😊
objective, implicit, contextual, subjectiv. Good approach and a plan against lazy working with the camera.
I am so glad how this video came out. It seems someone out there thinks the word 'Cinematic' is overused and problematic. It's wasn't just me at all.
Loved this video and everything that you said. Every individual has their own understanding of the term 'Cinematic' and 'Filmmaking'.
I would love to express my personal understanding of film here.
I've also witnessed many amateurs filmmakers( I'm also on the same boat in terms of experience and skills) using the word 'Cinematic' a lot ( I've rarely used this word only when formality is needed in film buisness negotiations).
I genuinely hate everyone using this word 'Cinematic'. Put a cinescope ratio in your footages, amateurs will start calling it cinematic. Like wise, you can just slow down the 120 fps footage, use silent film format, use teal and orange luts, do b-roll camera movement without proper framing and blocking. Constantly do speed ramp and masking transition in videos without a proper storyline.
From my point of view, a shot is only 'Cinematic' if the lighting is properly executed. Just having a great frame won't make it cinematic.
A cinematographer who has a great understanding of lighting will naturally have great understanding of color, location, acting, story, framing and compositions, .
Other factors like acting, production set design and so more can enhance the the term 'Cinematic'.
Proper execution of lighting is the first step to giving justice in other film department during the shoot of the film.
Note: Everyone has their own understanding of proper filmmaking and the term Cinematic. I'm from Nepal and there are a lot of amateurs filmmakers who thinks they're great filmmakers just because they have expensive film gears and have gathered a lot of experience. Surely they have gathered a lot of experience but their understanding of film is still downgraded.
They're nowhere near the level of even amateurs in terms of cinematography.
Great video...
I do really think that when a particular shot helps in telling the story of the character, it is if you may call it 'cinematic'.
I totally understand what you are trying to explain. We need to learn and understand all of the techniques so we have them the back of our minds when creating our own catalogue and not replicate a scene from a film, because it will be the exact plane and antenna made of straws that you mentioned. We need to understand the purpose before we mimic a result.
Loved the intro. Great video, man! Thanks
For me the word cinematic means contrasty. Contrast can be in lighting, patterns...or color contrast. And these contrasts help in achieving depth or as you may as well say some sort of 3D appearance.
You killed me with this cargo cult thing. But... This film made me want to dig way deeper than I thought it was possibile.
I'm a beginner at a below zero level. The cinematic term ment to me - to this day - just leveling up the visual appeal of the movie I want to make.
But you have opened to me a while new world of possibilities and and urge to try harder each and every time.
Thank You 👍
Well done sir. We were talking about a documentary the other day and I actually said "I hate to use this word because it is overused but the interview had to be well lit at a comfortable location and look "cinematic", not just a talking head video.
wow...this was brilliant and inspiring to watch!
Fantastic video. A really insightful breath of fresh air. Please do more.
great approach to explain the word "Cinematic", thanks for sharing.
Thank You Very Much!
🙂🙏
Bro. You are a filming nerds dream. This is a Dope video filled with Platinum nuggets...yeah- the hell with gold..bron you went straight Platinum!👊🏾🔥🔥🔥 Btw I subbed
You guys range in content is amazing but this is without a doubt one of the most interesting pieces. Love how intentionally bad it is filmed 😂
This is very good. Great info.
Why did this feel like a cinematic vsause episode? Great video!
Oh good!! I like him
That’s the first time I heard something as real as it’s not cinematic because you’re faking it. I agree. But I lift up the people who are out there creating their own content that is more “cinematic” than 90% of streaming original movies.
Thank you for making this very helpful and inspiring long form video 🙏
🤣the closure though.The moment I started learning about cinematic I felt like is about position of your camera angle and movement so they appear appealing to the audience.yeah
One day I was in the streets with my Fuji xpro3 and I had on my lens a square hood that resembles old cinema cameras' hoods. Three young men most certainly brainwashed by UA-cam bulldh*it stopped me and asked me about the camera:
- this part (hood) makes the image cinematic right?
- it's jus a plastic hood.
- but the image is more cinematic!
- it's just a plastic hood that stops light hitting at certain angles.
- because it looks like cinematic gear.
- what's cinematic???
- ...
The "cinematic" have absolutely no meaning at all when 99,99% of UA-camrs using it are just filming themselves dumping a s**t in shallow depth of field and green tint and use this word to give that p**p they dumped a meaning. It's like the word "revolution" and "noble" or "disruptive" that Apple managed to empty of their meaning.
Just type cinematic in UA-cam search and you'll drown in an ocean of cr*p made by people who aren't able to differentiate between a visually good movie and a UA-cam vlog.
I use your videos as teaching tools enough that I should probably be giving you royalties. I have to air quote the word "cinematic" every time I use it because of the reasons you so clearly articulated. "Cinematic" is just such useful shorthand for explaining why you put in so much time "setting up the shot"... because doing so "makes things more *sigh* 'Cinematic'". When trying to explain to non-film people (clients, students) what makes an image "good", do you have a useful word that expresses only the Objective and Implicit components without the additional baggage of the word "cinematic"?
Some times I refer to it as the “image”
As fan I love that you do it and have your thoughts. Each example is represented by the a still image, which is the opposite of cinema. Cinema at its core is that very little, if anything, is left to chance. Cinematic if you will, is nothing more than crafting the inputs to be sympathetic to the story being told. The blair witch project did relatively well for itself as a film. It gave no real attention to exposure, its movement was jerky and nauseating, its compositions were virtually non existent. It sound design was marginally better than amateur, its script was college student level, its gear was only slightly better than lower order rental house. Thats why it worked. The story told any other way would have taken away from it.
Exactly... and further underscores why it is barely, if at all, possible to define cinematic.
Should first and foremost been thankful for Epic making this (and many other) of their videos.
This was an excellent video. You could’ve gone on for another 35 minutes and I would have watched every single one of them. Curious to know what your thoughts are on the Netflix TV show: Ridley.😬 keep up the great work👍
For me cinematic, in its basic form is:
- Composition
- Depth
- Contrast between light and shadow
“What is cinematic?” Great question. Reminds me of the little story of when somebody was asked how to define pornography? They said: “I don’t think can define it, but I know it when I see it.” I feel the same way about cinematic. I know it when I see it. At least I think I do? 😬
This wide ratio filled my phone screen. Now that's CINEMATIC!
wait. Did I miss the whole point of the video?
Thank you for not exporting with black bars.
This is a great video. I read this book once called "Man With A Camera" by Nestor Almendros A.S.C. I did not read this in film school. He says that to be a great cinematographer, you need to have or cultivate cultural awareness on whatever you are shooting. Then you create an image that gives important subtext to that culture and the story. This is the best cinematography advice that has helped me on my quest to collaborate and tell great stories.
We can shoot people raising their hands in front of exotic waterfalls, sweigh our hips side to side with the camera, or adjust the contrast bar in color grading, but if the image doesn’t add any new value culturally, your right in the sense that we are just constructing our own disfuncional bamboo planes
I think we need to tell visual stories that don't exist within a single shot, but as a whole of many.
So, you tell that story from the perspective of either a character, an omniscient being, a second character, or a mix of all three. I don't believe that you always need to have a conflict and resolution. If that were the case, every film would end happily. What you do need, is a context and a reason for everything that goes before the camera. You don't need to need film grain to till your story. A little vignetting around the edges, some flicker or slight drift, maybe even some random scratches that are almost subliminal.
I used to wonder what the difference between film and video was, and now I know: spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and soft edges that play no faster than a dream. With just a phone camera, film emulation app and notepad, I have made film after film. If you are just getting started in storytelling, I recommend editing the timing of representative shots to a piece of music. The transitions give you your visual rhythm. The different sections of the song allow you to explore different parts of the same concept. Just, whatever you have, make films with it! Don't wait until you have the latest gear. If you have a good idea, you can even express it in shadow puppets.
I think the Hegelian synthesis between black and white is the combination "black & white," not gray, because it is supposed to be a kind of tension of the thesis and antithesis.
Thanks for the video, it made me think.
The word cinematic has become a symbol that harkens to the sublime qualities in cinema that enables a person to view out into the limits of the perceptual landscape(consciously or unconsciously); There for, rendering only partial truth in the subjective connotations. However, It is only with the aggregation of stories created by a divergent group of individuals that we come to grips with the experience that cinema attempts to imitate: life(our reality). As long as your film(story) imitates life, it is cinematic(if you think beyond the physical constructs). There’s a reason why the movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has its name. It’s a profound step away from postmodernism and the struggle with meaning. I think if we don’t blow ourselves up: we’ll each be able to explore the multifaceted nature of our humanity. *That’s me being hopeful.
Enjoyed this, lots to consider.
Appreciate you speaking up on such a cliche word.
Great video, I love you Star Lord of cinematography
Ahhhhh the irony of this video’s existence is so typically UA-cam. 😂
I love the irony of this comment as well!! Classic
Watching this video in the first one minute, I had to subscribe automatically to the channel
This wasn’t the focus of the video, but I’m curious how you pulled off the CRT screen effect with your text cards?
It’s just the built in divinci effect called analog damage
There are no subjective choices without first mimicking. The task at hand is to grow beyond mimicking and embrace our own way that carries with it what we mimic and what we have made as our own. Ask any of the great artists and you’ll hear that they use certain techniques they learned mimicking other great artists.
Very well explained 👍
👏👏👏this was incredible
Really really great video! 😎😎😎
Loved the video. I think when we hear the term “cinematic” now, we often think it means that the image is pleasing and good enough that it represents something you’d see in a Hollywood film. It often has nothing to do with the story itself anymore but more so the quality of the image. That said, I hate hearing the term now because it’s so overused and misused. Same with “filmic”.
LOVE THIS! 🤍 And really appreciate your kind of tough-love description of the societal value aspect of filmmaking. Found it so inspiring 🔥 Well it’s what I need to be reminded of right now.
I love a channel that sucks as good as this. Of course I am subscribed. Why? Because I don’t want to miss any content that sucks as good as this. After all I aspire to your level of greatness and beyond in the context of sucking. On that note, thank you. On to the next, right?