Here is the formula for low bugdet cinematics; Canon EOS M + Vintage Soviet Lens + Magic Lantern + MLVapp + Da Vinci + a Little bit Creative Eye = Voilà !
On colors: I always love a good hard rule, so here’s one that can be helpful for making shots look visually striking and beautiful. The 60 30 10 rule. 60% of the shot is a main color, usually the background. 30% is a secondary color, typically a secondary background color or a character. 10% is a highlight color, often used for objects of importance or characters in wide shots. Want about a million perfect examples of this? Watch 2001 A Space Oddyssey.
I've heard of this rule before, I'll definitely keep it in mind in my cinematography, it's a useful rule. Also 2001 is one of my favourite films, absolutely stunning images in that film
This "secret" has always been there for those who look. Many people say they want to be filmmakers but don't put in the time to actually study the techniques. Good on you for keeping your knowledge up. Never stop learning and pushing new techniques.
I think 85% of what makes a Hollywood movie look cinematic is the location and production design. If you have a great location with planned and thought-out colors, furniture, practical lighting, etc., you can film it on an iPhone and it will look cinematic.
Obviously, if you film something at home, in a cramped apartment or tiny room, it would look very unimpressive, uncinematic and amateurish, you are also severely limited in where to put your camera, lights, the angles from which you can film, camera movement, etc... In Hollywood they usually shoot in studios, even places were poor people are supposed to live are unusually larger and meticulously prepared and decorated, and they have an almost unlimited degree on how to shoot a scene, they can move walls, put lights and cameras wherever they want, use dollies, cranes, etc. When real locations are used, they are carefully selected beforehand, Hollywood has special scouts that always travel, search for interesting locations, take photos and clips that are later analyzed to see if they are suited for shooting a scene there.
@@UncleRuckuss The actual thing what makes the things cinematic is really...the "someone" that can make a use of these things. It surely isn't only about the production value and it simply goes hand in hand. Give a beginner professional ARRI lighting and RED cameras with unlimited production budget and he would be clueless. Yes you have a point that the production value of holywood movies are astonishingly high but that has been stated in the video already.
After 17 years of "part time" filmmaking, I've learned "CINEMATIC" is all about the lighting. Even if you've got the most incredible location ever....if it is not lit in the magical Cinematic way, it's crap. I've learned to light from the side or the back, and then bring in the fill that's needed to keep the face from being lost in dark. I've also learned to alternate layers of light behind the talent to create depth, and to not forget to light that layer that is the farthest away from the camera. All light needs to be motivated by the environment, meaning there should be a reason for the light, whenever possible. Motivation can even be an imaginary window in another room that "allows" light to fall into the room where you are shooting your character. It's taken me a long time to learn this, and to push back a lot of techniques that have been bantered about here on UA-cam, because those techniques are NOT how to get cinematic lighting. For years we were steered in the wrong direction. I think it was on purpose in order to keep competition down and out of their "territory." One more thing....I prefer to shoot indoor "daytime" scenes at night. Blasting my own lights through the windows keeps all the shadows and light beams in THE SAME PLACE for the whole shoot. Otherwise, depending on natural light will cause the shadows and look of the room to change from the beginning of the scene to the end of the scene, and the audience can tell it took an hour to shoot this 2 minute scene. Keep analyzing big budget films, and keep shooting with what you discover. Experiment as well.
Another huge thing I learned from that Danny Gevirtz video was keeping the main light source behind the person. You always want to light your subject and shoot on the dark side of someones face. I've been working at a video production company for almost 3 years now and youtube has helped me more than being on set has. Depth makes things more interesting and proper lighting makes things more cinematic.
I’m actually kinda glad you called out the overuse of the word, “cinematic.” I’m a videographer by trade and I feel like I’m always trying to learn. Thanks for helping me learn something through your experimentation.
This is great. The big lesson here is light control. Your flags are every bit as important as your lights. Great job with the cardboard! Often the lights on set are super bright so the background can get dark enough and you can get that crisp contrast. You're killin' it here. Keep on rockin'!
More cinematic = more Interesting = more work being put in.. No wonder when there are so many people are involved in production the result looks different :) Thanks, man - this question intrigued me for a long time and I think now I got the answer.
This was amazing... you nailed it when it comes to what actually makes movies vs short film look so different and the best part that you are trying and learning while having fun...I need to get off my behind and start doing what you do.... thanks for the video!
This was really helpful stuff, I’m about to make my first short for a school project and you really showed how important lighting really is. Just earned a new subscriber!
I'm a photographer but I'm always amazed by the cinema people. It's hard to even comprehend how much goes into a shot. And how perfectionists and dedicated the directors to their craft, like Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Satyajit Ray, Christopher Nolan etc.
Honest to God it comes down to set design, lens, and planning. On my profile there's a short film called "La Rata", we filmed using a Red 5K helium, and we were provided all the tools to make a film look as professional as possible! The first 2 minutes looked very professional, Hollywood-level. But after that? It fell really flat, due to us being short on time, actors disagreeing, and POOR PLANNING. The set design was good for the first few scenes because we're not given a broad scope, we're very limited. But once you start exploring more of the room, the more amateur it looks. We only had a zoom lens, I had forgotten to rent a wide lens. So (another reason) the opening is great is because a zoom lens was good for that, it drew such suspense and intense emotion. Once the fight scene started, we really needed a wide lens but we didn't have one. If it's a boring set, poor planning, and only one lens - it won't look Hollywood. Different scenes call for different needs, and when you're indie filmmaking it's hard to fulfill those different needs.
Agreed with everything you said. And also, a lot of the cinematic look comes from the Anamorphic lenses. And most of us don't have $50000 to afford Red or Arri.
Bravo, you are absolutely on your way to be a very successful filmmaker! You have the right mindset and attitude. Trust me, I am a world renown photographer, I know talent and ambition when I see it.
It’s the color Our video cameras look faded when it comes to the color picture The day they make phones with cinematic Hollywood will be going down into the trash
Creating contrast between objects to create depth is called "negative space" I actually dont like that, because its so consuming and distracts from the question "what is happening in the shot?" Some things I can share with you what makes something "cinematic" Well its the sensor size, which allows you to capture a bigger picture. its not the same as image size. A bigger sensor allows you to get closer to your subject by still using a higher MM lens, which creates that cinematic feel. To test around, I would recomend to download unreal engine 5 and experiment with its cinematic camera. Its quite accurate, because unreal works with filmmakers. You can try every lens and sensor size as you please. They even have an anamorphic option. There you can see the difference of digital film camera and a full aperature cinematic camera. But you also guessed it right. Everything you can do with a camera (lenses, movement, so on) will say something subconsciously. Choosing the correct parameters in these dimensions which match your message in your shots will create an captivating, cinematic image. Its more about what you want to say. Often, people move the camera too much or use DOF too much. Even experienced DoPs do tons of distractive usage of available dimensions. The most important thing is to guide the eye, attention and feeling. When filming with a dslr without a bigger sensor, good lenses or dynamic range, I would completely abandon the idea of creating something that looks like a big budget movie, because the intention has to match the result. Otherwise it looks and feels like these standard low budget amateur films.
Censor size can help but I think lighting and color is more important for getting a cinematic image. I'll look into the unreal engine 5 thing though, also I agree that guiding the eye and intention is very important, thanks for the feedback :)
I would actually largely disagree with you on abandoning the idea of getting a high value look. Yes, they all help, but understanding how and why allow you to compensate for shortcomings. If you work within your limitations, you can get a high value look. Don’t have a camera with great dynamic range? Well, light for the range you have. The film stock they’d shoot Euphoria with only has 4-5 stops of dynamic range*. Don’t have the sharpest, fastest lens? Create separation with distance and longer focal lengths. And sensor size, again something to understand, not to use as an excuse. Most digital cinema cameras until very, very recently had a super 35mm sensor, which is only a bit bigger than his T3i’s.
@@unordinarystudios I know its hard to understand what I'm talking about. If it was more obvious, probably less amateur/low budget films would look and feel the way they do. the sensor size helps you getting the right angle. Of course you always can compensate with a lens but having smaller sensor sizes means that you have to step back more. the image is more zoomed in and that creates limitations for cinematic language. Especially for movement/deimensions. lets say you have your subject standing or sitting in a fairly closeup. Your subject moves a bit and is somehow off narrative focus. Yes you could pan track but in certain shots its unusual to do and doing it will get you to another style. In professional movies with proper sensor sizes (and lenses) they can get closer, put the camera on a tripod and only pan a little bit smoothly or dont pan at all. But it really depends on your stylistic preferences. On a movie shot with a dslr, I would look which opportunities it has to make the framing flexible enough to capture the intended film as close as possible to make it feel legit. Dont get me wrong. I advocate the high value look but i probably mean something different than you guys do. When I say, the intention has to match the result, I mean do not try to climb a tree with a fish. Let the fish swimm and the monkey climb. There is always a potential in a camera but bending it too much will get you unintentional results. Making a found footage film with an arri, cinematicly lit will feel like a thick fat lie.
Amateur films these days try to imitate the hollywood look too much and get themselves into stiff traps, which create beautiful images for a second and then with the next slight move of the actor or the next cut, you realize that its off and the amateurs who created it, have not the experience to realize what is wrong. Framing properly comes before lighting. Even if the lighting isnt perfect, you might get away with "artistic choice" but when the framing is bad, everybody will sense that you lacked the experience to do better. Overall you are on a good track and I would attest you great talent. My comment is just to throw in other thoghts into your journey. I also know that my view on these things is a bit idiosyncratic so please dont take me too seriously. I'm just a guy on the internet who has an opinion. that opinion can be totally wrong.
the shots looked rly great! i was literally looking all over youtube for exactly what u did cuz i plan on started short films but wanted to make sure to not waste time on set and was going to try and plan out everything i can before hand and experiment. what u did building each shot is exactly what i pictured in my head i’d be doing for practice
Great video. I do a lot of photography, and I think you need to think of every shot as it’s own standalone “art peice,” not letting any shot be just basic or filler since it’s easier.
Honestly I was very impressed by your test shots. As an aspiring Dp, I have watched so many videos likes this one, but I can't remember someone nailing it as much as you did. You've analyzed and explained it so well without using fancy technical words, and actually achieved a great "cinematic" image despite your camera. I would have dreamed to have seen this video 6 years ago (it took me that much time to figure this shit out). You have the knowledge man. Unfortunately now, a part from practicing, you only need to invest better lights (and down the line better lenses) to get that cinematic image. If you put in the work man, in a year, your images will blend with the ones of Hollywood. If I can help on your journey, I can suggest you these videos: ua-cam.com/video/sef36Lk5hE0/v-deo.html Wandering DP is maybe the channel that helped me the most to really see and analyse light in an image. I would watch his videos regularly (even if they aren't the most intreating) to the point where I too could get the light of a shoot by simply looking at it. And it's partially through him that I learn to always aim to shot in the shadows (find contrast in your image) and look for the angle that gives you the most depth. ua-cam.com/video/IK4KO0E5Ze0/v-deo.html&pp=ygUTdGhvbWFzIGZsaWdodCBmYWNlcw%3D%3D This video really was a game changer, it really help me understand how to compose and frame faces ua-cam.com/video/gyCumQ78ZoI/v-deo.html&pp=ygUVaW1wZXJmZWN0IHBob3RvZ3JhcGh5 This video could help you develop the idea of making you image look interesting (it was also a game changer for me) And finaly... ua-cam.com/video/cx0mNjLwnus/v-deo.html This video speaks for itself, but it really made me rethink and question everything I new at that point.
Great work man!! The shots you got of your mom looked so cool! It's amazing how much goes into making movies and videos, an art I haven't appreciated enough. Real proud of ya!!
I think all aspiring cinematographers should look into the basics of illustration. A lot of this (composition, contrast, color value) is talked about in illustration-related videos, and generally with more nuance and more specificity than in videos broadly about cinematography. Other visual artists have terms for these things, but since cinematography is (in a way) newer, and people who do one visual art don’t always do others, many cinematographers haven’t learned these terms/invented terms for these things like other visual artists have. Illustration videos more often talk about the building blocks of visual language-and how to achieve certain things with those building blocks-in a concrete way.
I’m not saying “don’t watch videos about cinematography”, though. This video was great, and much more specific to its craft than a video about some other visual art (for obvious reasons). I’m just saying that artists can and should learn from each other.
Yo this is correct on 1000%. I think every filmmaker should invest their time in understanding of interior design. It’s not that expensive to make every room looks good with some cheap tricks like lamps/sheers/plants etc. what is in front of a camera is so god damn important. And of course understand the lightning is crucial. It’s more about being a wizard and illusionist, not a guy who know how to move a camera and use rule of thirds lol
Thank you. Filming on shadow side of face, use the color wheel for contrast, for actor background separation, slower, smoother camera movements, more interesting angles and make sure subject is in focus.
Great video my guy. Simple, to the point, easy to understand. I feel like many of these types of vids quickly become highly technical and boring (or they are trying to talk like a professional when their work is just not super great)
Way More People need to watch this. Like its kinda distracting when you can tell its a budget film and the solutions you provided shouldn't be that much of a financial burden
This was a really good lesson about cinematography and you used brilliant examples for the most part... I think the other keys are anamorphic lenses, more zoomed in framed shots and more extreme angles and camera movement
was about to share this video with a classmate of mine and noticed that you only had 993 subscribers??? this level of video quality is very rare to see with a youtuber with a low sub count, let alone one with less than 1000. keep up the great work!!
The key to good filmmaking, is having every part of the film be intentional. Every sequence, every scene, lighting, set design. Low budgets cant always afford to accurately express their vision, so the look of the film can come off as low effort.
I have also done the same mistake😅 what actually intresting looking is the highlight and the difference between the contrast from highlight! Always keep one light for edge light and adjust the shadow which looks pleasing to you and try to shoot from the dark side of actor and try to shoot at log then it will be converted using colour space transform so that film LUT will be applied to it!😄
Whoever is out there. I know most of us don’t have the best quote on quote “expensive cameras” but practice makes perfect! Keep learning and coming up with the most unique angles, shots, scenes you can think of and just film! Yes and I agree, looking at high production movies helps a lot. Just take one of those scenes and duplicate it as practice. I wish everyone the best on their filming journey.
I have worked in movies, tv commercials, web commercials and tv drama. If one thing that represents the difference between pro and amateur is "Storytelling". Its the director and cinematographer that tells the story in a cinematic way. After that there comes production design, costume, makeup, acting, lighting, location etc. The difference between professional vs newbie is experience. For any wannabe filmmaker i suggest to shoot as much as possible to gather experience to improve your craft. Steven Spielberg said, his suggestion for newcomer is "Learn your craft" and James Cameron said, "Start shooting".
Mostly lighting, focal length (and the right camera gear), color grading and production design. Most people overlook PD but if you put the right setting, objects and color in a scene, it greatly helps with the look; matched with good lighting of course.
I just have to film a scene in front of a house, at night and with two children, and the place is nothing short of attractive. I'm racking my brain to find the best way to record and make it interesting... Thanks for sharing the information!...
3rd AD here, one of the major things is the atmos that is pumped into pretty much every set I have worked on both inside and outside. Creates tons of "interest"
You motivated me enough to do a shot or a short film. I ain't a professional cinematographer or even a photographer. I don't even have a camera just a crappy phone to make calls or scroll Instagram all day. I just like learning cinematography maybe someday I'll write a short film and record one after learning from YT.
The separation comes from the blur in the background as well. Using a larger focal length and being closer to the subject will create the distance from unimportant parts of your background. The difference between a 35mm lens and an 85mm lens does wonders.
Really fun to see you experiment. I think you are right on here! As someone who is making an animated feature film I know I'm spoiled because I get infinent flexibility xD. Nice video! Keep it up :D
A great tip is to shoot to the L of the room, and you can always push your subject far away from the background (you can cheat it) to create depth. You can also use your zoom to compress the relations within the subject, the backgrlund, foreground and what’s around so you can put your lights closer and get a softer light :). The video it’s really interesting and well done! Love the experimenting bite at the end, can’t stress enough how helpful that is! Keep doing it! Cheers!
00:05 The difference between short films and feature films lies in the professional film look 01:46 Make shots look interesting instead of cinematic 03:29 Creating separation in an image is key to achieving a cinematic look 05:09 Separation techniques in cinematography through light, color, and background. 06:48 Create separation between elements through lighting and colors to make the environment look interesting. 08:19 DSLR cameras have limitations on shutter speed, but ND filters can help control brightness. 09:57 Finding the right camera angle and lighting setup 11:43 Experiment and create art with cinematography Crafted by Merlin AI.
On the topic of "make sure to light faces so they don't look flat". An old saying goes, not sure who is the origin but still: "light places; not faces"
This was awesome. The fact you’re doing this on a t3i is incredible and really proves your point about color and light separation being the most important
A lot of teachers can talk and say a lot of bs but because you are actually practicing what you preach sets you leaps and bounds ahead of most teaching videos.
This makes perfect sense, thank you! Okay this is going to be a niche reference, but this makes me think of a possible reason cinematic videos that fans make for video games are often a lot more cinematic than the typical student film. It’s because they don’t have the option to make the image technically better (they can’t add lights, they’re stuck with the games’ max graphics quality), so often the only thing they can do is figure out how to make a shot as interesting as possible.
So, aside from the last half of the video, the secret is basically contrast? -Depth -Separation -Lighting -Color -Patterns That's all contrast. Using it right makes it pleasing to the eye and easy to digest. Emphasizing the important parts while distracting from the less important ones. You can also use more "artistic" contrast that uses satisfying patterns or framing to lead the eye to a certain person or object, but the key is creating a differentiation on-screen between what you want the viewer to look at and what you don't want them to look at. Not only does it make it easier to watch, but it generally just looks cooler--which is why so many people want to replicate that look. Instead of "How do I make this shot more interesting?" try "How do I give this shot better contrast?" and that's how you get the "cinematic" look... or at least that's what I took from this video.
I have noticed how many people talk about “cinematic” footage, yet what they consider cinematic is Netflix movies and b-roll basically. I have seen so many movies with scenes where everything should be considered “wrong” but it works, and looks cinematic. I think the main problem is that most people aren’t filmmakers. They are treating filmmaking as photography.
The missing ingredient is collaboration. Films are made by many. Instead of having to think about all those elements yourself a big budget movie hires wardrobe, set design, dp…etc. There is always a way. Always. If you’re willing I’m sure you can find people who are interested in those individual elements. There are People who just want to be involved. I think getting a solid grasp of lighting will help as well as being a good artist so you can draw your vision and create it rather than searching for it through experiment. mise en scène: Everything within the scene matters. Cheers.
GREAT video, you summarized a lot of what makes for the "real movie" look. "Interesting" might be the best single word summary I've heard. To me, the "big three" categories for visuals are interest, depth, and motivation. Interest concerns every way we can make the shot purely aesthetically appealing to look at, and draw viewer attention to the right places. Depth is how we achieve the goal of making a 2D image feel 3D. Motivation is where we determine what informs all the lighting, the composition, the camera movement & blocking etc. to actually make sense and help tell the story... everything must be motivated. What makes these three things so difficult to "solve" in any given shot is that they aren't actually separate elements. You can't affect one of them without affecting the others, so it becomes a bit like a Rubik's Cube. If you aren't able to look at the big picture, any move you make to improve one thing could just work against something else... or at the very least, solve one issue but waste a chance to solve others. Ultimately, things like color, contrast, movement, environment, subject, framing, etc. are the only tools we have to alter a visual image. So the way you use each tool must work to help check all three boxes... not just one of them. I can tell you right now though, the clips of you problem-solving at the end of this video, working hard to understand the creation of cinematic visuals... you're going to go very far. Taking the time to practice cinematography for real, using whatever you have on hand to shape the light... that is how you start to get good at this. And your shots were already looking nice. You're getting there fast, your attention is in the right places. It's funny to see this video, because I just uploaded a video about how much the camera itself affects the "real movie look" about a month ago. As someone who runs a small video production house, and has shot films on an iPhone, a Canon T2i, a Sony a7 III mirrorless, a Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k, a RED Komodo... I've learned exactly what cameras can do for your image... and what they can't. I promise your shot creation practice at the end is a million times more valuable than any camera. I used to think my T2i was holding me back wayyy more than it actually was. I have an old T2i short film on my channel, and today I can think of ways it could've been made to look & feel even better, despite it not being half bad. Hope to see more from you!
one thing that helps me is to think of video as of a painted canvas. the canvas masters have detail and well thought proportions to them. even looking very long at them does not get boring and thats exactly why there is so much effort in big movies. every scene has a thinking behind it because in the end the secret is perfection on all levels such as acting, lighting, story, cinematography and esepcially sound to create such a sublime complete piece. id say its possible for a new filmmaker to create a good piece of art but reaching the desired level everyone wants is just not possible without checking up every single point i mentioned.
I think the biggest thing is availability of talent and resources. The reason I lean away from budget is because of talented, knowledgeable and experienced people come together then, it’s going to be a dope production. But the thing is, so much time is spent on the new camera to get versus understanding color theory, mood, writing, lighting, casting, set design, wardrobe and many other things that have to be sacrificed to meet deadlines due in two weeks or less.
![Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement - Every Camera Movement Technique Explained [The Shot List Ep6]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IiyBo-qLDeM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement — Every Camera Movement Technique Explained [The Shot List Ep6]](/img/tr.png)
Here is the formula for low bugdet cinematics;
Canon EOS M + Vintage Soviet Lens + Magic Lantern + MLVapp + Da Vinci + a Little bit Creative Eye = Voilà !
ayyyy I really appreciate the shoutout! Great work with this vid, absolutely loved it!
Omg I didn't actually expect you to see this lmao, big fan of your work, thanks for the compliment :)
Your work is really inspiring man.
@@unordinarystudios You guys should collab and make a tutorial on how to make different shots cinematic.
Ain't no way its a canon event
Gawx plwww drop some cinematography video tutorials plww
On colors: I always love a good hard rule, so here’s one that can be helpful for making shots look visually striking and beautiful. The 60 30 10 rule. 60% of the shot is a main color, usually the background. 30% is a secondary color, typically a secondary background color or a character. 10% is a highlight color, often used for objects of importance or characters in wide shots. Want about a million perfect examples of this? Watch 2001 A Space Oddyssey.
I've heard of this rule before, I'll definitely keep it in mind in my cinematography, it's a useful rule. Also 2001 is one of my favourite films, absolutely stunning images in that film
This "secret" has always been there for those who look. Many people say they want to be filmmakers but don't put in the time to actually study the techniques. Good on you for keeping your knowledge up. Never stop learning and pushing new techniques.
I think 85% of what makes a Hollywood movie look cinematic is the location and production design. If you have a great location with planned and thought-out colors, furniture, practical lighting, etc., you can film it on an iPhone and it will look cinematic.
That's what they do for their presentations mostly
Obviously, if you film something at home, in a cramped apartment or tiny room, it would look very unimpressive, uncinematic and amateurish, you are also severely limited in where to put your camera, lights, the angles from which you can film, camera movement, etc...
In Hollywood they usually shoot in studios, even places were poor people are supposed to live are unusually larger and meticulously prepared and decorated, and they have an almost unlimited degree on how to shoot a scene, they can move walls, put lights and cameras wherever they want, use dollies, cranes, etc.
When real locations are used, they are carefully selected beforehand, Hollywood has special scouts that always travel, search for interesting locations, take photos and clips that are later analyzed to see if they are suited for shooting a scene there.
You got a point there!! Lighting is also key!!
@@UncleRuckuss or you can make that cramped apartment into an interesting place. There could be a murder there. Who knows?
@@UncleRuckuss The actual thing what makes the things cinematic is really...the "someone" that can make a use of these things. It surely isn't only about the production value and it simply goes hand in hand. Give a beginner professional ARRI lighting and RED cameras with unlimited production budget and he would be clueless. Yes you have a point that the production value of holywood movies are astonishingly high but that has been stated in the video already.
After 17 years of "part time" filmmaking, I've learned "CINEMATIC" is all about the lighting. Even if you've got the most incredible location ever....if it is not lit in the magical Cinematic way, it's crap. I've learned to light from the side or the back, and then bring in the fill that's needed to keep the face from being lost in dark. I've also learned to alternate layers of light behind the talent to create depth, and to not forget to light that layer that is the farthest away from the camera. All light needs to be motivated by the environment, meaning there should be a reason for the light, whenever possible. Motivation can even be an imaginary window in another room that "allows" light to fall into the room where you are shooting your character. It's taken me a long time to learn this, and to push back a lot of techniques that have been bantered about here on UA-cam, because those techniques are NOT how to get cinematic lighting. For years we were steered in the wrong direction. I think it was on purpose in order to keep competition down and out of their "territory."
One more thing....I prefer to shoot indoor "daytime" scenes at night. Blasting my own lights through the windows keeps all the shadows and light beams in THE SAME PLACE for the whole shoot. Otherwise, depending on natural light will cause the shadows and look of the room to change from the beginning of the scene to the end of the scene, and the audience can tell it took an hour to shoot this 2 minute scene.
Keep analyzing big budget films, and keep shooting with what you discover. Experiment as well.
Another huge thing I learned from that Danny Gevirtz video was keeping the main light source behind the person. You always want to light your subject and shoot on the dark side of someones face. I've been working at a video production company for almost 3 years now and youtube has helped me more than being on set has. Depth makes things more interesting and proper lighting makes things more cinematic.
You're completely right, Danny Gevirtz has awesome tips. Depth in the lighting makes a very cinematic image
Yes! The day I learned the key light goes on the other side of "the line" from the camera, changed my shooting forever. Great job @UnordinaryStudios!
I’m actually kinda glad you called out the overuse of the word, “cinematic.”
I’m a videographer by trade and I feel like I’m always trying to learn. Thanks for helping me learn something through your experimentation.
Welcome to the endless hunt and craving to shoot cinematic images.. I have been doing it for 30 years and still learn things on every shoot..
This is great. The big lesson here is light control. Your flags are every bit as important as your lights. Great job with the cardboard! Often the lights on set are super bright so the background can get dark enough and you can get that crisp contrast. You're killin' it here. Keep on rockin'!
More cinematic = more Interesting = more work being put in.. No wonder when there are so many people are involved in production the result looks different :) Thanks, man - this question intrigued me for a long time and I think now I got the answer.
In addition to this vid helping me get higher quality looking movies, it also served as a MASSIVE inspiration boost.
Possibly the most useful video I’ve found in a a long time! 👍
Dude this need more attention, didn't see the views at first but I felt like I was watching a vid with millions of them
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)
This was amazing... you nailed it when it comes to what actually makes movies vs short film look so different and the best part that you are trying and learning while having fun...I need to get off my behind and start doing what you do.... thanks for the video!
Aww your comment made my day haha, thank you, I wish you the best with whatever you do 👌
@@unordinarystudios just spitting the truth..subscribed! Hope to see more of your content.
IMO it's Lighting, Shot Symmetry, Composition, and Location. (Also get a gimbal for smoother movement)
This was really helpful stuff, I’m about to make my first short for a school project and you really showed how important lighting really is. Just earned a new subscriber!
Yo good luck on your short film project, wish you the best 👌
Ur mom so supportive and looks sweet. Lucky u are ❤
I'm a photographer but I'm always amazed by the cinema people. It's hard to even comprehend how much goes into a shot. And how perfectionists and dedicated the directors to their craft, like Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Satyajit Ray, Christopher Nolan etc.
Honest to God it comes down to set design, lens, and planning.
On my profile there's a short film called "La Rata", we filmed using a Red 5K helium, and we were provided all the tools to make a film look as professional as possible! The first 2 minutes looked very professional, Hollywood-level. But after that? It fell really flat, due to us being short on time, actors disagreeing, and POOR PLANNING. The set design was good for the first few scenes because we're not given a broad scope, we're very limited. But once you start exploring more of the room, the more amateur it looks. We only had a zoom lens, I had forgotten to rent a wide lens. So (another reason) the opening is great is because a zoom lens was good for that, it drew such suspense and intense emotion. Once the fight scene started, we really needed a wide lens but we didn't have one.
If it's a boring set, poor planning, and only one lens - it won't look Hollywood. Different scenes call for different needs, and when you're indie filmmaking it's hard to fulfill those different needs.
Agreed with everything you said. And also, a lot of the cinematic look comes from the Anamorphic lenses. And most of us don't have $50000 to afford Red or Arri.
Yup. :-(
Bravo, you are absolutely on your way to be a very successful filmmaker! You have the right mindset and attitude. Trust me, I am a world renown photographer, I know talent and ambition when I see it.
Honestly, you have the talent needed for this. Do not stop making videos and putting the effort like you are will, pay off big time eventually.
I think how you engage the audience is more important than having good looking images
Yeah but both are required for a film to be successful.
It’s the color
Our video cameras look faded when it comes to the color picture
The day they make phones with cinematic Hollywood will be going down into the trash
Creating contrast between objects to create depth is called "negative space" I actually dont like that, because its so consuming and distracts from the question "what is happening in the shot?" Some things I can share with you what makes something "cinematic" Well its the sensor size, which allows you to capture a bigger picture. its not the same as image size. A bigger sensor allows you to get closer to your subject by still using a higher MM lens, which creates that cinematic feel. To test around, I would recomend to download unreal engine 5 and experiment with its cinematic camera. Its quite accurate, because unreal works with filmmakers. You can try every lens and sensor size as you please. They even have an anamorphic option. There you can see the difference of digital film camera and a full aperature cinematic camera. But you also guessed it right. Everything you can do with a camera (lenses, movement, so on) will say something subconsciously. Choosing the correct parameters in these dimensions which match your message in your shots will create an captivating, cinematic image. Its more about what you want to say. Often, people move the camera too much or use DOF too much. Even experienced DoPs do tons of distractive usage of available dimensions. The most important thing is to guide the eye, attention and feeling. When filming with a dslr without a bigger sensor, good lenses or dynamic range, I would completely abandon the idea of creating something that looks like a big budget movie, because the intention has to match the result. Otherwise it looks and feels like these standard low budget amateur films.
Censor size can help but I think lighting and color is more important for getting a cinematic image. I'll look into the unreal engine 5 thing though, also I agree that guiding the eye and intention is very important, thanks for the feedback :)
@@unordinarystudiosI Agree in olden days it was just a 1:1 square kinda frame look at Alfred Hitchcock work it still feels cinematic
I would actually largely disagree with you on abandoning the idea of getting a high value look. Yes, they all help, but understanding how and why allow you to compensate for shortcomings. If you work within your limitations, you can get a high value look. Don’t have a camera with great dynamic range? Well, light for the range you have. The film stock they’d shoot Euphoria with only has 4-5 stops of dynamic range*. Don’t have the sharpest, fastest lens? Create separation with distance and longer focal lengths. And sensor size, again something to understand, not to use as an excuse. Most digital cinema cameras until very, very recently had a super 35mm sensor, which is only a bit bigger than his T3i’s.
@@unordinarystudios I know its hard to understand what I'm talking about. If it was more obvious, probably less amateur/low budget films would look and feel the way they do.
the sensor size helps you getting the right angle. Of course you always can compensate with a lens but having smaller sensor sizes means that you have to step back more. the image is more zoomed in and that creates limitations for cinematic language. Especially for movement/deimensions. lets say you have your subject standing or sitting in a fairly closeup. Your subject moves a bit and is somehow off narrative focus. Yes you could pan track but in certain shots its unusual to do and doing it will get you to another style. In professional movies with proper sensor sizes (and lenses) they can get closer, put the camera on a tripod and only pan a little bit smoothly or dont pan at all. But it really depends on your stylistic preferences. On a movie shot with a dslr, I would look which opportunities it has to make the framing flexible enough to capture the intended film as close as possible to make it feel legit.
Dont get me wrong. I advocate the high value look but i probably mean something different than you guys do. When I say, the intention has to match the result, I mean do not try to climb a tree with a fish. Let the fish swimm and the monkey climb. There is always a potential in a camera but bending it too much will get you unintentional results. Making a found footage film with an arri, cinematicly lit will feel like a thick fat lie.
Amateur films these days try to imitate the hollywood look too much and get themselves into stiff traps, which create beautiful images for a second and then with the next slight move of the actor or the next cut, you realize that its off and the amateurs who created it, have not the experience to realize what is wrong.
Framing properly comes before lighting. Even if the lighting isnt perfect, you might get away with "artistic choice" but when the framing is bad, everybody will sense that you lacked the experience to do better.
Overall you are on a good track and I would attest you great talent. My comment is just to throw in other thoghts into your journey. I also know that my view on these things is a bit idiosyncratic so please dont take me too seriously. I'm just a guy on the internet who has an opinion. that opinion can be totally wrong.
the shots looked rly great! i was literally looking all over youtube for exactly what u did cuz i plan on started short films but wanted to make sure to not waste time on set and was going to try and plan out everything i can before hand and experiment. what u did building each shot is exactly what i pictured in my head i’d be doing for practice
Great video. I do a lot of photography, and I think you need to think of every shot as it’s own standalone “art peice,” not letting any shot be just basic or filler since it’s easier.
I love that way of thinking, every shot is it's own art piece
Bro great job! Another thing at makes things look cinematic is ratio. If you add action brackets it IMMEDIATELY looks more cinematic
Honestly I was very impressed by your test shots. As an aspiring Dp, I have watched so many videos likes this one, but I can't remember someone nailing it as much as you did. You've analyzed and explained it so well without using fancy technical words, and actually achieved a great "cinematic" image despite your camera. I would have dreamed to have seen this video 6 years ago (it took me that much time to figure this shit out). You have the knowledge man. Unfortunately now, a part from practicing, you only need to invest better lights (and down the line better lenses) to get that cinematic image. If you put in the work man, in a year, your images will blend with the ones of Hollywood.
If I can help on your journey, I can suggest you these videos:
ua-cam.com/video/sef36Lk5hE0/v-deo.html
Wandering DP is maybe the channel that helped me the most to really see and analyse light in an image. I would watch his videos regularly (even if they aren't the most intreating) to the point where I too could get the light of a shoot by simply looking at it. And it's partially through him that I learn to always aim to shot in the shadows (find contrast in your image) and look for the angle that gives you the most depth.
ua-cam.com/video/IK4KO0E5Ze0/v-deo.html&pp=ygUTdGhvbWFzIGZsaWdodCBmYWNlcw%3D%3D
This video really was a game changer, it really help me understand how to compose and frame faces
ua-cam.com/video/gyCumQ78ZoI/v-deo.html&pp=ygUVaW1wZXJmZWN0IHBob3RvZ3JhcGh5
This video could help you develop the idea of making you image look interesting (it was also a game changer for me)
And finaly...
ua-cam.com/video/cx0mNjLwnus/v-deo.html
This video speaks for itself, but it really made me rethink and question everything I new at that point.
Thank you! I hope to get better and improve as I practice more. Wish you the best as well!
making your frame look more expressing and meaningful with all that you told will make it cinematic
dude.this was one word: INTERESTING.
Great work man!! The shots you got of your mom looked so cool! It's amazing how much goes into making movies and videos, an art I haven't appreciated enough. Real proud of ya!!
the last 2 at the end were getting very interesting! The lighting contrast and color was really what did it for me thank you and moms for the video!
I think all aspiring cinematographers should look into the basics of illustration. A lot of this (composition, contrast, color value) is talked about in illustration-related videos, and generally with more nuance and more specificity than in videos broadly about cinematography. Other visual artists have terms for these things, but since cinematography is (in a way) newer, and people who do one visual art don’t always do others, many cinematographers haven’t learned these terms/invented terms for these things like other visual artists have.
Illustration videos more often talk about the building blocks of visual language-and how to achieve certain things with those building blocks-in a concrete way.
I’m not saying “don’t watch videos about cinematography”, though. This video was great, and much more specific to its craft than a video about some other visual art (for obvious reasons). I’m just saying that artists can and should learn from each other.
I'm so glad I stumbled onto this as it clarified what I just couldn't figure out. Thanks for this revelation.
Yo this is correct on 1000%. I think every filmmaker should invest their time in understanding of interior design. It’s not that expensive to make every room looks good with some cheap tricks like lamps/sheers/plants etc. what is in front of a camera is so god damn important. And of course understand the lightning is crucial. It’s more about being a wizard and illusionist, not a guy who know how to move a camera and use rule of thirds lol
Thank you. Filming on shadow side of face, use the color wheel for contrast, for actor background separation, slower, smoother camera movements, more interesting angles and make sure subject is in focus.
Great content! Plus I love how you highlight the UA-cam Community of filmmakers.
Thank you! I love sharing my favourite creators with others
Great video my guy. Simple, to the point, easy to understand. I feel like many of these types of vids quickly become highly technical and boring (or they are trying to talk like a professional when their work is just not super great)
Dylan Clark does this really well, especially in their short film storytime
Way More People need to watch this. Like its kinda distracting when you can tell its a budget film and the solutions you provided shouldn't be that much of a financial burden
This was a really good lesson about cinematography and you used brilliant examples for the most part... I think the other keys are anamorphic lenses, more zoomed in framed shots and more extreme angles and camera movement
was about to share this video with a classmate of mine and noticed that you only had 993 subscribers??? this level of video quality is very rare to see with a youtuber with a low sub count, let alone one with less than 1000. keep up the great work!!
11:04 here you figured put another „rule“ by trying, which is nice.
Frame towards corners of rooms or dead on with super straight lines.
The key to good filmmaking, is having every part of the film be intentional. Every sequence, every scene, lighting, set design. Low budgets cant always afford to accurately express their vision, so the look of the film can come off as low effort.
I would argue with you on point #1. In film it's not about how good a shot looks but how it feels depending on the narrative.
Good to have a patient mother around to help
I have also done the same mistake😅 what actually intresting looking is the highlight and the difference between the contrast from highlight! Always keep one light for edge light and adjust the shadow which looks pleasing to you and try to shoot from the dark side of actor and try to shoot at log then it will be converted using colour space transform so that film LUT will be applied to it!😄
I think it's about priorities- lighting is number 1, followed by separation and depth, and lastly color
Whoever is out there. I know most of us don’t have the best quote on quote “expensive cameras” but practice makes perfect! Keep learning and coming up with the most unique angles, shots, scenes you can think of and just film! Yes and I agree, looking at high production movies helps a lot. Just take one of those scenes and duplicate it as practice. I wish everyone the best on their filming journey.
I have worked in movies, tv commercials, web commercials and tv drama. If one thing that represents the difference between pro and amateur is "Storytelling". Its the director and cinematographer that tells the story in a cinematic way.
After that there comes production design, costume, makeup, acting, lighting, location etc.
The difference between professional vs newbie is experience. For any wannabe filmmaker i suggest to shoot as much as possible to gather experience to improve your craft.
Steven Spielberg said, his suggestion for newcomer is "Learn your craft" and James Cameron said, "Start shooting".
Mostly lighting, focal length (and the right camera gear), color grading and production design. Most people overlook PD but if you put the right setting, objects and color in a scene, it greatly helps with the look; matched with good lighting of course.
I just have to film a scene in front of a house, at night and with two children, and the place is nothing short of attractive. I'm racking my brain to find the best way to record and make it interesting... Thanks for sharing the information!...
3rd AD here, one of the major things is the atmos that is pumped into pretty much every set I have worked on both inside and outside. Creates tons of "interest"
Love this video! Love the enthusiasm and curiosity you have towards filmmaking and everything related to it!!
Very informative video. Keep up the good work!
You made all your shots 1000X better great job
You motivated me enough to do a shot or a short film. I ain't a professional cinematographer or even a photographer. I don't even have a camera just a crappy phone to make calls or scroll Instagram all day. I just like learning cinematography maybe someday I'll write a short film and record one after learning from YT.
Some of the shots that you tried to take were looking very cinematic/INTERESTING. 🕶📽👀👍
The separation comes from the blur in the background as well. Using a larger focal length and being closer to the subject will create the distance from unimportant parts of your background. The difference between a 35mm lens and an 85mm lens does wonders.
7:55 higher shutter speeds are also used to make the roto easier for action scenes
As a professional musician that ends up loving cinema and art in all ways possible… thank you so much for this video! 💚
Really fun to see you experiment. I think you are right on here! As someone who is making an animated feature film I know I'm spoiled because I get infinent flexibility xD. Nice video! Keep it up :D
Wish you luck on your animated film! What's it going to be called?
A great tip is to shoot to the L of the room, and you can always push your subject far away from the background (you can cheat it) to create depth. You can also use your zoom to compress the relations within the subject, the backgrlund, foreground and what’s around so you can put your lights closer and get a softer light :). The video it’s really interesting and well done!
Love the experimenting bite at the end, can’t stress enough how helpful that is! Keep doing it! Cheers!
00:05 The difference between short films and feature films lies in the professional film look
01:46 Make shots look interesting instead of cinematic
03:29 Creating separation in an image is key to achieving a cinematic look
05:09 Separation techniques in cinematography through light, color, and background.
06:48 Create separation between elements through lighting and colors to make the environment look interesting.
08:19 DSLR cameras have limitations on shutter speed, but ND filters can help control brightness.
09:57 Finding the right camera angle and lighting setup
11:43 Experiment and create art with cinematography
Crafted by Merlin AI.
Thanks for the video!
On the topic of "make sure to light faces so they don't look flat". An old saying goes, not sure who is the origin but still: "light places; not faces"
You are getting there!, I learnt this last week: to always shoot on the shadow side of the person
This was awesome. The fact you’re doing this on a t3i is incredible and really proves your point about color and light separation being the most important
Such a great video. Honestly, years of self teaching is summed up in this video alone! Very insightful!
You are so lucky to have such a lovely supporting mom❤
A lot of teachers can talk and say a lot of bs but because you are actually practicing what you preach sets you leaps and bounds ahead of most teaching videos.
love how you defined it as more interesting. That's gold! Thanks!
Those blinds would have made a great diffuser, giving you soft light and evening out the brightness in the scene.
This makes perfect sense, thank you! Okay this is going to be a niche reference, but this makes me think of a possible reason cinematic videos that fans make for video games are often a lot more cinematic than the typical student film.
It’s because they don’t have the option to make the image technically better (they can’t add lights, they’re stuck with the games’ max graphics quality), so often the only thing they can do is figure out how to make a shot as interesting as possible.
So, aside from the last half of the video, the secret is basically contrast?
-Depth
-Separation
-Lighting
-Color
-Patterns
That's all contrast.
Using it right makes it pleasing to the eye and easy to digest. Emphasizing the important parts while distracting from the less important ones. You can also use more "artistic" contrast that uses satisfying patterns or framing to lead the eye to a certain person or object, but the key is creating a differentiation on-screen between what you want the viewer to look at and what you don't want them to look at. Not only does it make it easier to watch, but it generally just looks cooler--which is why so many people want to replicate that look.
Instead of "How do I make this shot more interesting?" try "How do I give this shot better contrast?" and that's how you get the "cinematic" look... or at least that's what I took from this video.
I think I guessed it right that what you are going to talk about when you were showing some comparison shots. Wtw very informative video.
I believe you just nailed it! Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I have noticed how many people talk about “cinematic” footage, yet what they consider cinematic is Netflix movies and b-roll basically.
I have seen so many movies with scenes where everything should be considered “wrong” but it works, and looks cinematic.
I think the main problem is that most people aren’t filmmakers. They are treating filmmaking as photography.
Can't tell you how much you've inspired me with this video, GREAT JOB MAN!🎉🎉
12:09 is perfect - the gold light after looses the depth a little imo
Extraordinary video. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I think you forgot telling us about color grading and adjusting levels in post.
It Drives Me Crazy, I’m Working On A Work Around This
Yoooo I’d watched Gawx art for a bit before I even re-got into filmmaking again so it’s cool to see him mentioned
Exactly what I was looking for!! Thaaank you so much, and best rgds to the most patient Mum :-) she was great!
with amazing cinematography skill ,the image from t3i can produce holywood like 👏. love this content rather than gear review
If you're a good cinematographer, you can produce a good image with any camera 👌 Thank you :)
Hands down the most helpful video I’ve watched all year 👏🏻
The fact that you use a t3i made me subscribe 💚
Hahahah it's a classic
Initially I was angered at the video, but it turned out to be really awesome❤ you’re absolutely correct
The missing ingredient is collaboration. Films are made by many. Instead of having to think about all those elements yourself a big budget movie hires wardrobe, set design, dp…etc. There is always a way. Always. If you’re willing I’m sure you can find people who are interested in those individual elements. There are People who just want to be involved. I think getting a solid grasp of lighting will help as well as being a good artist so you can draw your vision and create it rather than searching for it through experiment. mise en scène: Everything within the scene matters. Cheers.
Awesome man! The people that seem great often experiment.
GREAT video, you summarized a lot of what makes for the "real movie" look. "Interesting" might be the best single word summary I've heard.
To me, the "big three" categories for visuals are interest, depth, and motivation. Interest concerns every way we can make the shot purely aesthetically appealing to look at, and draw viewer attention to the right places. Depth is how we achieve the goal of making a 2D image feel 3D. Motivation is where we determine what informs all the lighting, the composition, the camera movement & blocking etc. to actually make sense and help tell the story... everything must be motivated.
What makes these three things so difficult to "solve" in any given shot is that they aren't actually separate elements. You can't affect one of them without affecting the others, so it becomes a bit like a Rubik's Cube. If you aren't able to look at the big picture, any move you make to improve one thing could just work against something else... or at the very least, solve one issue but waste a chance to solve others. Ultimately, things like color, contrast, movement, environment, subject, framing, etc. are the only tools we have to alter a visual image. So the way you use each tool must work to help check all three boxes... not just one of them.
I can tell you right now though, the clips of you problem-solving at the end of this video, working hard to understand the creation of cinematic visuals... you're going to go very far. Taking the time to practice cinematography for real, using whatever you have on hand to shape the light... that is how you start to get good at this. And your shots were already looking nice. You're getting there fast, your attention is in the right places.
It's funny to see this video, because I just uploaded a video about how much the camera itself affects the "real movie look" about a month ago. As someone who runs a small video production house, and has shot films on an iPhone, a Canon T2i, a Sony a7 III mirrorless, a Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k, a RED Komodo... I've learned exactly what cameras can do for your image... and what they can't. I promise your shot creation practice at the end is a million times more valuable than any camera. I used to think my T2i was holding me back wayyy more than it actually was. I have an old T2i short film on my channel, and today I can think of ways it could've been made to look & feel even better, despite it not being half bad. Hope to see more from you!
The shots were GREAT!!!
Well made video. Really subtle but powerful techniques are explained really well in this video . Thanks mate ❤️🫶
very nice one mate, keep uploading videos
one thing that helps me is to think of video as of a painted canvas. the canvas masters have detail and well thought proportions to them. even looking very long at them does not get boring and thats exactly why there is so much effort in big movies. every scene has a thinking behind it because in the end the secret is perfection on all levels such as acting, lighting, story, cinematography and esepcially sound to create such a sublime complete piece. id say its possible for a new filmmaker to create a good piece of art but reaching the desired level everyone wants is just not possible without checking up every single point i mentioned.
You’re a G! Thank you for this 🖤
I think the biggest thing is availability of talent and resources. The reason I lean away from budget is because of talented, knowledgeable and experienced people come together then, it’s going to be a dope production. But the thing is, so much time is spent on the new camera to get versus understanding color theory, mood, writing, lighting, casting, set design, wardrobe and many other things that have to be sacrificed to meet deadlines due in two weeks or less.
Bro!! You’re Definitely getting closer