A plethora of filtration and lens options gives filmmakers the perfect opportunity to establish the desired look for their project in camera. The instinct to defer creative choices is understandable in an environment as expensive and risk-strewn as a film…
Effective testing can give cinematographers unrivalled insight into lens performance and make their production the best it can be. There’s no easier way to while away an evening among camera crew than to drop an opinion about lenses into the…
Whether chosen for their speed and versatility or as a creative tool, zoom lenses deserve their moment in the spotlight. Progress in zoom lenses over the last few decades has created a strange reaction. It’d be easy to conclude that…
Vintage lenses can be an invaluable part of cinematographer’s armoury, but using them effectively can be a balancing act. It’s no stretch to point out the popularity of vintage lenses, and finding a balance between that expressive gloss and the…
Asking cinematographers how they choose and use their lenses can be seen as intruding on a creative process, but a generosity of spirit is strong in this industry. Thanks to the following for sharing their secret sauce. With the arrival…
The rise of smart lens technology is equipping cinematographers and the wider camera department with greater knowledge and flexibility on set. Humanity has been using curved glass to bend light for at least 2,500 years, and probably longer, though there…
Take a quick trip through the lens to see what sets cine lenses apart from their stills counterparts. If lenses designed for cinema and HETV were animals, they would be thoroughbred racehorses trained just for flat racing and nothing else,…
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS From a Korean beach to a Miami swimming pool, an English theatre to an American concert hall, cranes offer DPs a cinematic way to explore space and character. Florian Hoffmeister BSC tackled tides and translators to accomplish…
Putting the spotlight on Salford University’s film production courses, which offer the increasingly rare opportunity for undergraduate students to get to grips with analogue capture. It’s a rainy midweek morning at Salford Quays, and I’m going back to school. To…
ECHOES OF EKTACHROME Arctic Monkeys’ staying power at the forefront of British music culture has been primarily due to the band’s constantly evolving sound. Never afraid to experiment with new instruments or lyrical stylings, the quartet have pushed boundaries ever…
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