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Birdman Cinematography: A Visual Symphony in Filmmaking

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Birdman winning an Academy Award for Best Picture wasn’t much of a surprise. Earlier in the ceremony, it had already picked up Oscars for Best Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Cinematography. The Cinematography award went to the film’s director of photography, Emmanuel Lubezki, giving him a record-tying two Oscars in a row in the cinematography category. Lubezki had won the year before for the stunningly shot Gravity.

Birdman Cinematography: A Visual Symphony in Filmmaking

Like Gravity and other films Lubezki shot, including Tree of Life and Children of Men, Birdman is known for its long takes—single, seemingly unedited shots of several minutes or more in length. In fact, Lubezki and writer/director Alejandro González Iñárritu worked very hard to make Birdman seem like it was shot entirely in a single, continuous take.

This was achieved by combining several long takes and making their transitions as hidden and seamless as possible. For the most part, it was successful and is considered a major factor in Birdman’s considerable award season praise.

Michael Keaton in Birdman liquor store

While the film used camera tricks and illusion to make Birdman seem like a two-hour-plus single take, it still involved several long shots that are incredibly difficult to film in a practical setting. According to Lubezki, most shots are around ten minutes in length, with the longest take around fifteen. Even a single one of these takes would be considered a daunting and possibly unnecessary task in a production.

How did the Birdman team (Birdteam?) pull this off? With lots of practice. A proxy set resembling the labyrinthine backstage hallways of the St. James Theatre—where Birdman is set—was built in Los Angeles before filming began. It was there that Iñárritu and Lubezki blocked out each shot, playing Birdman’s jazzy, drum-based score in the background to help set the tone. By plotting and practicing each long take, the filmmakers were able to figure out how and where they could hide their shot transitions, as well as get an idea of where to stage their actors and place their lights. They realized for the more difficult shots, visual effects, and special cinematography techniques would be needed to help with the transition.

Shooting and combining these takes assisted in the mobility of the Steadicam, which Lubezki employed throughout filming. The cinematographer has become well known for his intense handheld shots, and Birdman was no different. He personally operated the camera for many handheld shots and relied on veteran Steadicam operator Chris Haarhoff for Steadicam shots, working with him and directing him in real time to better capture the improvisational production of the film and respond to the actor’s movements and unpredictable natural lighting. A 2nd AC would also follow the operator for some shots to spot necessary camera moves.

The cameras used in Birdman included the Arri Alexa and, for the handheld and Steadicam shots, the Alexa plus. The Alexa M was used for some remote and extreme handheld work, using a custom-built backpack holding an external recorder, its batteries, and a wireless transmitter. The primary lenses used were Leica and Zeiss Master Primes. While many cinematographers would avoid using extremely wide lenses for close-ups, Lubezki, considered a master with wider lenses, did not hesitate to use the Zeiss Master Prime 12mm and similarly wide lenses even for tight close-ups in the claustrophobically shot film, creating many memorable and intimate images.

Camera movement wasn’t Birdman’s only technical feat. Iñárritu did not shy away from using strong colors like red, blue, and green to enhance the drama of the film. Blue and red were used in particular on stage in the play-within-the-movie. Scenes shot outside, with the theater exterior just yards away from Times Square and a memorable scene in the heart of Times Square itself meant the filmmakers had to work around New York City’s omnipresent artificial lighting.

The lighting proved particularly tricky considering the long, varied takes—without the safety net of cutting, Lubezki had to hide his lights out of frame very carefully. In typical cinematic shots, not only do cinematographers take pains to hide the physical lighting equipment and cables out of frame, but they also must maintain the angle of their source within a camera move—shadows or other lights could betray the artificial sources if a shot is not blocked and choreographed correctly. During Birdman’s long takes, with shots often showing 360-degree angles of the set, maintaining this lighting continuity was an epic struggle.

Naomi Watts in Birdman

Not only did Lubezki find the right placement for his lighting equipment, he had his grip team constantly move them during the shot, with the lights dancing just out of the frame and moving along with the actors, Lubezki and the camera operator. They would move not only heavy, superhot lamps but also the gels and diffusions bouncing their light and shadows, all to maintain the illusion of a natural source within the shot. This needed to be done for every single take of nearly every single shot in Birdman.

To minimize lighting equipment and allow for what Lubezki called “a ballet” of hustling and shifting crew members, Lubezki pushed the Alexa to an ISO of 1280 with the aperture open wide. By making the camera more sensitive to light in this way, Lubezki reduced the need for larger and more elaborate lighting setups, giving the camera, actors, and crew more freedom and room to move around within each tracking shot.

Lubezki and Iñárritu also employed the use of lens flares to add visual texture to Birdman. By having lens flares on the film’s copious wide-angled close-ups, Lubezki was able to soften the image, lowering the contrast and making the actors’ more intimate scenes prettier and more emotional.

MIchael Keaton Emma Stone Birdman hospital scene

Simply put, Birdman was more than just a string of gimmicky long takes. If the Oscar for Best Cinematography was given on a purely technical level, Birdman would be more than worthy of it. If the Oscar was awarded based on artistry and how beautifully shot a film is, then Birdman would be more than worthy of it. The Oscar, however, is given based on a combination of both these qualities. Birdman was more than worthy of it.

Excel in Cinematography at NYFA

In our MFA in Cinematography program, aspiring cinematographers strengthen their skills in composition, lighting, and camera movement and learn how to achieve similar cinematic techniques. To learn more about the MFA, visit the degree page.

4 Online Organizational Producer Tools

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As wonderful as it is to watch a masterful film play out in the theatre or comfort of your home, rarely do audiences consider the weeks, months, and years of elaborate work it takes to produce. Usually, in the lengthy timeline of a film’s cycle from the final screenplay draft to the big screens, the person with the longest-running responsibility is the producer.

4 Online Organizational Producer Tools

It’s a widely known fact that producers play a vital role in bringing screenplays to fruition. But that’s not all; even after a film’s release, producers must keep on top of contract negotiations, revenue, and residuals, among other things. With so many responsibilities, producers must stay organized, as they are essentially the highest-ranking project manager on a film. 

To support that all-important project management aspect of producing, here is a list of the best online organizational tools every producer needs:

StudioBinder

This software was made for the 21st-century producer and filmmaker. It allows you to streamline your production management with an array of clever features, including contact management, stripboards, call sheet builder and monitoring, shooting schedules, and cloud storage. As well as providing interactive access for any team member to contribute — which is vital given that each film has so many contributors, many whom are likely to be scattered around the world at different times — StudioBinder provides a modern, user-friendly interface that every beginner can navigate through with ease.

Yamdu

A direct competitor of StudioBinder, this software has also tailored its features to suit the producer and filmmaker and also offers financing and deliverables features. Having the dedicated role of working out a budget and getting the film financed, every producer will need a budgeting and financing program at one point or another. Usually done on Excel spreadsheets, having an integrated program within Yamdu for your budget will make your life a whole lot easier.

Evernote

Unlike the previous programs, Evernote isn’t targeted specifically to producers and filmmakers but still offers some fantastic organizational tools. Some of its features include brainstorming whiteboards, checklists, meeting notes, reminders, and project-tracking timelines, to name a few. There’s more, too. Say you’ve just had a lunch meeting with the director — a creative, visually-driven individual who likes to jot or draw things down on a napkin.

With its multi-device syncing ability, Evernote lets you take a photo of any notes or doodles and upload them immediately on your smartphone. You can also record and upload audio and video for those great ideas that pop up at obscure moments.

Trello

This software is made for those who prefer visualizing the progress of a project. It uses a card-based layout for every idea, to which you can then make any changes or adjustments as you go, like adding notes or attaching files, categorizing, color-coding, or creating a task list. The simple, left-to-right format of the cards allows for a visual timeline to track the production process while also allowing you to sync other platforms like Google Drive into the app. It’s also collaborative and can sync to any device.

Learn The Essentials of Producing at NYFA

Our Producing School at New York Film Academy provides students with the education to utilize these essential production tools. We prioritize giving our students a hands-on education to teach them how to create, manage, and distribute their projects. Learn more about how we train the next great producers on our Producing School page.

Learn to Write Dialogue From These 6 Beloved Films

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Writing dialogue that is believable and natural can be a challenge. Each character in your script should sound distinct and different from the other characters. What they say needs to be important to character development or to advance the plot, but it can’t sound contrived. Above all, it has to be entertaining.

Learn to Write Dialogue From These 6 Beloved Films

Take a look (and a listen) to some of the silver screen’s masters of dialogue writing for inspiration. Below, we’ve rounded up some great scenes for you to watch for inspiration along with some great writing exercises. If you’re feeling stuck or simply want to flex your writing muscles, try these scene/exercise combinations.

1. Write Characters Who Want Something From Each Other

Without a doubt, Quentin Tarantino has a flair for writing memorable, quotable dialogue that is simultaneously intense, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny. It’s a challenge to find clips that are appropriate for a PG-13 audience, but check out this scene from 1994’s Pulp Fiction.

The dynamic between Vincent (John Travolta) and Mia (Uma Thurman) is immediately clear when she cuts off his protest with the reminder that he has been directed to do whatever she wants: “Now, I wanna dance; I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good.” Her dominance continues as she does the talking for both of them when they take the stage.

Why this works: Mia’s aggressive dialogue is matched by Vincent’s monosyllabic responses. The pauses and body language throughout the scene take on as much meaning as the spoken words.

A challenge for you: Write a scene where one character wants something from another character.

2. Solve a Problem

William Goldman’s screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) is full of great back-and-forth between Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford). He also includes some great ensemble scenes, such as this one where Butch and Sundance reunite with the Hole in the Wall Gang and find there has been a challenge to Butch’s leadership.

Why this works: There is humor and dramatic tension layered throughout the scene. From News Carver (Timothy Scott) wanting to read his own name in the paper to Harvey Logan’s (Ted Cassidy) insistence on settling the issue with a fight, the scene has crisp dialogue that reveals character and advances the plot while cementing the bond between Butch and Sundance.

A challenge for you: Write a scene with three or more characters trying to solve a problem — make sure each character is unique.

3. Describe an Unwilling Attraction

It Happened One Night (1934) is a classic template for a romantic comedy that works because of the smart screenplay by Robert Riskin and Samuel Hopkins Adams as much as because of the chemistry of the leads.

The Screwball Comedies of this era usually matched a middle-class character with a higher-class character, and It Happened One Night pairs a rough newsman with an heiress. In this scene where Peter (Clark Gable) and Ellie (Claudette Colbert) are hitchhiking, her cool wit undermines his gruff confidence.

Why this works: Ellie doesn’t speak many lines, but each one is sharp and cuts right through Peter’s bluster. He may have confidence, but she has brains. Their exchanges help establish the growing attraction between them.

A challenge for you: Write a scene where two characters are attracted to each other but refuse to acknowledge it.

4. Write Sustained Dialogue

Guy Ritchie’s films have dialogue that is as fast and twisted as any action scenes. His 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels opens with a street hustling scene featuring Bacon (Jason Statham), who delivers his lines in a rapid-fire manner that would leave most actors breathless.

Bacon has a crowd gathered around him, and he’s trying to sell hot wares with the help of another hustler planted in the audience. Bacon’s eyes move as quickly as his mouth as he tries to find the suckers in the crowd.

Why this works: The scene quickly establishes Bacon as a small-time con who is always looking for an advantage and an escape route.

A challenge for you: Write a scene where a character has a minute and a half of sustained, uninterrupted dialogue.

5. Reveal a Secret

The screenplay for Jaws (1975) was written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb. The scene where Quint (Robert Shaw) describes surviving the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the sea between Guam and the Philippines is intense and frightening because of Shaw’s masterful delivery and the sharp details of Quint’s story.

Why this works: The scene is a very primal one, calling to mind the stories told around a fire on a dark, moonless night. The details about the shark’s eyes and Quint’s shipmates bobbing lifelessly in the water are told in an unflinching, matter-of-fact way that helps the viewer picture the scene.

A challenge for you: Write a scene where a character reveals a trauma from their past.

6. Write An Exaggerated Reaction

Mean Girls (2004) is full of simultaneously funny and revealing scenes. In this scene, Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) tries to explain her friendship with Regina (Rachel McAdams). Gretchen’s anger and insecurity bubble up through the surface as she suffers from yet another humiliation at the hands of Regina.

Why this works: Tina Fey’s script mixes exaggerated teen-speak, manic energy, and characters who are realistic enough to be recognizable even when their situations and reactions are distorted for the sake of comedy.

A challenge for you: Write a comic scene where a character has an exaggerated reaction to a situation.

Learn How to Write Dialogue at NYFA

There are hundreds of other examples of great dialogue in film from every genre and era — when you watch a film, listen to how the dialogue functions and keep an ear out for models you can use for inspiration in your own writing. As you watch your favorite show or film, stop and ask yourself what is happening in the scene — and then try writing that action yourself.

Want to know more about writing dialogue? Check out NYFA’s How to Write Dialogue in Film or How To Write a Phone Conversation in a Screenplay. And apply today to attend NYFA’s Screenwriting School.

Guillermo Navarro, Cinematographer: Exploring His Work in Pan’s Labyrinth

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Pan’s Labyrinth is very much a Guillermo del Toro film. The 2006 historical fantasy is loaded with the Mexican filmmaker’s pet themes and includes creatures and designs personally conjured up by del Toro and bearing his signature style. The look, in particular, of the film helped bring to life perhaps the purest version of del Toro’s vision.

Exploring the Vision of Guillermo Navarro

The director of photography tasked with putting this vision on screen was Guillermo Navarro, who succeeded enough to win the Academy Award for Cinematography for his work. Navarro is a Mexican cinematographer whose credits include Desperado, From Dusk til Dawn, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Jackie Brown, Spawn, Stuart Little, Spy Kids, Zathura, Night at the Museum, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, and Pacific Rim.

Guillermo Navarro

He is known for his use of vivid blues and yellows that dominate his images. Having worked with del Toro before on the Hellboy films and others, he was a perfect choice to shoot Pan’s Labyrinth.

Image via IMDB.

The Crew & Camera

Pan’s Labyrinth was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, its production being 78% Spanish and 22% Mexican. Because Pedro Almodóvar was shooting Volver at the same time, much of del Toro’s Spanish crew was unavailable to work on the shoot. He and Guillermo Navarro had to put together a film crew with mostly strangers and inexperienced workers and had no idea what to expect. It ended up working wonders for the team. Since the crew wasn’t set in their habits, Navarro was able to use them any way he saw fit. This was a great benefit, considering the American grip & electric system they used in Mexico was much different from the system European crews were accustomed to.

Shooting in Spain also afforded the crew a 5 ½ day work schedule and a slower working pace, which allowed Navarro the time to set up scenes and shots in a more deliberate fashion. Principal photography was wrapped in three months.

Navarro went to Spain with his own Moviecam Compact cameras that he owned and used for all of his shoots, as well as his personal Arri 435ES lenses. Two lines of Zeiss lenses, Ultra Primes and Variable Primes, were used, depending on what the shot called for.

A lot of the film’s equipment was homemade in Spain. Navarro got a lot of use out of a small crane nicknamed the “puchi,” appropriated from the English “push in.” The crane allows a single operator to move the camera in a variety of ways with great freedom. Navarro grew very fond of the tool, even purchasing his own for his work in LA. He often operated it himself during the shoot, with his frequent and trusted collaborator Jaromir Sedina simultaneously wielding a Steadicam. When a scene required more camera height than the puchi could provide, Navarro opted to use a taller Technocrane. For some of the tight, heavily forested areas where it was hard to find room for lights, the crew used a sausage-shaped illuminated balloon that could float over the set and light it from above.

Light & Dark

Navarro used three film stocks—Vision 250D, Vision2 500T, and Vision2 200T, depending on what was being photographed. The crew shot a lot of day for night, especially in the forests where it was very difficult to artificially light. By underexposing these scenes three to four stops, Navarro not only created night but gave it an eerie presence that fit the film’s fantasy elements. He purposefully kept lighting effects that could only be attained with sunlight, which jarred the image when it passed itself as night, creating an aura of experimentation one might usually find in cinematography school.

Because of the awkwardly shaped spaces of the fantasy sets, Navarro had to be creative with his lighting, finding places to put his lamps that also didn’t disrupt the image. A lot of light was strictly attained by bouncing it into the set. For certain scenes, the crew also drilled tiny holes into the walls of the set and placed little lights into the spaces. In the tunnel of the giant frog scene, Ofelia’s face was lit with a fiber-optic light attached directly to the camera.

Guillermo Navarro

For much of the film, Navarro used more darkness than actual light, using his lamps and bounce boards to bring just enough of the image out of shadow. Del Toro and Navarro are of very similar minds regarding the use of darkness, and Pan’s Labyrinth was the perfect project for their style. They frequently took advantage of modern film stocks’ ability to be highly light-sensitive. While they used an abundance of shadow, they still needed to carefully add a lot of light to make sure the highlights they wanted to show came through. The crew learned that for many scenes, they couldn’t even go by the light meter, as they were so far down in the F-stop range that it was irrelevant to measure.

Making it even more difficult was that the crew was using a digital intermediate and high-definition dailies, where contrast isn’t as defined as it will look on film. The crew had to rely on Guillermo Navarro’s gut intuition and place faith in the fact that he knew what they were doing. Fortunately for the audience, their gut intuition was right.

Learn More about Cinematography at NYFA

Immersing prospective cinematographers in all aspects of the discipline, our 1-year, non-degree cinematography program teaches students the fundamentals of exposure, composition, and lighting. Visit our 1-Year Program page to learn more and apply.

Microphone Singing: Adjusting Your Voice for Different Mics

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We all have an idea of how our voices sound, but the idea doesn’t usually match the reality. Most people are surprised and sometimes horrified by hearing themselves in a recording.

However, if you’re a professional singer or hoping to become one, you’re probably used to hearing yourself and have taken special steps to improve your vocals. Nevertheless, you’ve noticed that your voice doesn’t sound the same in different microphones, and sometimes the results can be quite alarming.

Microphone Singing: Adjusting Your Voice for Different Mics

The first thing to realize is this: different microphones are manufactured and calibrated to suit various needs. The type of microphone to use will depend a lot on your genre of singing, the accompanying musical instruments used, your location, and the result you’re aiming for.

1. If You’re Using A Condenser Microphone

If your music is focused primarily on your vocals or acoustic instruments, this is the microphone for you. However, a condenser mic is more prone to sibilance, so when you’re singing something that has a lot of S and F sounds, you can either use software to mask it or sing at an off-axis angle. Alternatively, you can do the “pencil trick,” which basically involves tying a pencil over the mic’s diaphragm with a rubber band that splits up and diverts the high-frequency vibrations.

2. If You’re Using A Dynamic Microphone

This is a cheap, all-rounder alternative to the former that is good for vocals, drums, and even recording guitar amps. However, one of the chief drawbacks is the “proximity effect.”

microphone singing
NYFA’s performance of Spring Awakening.

This means that if you sing too closely to the mic, the frequency response has a perceptible low-end boost. You can counterbalance this by using a pop filter or omnidirectional mics.

3. If You’re Using A Ribbon Microphone

These are extremely expensive and extra sensitive and are perfect for those who want to bring a vintage vibe to their music. If your music involves piano, strings, or woodwind, or if you’re singing in a choir, this is your best choice. Whether you’re recording your voice for a music project or a musical film, there are two very important things you can do to improve and adjust your voice for the mic.

4. Work With a Vocal Coach

As you already know, hearing your own voice is vastly different from the way others hear you. Getting a trained vocal coach to oversee your singing lessons is very important, as they can help spot new areas of your vocal work that need attention and direct you to new techniques and skills. Not only will a professional vocal coach make sure you hit the right notes, but you’ll also have an objective, outside perspective to help you practice better posture and breathing, as well as how to adapt your techniques when you’re singing in a studio or live.

5. Control Your Vibrato

Most of us tend to have a natural vibrato, but professionals must learn to control and harness vibrato at the right time for the best results. A vibrato can be similar to having an accent, and with regular practice, you’ll be able to control and manipulate the rhythms and add more style to your singing.

microphone singing
NYFA’s musical theatre school performing The Addams Family.

Finally, remember that singing is a performance. For any show to be successful, your emotions must be real, and you must enjoy what you do. Happy singing!

Musical Theatre Programs

As the world’s only musical theatre program that creates fully-produced, original movie musicals, NYFA’s Musical Theatre School offers students the opportunity to record their vocals in state-of-the-art, professional studios. Ready to up your vocal game with some formal training and hands-on experience with real-world projects? Check out NYFA’s musical theatre programs.

Comic Books to Movies: It’s (Still) a Good Time To Be a Comics Fan

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These days, comic books are synonymous with blockbusters, with box office records constantly being broken and high-profile names in the film industry vying for a chance to be a part of major cinematic universes and perhaps cementing a legacy akin to Tony Stark, aka Robert Downey Jr.

comic books to movies

That’s right. Oppenheimer star RDJ’s performance as a billionaire playboy with a heart, Tony Stark, has merged with the actor and, for the public eye, become a single persona of the larger-than-life hero he plays. He’s not the only one- comic book fans worldwide now see these actors embodied by the characters they portray simply because they were able to bring to life the stories that they grew up with. Image via RealScreen.

Comic Books to Movies: It’s (Still) a Good Time To Be a Comics Fan

Stories have molded many a reader from the shy, unpopular kid who can relate to Peter Parker and Spider-Man to the person who feels out of place in society because of their appearance or sexual orientation who empathizes with the trials of discrimination in the pages of X-Men. 

Many comic books represent the most important topics affecting contemporary society. It wasn’t always this way, though. Comics started as a way for struggling writers and artists like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to make a living by coming up with characters with funny names and weird backstories and placing them in the most ridiculous outfits they can think of. A perfect example would be the original costume for Batman, who first started out wearing red tights with black underwear and bat-like wings. It wasn’t until his revolutionary creators, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, decided to take these stories and make them mean something more. 

Today, you can look to Captain America for moral high ground, Batman for discipline and dedication, or the many female characters leading the charge for all young women seeking equality, recognition, and empowerment–including Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Supergirl, and She-Hulk, to name a few.

The renaissance of big-budget comic book adaptations and the performances of perfectly cast actors, paired with years of character development in the pages of comic books, are now truly amazing cinema audiences. Take Joker, directed by Todd Phillips. Joaquin Phoenix’s character, Arthur Fleck, is a failed comedian spiraling into insanity who eventually becomes the titular homicidal clown. The film generated so much buzz before its release that it was an Oscar contender and broke October box-office records in its first weekend of wide release.

Thanks to some of these films, comic books are no longer regarded as silly pulp magazines for kids to entertain themselves with. They now represent the individual reading or watching them, they connect emotionally, and inspire generations of people who strive to tell the stories that can impact people and change their lives. Together, comic books and the film industry have become a juggernaut–with no slowing down in sight. 

It truly is a good time to be a fan of comics.

Explore NYFA’s Screenwriting School

Love comics and want to learn how to bring your own stories to life? Attending NYFA’s screenwriting school can provide valuable skills and techniques transferable to writing comics. Understanding narrative structure, character development, and dialogue can greatly enhance the storytelling ability of comic writers. Learning about visual storytelling and pacing can help comic writers translate their ideas into a sequential art format, creating engaging and immersive experiences for readers. Learn more about our comic book workshop and screenwriting programs today!

5 Cinematography Books Filmmakers Should Check Out

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While there are plenty of YouTube videos and other visual aids to supplement your cinematography school education, there’s a tried-and-true source that works even when the wi-fi is down—books.

5 Cinematography Books Filmmakers Should Check Out

What’s great about books is that you can study each page at your own pace, and often, books on cinematography come with simple yet informative visual aids. Also, if they are still in print, there’s a good chance they’ve had the time to prove themselves a useful resource.

Here are some books on cinematography you can check out:

Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors
by Blain Brown

A lot of the core tenets of cinematography have stayed the same for the last 100 years or so, but with the advent of digital filmmaking, that is no longer the case. Blain Brown’s definitive 2016 book covers a broad range of cinematography topics and includes much of the modern digital equipment and techniques that come along with them. This book makes a great basic blueprint for you to familiarize yourself with the craft before honing your skills in a hands-on cinematography program. In general, you should always try to get the most updated print; currently, Brown’s book is in its third edition.

FilmCraft: Cinematography
by Tim Grierson and Mike Goodridge 

By working on a set with state-of-the-art equipment, cinematography school is a great way for you to master a complicated craft. However, the value of some books is how they can hone in on very specific projects or people and use these examples to explore the practical techniques you’ve learned. FilmCraft’s Cinematography book is a prime example of this—by looking closely at iconic films like Psycho, Chicago, and Hero, and through discussions with veterans of the art form like Vittorio Storaro and Christopher Doyle, this book lets you see cinematography in action.

On Suspiria and Beyond: A Conversation with Cinematographer Luciano Tovoli
by Luciano Tovoli

Even more specific is On Suspiria and Beyond, a book that focuses on one specific director of photography, Luciano Tovoli. By devoting an entire book to an interview with Tovoli, you can get firsthand knowledge from a veteran who has worked with such esteemed and talented directors as Dario Argento, Michelangelo Antonioni, Andrej Tarkovskjj, Julie Taymor, and many others. Tovoli was passionate about the use of color and went into vivid detail about specific sequences from his work on the mind-bending horror film Suspiria. This book looks at cinematography in a hyperfocused manner you won’t find elsewhere.

Painting with Light
by John Alton

Academy Award-winning director of photography John Alton (An American in Paris, The Big Combo) first published Painting with Light in 1949, but his writings on the art form still hold a lot of weight. Once you’ve mastered the tools and craft in cinematography school, Painting with Light will help you explore how to use image-making to determine the visual mood of a film, incorporating lighting, camera techniques, location choices, and more. As a plus, the book is not afraid to use non-technical language, so even beginners can delve into Alton’s work, perhaps as a precursor to taking cinematography classes.

Masters of Light: Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers
by Dennis Schaefer and Larry Salivate

This book features fifteen conversations with modern cinematographers to give a firsthand look at how directors of photography work on set and approach their jobs. Authors Dennis Schaefer and Larry Salvato are both film critics, while the newest edition of Masters of Light features a preface by veteran cinematographer John Bailey. This is a must-read for anyone looking to get inside the heads of contemporary cinematographers.

Learn Cinematography Skills at NYFA

At NYFA, aspiring visual storytellers can explore a variety of Cinematography programs designed to develop essential skills in composition, lighting, and beyond.

Image via Pexels Bay.

Life of Pi Cinematography: Excellence in Visual Storytelling

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Life of Pi is a beautifully shot film that exists somewhere in between the worlds of fantasy and adventure. Adapted from the Yann Mantel novel of the same name, about a young Indian teenager stuck adrift on a raft with a tiger, hyena, orangutan, and zebra, it was considered for years to be utterly unfilmable. Pi finally found its intrepid director in Ang Lee, who decided to shoot digitally and shoot 3D, and the result was a colorful, amazing visual experience that looked nothing like anything that came before it.

Life of Pi Cinematography: Excellence in Visual Storytelling

Life of Pi won the most Oscars in 2012, including Ang Lee for Best Director and Claudio Miranda for Best Cinematography. Chilean-born American cinematographer Miranda was the first Chilean person to win an Academy Award. In addition to Pi, Miranda has worked frequently with David Fincher, including shooting The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the first movie nominated for the Cinematography Oscar that was shot entirely digitally.

Life of Pi contains a bevy of advanced special effects shots, with a good deal of the movie, including co-protagonist Richard Parker the Tiger, generated by computers. Claudio Miranda had the difficult task of photographing much of a film that didn’t exist in reality yet captured its epic essence in a way that would match the unbelievable CGI being prepared.

Creating the Ocean Setting

Miranda succeeded, marrying the film’s cinematography and special effects in a seamless way that let each enhance one another. At the production’s heart was a massive tank of water replicating the ocean-set scenes. Built inside an abandoned airport, the 1.7 million gallon behemoth was the world’s largest self-generating wave tank. Miranda himself had a hand in its construction, making sure it was built around the lighting needs of his crew. A giant door was even created to allow the actual sunset to light the tank every day at dusk, allowing the indoor ocean to be shot during the magic hour.

life of pi cinematography

The money and effort spent on the tank underlines how important the ocean setting was to Life of Pi. For many film shots, the frame would be almost entirely water. As such, Ang Lee decided to shoot the film in 3D, a technology still unproven and not as well-respected at the time, when Avatar had yet to be released and revolutionized the medium. By adding depth to the image, Lee felt the power of the ocean and the subtleties of its movements could be more accurately captured.

Establishing Realistic Lighting

Because of the prominence of both actual and digitally created water, lighting was especially important to Miranda and the cinematography crew. It was also especially difficult to the particulars of the shoot. With waves and water moving constantly, any light would reflect and refract in every direction. In a wide, flat ocean, with nothing else but the occasional bioluminescent plankton, the sun was the film’s chief source of diegetic light—a huge ball of fire with nothing to obstruct it—constantly dominating the image.

Deferring to his director of photography, Ang Lee asked Miranda to choose the camera the crew would use to shoot the film. Miranda eventually decided to use the Arri Alexa for its high contrast range. Using the Alexa, the crew could create subtleties and grades of shade and light despite the sun’s overpowering presence.

life of pi cinematography

Miranda also used an open shutter for most of the film, allowing more light into the camera for each frame. The result is a smoother, more natural look, closer to how we see the world with our human eyes. This made it easier for the audience to watch the moving water for an extended period of time and allowed them to follow the images in the fast-cut, chaotic action setpieces. The last thing Ang Lee wanted was for his audience to get seasick while watching his film, and a wide-open shutter was a smart way to prevent that.

Excel in Cinematography at NYFA

While many of Life of Pi’s most remarkable images were animated on a computer, they would have felt false and out of place if not for the efforts of Ang Lee, Claudio Miranda, and the cinematography team to photograph everything in a seamless, logical fashion. By combining both the magic and science of the movies, the filmmakers behind Life of Pi manage to make fantasy come to life.

From documentaries to music videos to capstone projects, our cinematography programs teach the discipline with a hands-on approach, offering various assignments for prospective cinematographers. Learn more about our program curriculums on our Cinematography programs page.

Tips For Building a Film Portfolio

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As a filmmaker, your portfolio is arguably your most important asset. It is your visual and creative resume, showcasing your skills, style, and versatility. A well-curated portfolio demonstrates your technical proficiency and tells a compelling narrative of your artistic journey and vision. That’s why investing time and effort in crafting a portfolio reflecting your passion and dedication is an indispensable step to success.

Tips For Building a Film Portfolio

How do you build this portfolio? If you’re struggling with how to get your portfolio in motion, here are six useful tips for getting started:

Stay Ambitious in Film School

As a film student, it can be easy to get caught up in exciting plans for the future (or even the weekend), but you should keep in mind that the school projects you’re currently working on aren’t just for a grade – they are your time to build a portfolio.

While it can sometimes seem neverending, your time in film school is perhaps one of the few times in your career where you sit down and entirely focus on YOU. Not your clients, your boss, your producer – no, you focus entirely on self-improvement during film school. Taking advantage of this time and taking it seriously will be the biggest way to get a jumpstart on your portfolio.

Get ahead in school and make the most of it by:

  • Act like you’re getting paid to work on every project.
  • Stay humble and assume your work needs improvement whenever possible.
  • Ask instructors many questions, and don’t be afraid to bug them.
  • Volunteer to assist other classmates with shoots and edits.
  • Ask for feedback on your work from classmates and instructors.
  • Attend extracurricular workshops and events whenever possible.

Search job boards and attend school functions to connect with your most experienced teachers or fellow students. Initiating relationships with these people will provide you with a valuable network of directors, editors, and actors. Your network will follow you when you graduate.

Start a YouTube Series

When competing for gigs in the film industry, showcasing a multifaceted skill set is highly advantageous. Soon after graduation, challenge yourself to write, produce, and direct an original series. Execute the entire process from inception to final product to marketing it.

Despite the success, completing this project will give you experience creating and producing a project from end to end. It will also tell potential hiring producers that you have the work ethic and diligence to finish what you started. Many people from film school have never put together their projects or have what it takes to see something through outside of film school. Don’t get too caught up in view counts or trying to launch the next Stranger Things; the key is that having the ability to show that you can produce a whole series will speak volumes.

Join IMDb Pro and Other Film Communities

IMDb Pro is a useful resource for obtaining the contact information of nearly anyone in the film industry. There is a monthly membership fee, but you will benefit greatly from reaching thousands of producers, directors, editors, and crew. The service provides filmographies, credits for millions of titles, and access to in-development projects not listed on IMDb.   

When developing your portfolio, you can use this tool to contact people you want to work with. Get creative on how you can become a part of their network, and give them a call. Rather than spam the entire catalog, do your homework on the person you’re contacting and know when to connect. Lead with your strengths and learn to project confidence rather than desperation. If you are genuine and effective, doors can open./span>

Experiment with Corporate Video

Every artist would like full-time film work, but sometimes, things don’t align immediately. Corporate video is another avenue to explore while attempting to build your portfolio. Apply for corporate video jobs or offer services to business owners in your network to make web videos, commercials, marketing content, and other necessary videos. If you can secure such work, you can often pull shots from these videos that look more film-like to build your overall demo reel, and no one will ever know it was a small business video.

Pursue the 48 Hour Film Project (and similar events)

The 48 Hour Film Project is a multi-city contest in which teams of participants draw a genre from a hat and then write, shoot, and edit a movie in 48 hours. Teams have full control over plots except for a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue that must appear in their film. The award for Best Film and a cash prize is awarded to entries that demonstrate artistic merit, technical merit, and adherence to the assignment. Films are then premiered at a local theatre for friends and family.

An event like this is a fun way to add a completed project to your portfolio. Additionally, if you produce a good piece, there’s always a chance you could win. Contestants have gone on to have success in other film festivals, and others used recognition of their films to get work. Film Festivals are also great vehicles for connecting with people in your craft, particularly those interested in your preferred genre. Make the most of these organizations’ platforms to get new people talking about your work.

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Produce Music Videos

Music videos are one of the more fun ways to bring good work to your portfolio. New music artists – rappers, singers, bands – must attach music videos to their songs as part of their portfolio. They often turn to young film and video artists for assistance. Building a network of music artists is considerably easy via Twitter or Instagram. Given the necessity of music videos for these artists, more funds tend to be available for such projects compared to short films.

Creating videos for music artists allows you to explore creatively and will add things to your portfolio that commercial work won’t. Try to find artists looking to incorporate film elements into their videos. While music videos are generally 2-3 minutes long, they usually welcome obscure or artistic concepts. It’s the perfect chance to showcase precise visual storytelling and capture a few extra shots for your demo reel.  

Get Started in Filmmaking

Looking to hone and refine your skills in directing, editing, screenwriting, producing, cinematography, and more? Our hands-on filmmaking programs allow aspiring storytellers to create their own films and content in a collaborative, supportive environment. Ready to learn more about our available degrees, programs, and short-term workshops? Explore our areas of study or request information from our admissions team.

Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash.