REQUEST INFO
1-800-611-FILM | 1-212-674-4300
Curious about which type of camera is best for your project or how to obtain the ideal shot? Explore our Cinematography School’s resources and gain insight into the demands faced by working cinematographers through helpful Q&A’s and interviews, how-to guides, and in-depth articles looking at the current trends in the industry.
4 Tips to Create Depth in a Shot
August 23, 2019When it comes to 2D images, like a standard photograph or a film you’re watching projected on your local multiplex’s screen, depth is an illusion. ...
5 Cinematography Books Filmmakers Should Check Out
August 9, 2019While 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 ...
A Q&A With New York Film Academy Cinematography Instructor Matt Kohnen
April 20, 2018New York Film Academy Cinematography Instructor Matt Kohnen has been making movies since the mid 1990s. As an independent filmmaker, he’s seen the best and ...
How to Style Your Cinematography like Steven Spielberg
February 23, 2018From “Jaws” to “The Color Purple,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to “Schindler’s List,” Steven Spielberg has given us many of the most iconic moments ...
Cinematography Jobs: How to Shoot Stylish Wedding Videos
November 12, 2016If you’re studying cinematography or currently between jobs, there are plenty of opportunities outside of the world of film to lend your talents and make ...
10 Cinematography Tricks for Working With Only Natural Lighting
October 8, 2016When asked why he preferred shooting with all-natural lighting, Stanley Kubrick simply replied, “Because that’s the way we see things.”It’s a trend that’s growing in ...
Ways to Create Space When Filming in a Small Area
September 3, 2016If you’re having trouble making a confined area appear larger when filming in a small area, you’re not alone; professional filmmakers also find themselves returning ...
How to Incorporate Your GoPro in Your Cinematography
August 6, 2016The GoPro was designed to solve a problem that Nick Woodman discovered while surfing in Australia in 2002; he wanted to capture the intensity of ...
5 Great Camera Drones for Aerial Cinematography
October 20, 2015Film-grade camera drones have never been more accessible, with the price points for even high definition aerial filming rigs quickly becoming attractive not only to ...
Cinematography Hacks & Toolbag Essentials No DP Should Be Without!
October 5, 2015Cinematography is a highly complex field that relies just as much on sheer intuition as it does technical prowess, with many cinematographers spending years if not ...
How To Implement An Alluring Color Design Scheme
July 29, 2015Color is a seemingly magical tool, and a hugely important asset in the cinematographer’s toolbox for conveying a particular mood and eliciting the desired emotions in ...
12 Plug-Ins For Adobe Premiere Pro You Can't Live Without
March 18, 2015As a budding filmmaker, digital editor and/or cinematographer, I’m sure you’ve crossed paths with a little application called Adobe Premiere Pro. And if you haven’t, ...
How To Work Your Way Up To Director of Photography
September 30, 2014A lot of film students learn the hard way that more often or not you don’t just become a professional director—like most careers, you have ...
How To Be A Better Cinematographer: 5 Ways You Can Develop Killer "Cinematographer's Eye"
September 10, 2014Just as a comedian has the ability to see humor in every day scenarios, a cinematographer is able to see hidden beauty and storytelling elements in ...
How To Shoot A Feature Film On An iPhone
August 7, 2014It’s no secret that filmmaking can be an expensive pursuit, especially when you’re looking to invest in a full set of shooting equipment. Although the ...
GW Pabst Case Study: Creating Drama Without Dialogue Through Cinematography
July 9, 2014The world of silent cinema is undergoing something of a revival thanks to major motion pictures such as The Artist, and justly so. Forgotten film ...
2019 Academy Awards: Best Cinematography Nominees
February 1, 2019The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced the nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards, to be given out during ABC’s televised ceremony ...
The Academy Awards: Our Favorite Cinematography Wins of Last 10 Years
March 2, 2018While the acting and Best Picture awards typically dominate the buzz and conversation leading up to the Academy Awards, the cinematography category often has — ...
What’s the Value of a Cinematography Degree?
March 31, 2017Many people may dismiss an arts degree as useless, but that’s because many take what artists do for granted and do not understand the skills ...
The Best Cinematography The 59th Annual Grammys has to Offer
February 10, 2017Beyoncé set the bar high with her HBO video extravaganza that dominated the MTV Music Awards last summer. But it’s not just “Lemonade” that’s got ...
Beyoncé Music Video Evolution: 5 Cinematography Lessons
September 2, 2016Beyoncé may have begun her career as just one member of a commercial RnB band, but Beyoncé has evolved over the past two decades to ...
No Surprises: Radiohead’s 5 Most Filmic Music Videos
May 12, 2016A shade over twenty years ago, a little indie band from Oxfordshire, England released their debut single. That single was “Creep,” and it immediately put ...
Legalities Of Drone Filming
October 21, 2015Establishing shots have gotten a lot easier, grander in scope and, moreover, inexpensive thanks to the advent of drone filmmaking.
Long gone are the days that ...
Contemporary Trends in Cinema: 2015 Report
September 22, 2015Over at our cinematography school, we regularly chat with filmmakers on the topic of contemporary trends in cinema—what’s hot right now, what is likely to ...
Top 10 Cinematography Resources
September 22, 2015There are few fields in filmmaking as nuanced as cinematography, and when it comes to getting the best out of your work as a director ...
Modern Black and White Films that Changed Cinematography
August 25, 2015Casablanca. Metropolis. Nosferatu.
All defining moments in the rich tapestry that is cinema history, and all black and white… but why is it that monochrome filming ...
The Best Cinematography: The Life And Work Of Andrew Lesnie
April 30, 2015Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie died of a heart attack on April 27, 2015. While relatively young at 59, his work in the film industry was ...
5 Truly Inspirational Female Cinematographers
April 28, 2015The subject of gender inequality within the movie industry is something we’ve covered extensively in the past, most notably via our infographic which exposed the (rather ...
The Best Cinematography: A Look At Birdman
March 30, 2015By the end of this year’s Academy Awards, Birdman winning Best Picture wasn’t much of a surprise. Earlier in the ceremony, it had already picked ...
Camera Trends of 2015: 4K Cameras Under $1k, SD cards and NFC
March 12, 2015With 2015 in full swing, students at our cinematography school are already seeing new trends, equipment and shooting techniques emerging this year.
One of the biggest ...
The Best Cinematography: Exploring The Light And Dark In Pan’s Labyrinth
January 29, 2015Pan’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 ...
The Best Cinematography: A Look At 2015's Oscar Nominees
January 21, 2015The Academy Awards nominations for 2015 are out and as usual there’s a mix of powerhouses, underdogs, surprises, and sure things. For the Best Cinematography ...
The Best Cinematography: The Look Of There Will Be Blood
January 9, 2015Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic drama, There Will Be Blood, floored critics in 2007 and was nominated for Best Picture. Inspired by Upton Sinclair’s ninety-year old ...
The Best Cinematography – The Many Looks Of Avatar
December 17, 2014Avatar wasn’t just a theatrical release in 2009, it was a full blown force of nature. The biggest box office hit of all time, Avatar ...
Christopher Nolan & Wally Pfister: The Best Cinematography Duo in Modern Cinema?
December 16, 2014Make no mistake about it – Christopher Nolan is an exceptional writer who has the uncanny ability to bring innovative ideas to a plot while at ...
The Best Cinematography: Hugo And Martin Scorcese’s 3D Wonderland
December 10, 2014In 2011, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography went to Robert Richardson for his work on Hugo, a 3D children’s film that just so happened ...
Best Cinematography: Looking At Life of Pi
November 26, 2014Life of Pi is a beautifully shot film that exists somewhere in between the worlds of fantasy and adventure. Adapted from the Yann Mantel novel ...
The Best Cinematography: Looking At Gravity
November 17, 2014This is the first in a new series looking at the best cinematography in movies both old and new.Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is one of the ...
Feminism and Film Festivals: A Change In The Right Direction?
October 13, 2014Last year was something of a breakthrough for women in cinematography in that female directors have made up precisely half of the entries in last year’s Sundance ...
Revolutionary Aerial Drone Cinematography Tour Coming Near You
September 22, 2014There is exciting news from the Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle Systems Association, UAVSA. This group of leading experts in their fields of engineering, photography, technology, distribution, ...
Making Bond Pretty: Skyfall Sequel Ups Its Cinematography Game
September 19, 2014James Bond just scored a new secret weapon, and it’s not one of Q’s exploding pens. Bond 24, the still-untitled Sam Mendes follow-up to the ...
Q&A With NYFA Cinematography Graduate Naeem Seirafi on Joining The International Cinematographers Guild and His Advice for Incoming Students
December 4, 2020Iranian-born Naeem Seirafi got his first taste of being on set when he was 19 years old and quickly began to realize that the world ...
Q&A with New York Film Academy Australia Alum Leroy Button
December 27, 2019New York Film Academy Australia alum Leroy Button started his professional career even before graduating the Filmmaking program in 2018. He’s worked on several professional ...- A Q&A With New York Film Academy Cinematography Instructor Matt Kohnen
April 20, 2018New York Film Academy Cinematography Instructor Matt Kohnen has been making movies since the mid 1990s. As an independent filmmaker, he’s seen the best and ... 
NYFA's Mike Williamson On Cinematography And How To Find Work After School
November 19, 2014NYFA: Would you mind telling us about your background and what drew you to a career in cinematography? What was your film education like?
Mike Williamson: ...