Larry Fong is a cinematographer that has worked on many popular films, such as 300, Watchmen, Super 8, and Sucker Punch. Fong was a childhood friend of J.J. Abrams and they have worked together with many of their works.
Watchmen
When setting up each shot for Watchmen, Fong purposely planned out how the subject was composed in the frame. A major goal for the film was to honor the graphic novel and stylistic choices in comparison from one to the other. Symmetry is a major key element that Fong focused on in each shot.
Fong also used only one camera throughout the filming of Watchmen in order to make every single shot important and beautifully composed. Fong felt that when you are using two cameras the second is normally of lesser quality and less concern.
Super 8
Fong collaborated with J.J. Abrams in order to create one of my favorite films of all time. Super 8 was filmed with many different types of cameras, even super 8 to mimic the look. This camera was the Beaulieu 4008 ZM4 IV. They also mostly used 60mm and 25mm speed lens.
So I am sure most people can say they have heard of Spike Jonze, but not everyone knows the wide variety of creative works Jonze has taken part in. He has created anywhere from commercials to skate videos, but he is also the co-founder of Dirt Magazine. Jonze’s work in skate videos is well known, and he has worked with professional skateboarding companies such as Girl,Blind, and many others. Skating videography normally isn’t anything that can be examined too closely, because they are just supposed to document the tricks, but Jonze finds a way to artistically make each skate video his own.
Jonze not only shoots skate videos, but he is also an avid skate photographer. His photography skills have definitely played a major role in his video work, which allows it to stand out even more.
Music videos are yet another avenue that Jonze traveled down. He has done many music videos for various artists, but my favorite is the popular music video for the Beastie Boys song “Sabotage”.
As for his feature film career, Jonze has many movies under his belt. He is most noted for his work in Being John Malkovich, but his work that stands out the most with a sense of style and artistic freedom is Where the Wild Things Are. Creating a movie based off a children’s book is quite the challenge, but Jonze took his own approach with the film and successfully left his mark in this story. While this story may appeal to the younger audience, any age can truly be amazed by the stylistic camera use and composition throughout the film.
Winning countless amounts of independent awards and having two Oscar nominations, Beasts of the Southern Wild, is one of my favorite movies from 2012, if not all time. This film started as an independent flick from a small group of filmmakers that call themselves Court 13. While Zeitlin played such a major part in the filming of this great film, the Director of Photography (Cinematography) is Ben Richardson.
Richardson knew that he needed a unique way to portray this film, so he decided that digital video was not the way to go. He not only decided on 70mm or 35mm film, but he shot in super-16mm film which gives the film such a raw look that no other movie can get away with. This film was shot with the Arriflex 416 which specializes in Super-16mm film.
The Super-16mm film gives the the grainy feel to each scene, with some shots more than others.
According to nofilmschool.com’s interview with Richardson, he also states that he chose this camera because it allows shallow depth of field and exploratory focus. He further explains that the film was shot with only a couple of lenses, a 35mm and a 50mm. What makes this so remarkable is that it allows the viewer to get the sense of Hushpuppy’s world. Hushpuppy is a young girl that focuses on the smallest details of everything in shot, so Richardson’s use of tighter lenses makes the audience truly take in each aspect of this Southern World known as “The Bathtub”.
Shallow Depth of Field Shots acquired with a wide aperture on the Arri 416.
Being that this is Zeitlin’s first feature film, he has been quite successful, but he has created many short films with the Court 13 crew. My favorite short by him was his 2008 film Glory at Sea. This film was definitely an influence behind Beasts of the Southern Wild. This 20 minute short film can be watched directly from the video below.
Why worry about each and every detail when you can have a cult following with a simple and organic filmmaking style? Well, the Duplass Brothers have gone for this look and successfully made their way to the top of the Mumblecore genre. Mumblecore is a sub genre of indie films that have a low-budget, amateur actors, and natural dialog. While these traits are normally looked down upon, I find that these are my favorite films because of the importance in storytelling instead of the quality of equipment.
The Puffy Chair
Being the first feature length film from the Duplass Brothers, the innocence is still in the movie. Throughout the film only one camera was used. This camera is the Panasonic MiniDV AG DVX100A, and it uses a digital format rather than film. In an interview by thefilmlot.com both Mark and Jay Duplass agreed that they used digital because it was substantially cheaper, but they quickly grew to love the digital format because it helps with the long dramatic scenes. There are many similar shots of slight zooms and quick rack focusing, which is the defining style found in all of their films. While the Duplass Brothers pride themselves on their authentic acting, their cinematography is a necessity in order to truly give each film this unique mumblecore look.
Baghead
Breaking from the mumblecore genre momentarily, the Duplass Brothers try out a horror flick with Baghead. While they do change genres, their style is still prevalent in this film. They keep the personable filming style with dramatic close-up pauses to show the importance of each line spoken. Within this film the true acting of each character comes out. The Duplass Brothers told thefilmlot.com they do not rehearse any scenes in order to keep them fresh and spontaneous.
Cyrus
Having a new and popular cast, the Duplass Brothers really got their name out to the public with this film. John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill had an immediate connection with the open-ended directing style. While the storytelling becomes more involved and complete, they seem to stick with their old styles of filming. They still can’t seem to find a tripod, but continue to use the slight zooms to perfection.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home
With another all-star cast of Ed Helms, Jason Segel, Judy Greer, and Susan Sarandon the Duplass Brothers were able to publicize this movie quite well. What makes this film so unique is that they reverted back completely to a mumblecore genre with a dry comedy full of drama and unexpected plot twists. When watching this film, I was glad to see them not only go back to their rudimentary storytelling styles but also that the public will now see the greatness behind this unknown genre of mumblecore.
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon
This is the most recent film directed by the Duplass Brothers. Using a cast from the old-days, they truly created a mumblecore flick to compete with The Puffy Chair. They reverted back to the shaky cam, drawn out dramatic scenes, and rack focus shots. This is the only film by the Duplass Brothers that is accessible through Netflix Instant, and I highly recommend you film buffs out their to give it a watching, along with all the other flicks from these creative directors.
Other works :
Kevin Documentary (Produced) Safety Not Guaranteed (Produced)
Cine Update 