How did you learn about shot composition M&A?

CrotchKiller

CrotchKiller

Active member
I know there is nothing like just going out and experimenting but where do i go to learn about shot composition? Any hollywood movies i should watch or sites i should check out? Im trying to get a solid foundation.
 
Well for photography I spent a lot of time staring at galleries, magazines, explore on flickr, ect. to get the creative juices flowing. After a while you'll start you figure out what works for you, "your style", and things will come more naturally.
 
watch the tree of life and the fall. both those films changed the way i think behind a camera.
 
The Fall definitely changed my narrative cinematography a little.

Tree of Life didn't so much because that approach that the director and DP took to filming the movie is the approach I already like to take: They said fuck it to storyboards and shot lists and just let themselves "find the shots" while they were shooting it. that's the way to do it.
 
That's the way to do it if you have producers with limitless cash who trust you to death and don't give a fuck what you do with your shoot days. Sadly, most of the time the constraints of film being a business greatly effect how a film is shot. Storyboards and shot-lists are necessary if you want to make a good film that, on paper, can make it in under budget.
 
I'm aware of that. Obviously storyboarding and shot lists are far, far more efficient. I meant in terms of actually having fun shooting. They basically just got to fuck around with steadicams for the entire filming of the movie, following the actors and just experimenting with different shots. That would definitely be a much more enjoyable and relaxed way to shoot a feature.
 
for me it was trial and error really fast. i still don't have it perfected because most of my edits are all gopro without the backpack and my friends filming who don't know anything about technical stuff like that. but on my other edits when im behind the lens of somethin better like an hvx or xh-a1, i would go shoot something and then i knew if the composition was bad if it was boring to edit lol. some things i wouldn't even look at more than once so that forced me to try different angles and compositions until i found what i liked best. and reading other critiques on here of course
 
Certainly that's the truth. We all wish we had what Emmanuel Lubezki has, he's one lucky (but well deserving) cinematographer!
 
Force yourself to take a course on film photography. There's nothing like learning to set up a shot when using old school film
 
practice practice practice

you can read and look at things as much as you want, but nothing works as well as actually going out and shooting
 
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The music is even better.
 
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