Casino is an epic in the truest sense. It’s a sprawling saga set against the backdrop of 1970s and 80s Las Vegas—dazzling at first, then rapidly decaying. While often compared to Goodfellas, Casino pushes the visual language much further. Scorsese famously noted that this… Read More »Casino (1995) – Cinematography Analysis
I spend a lot of time deconstructing the visual language of cinema. It’s rarely about just making “pretty pictures”; it’s about how specific technical choices from stock selection to printer lights serve the narrative. Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential (1997) is a film… Read More »L.A. Confidential (1997) – Cinematography Analysis
Green Book is the poster child for this aesthetic. But looking past the politics of the script or the “white savior” critiques that followed its Best Picture win, I want to analyze why this image works so well on a technical… Read More »Green Book (2018) – Cinematography Analysis
I’m Salik Waquas. As a filmmaker and colorist running Color Culture, I’m constantly hunting for films that don’t just use technology, but disappear behind it. Top Gun: Maverick is exactly that beast. It isn’t just a legacy sequel; it’s a masterclass in… Read More »Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Cinematography Analysis
I spend a lot of time in a dark room dissecting the visual language of cinema. It’s a craft that combines intuition with meticulous technical execution, aiming to guide the viewer’s eye and shape their emotional response without them quite… Read More »Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Cinematography Analysis
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is often remembered as the “fun” one the apology for the darker, grittier Temple of Doom. But revisiting it now as a filmmaker and colorist running Color Culture, I’m struck by how visually sophisticated it actually… Read More »Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Cinematography Analysis
I watch movies differently than most people. I’m usually staring at the scopes or analyzing the highlight roll-off. But Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners is one of those rare films that forces you to stop analyzing and just feel the weight of it. It’s… Read More »Prisoners (2013) – Cinematography Analysis