When I watch something like My Neighbor Totoro, and I’m humbled. At first glance, it seems deceptively simple a kids’ movie about a big fuzzy spirit. But if you look closer, the visual storytelling is profoundly sophisticated. It manages to imprint… Read More »My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – Cinematography Analysis
I’m Salik, and if you follow my work at Color Culture, you know I usually obsess over the technical side of the image. But today I want to look at a film that uses its technical limitations to tell the… Read More »Unforgiven (1992) – Cinematography Analysis
When I sit down to analyze Oliver Stone’s Platoon, I’m not looking at a reference for pretty, polished cinematography. If you put this film on a waveform monitor today, the scopes would probably look messy crushed blacks, clipped highlights, and noise… Read More »Platoon (1986) – Cinematography Analysis
Room (2015) is one of them. It is a film that, despite its harrowing premise, captivates me because of how strictly it adheres to its own visual rules. You walk out of it analyzing how the filmmakers managed to make a… Read More »Room (2015) – Cinematography Analysis
For those of us who grew up loving cinema, Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me feels less like a movie and more like a captured memory. I’m drawn to stories that manage the delicate balance between narrative, performance, and cinematography without letting the tech… Read More »Stand by Me (1986) – Cinematography Analysis
The Exorcist (1973) isn’t just a horror movie; it’s a piece of cinema that feels like a dirty, grainy artifact. It exists outside of modern trends. When I analyze this film, I’m not just seeing a scary story; I’m seeing… Read More »The Exorcist (1973) – Cinematography Analysis
Looking at the cinematography of Tate Taylor’s The Help (2011). While the film has faced valid criticism regarding its narrative perspective, visually, it remains a textbook example of how high-gloss, classical Hollywood craftsmanship handles a period drama. The film is set in… Read More »The Help (2011) – Cinematography Analysis