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
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
As a filmmaker and a full-time colorist running Color Culture, certain films pull me back into their orbit, demanding a deeper look at their craft. Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind (2001) is absolutely one of them. On the surface, it’s a straightforward… Read More »A Beautiful Mind (2001) – Cinematography Analysis
As a filmmaker and colorist running Color Culture, I find myself drawn to movies that don’t just tell a story, but show it with profound intention. The Sixth Sense (1999) has always resonated with me—not just for its legendary narrative twist, but for the… Read More »The Sixth Sense (1999) – Cinematography Analysis
I spend most of my waking hours at Color Culture staring at waveforms and tweaking curves, so I have a bad habit of ignoring a film’s plot to obsess over the scaffolding beneath. Finding Nemo is one of those films that ruins… Read More »Finding Nemo (2003) – Cinematography Analysis
As a colorist, I spend most of my waking hours in a dark room staring at high-end displays, tweaking curves, and obsessed with the “emotional logic” of an image. We often talk about color science and DCTLs, but sometimes a… Read More »Harakiri (1962) – Cinematography Analysis