Elite Squad (2007) is the one that constantly resurfaces when I’m talking shop with other DPs and editors. It just hits different. It’s raw, it’s ugly, and it’s visually uncompromising a total reminder that cinematography can do so much more than… Read More »Elite Squad (2007) – Cinematography Analysis
Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s 2002 Hong Kong crime epic, Infernal Affairs, is exactly that kind of film. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling a lean, mean psychological thriller that trades flashy theatrics for a slow-burn emotional resonance. In the West,… Read More »Infernal Affairs (2002) – Cinematography Analysis
As a filmmaker and full-time colorist, I spend most of my waking hours staring at screens, tweaking curves, and obsessing over how an image feels rather than just how it looks. Usually, I’m focused on making things look polished. But every so… Read More »Memories of Murder (2003) – Cinematography Analysis
Let’s talk Zootopia (2016), Zootopia is different. It’s one of those rare animated features that doesn’t just entertain; it schools you on visual storytelling. It achieves a level of sophistication that rivals high-end live-action productions. It’s the kind of work that feels like a… Read More »Zootopia (2016) – Cinematography Analysis
Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low might look like a standard police procedural on the surface, but if you shut off the dialogue and just watch the light, it reveals itself as a masterclass in visual psychology. While everyone talks about Kurosawa’s samurai… Read More »High and Low (1963) – Cinematography Analysis
I spend my days deep in the visual language of cinema, but occasionally, a film comes along that reminds you just how foundational the craft is—how long it’s been evolving and how deeply it can cut. Fritz Lang’s 1931 masterpiece… Read More »M (1931) – 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