Movie-like photos

[iluxa]

This is some kind of "Friday" topic with general discussion rather any tutorial how to do that.

From time to time people say that some photos are look like frames from movies. What makes you think like this? What are these distinctions that changes photos into movie frames?
High or low contrast / Softness or crystal sharpness / High or low colour saturation / Cross-processed colours / anything else?

I’ve found two different styles of movie-like photos.
1. Some kind of cross-processed colours with saturated green-blue colours, deep shadows and non-saturated red-yellows.
2. Some kind of warm, light and soft pictures with no deep shadows but sometimes with slightly blown highlights.
If you saw "A Good Year" movie you saw them both.

But that’s not all. There is something else that I cannot explain. It’s not enough to add these effects in a PhotoShop. Something euphemistic does exists in these photos.

So what's that? What makes photos look like movie frames?

[Steffen]

So what's that? What makes photos look like movie frames?

Ilya, that's easy! On a photo frame the sprocket holes are along the long sides, on a movie frame they're along the short sides...

Seriously though, I think it might have something to do with the content or the scene depicted. For example, motion blurred background *and* people in motion make it look like a still frame from a movie.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Mal]

Great topic.
I am currently editing a video that the producer says he wants to "look like film" Very hard to do seeing as it was shot on miniDV!
Film just has more depth. The colours are more vibrant and it is 16:9 rather than 4:3
I am sure that someone knows all the technical details but i just wanted to add my two cents worth

[Nnnnsic]

I've always found the movie look comes from a better sense of colour. The images pop and are more dynamic. You can do that with a controlled saturation and slightly heavier contrast. Add a bit of colour grain and you being to hit the film look.

Another way is to simulate gels. Some of the gels used in motion picture lighting as well as in Post can always help to bring out the movie quality.

[methd]

As an interesting aside, watch "Heroes" and check out the blurring, DOF and bokeh... it's amazing! They must be using some pretty awesome equipment (as you would expect).

[BT*ist]

1. Landscape orientation with black bars on top and bottom to fit a 1.8:1 or 2.35:1 widescreen ratio -hey, I do it deliberately at times
2. Use of depth of field
3. If the photo is of a person, use of a 'hero' camera angle, shooting the person while looking upwards
4. Controlled (or seemingly-controlled), rather than incidental lighting
5. Sense of the camera being in motion (sometimes)

[iluxa]

Yeah! Black bars (with holes) are definitely movie style.

But seriouly, guys, you've made a few good points - DOF, blurred background, motion, lighting, grain effect.

Colours... I think movie film also have slightly different colour sensitivity than photo film and sure different from CCD/CMOS sensitivity. Shadows are coolier, highlights are warmier. More contrast.

And subject if an image should be "artistic".