Movie-like photos

Have your say on issues related to using a DSLR camera.

Moderator: Moderators

Forum rules
Please ensure that you have a meaningful location included in your profile. Please refer to the FAQ for details of what "meaningful" is.

Movie-like photos

Postby iluxa on Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:41 pm

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?
User avatar
iluxa
Member
 
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:34 am
Location: Waitara, Sydney, NSW

Re: Movie-like photos

Postby Steffen on Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:19 pm

iluxa wrote: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... :lol: :lol: :lol:

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.
lust for comfort suffocates the soul
User avatar
Steffen
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1931
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:52 pm
Location: Toongabbie, NSW

Postby Mal on Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:41 pm

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
Mal
I've got a camera, it's black. I've got some lens, they are black as well.
User avatar
Mal
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1091
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:18 pm
Location: Berowra, NSW.

Postby Nnnnsic on Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:06 pm

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.
Producer & Editor @ GadgetGuy.com.au
Contributor for fine magazines such as PC Authority and Popular Science.
User avatar
Nnnnsic
I'm a jazz singer... so I know what I'm doing
 
Posts: 7770
Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2004 12:29 am
Location: Cubicle No. 42... somewhere in Bondi, NSW

Postby methd on Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:22 pm

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).
User avatar
methd
Member
 
Posts: 483
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:12 pm
Location: Melbourne, VIC.

Postby BT*ist on Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:06 pm

1. Landscape orientation with black bars on top and bottom to fit a 1.8:1 or 2.35:1 widescreen ratio :D -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)
Pentax istDS+K10D. Pentax 50mm f1.4, Sigma 10-20mm, Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro, Kit Lenses. http://www.redbubble.com/people/berndt2
User avatar
BT*ist
Senior Member
 
Posts: 609
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:38 am
Location: London, United Kingdom

Postby iluxa on Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:59 pm

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

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". :?:
User avatar
iluxa
Member
 
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:34 am
Location: Waitara, Sydney, NSW


Return to General Discussion

cron