Ten films that photographers must see.

Appreciating and watching movies is not just a photographer's patent. Photographers who take still photos can also learn a lot from it. Appreciating movies from the photographer's point of view is not about the actors' devotion to the performance, nor about the thrilling visual effects. So, what are the basic conditions and reasons for photographers to choose movies? First of all, the most important thing is the angle of light and the environment. Secondly, the choice of the scene. For this reason, we have chosen the following ten films, whose scenes are unforgettable and I can't wait to see them.

Most of these movies can be bought on genuine DVDs, but some of them are extremely rare, which also shows their preciousness.

1. Baraka (Heaven and Earth)

Photographers' patents, photographers who take still photos, too.

Baraka is an ancient Sufi vocabulary of Islam, which means "blessing".

When the film was first released, it received rave reviews and was called "the greatest documentary of the 20th century" by some crazy film critics. A few years ago, some people even claimed that if they were exiled to a desert island, the only movie they would like to bring was it. The film is based on the evolution of the earth and human beings, and the relationship between human beings and the environment. There is no dialogue from beginning to end. Where the scenery in front of us comes from is entirely the imagination of the audience themselves.

It is said that Ron Fricke, the director, spent 14 months and took a three-person film crew to 24 countries on six continents to make this film. * * * cost four million dollars. For this film, which doesn't need to pay a high appearance fee for the actors, the investment is considerable. Another reason for such a high investment is the shooting equipment: it uses the expensive Todd -AQ 70 mm format. At the same time, the music effect of this film is excellent, which brings you a rare visual and auditory shock.

Appreciating and watching movies is not just taking pictures.

The scene of Baraka is the dream of any photographer. One minute you are imagining the face of a macaque, and the next minute you are in Mount Fuji, Japan. Before I could savor the cremation ceremony on the banks of the Ganges River in India, I stopped in front of the Syrian temple. This is a movie worth watching again, because the content is so rich that it can't be fully absorbed by fleeting browsing.

In addition to the scenery, the director also used computer program control technology to shoot a large number of time-lapse shots to reflect the busy scenes on the streets of Manhattan and Tokyo. This is of course the feature of dynamic films, but can still photographers consider using delayed exposure effect to express some busy scenes?

Along with this film, there is also a beautiful album, which records in detail all kinds of interesting experiences in filming. At the same time, a large number of color and black and white photos are attached.

Movies are not about actors' performances, nor are they.

If there is anything wrong with this film, its originality and shooting technique seem to be quite similar to a film named Koyaanisqatsi in 1983. Interestingly, Koyaanisqatsi's director and photographer is also Ron Fricke.

Just like the grotesque title of this film, it is a masterpiece dedicated to all those who understand and appreciate visual arts.

2. barry lyndon (blood debt)

Movies are not about actors' performances, nor are they.

Before watching this movie, let me ask you a question: Who has the lens of f0.7? Even in the 2 1 century of industrialization, I am afraid there is nowhere to find such things. Perhaps, there is only one f0.7 lens in the world-the one Kubrick used to shoot Blood Debt.

This precious lens is said to have been customized by Zeiss for NASA, and somehow it fell into Kubrick's hands. He modified the lens slightly and then installed it on the camera. F0.7' s huge light transmittance allows him to use candlelight lighting when shooting indoor scenery, without any other artificial light source.

With such a sharp weapon, the composition of this film, whether it is the wild scenery or the indoor space, is extremely attentive, just like a flowing and exquisite oil painting, which can be hung on the wall if it is pulled out casually. But it is worth noting that the film consciously uses a lot of "central composition", especially in indoor scenes, the central point of the picture is always marked with columns, doors, windows, tables and chairs, which is also the center of the upcoming scene and the center that the lens wants to guide the audience. From the perspective of visual psychology, only when symmetry is deflected or changed will there be a positive and dynamic feeling. This standard symmetry in still shots can only produce a dull psychological feeling. And this is exactly what Kubrick wants to convey: a dead society, hierarchical and idle.

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

This film is about Europe in the18th century, when the Anglo-Prussian alliance and the Franco-Austrian-Russian alliance were at loggerheads. Barry, a penniless Irish scoundrel and poor boy, accidentally met a rich widow and used this to squeeze into the upper class. However, in order to pursue the title of nobility, he fought with the Lord and was finally expelled from England. Maybe this movie should be translated into a European version of the duke of mount deer.

In this film, Ryan O'Neal, the actor of barry lyndon, grasped the freedom and moral pressure of hooligans well. He and the film also won a series of awards, such as the Best Film Artist Award, the Best Art Director Award, the Best Film Award in Britain and so on. At least 20 or 30 scenes in this movie, which lasts more than three hours, are worth recording as still pictures. Of course, if you don't have the f0.7 lens mentioned above, try to play a few fast reverse shots. After all, f0.7 sounds more distant than myth.

3. submissive

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

This film can be said to be the masterpiece of the great director Bernardo Bertolucci. Although the traditional "beginning-passing-ending" mode was not adopted in the plot arrangement, the film became a classic in film history because of the clever shooting by photographer vittorio storaro. The exquisite use of light, rare shooting angle and the use of various color filters all add a lot of color to this film. Although it was shot 35 years ago, today's photographers can still learn a lot from it, that is, to jump out of the old box and create their own style.

Bertolucci, a director from Palma, later filmed the famous The Last Emperor and won the Oscar for Best Director that year. His other works include Covering the Sky and The Last Tango in Paris.

4. Paradise Day (Dream of Love)

Appreciating and watching movies is not just taking pictures.

Still photographers often talk about the so-called "magical moments", that is, the dawn and dusk every day. At these times, the weak and warm sunshine makes objects look particularly beautiful. But for cinematographers, due to the limitations of plot and budget, it is often impossible to choose "magic moment". Obviously, no crew is willing to spend a lot of money to invite actors and staff to sit around for a day, just for the moment of dusk.

The only special case is the film "Dream of Love" filmed by 1978. This film tells a love triangle story in the early 20th century. Director Malik hired two famous photographers at that time: Néstor Almendros and haskell wexler. Most of its shots were taken at dusk, so it won the best photography award of 1978.

In a word, the plot of this film is bizarre and can't stand scrutiny. However, what cannot be concealed is its outstanding visual effect. Here's how Néstor Almendros felt after the movie:

Photographers' patents, photographers who take still photos, too.

"Malik told me that he wanted to make a film focusing on visual effects and tell stories through visual effects. Many people don't realize the importance of visual effects, and many directors value actors more. However, this is a film that speaks with visual effects. This film is about things before the invention of electricity. There is no electric light, so the light is usually very weak, relying entirely on the light from the window. This is the living condition of people at that time. "

"The so-called magical moment is actually a euphemism, which lasts no more than 25 minutes a day. At this time, the sun had just set, and it was not dark yet, but the sun could not be seen. The light during this time is the softest and often has magical effects. Sometimes, we can only shoot for 20 minutes every day. But it's really worth the money. The film is very beautiful and romantic. "

Step 5 dream

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

This is a sketch of the dream of Japanese film emperor Akira Kurosawa. The whole drama consists of eight dreams: Sun Rain, Peach Blossom Garden, Snow, Tunnel, Crow, Red Mount Fuji, Crying Devil and Shuiche Village. These eight dreams run through almost all the themes of human life such as war and peace, society and life. Different dreams have different scenes, with different colors, presenting all the themes facing human beings one by one. The surreal visual effect was quite noticeable in that year.

Aside from the national characteristics of Japan, the biggest inspiration of this film for still life photographers is to tap the imagination as deep as possible. Many photographers are trapped in overwhelming business work or "upper opinions" and cannot give full play to their inspiration. But I think, as an artist, a photographer should always pursue his own inspiration as much as possible. What the photographer's camera shoots should not only reflect the reality, but also reflect his thoughts as much as possible. In this film, Akira Kurosawa boldly uses very bright colors, from bright spring to cold tunnels. Maybe everyone has a colorful dream.

In a word, Dream is not only Kurosawa's personal catharsis. Today, our feelings and feelings are getting more and more dull and rough by bad movies. What we really need is such a true fairy tale, not those stupid textbooks that make people look more and more stupid.

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

6. The Last Emperor

This is another Bettucci movie. For any director in the world, it is a great challenge to shoot the story of the last emperor Puyi. Bettucci successfully completed this film which spanned 59 years (from 1908 to 1967), making it a classic in film history. The story is magnificent, colorful and spectacular.

The story begins in the winter of 1950: the Qing emperor Puyi was taken back to China from the Soviet Union as a war criminal. After the train arrived at Manzhouli Railway Station on the Sino-Soviet border, Puyi thought it would kill her, so she slipped into the bathroom and tried to cut her wrist. The director of China War Criminals Management Office found that the situation was different and knocked on the bathroom door. Knocking on the door made Puyi fall into memory. ...

The use of color is definitely the highlight of this epic. Bertucci and photographer vittorio storaro used very rare tones to render the atmosphere. Some people say that the real protagonist of this film is not John Lone, but photographer Storrow. For example, in Pu Yi's childhood, his life was still colorful, and the colors at this time were mainly orange and bright yellow. (Pu Yi also said in his memoirs that when he was a child, because most of the objects around him represented the yellow of the emperor, he thought everything was yellow. ) In the period of "Puppet Manchukuo", the tone of the film turned to gloomy indigo. When he was cared for by Chairman Mao and re-educated, his color turned to plain gray. In the last stage of Puyi's life, the color gradually tends to be soft, suggesting the last consciousness of this man who has experienced ups and downs. ...

1998, Bettucci published a book The Last Emperor: Many Shoots. In this book, he elaborated on the experience of color application in The Last Emperor. As a still life photographer, you should know that the tone of a photo is very important. It is extremely subtle, difficult to grasp, and can even inadvertently guide the viewer's mood.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that although there are many movies and TV plays in the Forbidden City, few can really capture the grandeur of the Forbidden City. Although it is the work of an Italian director, The Last Emperor is enough to set an example for many "Qing Palace plays" in China.

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

After the film was released in the west. Immediately set off a "China fever". 1988, the 60th Academy Awards was announced, and the last emperor won the best film in one fell swoop. 9 awards for best director, best adapted script, best costume, best composition, best editing, best sound effect, best photography and best artist.

7. Raise the red lantern.

As a psychological film, Hanging the Red Lantern is very particular about the use of color. Zhang Yimou is a photographer, and the repeated appearance of different tones makes the audience's mood fluctuate with the plot. In which lady's room is Master Joe going to spend the night? There is a red lantern hanging in front of the lady's door. The application of the classic three-color printing method makes the red and yellow of this film very bright, which is rare in western movies. At the same time, all kinds of colorful clothes also make the film more exquisite.

Appreciating and watching movies is not just taking pictures.

This film has won many honors: one of the top ten Chinese films in the 10th Hong Kong Film Awards; "Silver Lion Award", International Film Critics Association Award, Catholic Film Critics Association Award, Gingery Modeling Special Award and Vera Nyota Special Award of the 44th Venice International Film Festival; Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy Awards; Italian National Oscar "David Award" for Best Foreign Language Film Award and Best Foreign Language Film Actress Nomination (Gong Li); The Film Association of Milan, Italy awarded the first prize of the best foreign language film of the year to the audience.

8. The third person (third party)

Due to the application of digital technology, this film has the opportunity to be made into a DVD and become an immortal memory of the black and white era.

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

From the shooting technique, this is probably the first time in the history of movies to put the camera in the corner to express anxiety and anxiety. At the same time, conscious wide-angle distortion and shallow depth-of-field lens also aggravate the cool tone of the film. The use of a lot of light and shadow effectively mobilized the audience's attention. The whole film is as shocking as a nightmare and unforgettable.

Compared with previous color films, does this black-and-white film seem a bit out of date? But if you watch this movie carefully, you will re-appreciate the charm of black and white light and shadow-monochrome magic. This film won the Palme d 'Or Award at Cannes Film Festival, the Best Photography Award at the 23rd Academy Awards, and the Best Film Gold Award at the British Film Academy, and was named the first best film in British film history.

9. Illusion of light (image of light)

Photographers' patents, photographers who take still photos, too.

Strictly speaking, this is not a movie, but a documentary about movies. In this film, we can also find many films introduced above. For example, Nestor Almendros, the photographer of Days of Broken Dreams, gave a short interview with the film before he died. Storrow, the photographer of the last emperor, and others.

In a sense, it is the director who controls the photographer's shooting techniques. For example, roman polanski, the director of Rosemary's Baby, mentioned many times in the interview that sometimes moving the camera a few centimeters can greatly improve the film effect. Conrad Hall, the director of In Cold Blood, mentioned in an interview with 1967 how he chose and built a cell in which robert blake played a murderer who was about to go to the gallows. The rain kept beating on the fence. Hall found that if the camera is placed at a certain angle, the shadow of raindrops looks like tears on Blake's face. This shot later became a tear gas in the cinema.

This film consists of hundreds of movie clips. After the film, you will be deeply moved by the inspiration and magic behind the camera. Still photographers will also benefit a lot from it. This is a photography science and education film, and hundreds of clips will guide you how to use light, how to choose the right tone and how to make your film a classic.

We can learn a lot from it. Appreciate from the photographer's point of view

The film is divided into three parts according to the years. The first part is the silent film era. The second part is about the period of black-and-white movies. The third part is the color film period. Finally, the film discusses how to use different colors to arouse the audience's emotions.

10. winged migration (birds and dreams fly)

This is a documentary about wild animals. I believe many photographers have had the experience of shooting birds. Long horn plus continuous shooting? That's just pediatrics. Let you see how this crazy French director shoots birds.

With the support of millions of dollars, director Crusoe hired a shooting team of 450 people. Shooting tools include hot air balloons, small gliders, and even small planes disguised as birds with built-in cameras. In the first year, I basically didn't shoot, just followed the birds around. When I got familiar with them, I stopped being wary of them. In the next two years, their shooting team (including 50 bird experts) tracked birds in 40 countries and condensed all the results into a 98-minute film, shooting only one minute of material every 225 minutes on average. The effect is naturally very real and touching.

The DVD version has 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. It can be seen that the film crew spared no effort to domesticate a group of birds and make them accustomed to the roar of aircraft, which was used to shoot scenes in aircraft carriers and factories. Photographers need to cultivate feelings with newborn geese, imitate their songs, swim with them and make them feel that photographers are one of them. It is this incredible patient emotional cultivation that brings us such close-ups and real shots. As a documentary, it is no accident that Birds and Dreams Fly can reach 2.5 million box office in France. Beautiful pictures and nice music. The shocking lens is a complete and perfect symphony.