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NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

Blog
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THE BACKLOT
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Noam Kroll

New Raw Cameras, Which To Choose?

Earlier this year three potentially groundbreaking cameras were announced that have a few things in common: They shoot…

Lumix GH3: Pre-Release Thoughts

The Lumix GH2 is one of my favourite cameras in existence today. I use it for the majority…

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noamkroll

noamkroll

Filmmaker in LA 🎥☀️🌴
New blogs, podcasts & newsletters each week +
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Charli XCX acted in her first feature film (ERUPCJ

Charli XCX acted in her first feature film (ERUPCJA) with director Pete Ohs (@peteohs), not because it was the biggest project she could have done, but because she appreciated Pete’s collaborative approach to the creative process.

For years Pete has been making incredible films with little to no crew, working without a script, and making up dialogue on the fly with his actors. Despite working with a major pop star on his latest feature ERUPCJA, he maintained the same approach - down to shooting on his Canon 5D MK III camera from 2012 and working with a skeleton crew of 3.

Filmmakers often think they need to go big with their productions to attract high level talent, but in reality making great work is all that matters.

Share this if you found it inspiring, and listen to the full episode on my podcast SHOW, DON’T TELL (link in bio).

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #charlixcx

Here’s the same shot and coverage captured with 3

Here’s the same shot and coverage captured with 3 wildly different lenses.

These are from my upcoming short film CROW, which I shot with intentionally mismatched glass so I could cut between each lens in post and create a stylized and hypnotic effect.

The Tokina 11-16 vignettes on the large Blackmagic PYXIS sensor and introduces lots of distortion.

The Leica R 50mm is the most “normal” of the lenses but still has some vintage style charm and feels nostalgic in its own way.

And the Helios 44M-4 is by far the most stylized of the three, and this particular lens also has some fogging issues that adds a weird hazy quality that helps compliment the narrative.

The film is almost done - more news to come soon!

Starring @hannahbarefoot and @michelletorian31

#filmmaker #filmmaking #cinematography #cinematographer

Such an honor to announce the world premiere of JA

Such an honor to announce the world premiere of JACK & CHRISTINE will be held at Beyond Fest in LA this month! Humbling to have it programmed alongside so many amazing films and filmmakers attending this year - M Night Shyamalan, Robert Eggers, Rza, Michael Mann, Al Pacino and many more.

This was one of my favorite films to direct, and couldn’t have pulled it off without such a brilliant cast and crew.

Starring the incredible @iamlukebarnett @nikkilorenzo and John Hawkes

Produced by @iamrichhandley @surfjunkieinsocal @tvacom

Can’t wait for you all to see it.

#filmmaker #filmmaking #cinematography #cinematographer #beyondfest

Quick pickup shot today for our upcoming film CROW

Quick pickup shot today for our upcoming film CROW. I had an idea for a new shot that would require some vfx, so we filmed the plate today and will soon do a cool face replacement effect that will help tell the story in a real fun way.

This is some BTS vs monitor vs final shot. Captured with one light on the Blackmsgic PYXIS 6K cam. Thanks to @michelletorian31 for making it easy and our producing partner @soundstripemusic for helping bring it to life.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

This was one of favorite short films to direct (DO

This was one of favorite short films to direct (DOPAMINE). No dialogue, shot on gritty 16mm film, and a subject matter tackling addiction, but through a new lens.

It was also my first time shooting with my Arri SRII Ultra 16mm camera which was a treat.

Ironic to be sharing a film about the dangers of social media on social media, but it struck a chord when I first released it, so wanted to publish here too. If you enjoy, be sure to pass it along!

#filmmaking #filmmaker #shortfilm #addiction #socialmediaaddict

4x Grammy nominee Grace Potter shares a glimpse in

4x Grammy nominee Grace Potter shares a glimpse into what makes Mick Jagger so brilliant on stage. Decades into his career, he still lives in the moment and finds ways to be inspired at every single show. Check out the full podcast interview on Show, Don’t Tell - wherever you listen to podcasts!

@graciepotter

#musician #rollingstones #gracepotter #mickjagger

I made this no budget short film on a whim to test

I made this no budget short film on a whim to test out the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera years ago.

We had no idea what we would be filming ahead of time, and it was mostly improvised. I loosely came up with an idea that morning and workshopped it with the actors. Then spent a couple hours shooting footage (with no crew), and called it a day.

Somehow it ended up becoming one of the most viewed shorts I’ve ever made. You never know what is going to resonate.

Thanks to all who have watched and enjoyed it!

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Just finished a screenplay that’s been 4 years in

Just finished a screenplay that’s been 4 years in the making. It’s a wild genre film unlike anything I’ve written before, but also my favorite script to date. Next step is packaging ahead of a 2027 production.

This is one of those scripts that felt like it came together fast, but was actually years in the making. I had the idea back in 2022, but kept putting off as other projects took priority. Finally last year I wrote 3 drafts of the original script, and then put it in a drawer so I could revisit it with fresh eyes. When I came back to it, I had a lightbulb moment that would make it 100x better, but would also require a page one rewrite. So I deleted everything I had written and started over. A month later, the new version was done and well worth the effort.

I’ll keep tinkering with it until we shoot, but excited to finally have it at this stage. Just printed out the first copy so I can start marking it up and working toward the shooting script. More to come soon!

📸: @jenniferdanakroll

#filmmaking #filmmaker #screenwriting #screenplay #indiefilm

Film grain is one of the best ways to add texture

Film grain is one of the best ways to add texture and mood to your project. Just make sure you are also adding halation and blurring to get the full effect. This is especially important with smaller gauges like 8mm and 16mm. Digital grain will always look fake if overlayed directly on sharp digital footage without softening the underlying shot. You should ideally blur the footage and the grain separately so you can have the most control over the final aesthetic. I tend to add halation first, as that can soften the image as a byproduct. Then I’ll add a simple blur to the shot, and lastly to the grain layer.

These are from my upcoming short film JACK & CHRISTINE. I will likely go with a standard 35mm film grain to keep it simple and understated on this one.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Over 5000 actors submitted to audition for our fea

Over 5000 actors submitted to audition for our feature film TEACHER’S PET. I wanted to make sure none slipped through the cracks, so I used an app I normally work with in post production (frame.io), and repurposed it for pre-pro to manage the auditions.

This workflow saved a ton of time, ensured every tape was thoroughly vetted, and ultimately helped build the ensemble case.

#adobepartner

#filmmaking #filmmaker #acting #selftape

Some shots from our new film JACK & CHRISTINE - wh

Some shots from our new film JACK & CHRISTINE - which will be out soon! Just shared a little behind the scenes post too, but wanted to highlight these DZO lenses that really helped us nail the look on set.

I had previously shot an entire feature film (TEACHER’S PET) on DZO primes, but this was my first time shooting with their zooms. Both the 35-80 and 70-135 render beautifully with lots of clarity and detail without feeling clinical. They feel modern without being sterile, and are incredibly versatile. Also used the 21mm prime for a couple of shots when we needed wider coverage.

@dzofilm

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

48 hours before these BTS shots were taken my wife

48 hours before these BTS shots were taken my wife and I were hit by a drunk driver in a hit and run in Topanga Canyon. We were lucky to be alive (thanks @iamrichhandley for the roadside medical advice), but the car was totaled which meant I couldn’t pick up the Alexa 35 we were supposed to rent for our film shoot, and fell way behind on final prep.

This would have been bad enough on any project, but was especially hard on this one. I’d been working toward this short for almost a year, and it was my first collaboration with John Hawkes, who I had been dying to work with since seeing Martha Marcy May Marlene. Not to mention the intensely gifted @nikkilorenzo and @iamlukebarnett who worked so hard with me to shape the characters and make this a reality.

Somehow though, piece by piece it all came together. @andychinn came through with his RED package, and I finished the shot plan and script notes at the 11th hour.

I remember staying up the night before the shoot, still rattled from the accident, trying to imagine every scenario where something could go wrong on the shoot. I felt like the only way I’d fall asleep was if I had a fix for every possible catastrophe - which somehow felt inevitable. What if the location owner didn’t show up? What if the camera went down? What if the first scene fell apart? It was overkill but it put my mind at ease.

The next morning my good friend and producer Sheldon Brigman (@surfjunkieinsocal) picked me up to drive us to set. It was still pitch black out. Maybe 5am. We saw a shooting star on the way to the location in Malibu and knew it was all gonna work out.

Somehow it did. It was one of the most rewarding days I’ve had on set. And it yielded one of the projects I am most proud of (Jack & Christine).

Our entire team was incredible on this - including producer Dave Thies (@tvacom) who came through at the last minute with gear and crew and helped tie everything together.

I expect to have a premiere locked in soon, so stay tuned for more on that front.

P.S. These behind the scenes stills were captured on 35mm film by John Hawkes and beautifully scanned by Nikki Lorenzo.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Same shot, 3 wildly different lenses. Cool to see

Same shot, 3 wildly different lenses. Cool to see the difference glass can make in a side by side.

These are from my upcoming short film CROW. It’s intended to be disorienting with lots of quick cuts and unconventional coverage. I decided to shoot almost the entire film on three different lenses so I could alternate between them at key moments in the edit and create a hypnotic effect.

The Tokina 11-16 vignettes on the large Blackmagic PYXIS sensor and feels distorted in the best way.

The Leica R 50mm is the most “normal” of the lenses but still has some vintage style charm and feels nostalgic in its own way.

And the Helios 44M-4 is by far the most stylized of the three, creating unpredictable blurring and fringing that plays into the disorienting nature of the piece.

Excited to share more soon once it’s all locked!

Starring @michelletorian31 and @hannahbarefoot

#filmmaker #filmmaking #cinematography #cinematographer

A lot of people have been throwing around the term

A lot of people have been throwing around the term “Technicolor” lately, often in reference to this shot in Dune: Part 3. And while this shot is awesome, it definitely doesn’t have a traditional 3-Strip / Technicolor look, and wasn’t intended to.

Real Technicolor films (like The Wizard Oz) were captured on special camera systems that used a prism beam splitter to isolate red, green, and blue light. Each color was then exposed to a different black and white film stock, which were later dyed cyan, magenta, and yellow and then combined together to create a full color effect. Shots became highly saturated with deep reds and subtle contrast.

I simulated this process digitally on this shot by splitting apart the red, green, and blue channels and then re-combining in DaVinci Resolve, with some other finishing touches. This yields a very different look than the official grade, which is just beautifully shot footage by DP Linus Sandgren.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is officially the first

Robert Eggers might have just made one of the most

Robert Eggers might have just made one of the most brilliant choices in recent memory on WERWULF.

Eggers has talked about the influence of orthochromatic film on his color palette. This is a 100+ year old silent film era black and white film sock that was blind to the color red. This made skin tones appear muddy and sickly, and Eggers wanted to recreate this feeling on WERFULF, presumably by suppressing red colors in post.

But what’s more fascinating, is that not only is orthochromatic film blind to red light, but so are wolves. Meaning the color palette not only works as a creative choice that speaks to the 13th century bleakness, but also represents how the animals themselves would have perceived the environment.

Whether by design or happy accident, pretty incredible choice.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Nothings worse than digging through music librarie

Nothings worse than digging through music libraries trying to find a track that actually works. Soundstripe LIVE is a new tool that totally solves this by scanning your editing session as you work, and suggesting cues in real time.

Check it out for yourself at soundstripe.com/live

#filmmaking #videoediting #postproduction

People often assume performances get bigger from a

People often assume performances get bigger from audition to production. But 99% of the time it’s the opposite.

Film is an extremely sensitive art form. Long lenses and shotgun microphones let you pick up nuances in performance that you can’t experience in the same way with a live performance. In film, you’re rewarded for going small and allowing the subtleties to shine through. It happens almost unconsciously as you’re making a film, and is a good reminder for actors and filmmakers alike that sometimes less is more.

This clip is from my feature film TEACHER’S PET with @michelletorian31 and @iamlukebarnett.

#filmmaker #filmmaking #acting #selftapeaudition #selftape

64 years later and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is still inf

64 years later and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is still influencing modern cinema. Its day for night sequences are some of the best in history, and it’s amazing to think what they accomplished visually using 1962-era processes. Looks like Denis Villeneuve and Linus Sandgren pay homage in DUNE Part Three beautifully.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Cc @feature_first

Crazy that the color palette for the film prints o

Crazy that the color palette for the film prints of THE ODYSSEY was created almost entirely with analog methods (only VFX shots were digitally processed). It was captured on IMAX 65mm film and colored photochemically in a lab (done by hand using filters and test prints) rather than digitally during a standard DI process. The result is some of the most dynamic and natural colors in recent memory. So curious to see how the film prints stack up to the digital grades for DCP and other digital formats.

The camera was also custom built for the production and is 30% quieter than regular IMAX cameras. That helped it achieve status as the first movie ever shot entirely on IMAX film. Truly groundbreaking in so many ways.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

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