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NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

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THE BACKLOT
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Podcast

Show Don’t Tell: A Podcast On Micro-Budget Filmmaking

Over the last year I’ve become a huge fan of podcasts and have learned so much by listening to…

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noamkroll

noamkroll

Filmmaker & Creative in LA 🎥☀️🌴
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Crazy this 113 year old hand-cranked camera is sti

Crazy this 113 year old hand-cranked camera is still finding its way onto Hollywood feature films. It was used as recently as 2023 (Killers of the Flower Moon) and 2022 (Babylon). In both cases the Bell & Howell 2709 was used to replicate era-specific footage without relying on heavy color or VFX work for a more authentic look.

The color shot from Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon was originally intended to be black and white news reel footage, but in the edit it was kept in full color and matched to the rest of the 2.39 cinema footage. This helped it blend in more seamlessly, but you can still feel the jitters and imperfections, which add a lot of character to that scene.

This camera was also used for special effects shots on movies like Citizen Kane (1941), and even Star Wars (1977) as its technical accuracy and minimal gate weave made it ideal for optical compositing and matte paintings.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

My favorite shots in POOR THINGS are these extreme

My favorite shots in POOR THINGS are these extreme wide angles, captured on the Optex 4mm Super 16 lens. It was adapted to work with Super 35mm film, which creates a circular image surrounded by a black void as the image circle doesn’t cover the full 35mm frame. Super innovative and really set this film apart.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Ungraded shot I DP’d last week on the Alexa 35 p

Ungraded shot I DP’d last week on the Alexa 35 paired with Atlas Orion 25mm anamorphic lens. This lens vignettes a bit on the Alexa 35 sensor, but I played into the porthole look for stylistic effect. In post, you can easily crop in to 110% to get rid of it, but it can work perfectly as is if you’re going for something more experimental.

Lit with just a couple of @aputure.lighting tubes provided by @tvacom. Cc: @atlaslensco @rachelalig

ARRI ALEXA 35 film grain comparison. I finally go

ARRI ALEXA 35 film grain comparison.

I finally got to shoot with the Alexa 35 last week, and loved playing with the built in film grain modes. You can bake these straight into your raw footage so there is no need to apply additional grain in post. I have captured lots of real 16mm and 35mm film grain via high res scans in the past, and these look virtually identical. Truly impressive.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Emerald City in THE WIZARD OF OZ (first image) was

Emerald City in THE WIZARD OF OZ (first image) was a matte painting hand painted with crayons. Tiny holes were pin-pricked into the towers of the palace so flickering lights could be placed behind it to create the appearance of the building shimmering in Oz sunlight. Separately, live action footage of the characters was shot from behind and printed onto the black space to complete the illusion.

Many other shots in the movie used matte paintings and other incredibly innovative effects work, which still hold up 86 years later.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Final 1.78:1 aspect ratio vs. original open matte

Final 1.78:1 aspect ratio vs. original open matte film scan on THE SHINING. I always love watching open matte (non-cropped) versions of older movies. While not how they were intended to be viewed, it’s fascinating to see how the different framing completely alters your perception as a viewer. A reminder of the impact of aspect ratio choice on the audience.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Love these fisheye shots captured on 35mm film wit

Love these fisheye shots captured on 35mm film with the Nikor 8mm super wide angle lens. Sometimes leaning into the distortion just makes it look better.

Great work by DP @mikaaltskan and team on this elevated commercial spot for Nike.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Pretty insane technical innovation on the new F1 m

Pretty insane technical innovation on the new F1 movie. The filmmakers used a completely custom built / secret Sony camera system to create the most immersive experience possible and deliver some truly intense racing shots. This involved attaching an FX6 sensor in a box to a remote controlled rig, which sent a feed to a hidden Sony FR7 device. A huge feat, but clearly takes the movie to another level.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

“Courthouse Square” is still one of the most v

“Courthouse Square” is still one of the most versatile and widely used backlots, probably best known for its use in the Back to The Future trilogy, but also in classics like Gremlins, and even modern day movies like Maxxxine. Located on the Universal lot on Burbank.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

The secret ingredient to filmmaking is contrast. A

The secret ingredient to filmmaking is contrast. Although we usually think of contrast in purely visual terms (light vs. dark), great films use juxtaposition to reveal contrast in so many other ways. Whether on the page with oppositional dialogue between two characters, on set with dynamic blocking and color work, or in post by creating ebbs and flows within the edit and soundscape.

There are infinite ways to add contrast at literally every phase of the process, and in almost every case it just makes the finished product better.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

I love finding out a film was shot in just a few d

I love finding out a film was shot in just a few days. Some movies shot on insanely short production schedules:

VICTORIA - 1 Day
COHERENCE - 5 Days
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY - 7 Days
BLUE JAY - 7 DAYS
LOCKE - 8 DAYS

These are just a few examples. Countless features have been made in a week or less. It takes a huge amount of planning, prep, and rehearsal, but can save a ton of time and budget for the right production.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

My favorite Wes Anderson framing is not his signat

My favorite Wes Anderson framing is not his signature center-punched subject, but this variant - where the focal point is pulled down to the bottom third of the frame. The added headroom and negative space is such a great stylistic tool, and these shots can be difficult to compose which makes it all the more impressive!

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Reminder that you can start as a filmmaker at any

Reminder that you can start as a filmmaker at any age. Many of your favorite directors made their debut features in their 40s, 50s, or even 70s. Manoel de Oliveira was 73 when he made his first feature and continued making movies until he was 106. Another filmmaker, Takeo Kimura holds the Guinness record for making his debut feature at 90 years old. There is no time limit on your creativity.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

An original matte painting and final composition f

An original matte painting and final composition for Alfred Hitchcock’s NORTH BY NORTHWEST. These old analog effects may seem rudimentary by modern standards, but they often hold up better than present day CGI.

Matte paintings in old movies were hand-painted images used to extend or create environments that didn’t exist in real life, like vast landscapes.

Filmmakers would shoot part of a scene with the live actors while blocking off part of the camera frame, then rewind the film and expose the unshot portion using the painting. Alternatively they would use optical compositing / rear projection to achieve the final shot. These techniques seamlessly combined real footage with artwork, making it appear as though the actors were in much larger or more elaborate settings.

We still do this today digitally, but there is just something so timeless about the old analog method.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

“A poor craftsman blames his tools.” David Lyn

“A poor craftsman blames his tools.” David Lynch chose to shoot his legendary film INLAND EMPIRE on a Sony PD150 mini DV camcorder, despite having every cinema camera format at his disposal. At the time, the PD150 was used by film students, event videographers and super low budget indies - not iconic Hollywood directors.

But Lynch embraced the prosumer format to achieve his vision, which involved working without a script and using a skeleton crew. Not to mention the low-fi vibe he was after. None of this could have been achieved with a traditional film camera.

While film students were resisting cameras like this and waiting for money to shoot on film, one of the greatest living directors was unafraid to embrace it and saw immense potential. And 20 years after the fact, we’re still talking about it.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to see TEACHE

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to see TEACHER’S PET this weekend. Super grateful to have had the opportunity to make this film and very excited to hit some more festivals over the summer before we move into distribution.

Also, amazing work by @danceswithfilms for putting on such a great event.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Love the camera choices on the 28 Days / Weeks / Y

Love the camera choices on the 28 Days / Weeks / Years trilogy, which create a powerful through-line across all 3 films.

28 Days Later set the tone by shooting on the legendary Canon XL1, and was one of the first (and only) theatrically released movies shot on mini DV tape.

28 Weeks Later achieved a bigger look while still maintaining the grit of the original - mainly using 16mm film, with a touch of 35mm for night scenes and Sony HD video cameras for the infrared shots.

28 Years Later has now famously pushed the iPhone to the absolute extreme, delivering some of the best visuals ever captured on a smartphone.

While these cameras could not be more different on the surface, they perfectly complement each other in the context of this trilogy. Each camera represents an accessible technology of its time, all delivering the same visual language - rooted in grit, urgency, and realism. Collectively, they help ground the viewer in the experience and create a more immersive feel.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

So excited to finally share some shots from TEACHE

So excited to finally share some shots from TEACHER’S PET, which starts its festival run this month!

This film taught me many things - one being that I love directing and DPing simultaneously. For a long time I resisted working as my own cinematographer, but on this movie I developed a new workflow to balance both roles and use that to enhance the results and not hinder them. Most shots were primarily lit with natural and available light, with just one or two LED panels or tube lights to round it out. The minimal setup, along with 2 amazing ACs and some very careful shot planning made it possible.

Fun fact: All 3 of the images on the first split screen were bonus shots that weren’t originally in the schedule, and were shot in just minutes. But they are some of my favorites in the film - sometimes the best stuff is spontaneous!

I will do a full breakdown of the cinematography on my blog/podcast soon, stay tuned…

@iamlukebarnett @barbaracrampton @michelletorian31 @saratomko19 @claytonroyaljohnson

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

4 legendary movies shot entirely (or almost entire

4 legendary movies shot entirely (or almost entirely) on a single lens:

PSYCHO - 50mm Baltar
THE WRESTLER - 12mm Zeiss Ultra Prime
THE GODFATHER - 40mm Super Baltar
CHINATOWN - 40mm Panavision Anamorphic

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Loved using the Laowa probe lens on our movie TEAC

Loved using the Laowa probe lens on our movie TEACHER’S PET. We shot a ton of inserts with it on our pickup day to help punctuate the edit and add some visual texture. The built in ring light at the end of the lens is a nice touch, and much needed given the slow f/14 aperture!

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

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