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NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

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LATEST BLOG POSTS

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

Filmmaker & Creative in LA 🎥☀️🌴
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Post-production tools @cinecolor.io 🍊

I love films shot on VistaVision, and THE BRUTALIS

I love films shot on VistaVision, and THE BRUTALIST makes brilliant use of the format. By underexposing the film and push-processing a couple stops in the lab, the filmmakers achieved a textured, painterly feel to the visuals. Combined with some incredible framing, movement, and selective use of practical lights - it’s no surprise this film won best cinematography at the Oscars.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Just a reminder the Oscar winning animated feature

Just a reminder the Oscar winning animated feature FLOW was created using free software (Blender) and was financed as a result of director Gints Zilbalodis’ previous feature AWAY - which was made for $0 over 4 years in his bedroom.

Making a movie will never be easy, but not having the right tools is no longer an excuse.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

It’s easy to assume there is some complicated fo

It’s easy to assume there is some complicated formula that you don’t yet have, but much harder to accept it’s just about having the discipline to do the basics over and over with consistency. Pick a project, work on it daily, don’t stop until it’s done. Then rinse and repeat.

Wow. Film beats digital at this year’s Oscar rac

Wow. Film beats digital at this year’s Oscar race for best cinematography. 3 of the 5 nominated movies were shot on analog film stock, while only 2 were digital. More evidence that the resurgence of film is not a fad, but here to stay.

Worth noting though: 7 out of 10 best picture nominees were shot digitally. Clearly film will never be the dominant format across the board. But it is not going anywhere, and this further cements its relevance in the ultra digital age.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Love the extremely innovative approach that DP Phe

Love the extremely innovative approach that DP Phedon Papamichael took with A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. To capture an authentic 1960s film look (while shooting digitally to maintain a minimalistic lighting setup), the camera was set to ISO 12,800 and stopped down to F8-11. Eventually, the digital footage was transferred to film and then re-scanned to get the best of both worlds. A vintage analog aesthetic with the benefits of a digital workflow.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Your choice in color palette can drastically impac

Your choice in color palette can drastically impact the tone of your film… The key is deciding on an aesthetic in pre-production, so you can actually achieve the desired effect. You may want a teal-and-orange blockbuster look, but if you don’t have the production design and wardrobe to match, you won’t be able to get there with color tools alone.

These are just a few examples of commonly applied looks. What’s your favorite type of palette to work with?

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #colorgrading

Creativity is born out of constraint. Use what you

Creativity is born out of constraint. Use what you have and only upgrade when absolutely necessary.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

If you need some inspiration for your film’s tit

If you need some inspiration for your film’s title sequence, look no further than Saul and Elaine Bass… They created some of the most legendary and influential designs on films for Hitchcock, Scorsese, and Kubrick, and countless others. Amazing how these hold up half a century later.

You can find these and tons of other examples on artofthetitle.com

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #postproduction #titledesign

Love these homages from SQUID GAME. Always fascina

Love these homages from SQUID GAME. Always fascinating to see where the inspiration for great art comes from…

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #squidgame

If you know you know, lol. Complex node trees are

If you know you know, lol.

Complex node trees are great IF and when you actually need them. But 90% of the time when color grading I achieve what I’m looking for in 1 - 2 nodes. How about you?

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #colorgrading

The visual palette behind Robert Eggers’ NOSFERA

The visual palette behind Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU is directly influenced by Tim Burton’s BATMAN RETURNS (1992). But ironically, much of Tim Burton’s work is influenced by the original 1922 version of “Nosferatu”, among other German Expressionist films of that era - known for gothic architecture, dramatically lit faces, and harsh contrast. Everything in cinema goes full circle…

“I was watching on one of these flights, I threw on Batman Returns & the snowy, gothic, atmosphere of that movie is quite shockingly similar to a lot of the stuff we were doing here.” - Robert Eggers on drawing inspiration from BATMAN RETURNS.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

David Lynch was truly one of the greatest, most or

David Lynch was truly one of the greatest, most original, and most influential directors to ever live. There’s not a single filmmaker I know that doesn’t reference his work and aspire to his gifts as a visionary. A true artist - I have no doubt that his films will continue to inspire filmmakers for generations to come, and serve as never ending proof that the best art is personal, universal, and unapologetically weird all at once.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #davidlynch

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re an LA fi

Some of my favorite shots from ANORA (and their le

Some of my favorite shots from ANORA (and their lenses), directed by Sean Baker / DP’d by Drew Daniels.

The film was shot on 35mm using a mix of vintage & modern anamorphic glass - which helped capture the opulence of the environment and create a music video-like aesthetic:

Lomo Round Front 35mm T2.5
Lomo Round Front 75mm T2.4
Atlas Orion Anamorphic 25mm T2
Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm T2.8

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

The first $75 million dollar movie shot on an iPho

The first $75 million dollar movie shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Amazing to see what Danny Boyle and DP Anthony Dod Mantle have been able to pull off visually. Of course it was rigged with proper cinema lenses and tons of other peripheral gear, but I am still just as impressed with how far they pushed that tiny little phone sensor. And it makes sense for this film, as the original 28 days later was shot on the prosumer Canon XL-1. The iPhone gives a similar gritty feel, but feels more clean and appropriate for present day.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Just a few of the thousands of films inspired by b

Just a few of the thousands of films inspired by brilliant paintings…

SLIDE 1
Painting: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1907-1908)
Movie: Shutter Island by Martin Scorsese (2010)

SLIDE 2
Painting: The Empire of Lights by René Magritte (1950-1954)
Movie: The Exorcist by William Friedkin (1973)

SLIDE 3
Painting: The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1484-1486)
Movie: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Terry Gilliam (1988)

SLIDE 4
Painting: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1770)
Movie: Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino (2012)

SLIDE 5
Painting: Nighthawks by Edward Hopper (1942)
Movie: Pennies from Heaven by Herbert Ross (1981)

SLIDE 6
Painting: The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)
Movie: Scream by Wes Craven (1996)

SLIDE 7
Painting: Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya (1819-1823)
Movie: Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro (2006)

SLIDE 8
Painting: Pollice Verso by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1872)
Movie: Gladiator by Ridley Scott (2000)

SLIDE 9
Painting: Wheatfield with Crows by Vincent van Gogh (1890)
Movie: Dreams by Akira Kurosawa (1990)

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Making stuff > talking about making stuff. #filmm

Making stuff > talking about making stuff.

#filmmaking #filmmaker

Everyone has an opinion on Wicked’s color palett

Everyone has an opinion on Wicked’s color palette, which lost the essence of the original Wizard Of Oz and its brilliant use of the technicolor format.

For fun, I applied a 3 strip process in DaVinci Resolve to digitally recreate the original technicolor look. The analog technicolor process was achieved by exposing 3 separate black and white film stocks using a prism to split off the red, green, and blue tones. These strips were later dyed and recombined to deliver a full color look, which was cleaner and more saturated than actual color film stocks that emerged later.

But as you can see in this example, it was never just about the color science. The original Wizard Of Oz made brilliant choices in production design to maximize the effect. This included painting the interior of Dorothy’s home in sepia, so when she landed in Oz and opened the door to Oz it would appear in full color, and could all be captured in a single shot. And of course the set and wardrobe design within Oz which maximized the format.

There is only so much that can be done in post to compensate for colors that were never there to begin with. Wicked has its own look, and clearly wasn’t going for the nostalgic 3 strip effect. But Wizard of Oz (more than any film in history) is known for its use of color, which is why many were disappointed with the palette.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #colorgrading

Some iconic movies and their aspect ratios. Choosi

Some iconic movies and their aspect ratios. Choosing your format is as important (or more) as lens selection, camera, or any other visual component, as it has a massive effect on the viewing experience.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Choosing an aspect ratio is one of the most import

Choosing an aspect ratio is one of the most important (but often overlooked) parts of building a visual palette for your film. The same movie feels completely different in 1.33 vs 2.39. Here’s a little cheat sheet you can reference before your next production.

What’s your favorite aspect ratio?

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

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