Menu

Blog
Podcast
Newsletter
Shop
About
THE BACKLOT
Log In|Log Out

NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

NOAM KROLL

Blog
Podcast
Newsletter
Shop
About
THE BACKLOT
Log In|Log Out

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Review: SLRMagic 12mm T1.6 Hyperprime

Recently, I picked up theÂ 12mm T1.6 Hyperprime fromÂ SLRMagic as I was in need of a fast wide angle…

So Many Sliders

I am currently gearing up for a feature film and the script calls for some nice slow, small…

Why I Am Editing My Feature Film In FCP X

In October I go into production for my second feature which is set to be shot over 11…

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…

Prev 1 … 54 55 56

Subscribe & Follow

NOAM KROLL

FILMMAKER

Premium articles, filmmaking tools and access to giveaways all available FREE by signing up for my newsletter below.

Newsletter

SIGN UP HERE

Leave this field empty if you're human:

Find me on Instagram

noamkroll

noamkroll

Filmmaker in LA 🎥☀️🌴
New blogs, podcasts & newsletters each week +
Post-production tools @cinecolor.io 🍊

We had thousands of submissions for our feature fi

We had thousands of submissions for our feature film TEACHER’S PET. It took multiple rounds of self tapes, auditions, call backs and chemistry reads to build the full cast, including our lead (Michelle Torian @michelletorian31) who plays opposite @iamlukebarnett.

A good reminder for actors and filmmakers alike that the journey is long but is always worth it. Casting might be the single most important factor in shaping the final product.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #acting #actor #selftape

Insanely fun to shoot with the Laowa 24mm probe le

Insanely fun to shoot with the Laowa 24mm probe lens. It’s a fixed f/14 so you gotta give it some light, but truly a treat to work with.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Two totally different macro lenses. DZO GNOSIS 90m

Two totally different macro lenses. DZO GNOSIS 90mm and Laowa 24mm probe.

I live the distorted look of the wider angle 24mm, but on a reflective shot like this you have to be careful about the built in ring light on the end of the lens. Even when turned off it can cause reflections close up. You can see it in the bottom shot in the pupil.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

I shot the same macro coverage in this scene on a

I shot the same macro coverage in this scene on a 90mm DZO Gnosis and a Laowa 24mm probe lens. Wildly different results…

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Wild how this one random commercial real estate ph

Wild how this one random commercial real estate photo from 2003 led to one of the highest grossing A24 films of all time.

In 2019 the photo went viral after being posted on 4chan by an anonymous user, with a written short story in the comments.

3 years later, @kanepixels brilliantly adapted it into a viral short film on his YouTube channel while still in high school.

Now, it’s tracking to be the biggest A24 release of all time.

Truly an amazing journey, and proof that a great idea can come from literally anywhere.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #backrooms #creepypasta

Loved shooting with mismatched lenses on our new f

Loved shooting with mismatched lenses on our new film (CROW) this week. It’s a psychological horror set in the world of hot yoga, and I wanted a visual palette that could feel both restrained and aggressively stylized in key moments.

The whole film was shot on the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K using these 3 lenses:

1. Tokina 11-16mm. This super 35 lens was intentionally chosen because it wouldn’t cover the full sensor, creating a circular (and sometimes square) frame around the image.

2. Leica R 50mm. A vintage Leica still lens that I’ve shot entire features with. It gives a classic, natural look that still has character and isn’t overly clinical.

3. Helios 44M. This is the most flawed and distorted lens, creating weird swirly bokeh, highlights that bleed, and shots that feel nightmarish.

I also shot in full 6K open gate mode to create even more options in post. Whether cropping the image circle out of the wide angle shots. Or letterboxing to a wider aspect ratio.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Katherine Argent wrote a masterpiece of a tweet. W

Katherine Argent wrote a masterpiece of a tweet. We turned it into a dramatic one-take short film.

This is “Everything is Fine.”
 Performed by @iamlukebarnett

Directed by @noamkroll

#filmmaking #filmmaker #shortfilm #ai

Some BTS from “Crow”. Can’t wait to start cu

Some BTS from “Crow”. Can’t wait to start cutting and share the film very soon, along with the score that I will compose.

Logline: During a mind altering hot yoga session, a young woman discovers her wellness journey has been hijacked by a cult like figure.

Got to re-unite with the amazing @michelletorian31 on this and finally collaborate with @hannahbarefoot who gave a truly incredible performance.

Shot the entire film on a Blackmagic PYXIS 6K with some intentionally mis-matched lenses, including the Helios 44M.

Huge thanks to @launch.releasing and @josh.pafchek for producing. And @maxymaze @landon_tavernier @amandamarmor for bringing it to life.

Rentals courtesy of @tvacom

Soundtrack coming soon to @soundstripemusic

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Some of my favorite DOLLY ZOOMS. From the one that

Some of my favorite DOLLY ZOOMS. From the one that started it all (Hitchcock’s VERTIGO, 1958) to the most widely referenced (Spielberg’s JAWS, 1975), to one of the most recent (SEVERANCE, 2025).

My personal favorite is the black and white shot from Scorsese’s RAGING BULL, 1977. But also love the slow, more subtle effect on Scorsese’s classic GOODFELLAS, 1990.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

This brilliant short film was made by @diediebooks

This brilliant short film was made by @diediebooks and defied all odds - making huge waves at only 80 seconds long. It’s a masterclass in storytelling, deceptively simple and one of those ideas that just sticks with you.

It is called “Dead Grandma”

Written and directed by Rachel Kempf & Nick Toti.

Link to watch the full film on their YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/nqNrxE2Ce7k?si=5yv9Yqg7eF1aesSC

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #shortfilm

Love seeing vintage standard-def tape formats resu

Playing some @sublime to test gear ahead of record

Playing some @sublime to test gear ahead of recording my first musical score for an upcoming short film. Excited to collaborate with @craigsaltz who has written the music for most of my other films.

We’re gonna use a lot of guitar and other analog effects to bring it all together. And the final tracks will be available to license for film & tv through @soundstripemusic, who is a producer on the film. More to share soon!

#filmmaking #guitar #sublime

New film stock alert: VERITAS 200D! Kodak specific

New film stock alert: VERITAS 200D! Kodak specifically designed this for Euphoria cinematographer Marcel’s Rév, as he was looking for a more classic Hollywood color palette.

Modern film stocks like VISION3 are incredibly clean and color accurate, making them less distinct from digital capture compared to older vintage stocks. This new format is daylight balanced and produces images with detailed highlights, vivid saturation, deep blacks and warm skin tones - creating an old Hollywood film look. Currently it’s available in 65mm, 35mm and 16mm formats, but hope to see it on 8mm soon too.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

It’s all about lighting. #filmmaking #cinemato

It’s all about lighting.

#filmmaking #cinematography #artemis

Tungsten lighting is one of the secret ingredients

Tungsten lighting is one of the secret ingredients that made EX MACHINA look so good. While 99% of productions opt to use LED sources, cinematographer Rob Hardy took a more vintage approach. He used warm, tungsten sources almost exclusively throughout the entire film, which brought an unmistakeable human touch and warmth to the otherwise sterile and futuristic environment. The goal was to use the light to bridge the gap between Ava’s synthetic body and her human-like consciousness.

He also set up over 15,000 tungsten “pea bulbs” that were built into the sets. This helped create a more gauzy and atmospheric look:

“I think smaller units have a softer feel. When you have a numerous amount of them and you put them through enough diffusion, they tend to give a certain kind of light. I don’t want to feel like I read the lights. I want it to feel like it emanates from the frame rather than it being placed there. I liken it to the difference between Vermeer or Rembrandt. With Vermeer, you look at those paintings and you can see the source of the light and there’s nothing wrong with that. They’re incredible paintings. However, if you look at Rembrandts, you can’t really tell where the source is, but it has an amazing mood and I find it much more subtle and much more interesting, and for me personally it elicits much more emotion.”

- Rob Hardy

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Steven Spielberg brilliantly stole these shots fro

Steven Spielberg brilliantly stole these shots from The Wizard of Oz when he was making War of The Worlds nearly 70 years later.

The original Wizard of Oz scene is legendary for its innovative use of color. To make it appear like Dorothy’s world was changing from sepia to color, the filmmakers painted the sets and wardrobe beige, and used a body double for Judy Garland so they could shoot the full sequence in color, but still make the interior feel black and white.

Spielberg recreated this sequence shot for shot, but rather than entering a beautiful technical world, his version introduces a bleak, chaotic color palette that represented the destruction cause by the alien invasion. Being the master storyteller he is, he didn’t simply lift the idea, but instead payed homage to it while making it his own.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Huge congrats to SINNERS DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Huge congrats to SINNERS DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw for taking home a well deserved Oscar for best cinematography. This film was uniquely shot on a mix of 15 perf IMAX film and 5 perf Ultra Panavision 70, creating a juxtaposition of large format 1.43:1 footage and extremely wide 2.76:1 frames that make for a truly original look, especially when viewed on an actual IMAX screen.

The film also makes brilliant use of telephoto lenses, petzvals, and other custom optics that make for some of the best shots of the year.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer #oscars

Color palettes of all 5 Oscar nominees for best ci

Color palettes of all 5 Oscar nominees for best cinematography.

The first 3 movies (One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Frankenstein) all share heightened stylization, and at times dip into the teal and orange look. While the other two films (Train Dreams and Sinners) are much more naturalistic with earthy tones and a more organic look.

All are beautifully shot, but the more natural palettes are more my preference when making films, and Train Dreams stands out as a personal favorite from the year. How about you?

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Christopher Nolan accidentally discovered the fina

Christopher Nolan accidentally discovered the final edit of The Dark Night in post, when he noticed a single lens flare from a film light. These couple of frames ultimately determined the final sequence of cuts, in what Nolan described as an “unusual choice that just felt right”.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Love it when filmmakers use the “film out” pro

Love it when filmmakers use the “film out” process to give digital footage an analog touch during the finishing stage. On PROJECT HAIL MARY, cinematographer Grieg Fraser shot on Arri Alexa 65 and Mini LF digital cinema cameras, but then printed the footage onto real film stock so it could be re-scanned before creating final masters. This gave the best of both worlds, the flexibility of digital on set, and the color quality and grain structure of film in post. He also used this technique on several other films including Dune and The Batman.

#filmmaking #filmmaker #cinematography #cinematographer

Load More... Follow on Instagram

(C) 2024 - Creative Rebellion, Inc. All Rights Reserved.