cinematography What films do you think have the best camera work?

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Liv

I'm talking about camera angles and shot setups. What film(s) do you think have the best camera work? Why?
 
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It's hard to pick the best, since art is totally subjective. Here are some films that stand out to me for one reason or another in no particular order.

Blade runner: A sci-fi film noir. Great visuals overall.
Citizen Kane: Deep focus and composition.
Alien, Aliens, Prometheus: Both cinematography and production design is top notch.
Most of the other Riddley Scott films: Gladiator; Black Hawk Down etc.
Lubezki/ Cuaron collaborations: Children of men, Gravity: long moving camera shots.
Most of Roger Deakins films: No Country For Old Men, In Time etc.: lighting
Kubrick: 2001:Space Odyssey etc.: Composition
Crank 2 High Voltage: "Bad" movie, cool cinematography, a lot of movement, use of consumer cameras.
Drive: create visuals overall.
David Fincher films: Fight Club, Seven

Might add more later.
 
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Apocalypse Now
The Shining
The Shawshank Redemption
Oldboy
There Will Be Blood
A Serious Man
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Her
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Being John Malkovich
Grand Torino
Eyes Wide Shut
American Beauty
Raging Bull
The Master
Revolutionary Road
Saving Private Ryan
Magnolia
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Reader
Goodfellas
Requiem for a Dream
Gravity
The Departed
Inception
True Grit
Rear Window
American History X
The Silence of the Lambs
Se7en
City of God
Forrest Gump
Fight Club
Barton Fink
Insomnia
Labor Day
The Godfather
Super 8
Mystic River
Goldfinger
Twelve Monkeys
The Graduate
Prisoners
Fargo
No Country for Old Men
Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2
A Beautiful Mind
Psycho
Rope
 
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I really liked the camerawork in Secret Life of Walter Mitty... I suppose that was partially due to seeing it on the 75 feet wide by 32 feet tall Marcus Ultrascreen, which as phenomenal for the huge wide landscape shots. :D
 
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Terrence Malik's 'The New World' and 'Tree of Life'.
'The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'.
They're just gorgeous images to look at to me.

'Contagion' has a lot of very nice images from static positions.

'Moonrise Kingdom' has plenty of pretty shots exploiting an overall "dorky" look.

'Sin City' optimizes a very nice graphic look, and '300' has a provacative look frequently copied since.
 
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I have always appreciated "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas"

The story just rolls the whole way through. In the opening scene alone the camera moves from the hood, to the passenger front seat, to the back, then back to the hood.

Throughout the movie there are cool effects going on, for instance the carpet is swirling inside the casino. Pretty much every shot taken in that film is so perfect that you forget to even take notice, nothing comes across as an odd angle and yet there are absolutely some odd angles in that film.
 
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Liv said:
I'm talking about camera angles and shot setups. What film(s) do you think have the best camera work? Why?
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Almost any Scorsese film will be different from most other films you watch in terms of camera angles and camera movements. The way he switches in between closeups and masters, or the way he pulls in and out of shots is quite a signature way he does things. I haven't seen it in a lot of other places.

Also any movie by Aronofsky. A lot of his shot selections and camera work is quite unique and you won't find those angles elsewhere. See if you can find the "making of" Requiem for a Dream. You'll find out about the length to which he will go to make a shot come out the way he wants it.

I am also absolutely in love with Cary Fukunaga (he directed True Detective on HBO). Watch "Sin Nombre" for a most fantastic way to shoot hand held. Some of the angles I have never seen before. I was shocked at the beauty of some of those shots. (Edit: There is an over the shoulder shot hand held which is not quite over the shoulder, when the two characters are sitting on the tracks talking. It's kind of a like a behind the shoulder shot. I'd never seen that shot before in my life. It was so absolutely beautiful. Made me jump out of my seat.) Or watch Jane Eyre, for an absolutely simple way to tell an elegant story, also directed by Fukunaga.

Cheers,
Aveek
 
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trueindie said:
Also any movie by Aronofsky. A lot of his shot selections and camera work is quite unique and you won't find those angles elsewhere. See if you can find the "making of" Requiem for a Dream. You'll find out about the length to which he will go to make a shot come out the way he wants it.
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I was so disappointed to discover that Black Swan was very influenced by Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (a superior film IMO). Unfortunately that influence is so obvious that I noticed it by myself without even reading about it and then reading just confirmed my belief. I also read that some sequences from Requiem From A Dream were pulled from some of Satoshi Kon's work, although I haven't seen that film yet.

Still, I'd say he's a talented filmmaker even though he's not the most unique filmmaker out there IMO.
 
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MiniJamesW said:
I was so disappointed to discover that Black Swan was very influenced by Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (a superior film IMO). Unfortunately that influence is so obvious that I noticed it by myself without even reading about it and then reading just confirmed my belief. I also read that some sequences from Requiem From A Dream were pulled from some of Satoshi Kon's work, although I haven't seen that film yet.

Still, I'd say he's a talented filmmaker even though he's not the most unique filmmaker out there IMO.
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I read something about the Black Swan thing. I suppose it's true. I guess I like him just because I saw some new shots in his movies and was impressed at the time. I'm still impressed. Maybe if I watch some movies by Satoshi Kon, I'll disabuse myself of my admiration. I'll watch some Satoshi Kon. Thanks :)

To the OP. David O. Russell by the way is another one hell of a shot creator. Just watch the intro to "The Fighter." There are just the little things these guys do, like the fast pull aways at the end of a shot (around the 3:15 mark), or just the angle from which they follow a character. Just beautiful. You'll appreciate the time they spent thinking about those shots. There's a reason he gets in fights with his crew and actors. The dude is obsessive, and it shows in his work.

Tarantino is another guy obsessed with shot selection and camera angles. Watch Pulp Fiction around the 25:50 mark when Bruce Willis is pissed at Travolta and watches him walk away. Watch the action on Willis. Think about how the camera position is changing for those three or so seconds that it follows Willis' face. I mean, that's some serious dedication to a three second shot. Yeah. Tarantino is fantastic too.

Sometimes, in our no budget world, it's not possible to create the shot you'd like. Sometimes its better for us to keep it simple just so everything works on budget. But we keep trying :)

Cheers,
Aveek
 
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MiniJamesW said:
I was so disappointed to discover that Black Swan was very influenced by Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (a superior film IMO). Unfortunately that influence is so obvious that I noticed it by myself without even reading about it and then reading just confirmed my belief. I also read that some sequences from Requiem From A Dream were pulled from some of Satoshi Kon's work, although I haven't seen that film yet.

Still, I'd say he's a talented filmmaker even though he's not the most unique filmmaker out there IMO.
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Watch Requiem for a Dream!

Trust me, you'll find it unique. Unless of course you've seen many movies with demonic refrigerators and horrible drug trips leading you to believe you're on a reality show. :yes:
 
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trueindie said:
I read something about the Black Swan thing. I suppose it's true. I guess I like him just because I saw some new shots in his movies and was impressed at the time. I'm still impressed. Maybe if I watch some movies by Satoshi Kon, I'll disabuse myself of my admiration. I'll watch some Satoshi Kon. Thanks :)
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Yeah, though I don't mean to say that Aronofsky is by any means a less talented filmmaker for it. I think originality is very overrated. I like some Tarantino myself and we all know he's not original.

Satoshi Kon is one of the most talented anime directors, unfortunately he died at such a young age. I think if you're into anime and into psychological themes then you'd really enjoy his work!

Aronofsky and Satoshi Kon had mutual admiration by the way, it would've been cool to see a collaboration by them!

Aronofsky even purchased the rights to Perfect Blue in order to recreate the bath scene in Requiem For A Dream. A lot of anime fans hate him for it, I don't. I think it just gives more exposure to a great director and it may be used in an artistic manner (idk yet cause I haven't seen the film).

@Chimp
Yeah, that's one of the films I've put off due to the fact that I heard it was really graphic. However, I have been planning to watch it some time this week now that I am challenging myself!
 
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