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Bond Cinematography Ranking

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  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    edited May 2018 Posts: 1,596
    @Remington It's been awhile since I've seen it, but you're probably right. I think that might be a bit of Mendes as well, though, and his editors.

    I just like the textural physicality of that film. Hoytema also achieves an occasional ghost-like look to certain textures (specifically skin, the way it seems to shimmer as if supernatural in some situations, particularly the torture sequence).

    By the way, I don't love Spectre as a whole. But I do think cinematographically it is a strong film, and anything detracting from that is probably more due to Mendes, who just didn't seem into it anymore and I think that killed the energy of the film.
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    ThighsOfXenia wrote: »
    @Remington It's been awhile since I've seen it, but you're probably right. I think that might be a bit of Mendes as well, though, and his editors.

    I just like the textural physicality of that film. Hoytema also achieves an occasional ghost-like look to certain textures (specifically skin, the way it seems to shimmer as if supernatural in some situations, particularly the torture sequence).

    By the way, I don't love Spectre as a whole. But I do think cinematographically it is a strong film, and anything detracting from that is probably more due to Mendes, who just didn't seem into it anymore and I think that killed the energy of the film.

    I think you've pretty much nailed it, my friend.
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,632
    It's truly amazing how decent cinematography can be ruined by purposeful light editing and poor colour balance. My idea on how SPECTRE should look is on the left, the original film screenshots are on the right.

    93f4s7mg32111.png
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited May 2018 Posts: 8,216
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote: »
    It's truly amazing how decent cinematography can be ruined by purposeful light editing and poor colour balance. My idea on how SPECTRE should look is on the left, the original film screenshots are on the right.

    93f4s7mg32111.png

    Some of the soft colour treatments in SPECTRE remind me of what ungraded footage shot in S-LOG looks like. It's a very flat looking film in parts.
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote: »
    It's truly amazing how decent cinematography can be ruined by purposeful light editing and poor colour balance. My idea on how SPECTRE should look is on the left, the original film screenshots are on the right.

    93f4s7mg32111.png

    Stunning.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,107
    @AgentJamesBond007 good improvement, I often find myself continuously altering the settings on my 4K TV when I watch SP.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote: »
    It's truly amazing how decent cinematography can be ruined by purposeful light editing and poor colour balance. My idea on how SPECTRE should look is on the left, the original film screenshots are on the right.

    93f4s7mg32111.png

    Much better on the left
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,632
    I decided to attempt to fix the color balance of a segment of the SPECTRE pre-titles as seen below. It shows how well the film could've looked if properly colored.

  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited June 2018 Posts: 25,107
    My top 5 is pretty much what @bondjames wrote
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote: »
    I decided to attempt to fix the color balance of a segment of the SPECTRE pre-titles as seen below. It shows how well the film could've looked if properly colored.


    Outstanding work @AgentJamesBond007
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    @AgentJamesBond007 You hve accomplished on a home computer what the editor of that film failed to. Shame on eon.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,162
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote: »
    I decided to attempt to fix the color balance of a segment of the SPECTRE pre-titles as seen below. It shows how well the film could've looked if properly colored.


    That is miles, MILES above what Eon gave us. An outstanding improvement.
    That gun-barrel would have made me excited to see the film, and the colors are vastly better.
  • bondsumbondsum
    Posts: 3,333
    Why am I looking at a black oblong box?
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,632
    @bondsum Try this.

    https://vimeo.com/273058715
  • ThighsOfXeniaThighsOfXenia
    Posts: 1,596
    I retract some of my statements regarding Spectre's look. I maintain that it is still cinematographically strong (camera placement, movement, blocking, use of lighting) but god damn when I see some side by side comparisons it really doesn't bode well for whomever was ultimately responsible for that color filter / grading (I actually am ignorant as to who has the final decision on that -- Hoytema? Mendes?).
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited June 2018 Posts: 4,516
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote: »
    It's truly amazing how decent cinematography can be ruined by purposeful light editing and poor colour balance. My idea on how SPECTRE should look is on the left, the original film screenshots are on the right.

    93f4s7mg32111.png

    First row:
    1. B: Summer feeling, A have been to muchof cold feeling.
    Overall the opening it is split in two parts.
    It have bit of that CR energie, but not so violence. I think it look better because movie is shot on film.
    2: B. Weather thing.. of course movie is not named Skyfall. But i see as one of those contuned elemente from SF.
    3: a/b are it realy make difrence
    4/5: B. It must look it is summer/hot there.

    Second row:

    1&3: a/b are it realy make difrence. But i must say i whas close in saying A with 3.
    2&4: A. Overall i think that part of movie is way to dark / TDK to much. Another contuned left over from Skyfall (shangai elevator scene).
    5: B.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited June 2018 Posts: 12,480
    Cinematography - my favorites:

    Skyfall (my definite #1; rest not really in any particular order)
    Dr. No
    The Spy Who Loved Me
    Casino Royale
    For Your Eyes Only
    Tomorrow Never Dies
    You Only Live Twice
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    I would have added Spectre except for the too somber color palette. But the shots themselves were mostly excellent, well framed.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,120
    I know most fans aren’t too fond of the cinematography of the Glen films but OP and definitely TLD are quite excellent in my opinion.

    Both have excellent Cold War atmosphere due to their cinematography. Let’s not forget they had to use Western European locations to stand in for East Germany and Czechoslovakia, yet they still managed to provide that behind-the-Iron-Curtain-atmosphere.

    On the other hand India is colourful and Afghanistan feels like it’s from a David Lean film (that sunset is gorgeous!).
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    I know most fans aren’t too fond of the cinematography of the Glen films but OP and definitely TLD are quite excellent in my opinion.

    Both have excellent Cold War atmosphere due to their cinematography. Let’s not forget they had to use Western European locations to stand in for East Germany and Czechoslovakia, yet they still managed to provide that behind-the-Iron-Curtain-atmosphere.

    On the other hand India is colourful and Afghanistan feels like it’s from a David Lean film (that sunset is gorgeous!).

    Agreed.
  • ringfire211ringfire211
    Posts: 654
    That’s the problem with today’s cinematography. Everything is heavily filtered or color graded. I love Deakins’ work on SF but there’s still a heavy filter on it. In fact all of Craig’s films have that. CR has that yellow tinge to it throughout. What happened to old school cinematography?? Look at Freddie Young’s work on YOLT. Or even Alan Hume’s on OP. Nice vibrant colors, an all-natural look to the locales. What’s the point of capturing the beauty of the locale and then running it through a color grader? You basically just distorted the natural look of the place. Look at the bland gray colors of the Alpine scenery in SPECTRE. You know that’s not what it really looked like. You know it looked much more vibrant and pretty than that. Instead we got this gray picture where everything is gray - the mountains, the trees, the surroundings - and the snow is white. So we got this 2-toned color palette - might as well be a black and white picture. Someone decided to suck all the natural colors out of the scene. Go figure. I really dislike when cinematographers attempt to be too clever, too artsy. As if to be a great artist you need to fiddle around with the natural colors. I believe you can have a great artistic eye without messing around with natural colors that your camera captured. Just let it be.
  • RemingtonRemington I'll do anything for a woman with a knife.
    Posts: 1,534
    ringfire211 wrote: »
    That’s the problem with today’s cinematography. Everything is heavily filtered or color graded. I love Deakins’ work on SF but there’s still a heavy filter on it. In fact all of Craig’s films have that. CR has that yellow tinge to it throughout. What happened to old school cinematography?? Look at Freddie Young’s work on YOLT. Or even Alan Hume’s on OP. Nice vibrant colors, an all-natural look to the locales. What’s the point of capturing the beauty of the locale and then running it through a color grader? You basically just distorted the natural look of the place. Look at the bland gray colors of the Alpine scenery in SPECTRE. You know that’s not what it really looked like. You know it looked much more vibrant and pretty than that. Instead we got this gray picture where everything is gray - the mountains, the trees, the surroundings - and the snow is white. So we got this 2-toned color palette - might as well be a black and white picture. Someone decided to suck all the natural colors out of the scene. Go figure. I really dislike when cinematographers attempt to be too clever, too artsy. As if to be a great artist you need to fiddle around with the natural colors. I believe you can have a great artistic eye without messing around with natural colors that your camera captured. Just let it be.

    This.
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