The latest epic episode of Media Division, THE MAGIC SAUCE / Create Cinematic Films (see embedded below!) distills a decade of experience into a recipe—or perhaps even a shortcut—for those on the journey to creating cinematic films. As always, it’s so well done and highly entertaining. Let’s dive in!
If you love to film and edit, you have probably sat in the cinema before and thought: “I. Want. That. I want to create these stories and these images that are so powerful and almost magical in their very own way.” – something we call “cinematic” these days.
The evolution of digital cameras and film gear has made the creation of cinematic content more accessible than ever. Yet, depending on where you are in your journey, you might feel that what you get out of your camera still doesn’t look cinematic – but why?
What is the “magic sauce” that makes an image “cinematic”?
Does all the magic happen in front of the camera, or is it what happens behind the camera? Is the trick in how and where the camera is placed or how it is moved? And how important is the camera itself?
Is it more about the lenses we use, the dynamic range and the grade, or is it post-production magic?
Have we arrived at a point where the camera is negligible?
The Media Division evaluates all ingredients with examples and experiments. (We reported about some of their prior impressive episodes before, so check them out if you missed them!)
To make it more entertaining and to prove their point, they present the two-hour film school curriculum as Hannibal Lecter from “The Silence of the Lambs” – including a tutorial that explains how you can insert yourself into movies.
Do yourself a favor and watch this episode in its entirety:
- 00:00 – Intro & Contents
- 03:43 – Breaking the Silence Spoof
- 06:25 – What is cinematic PART I – THE BASICS
- 08:06 – About the story
- 09:59 – Frame Rate & Morion Blur
- 14:18 – Your Image is to Sharp PART II – THE GEAR
- 16:22 – The History of Cine Cameras
- 24:29 – The Format
- 26:49 – Resolution
- 29:25 – Dynamic Range
- 35:28 – Cine Lenses
- 43:02 – The Shootout PART III – In Front of the Camera
- 55:59 – Directing
- 1:04:53 – Art Direction
- 1:07:25 – Location
- 1:10:21 – Costumes, Props & Make Up
- 1:14:46 – Lighting
- 1:26:12 – Composition & Staging PART IV – The Post
- 1:35:12 – The Look of Movies
- 1:38:29 – Film Emulation
- 1:43:31 – Tutorial
- 1:59:34 – A Recipe
- 2:02:54 – The Division Salutes Partners & Members
PART I: The Basics
It makes a lot of sense to look at simple things that ruin a cinematic image, and the first part of the episode deals with the avoidable mistakes that many new filmmakers make. Frame rate & motion blur have high relevance to the perception of a film, and an image with too many details and sharpness often looks “uncinematic.”
PART II: Camera & Lenses
The gear is always an exciting part of the production. Often, it’s the driving force behind the filmmaking markets and communities, but there is a blurry line between what is relevant and what is marketing. The Media Division explores the most important subjects around gear and specs.
A brief history of cinema cameras explains how we got from analog film to digital cameras and how this influenced the look of cinema in each era.
The Format deals with the often used phrase “the large format look” – do formats have a different look, and how is that relevant to the cinematic appeal of an image? Can an image made on a smartphone camera be just as good as one taken with a cine camera?
Resolution RED has been pushing the importance of resolution since the start of the digital revolution, and some of the latest cinema cameras offer 8K or even 12K sensors. How does this benefit a cinematic image, or might it even be counterproductive?
Dynamic Range is the spec that is very often stated as the most important ability of a digital camera. The Media Division puts this into context by comparing historic and modern as well as low-budget and high-end cameras.
Cine Lenses have been specifically designed for cine productions and their requirement, but how important are they for a cinematic image? Can you achieve a cinematic image with any lens? A blind Shootout puts your bias to the test.
The Shootout puts the relevance of cameras and lenses in perspective by randomly switching between a LUMIX S5IIX, a Kinefinity MAVO LF, and an ARRI ALEXA using a wide variety of lenses from high-end cine glass to anamorphic to kit zooms. How big is the difference, or is there no meaningful distinction to be made at all?
PART III – In Front of the Camera
It’s clear that what happens in front of the camera is essential to a cinematic image – more than the camera or the lens itself. This includes the location or set, actors, costumes, makeup, lighting, and even sound design, score, and music, all of which shape the mood and feeling of the image.
This doesn’t mean you need to build a set with a truckload of lights and a large crew. There are, however, tricks and rules that every filmmaker can use. The Media Division also gives some general advice based on their experience.
Directing From “Method Directing” to the “Kuleshov effect,” there are techniques to make the actors’ performance more authentic. The Media Division shows some of these techniques and how they can be used in practice.
Art Direction Color palettes and themes can enhance storytelling. The Media Division shows examples and how you can use Art Direction for content creation.
Location Finding the right location can be challenging, especially with little to no budget. They explore the possibilities of available light and public spaces.
Costumes, Props, & Makeup These help sell the characters to the audience and can make a vast difference in how a film is perceived. Costumes are the most neglected ingredient in a cinematic image in low-budget productions.
Lighting In cinematography and photography, lighting tries to recreate a three-dimensional world on a flat surface – your screen. The Media Division explains types of lighting and gets inspiration from the greatest cinematographers of all time. They also show how you can recreate cinematic images with relatively simple setups and available light.
Composition & Staging Having all the ingredients in place to make a film, the time has come to start cooking your magic sauce.
Composition describes your image in terms of what is in the frame and where. Staging is how everything interacts, including moving and changing the composition over time.
The Media Division explains some formalized rules and examples for storytelling by staging.
PART IV – The Post
A huge ingredient in the magic sauce of a cinematic image is the post.
Shooting digital in a cinematic way does not mean you have to mimic the look of analog film – it is about finding an aesthetic that works in context.
The Media Division explores the look of movies and film emulation to mimic analog film. In this part, you will find a detailed tutorial on how the film spoof of The Silence of the Lambs was realized using DaVinci Resolve and Adobe After Effects.
What’s your take on Media Division’s latest episode, “Create Cinematic Films”? Let us know in the comments below!
