Viewing entries in
cinematography

The Cinematography and Production Design of Interstellar (2014)

Comment

The Cinematography and Production Design of Interstellar (2014)

Desolate, dusty, evocative, and a little retro, Interstellar features some of my favorite cinematographic work of the past ten years. Muted colors, negative space, and soft, diffuse light convey a kind of beautiful bleakness, and my God, that dramatic centering and overlapping of figures -- understatedly powerful.

Comment

The Cinematography and Production Design of Hannibal (NBC)

Comment

The Cinematography and Production Design of Hannibal (NBC)

S01 E01 "Aperitif"

S01 E01 "Aperitif"

S01 E12 "Relevés"

S01 E12 "Relevés"

Bryan Fuller's stylish, serialized NBC adaptation of the Hannibal novels ended last month after the conclusion of the famous "Red Dragon" storyline. Fans of the show are now left caught between suspended mourning and grateful closure. How long until Netflix or Amazon picks Hannibal up for additional episodes? Or perhaps we should just be glad there were 3 seasons at all -- since it's not often something as gory, strange, and character-driven survives so long on a broadcast channel.

To cope with Hannibal's premature cancellation and (quite literal) season 3 cliffhanger, I have lovingly combed through my favorite cinematographic moments and compiled them here. The show's aesthetic, in a nutshell: overlapping silhouettes, negative space, golden light, extreme closeups, shadow-play, symmetry too perfect to feel natural, and terrifying visual metaphors. 

S01 E02 "Amuse-Bouche"

S01 E02 "Amuse-Bouche"

The great beauty of Hannibal's visuals is the sense they convey of the ordinary gone horribly wrong. It is the beauty of a dream so subtly strange that ends in screaming oneself awake but being unable to remember the reason for terror. All that is left is a racing pulse and turning stomach -- the body's memory of recent fear. In that way, the world of Hannibal is an uncanny dreamscape that threatens to rupture the aesthetic appreciation we develop for its stylish setups. Something, we are constantly reminded, is off. A tree blooms in a parking lot, and a mushroom garden grows in a forest. But we know that if we look closer, we will surely discover there are bodies in the tree and bodies in the garden.

S02 E07 "Yakimono"

S02 E07 "Yakimono"

S03 E02 "Primavera"

S03 E02 "Primavera"

S02 E04 "Takiawase"

S02 E04 "Takiawase"


S03 E01 "Antipasto"

S03 E01 "Antipasto"

S01 E09 "Trou Normand"

S01 E09 "Trou Normand"

S02 E01 "Kaiseki"

S02 E01 "Kaiseki"

S02 E12 "Ko No Mono"

S02 E12 "Ko No Mono"

S02 E10 "Naka-Choko"

S02 E10 "Naka-Choko"

And all around is sickness. The dreamscape is fevered; it is shot through with pallor, cold sweat, and a diseased green tinge. Forget Denmark, something is rotten right here in Maryland, and we feel it in the bones of each scene.

S02 E13 "Mizumono"

S02 E13 "Mizumono"

S03 E13 "Wrath of the Lamb"

S03 E13 "Wrath of the Lamb"

S02 E03 "Hassun"

S02 E03 "Hassun"

S03 E03 "Secondo"

S03 E03 "Secondo"

S02 E13 "Mizumono"

S02 E13 "Mizumono"

S03 E13 "Wrath of the Lamb"

S03 E13 "Wrath of the Lamb"

Comment