ECLECTIC CHARACTER Production: Amica commercial Cinematographer: Arseni Khachaturan Director: Miles Jay Production company: Smuggler Lens(es): ARRI Heroes, ARRI DNA, Hawk 150-450, ARRI 50mm-110mm Lenses supplied by: ARRI Rental Burbank, ARRI Rental Vancouver Camera: ARRI Alexa 65 Look you needed to achieve: Director Miles Jay wanted to shoot each spot in two shots. We used long … Read more
SUPPORTING THE STORY Production: Blood Cinematographer: Björn Charpentier SBC Director: Brad Anderson Production type: Thriller/Horror Overview of production and the visual approach you adopted: We wanted a movie where at the beginning everything was normal and the further we go into the story the look starts to evolve. Our reference was The Poltergeist. … Read more
RAW ELEGANCE Production: Athena Cinematographer: Matias Boucard AFC Director: Romain Gavras Overview of production and the visual approach you adopted: The entire movie is shot in several long takes. I wanted the best lens for each take, and if I had to change lens sets during the shot or during the production, I wanted no … Read more
Find out how a free online resource developed by a dedicated London-based cinematographer can help with selecting the ideal lenses and filters for your next project.   The Lens & Filter Library (LFL) is an online tool providing a database of lens and filter tests to filmmakers for their evaluation. It has been shot and compiled … Read more
A director/DP and a VFX supervisor share their insight into selecting the perfect lens for a volume shoot. Relationships between camera crews and effects people have sometimes been strained by the occasionally contrary demands of the two disciplines. If there’s been a prominent upheaval in that world recently, it’s virtual production (VP). There are many … Read more
A plethora of filtration and lens options gives filmmakers the perfect opportunity to establish the desired look for their project in camera.  The instinct to defer creative choices is understandable in an environment as expensive and risk-strewn as a film set. The huge capability of modern post-production makes it more practical than ever to put … Read more
A rental company will welcome you with open arms when you’re looking for an aesthetic for a shoot. But in the pursuit of the right lens you’ll enter a vital creative partnership Ultimately light, or the lack of it, is the final arbiter of a look. So, your invention of this look is at the … Read more
Effective testing can give cinematographers unrivalled insight into lens performance and make their production the best it can be. There’s no easier way to while away an evening among camera crew than to drop an opinion about lenses into the conversation. Choosing lenses which might affect the success of a whole production, meanwhile, demands more … Read more
Whether chosen for their speed and versatility or as a creative tool, zoom lenses deserve their moment in the spotlight. Progress in zoom lenses over the last few decades has created a strange reaction. It’d be easy to conclude that they’ve gone directly from being considered a compromise on quality over convenience, to being too … Read more
Vintage lenses can be an invaluable part of cinematographer’s armoury, but using them effectively can be a balancing act. It’s no stretch to point out the popularity of vintage lenses, and finding a balance between that expressive gloss and the danger of distracting the audience is a compromise modern cinematographers often encounter. After three features … Read more
Is the lens the most important part of the camera channel? It may be and would explain the expanding business of lens customisation and the constant hunt for more glass. Like a music producer covets their microphones, a cinematographer will aspire to using particular lenses. Customising lenses is a wide topic and reaches from a … Read more
Asking cinematographers how they choose and use their lenses can be seen as intruding on a creative process, but a generosity of spirit is strong in this industry. Thanks to the following for sharing their secret sauce. With the arrival of digital cinematography there was concern that a digital harshness would accompany it – particular … Read more
The rise of smart lens technology is equipping cinematographers and the wider camera department with greater knowledge and flexibility on set.  Humanity has been using curved glass to bend light for at least 2,500 years, and probably longer, though there are a few differences between an ancient Athenian burning glass and, say, ARRI’s 24-75mm Signature … Read more
Take a quick trip through the lens to see what sets cine lenses apart from their stills counterparts.  If lenses designed for cinema and HETV were animals, they would be thoroughbred racehorses trained just for flat racing and nothing else, while lenses for stills photography would be good for the jumps and maybe showjumping. So, … Read more
Filmmakers today are spoilt for choice with the variety and quality of cine lenses available, even if their evolution hasn’t been as dramatic as other camera technology over the years. Given that lenses are the part of camera technology that have undergone the fewest fundamental changes in the last decade or two, the modern fascination … Read more