Cinematography Today

[cliveh]

I am very disillusioned with films produced today, as they contain so much CGI and assembled cuts/sound bites that they often lack any real integrity. Does anybody want to discuss the still images of Andrei Tarkovsky within his films? My favorite is Stalker, as I love the way he uses composition and subtle fast frame techniques in such a poetic style. For instance the images of the dog next to the man lying next to water in Stalker are fantastic.

[BMbikerider]

I have not been to see any films for at least the past 10-15 years (With exception to the 'Kings Speech'). There is not a lot they can much about with there.

[dsmccrac]

For instance the images of the dog next to the man lying next to water in Stalker are fantastic.

Haha I like when the phone rings ;-)

I think there is still good crap out there. Tarkovsky was not exactly mainstream, even in Europe.

Let me think who is visually stunning without a lit of junk. I have had too much wine tonite to dig names out of my brain.

[Slixtiesix]

I prefer films and tv series from the late 80s and early 90s. I like the serenity and tranquility of most of them plus many had a moral/pedagogical approach. Today everything is about sex and crime, action and cheap entertainment, but very shallow after all.
There are still some jewels though...

[AgX]

I haven't seen enough of Tarkovsky to comment on his films. But concerning the thread title I must say that I get offended by the shacky camera style. Actually it makes me sick.
There are scenes which demand a dynamic camera but to get the feeling that the camera-operator is a hybrid beetwen an ADHD-child and a Parkinson-syndrom patient is beyond what I can take.

[dsmccrac]

Not that Hal Hartley is comparable to tarkovsky, but they would both be in the same art house cinemas at the same time ;-) he is another director I admire from cinematographic perspective.

Hartley had a real minimalist camera style. He liked to shoot everything with the same focal length lens - close to what we consider 'normal'. While he was a low budget indie director, I remember for one of his films he had a window and part of a wall removed so he could shoot from outside and not have to use a wide angle lens! He felt that changing focal lengths broke the connection to his storyline. As a dusclaimer, I guess another similarity between these two directors is that lost of folks find them pretentious and ponderous so YMMV :-)